Dayton Metro Library, in partnership with Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA), will be offering free tickets to select performances by Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera, and Dayton Philharmonic through December.
The select performances, with start times and locations, include:
Pines of Rome and Brandon Patrick George: Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17, 7:30 pm, at the Schuster Center
The “Eternal City” could find no more fitting tribute than Respighi’s vibrant PINES OF ROME, transporting you to famous pine stands around the Italian capital, a Renaissance family’s splendid estate, near a catacomb suggested by a mournful chant, the moonlit beauty of the Janiculum hill with the haunting song of a nightingale, and, along the Appian Way, triumphant trumpets and the thunder of marching armies. Brandon Patrick George, Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra alum – and hottest young flutist around – connects you to the Celtic inspiration of Christopher Rouse’s Concerto. The season opens with the DPO and Chorus giving the world premiere of a beautiful work by Daytonians Sierra Leone and Steve Winteregg inspired by the legacy of Miriam Rosenthal.
Charlie Parker’s Yardbird:
Friday, October 7, 7:30 pm, and Sunday, October 9, 2:30 pm, at the Schuster Center
While the body of tormented bebop saxophonist Charlie “Yardbird” Parker lies unidentified in a New York City morgue, his ghost travels back to the famed NYC jazz club Birdland, where he struggles to complete his final masterpiece. Fusing classical and jazz styles into an intriguing mix, CHARLIE PARKER’S YARDBIRD is a powerful expedition into the mind, heart, and personal purgatory of the jazz genius.
Far Away Places: Scheherazade:
Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22, 7:30 pm, at the Schuster Center
In the One Thousand And One Nights the Sultana Scheherazade nightly diverts her husband with cliff-hanger tales of the sea, shipwrecks, princes, and princesses to save her life – definitely pre-#MeToo! Rimsky-Korsakov’s alluring showpiece whisks you off to that exotic world with music that’s languid and sensuous, shimmering and romantic, stormy and terrifying! Debussy’s Nocturnes depicts clouds floating across the skies and boisterous village festivals punctuated by trumpets and drums. Reena Esmail’s musical roots let her look West and East as her composition about sisterhood soars to ecstatic heights, blending Hindustani and Western classical musical traditions.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow:
Friday, October 28 and Saturday, October 29, 7:30 pm, and Sunday, October 30, 2:30 pm, at the Victoria Theatre
October is the perfect setting for Dayton Ballet’s brand-new production of The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow. The haunting story of the Headless Horseman comes to life with all the same characters of this familiar tale. Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones, and the full ensemble of Dayton Ballet take the stage to bring to life Artistic Director Karen Russo Burke’s fresh approach on the timeless classic. Composer Austin Jaquith provides a brand-new original score, performed live by musicians from the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, to deliver the musical backdrop to this eerie legend that has been passed down through generations since the 1800s.
Symphonie fantastiqe and Vadim Gluzman:
Friday, November 18 and Saturday, November 19, 7:30 pm, at the Schuster Center
Berlioz’s passion-propelled Symphonie fantastique – dazzling with fiery orchestral colors and effects – follows the love-sick hero’s drug-induced visions to a glittering ball, a scaffold, and a demonic Witches’ Sabbath with the Dies irae pounding out a hair-raising theme amid orgiastic tumult. Emotions also run high in Shostakovich’s Concerto, whose sonorities range from quiet contemplation, to the most spectacular cadenza you’re ever likely to witness, to a frenzied finale, guaranteed to leave you profoundly moved. Antoine Clark (“led from the podium with balletic poise,” Chicago Tribune), a rising star among young American conductors, makes his Dayton debut.
Hometown Holiday Featuring Amahl and the Night Visitors:
Friday, December 2 and Saturday, December 3, 7:30 pm, at the Schuster Center
The Dayton Philharmonic and Dayton Opera join forces to present a holiday spectacular that is sure to fill our hearts with the spirit of the season. On the first half of the program, the Dayton Philharmonic performs a selection of seasonal favorites in a festive atmosphere of music and song that will have the Schuster overflowing with holiday happiness. After intermission, Amahl And The Night Visitors brings to life the story of three mysterious kings who are following a star to bring gifts to a wondrous child in a fully-staged, brand new production created for Dayton Opera. The three kings stop for rest at the home of Amahl, a shepherd boy who lives in poverty with his mother, and when Amahl offers his own simple gift to the child, a miracle happens. Since its first performance on Christmas Eve 1951, this holiday classic has been performed on every continent in many languages and been seen by more people than any other opera in history. A heartwarming story of kindness and generosity, it is the perfect first opera – or hundredth!
Free tickets are limited to 50 per performance. Tickets are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to six tickets per party. Seat locations vary per show. Reserved tickets are held at the Box Office and are available for pickup one hour before each show.
For detailed information about each performance and to register, please visit DaytonMetroLibrary.org/Programs(search for the title of the performance in the keyword field). Questions may also be directed to the Library’s Ask Me Line at 937.463.2665.
