Hold on to your seats! The Phoenix Symphony String Orchestra is on the way!

If you are looking for some fun this Wednesday afternoon, enjoy an hour of up close and personal performance with the Phoenix Symphony String Orchestra.

What:
Strings from The Phoenix Symphony Chamber Ensemble
Benjamin Rous, conductor
Maricopa Community Colleges Concert

Where:
Phoenix College - Bulpitt Auditorium
1202 W. Thomas Rd.

When:
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
2:00 p.m.

Britten ~ Simple Symphony, op.4
I. Boisterous Bourée
II. Playful Pizzicato
III. Sentimental Saraband
IV. Frolicsome Finale

Sibelius ~ Romance in C major for Strings, op.42

Bartók ~ Rumanian Folk Dances, for String Orchestra
I. Jocul cu bâta (Stick Dance)
II. Brâul (Waistband Dance)
III. Pe Loc (Stamping Dance, or On the Spot)
IV. Buciumeana (Hornpipe Dance)
V. Poarga româneasca (Rumanian Polka)
VI. Maruntel (Quick Dance)

Tchaikovsky ~ Serenade for Strings in C major, op.48
I. Pezzo in forma di Sonatina

This program is a partnership with Maricopa Community Colleges that provides introductions to orchestral music for undergraduate and continuing education students, as well as for general members of the surrounding community.

Approximately 2,500 people participate annually. Developed in 1997, this program features performances on four Maricopa Community College Campuses by Strings from The Phoenix Symphony Chamber Ensemble. Comprised of twenty-five members of The Phoenix Symphony’s string section and conducted by Assistant Conductor Benjamin Rous, these performances are educational and engaging. Rous presents the history and cultural significance of each work performed, and invites the audience to ask questions throughout the program. This year’s performances will include the complete Simple Symphony by Benjamin Britten, and will feature composers Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, and Bartók.

Benjamin Rous joined The Phoenix Symphony as Assistant Conductor in September of 2008. He plans and conducts the Symphony Connections and Symphony for the Schools series, as well as Family and outreach concerts, in locations throughout the Valley and in Symphony Hall. He was appointed conductor of the Phoenix Youth Symphony in early 2009, and presents his first concerts with them during the current season. Mr. Rous studied music at Harvard University, where he served as music director of Harvard’s Bach Society Orchestra, and subsequently studied conducting with Kenneth Kiesler at the University of Michigan. His compositions have been performed by the Portland (ME) Youth Symphony, the New England Conservatory Preparatory String Orchestra, the Boston Latin High School String Orchestra, and the Fromm Players at Harvard.