Genesee Symphony Orchestra

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra, with S. Shade Zajac music director/conductor, will perform at Genesee Community College on Sunday, Oct. 28.

The program for "Dare to Dream" is as follows:

• "Electric Dream for Acoustic Orchestra" -- World Premiere, by S. Shade Zajac
• "Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra" featuring Guest Artist Marza Wilks, cellist, by Samuel Barber
• "Symphony No. 2 in B Minor" by Alexander Borodin.

Meet the orchestra at 3 p.m., followed by the concert at 4.

Tickets are $15 for adults; $7 for students; $10 for seniors; $35 for a family with parents and children age 12 and under.

Tickets are available at GO ART!, The YNGodess Shop, Vinyl Record Revival, Bank of Castile in Le Roy, and at geneseesymphony.com

This concert is sponsored by WBTA and is also made possible, in part, by the NYS Council on the Arts, with the support of Gov. Cuomo and the NYS Legislature.

The college is located at 1 College Road in the Town of Batavia.

United Way's third annual Summer Serenade featuring the Genesee Symphony Orchestra will be held from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 19, at Mercy Grove.

The venue is at 7758 E. Main Road (Route 5) in Le Roy.

Tickets are $75 per person.

There will be hors d’oeuvres, grazing stations, beer, wine, soda and a cash bar is available.

The GSO Serenade portion of the event will be from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m.

Proceeds benefit the United Way Backpack Program and the GSO.

Theresa DeMars, an account manager with Lawley Insurance, chairs the event for United Way.

As in the previous two Summer Serenades, garden-party attire is appropriate.

Donald Woodward built the mansion at Mercy Grove in 1927. Currently, the facility and its beautiful grounds are available for special events, conferences and weddings. 

Summer Serenade tickets are available at Le Roy Country Club, Roxy's Music Store, from United Way or GSO board members, and online here.

Sunday's Genesee Symphony Orchestra concert in the auditorium at Elba Central School will feature soloist Mimi Hwang on cello performing Elgar's "Concerto for Cello & Orchestra in E-minor."

Hwang, a resident of Brighton, winner of both the Banff and the Evian International String Quartet Competitions. She has performed with such quartets as Tokyo, Colorado, and Ciompi at Duke University in North Carolina, and was a participant of both Beijing and Los Angeles philharmonics. She also played at the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra.

The orchestra, under the direction of S. Shade Zajac, will also perform Wagner's "Siegfried's Death & Funeral March," Howard Hanson's "Symphony No. 2 'Romantic,' " and Holst's "St. Paul's Suite for String Orchestra."

The concert, "Romantic Masterpieces," begins at 4 p.m.

Tickets are available through geneseesymphony.com, GO ART!, Roxy's Music Store, The YNGodess Shop, and Smokin' Eagle BBQ  & Brew in Le Roy.

CORRECTION: Updated to clarify the concert is at Elba Central School Auditorium.

You are invited to a special afternoon "Romantic Masterpieces" concert performed by the Genesee Symphony Orchestra at Elba Central School followed by fine dining at the Dibble Family Center on Sunday, May 6.

The concert is at 4 p.m. Cocktails are available at the cash bar along with hors d'oeuvres beginning at 6 o'clock at Dibble Center. Dinner will follow at 6 p.m.

Dinner choices are:

• Steak au poivre with grilled vegetable & potato;
• Chicken French -- egg/cheese battered chicken, sauteed in white wine and lemon, served over angel-hair pasta with escarole & artichoke hearts;
• Grilled salmon with grilled vegetable & potato.

All dinners include garden salad, fresh rolls, and butter, coffee, tea, and dessert.

Cost is $25 per person, $45 per couple.

Reservation deadline is May 3 to Roxie Choat at 356-9635.

The Dibble Family Center is located at 4120 W. Main Street Road, Batavia.

GSO Conductor S. Shade Zajac led a group of young musicians today in a string workshop at the First Presbyterian Church of Batavia.

The students will perform May 6 with the Genesee Symphony Orchestra at Elba Central School on Sibelus, "Andante Festivo." 

The program that day includes featured soloist Mimi Hwang on cello joining the orchestra for Elgar's "Concerto for Cello & Orchestra in E-minor."

The orchestra will also perform Wagner's "Siegfried's Death & Funeral March," Howard Hanson's "Symphony No. 2 'Romantic," and Holst's "St. Paul's Suite for String Orchestra."

The concert, "Romantic Masterpieces," begins at 4 p.m.

Tickets are available through geneseesymphony.com or GO Art!, Roxy's Music Store, YNGodess, and Smokin' Eagle BBQ  & Brew in Le Roy.

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra rehearsed Monday night at Batavia High School for its concert this Sunday featuring the music of Tchaikovsky and a solo performance by David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The program includes Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D, David Kim solo violin, Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, and The Sleeping Beauty: Polonaise.

The concert is at 4 p.m. in the auditorium at Elba Central School.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for students, $10 for seniors, and $35 for families.

Photos by Chris Choate.

The Asteria String Quartet's "First Viennese Valentine's" performance scheduled for this Saturday at the Dibble Family Center in Batavia has been canceled.

One of the quartet's members had an unforeseen circumstance arise and will not be able to perform. It was not possible for the quartet to find a replacement musician on such short notice.

The performance was sponsored by the Genesee Symphony Orchester and Musical Director Shade Zajac, and quartet member, shares his deepest regrets for the canceling.

The GSO will refund all ticket purchases. For a refund, call Roxie Choate at (585) 356-9635 and she will mail a refund to you if you purchased tickets.

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra performs its annual Christmas concert tomorrow (Sunday) at 4 p.m. at St. Mary's Church in Batavia.

The program includes "Dance of the Tumblers" from Snow Maiden by Rimsky-Korsakov, Canadian Brass Christmas, "The Snowman," by Howard Blake and narrated by Laurence Tallman,  (top photo), Holiday Favorites with a special guest vocalist: "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," "(There’s no place like) Home for the Holidays," "White Christmas," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "Sleigh Ride," and "Christmas Festival."

Tickets will be available at the door.

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra performs tonight at Perry High School and again tomorrow at Genesee Community College.

Mia Fasanello, a winner of the Young Artist Competition, on oboe, is one of the featured performers in a show titled "Festivals, Techno, and Fate!"

The program includes "Academic Festival Overture" by Brahms, "The B-Sides," "Five Pieces for Orchestra and Electronica" by Bates, and "Symphony no. 5 in C Minor" by Beethoven.

During Friday's rehearsal, young music students were invited to sit next to orchestra musicians and experience the music from within the orchestra.

This evening's Perry performance starts at 7 p.m. and Sunday's GCC performance is at 4 p.m.

Tickets are available at the door or through GSO's website.

This weekend GCC celebrated its 50th anniversary with the Cougar Crawl (visiting downtown businesses), homecoming activities, including a kids zone, a car cruise, and campus tour, and a Golden Gala capped by a performance of the Genesee Symphony Orchestra.

Photos Courtesy of Genesee Community College.

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra performs today as part of Genesee Community College's 50th Anniversary Fall Gala in the brand new Richard C. Call Arena.

The concert starts at 5 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Members of the Genesee Symphony Orchestra visited Oakfield-Alabama Elementary School yesterday to meet with students from each grade to talk with them about classical music and the instruments they use. Above, Bob Knipe talks about his French horn. 

Muris Director / Conductor S. Shade Zajac

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra performs in Elba Central School at 4 p.m., Sunday, in its final concert of the season.

The program is called "Escaping Gravity: A Journey Through the Stars," and features "And God Created Great Whales," by Hovhaness, "Music from Apollo 13," arranged by John Moss and featuring the String Workshop, "Suite from Close Encounters of the Third Kind," by John Williams, and "The Planets," by Holst.

Musical Director S. Shade Zajac conducts.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for students, $10 for seniors and families are $35. Tickets can be purchased online at GeneseeSymphony.com.

Photos are from Monday's rehearsal.