24 Oct 2016 Conway Symphony to present opening night concert Oct. 29

For the opening night concert of its 32nd season, the Conway Symphony Orchestra will welcome back fan-favorite Neil Rutman, matched with another fan-favorite, “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin.

Combined with the William Tell Overture, and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8, the Saturday, Oct. 29, performance will feature the music audiences know and love, as they’ve come to expect from the Conway Symphony. The 7:30 p.m. concert will be held at Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.

Subscriptions are still available, with a four-concert package for $64-$116, with discounts for all students, children and UCA faculty/staff. Single tickets are $6 for students/children, and $20-$38 for adults. Contact the box office at 501.450.3265, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or uca.edu/tickets.

“This will be the Great American piano concerto with the great Neil Rutman,” said conductor and music director Israel Getzov. “This is art you know, and music you have to experience live. At least once in your life, everyone needs to hear the William Tell Overture in person!”

The award-winning Rutman has performed in more than 30 countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He has appeared in Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, Tokyo’s Bunka Kaikan and the Schola Cantorum in Paris, with recent concert tours in the last five years of the United Kingdom, Europe, New Zealand, Japan and the Persian Gulf. “Rhapsody in Blue” combines classical music with jazz-influenced effects, premiering in New York in 1924 with Gershwin himself on piano. It has since become one of the most popular of all American concert works.

Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 continues the popular theme, with cheerful and optimistic music. “It’s filled with Bohemian life,” Getzov said, “folksy and enchanting with haunting melodies.” It will be an enjoyable showcase of the Conway Symphony, and an energetic start to the season.

The Conway Symphony Orchestra brings professional concerts, exciting guest artists and high-quality music to the Central Arkansas community. For more information on concerts and other programs, visit ConwaySymphony.org or call 501.269.1066.