The Carmel Symphony Orchestra will celebrate a major milestone this fall as it opens its 50th season with HORIZONS: The Promise of a Vast Land on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. at the Payne & Mencias Palladium at Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts.
The concert will also mark David Commanday’s first appearance as the orchestra’s music director, beginning a new chapter for the ensemble as it celebrates five decades of music and community impact.
“Carmel has grown tremendously over the past 50 years, becoming a first-class community in which the arts play a central role,” said Carmel Symphony Orchestra Board Chair Jerry Torr. “The Carmel Symphony Orchestra is proud to have been part of that growth and of the development of our world-class cultural facilities. As we celebrate our Golden Anniversary, we look forward to inspiring a new generation growing up with these extraordinary opportunities.”
An evening of musical landscapes
The anniversary season will open with Aaron Copland’s stirring Fanfare for the Common Man, one of the most recognizable works in American classical music. Its powerful brass and percussion create a fitting introduction to a season honoring the nation’s expansive landscapes and human stories.
The program will continue with three vividly descriptive movements from Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite. Inspired by the sights and sounds of the American West, the composition uses the orchestra to evoke the grandeur and dramatic beauty of the Grand Canyon.
A special addition to the evening will be Fanfare for a New Era, composed by Torr during the 1980s. The work connects the celebration to the orchestra’s own history while looking toward its future.
The concert will culminate with Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor. Composed while Dvořák was living in America, the concerto blends sweeping lyricism with an unmistakable sense of longing for the Czech composer’s homeland.
“I am tremendously excited to open both this anniversary season and my tenure as Music Director with a program of such sweep and emotional power,” Commanday said. “From the nobility of Copland’s Fanfare and the brilliant colors and vivid imagery of Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite to the passion, tenderness and heroism of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, this music takes us on an extraordinary journey.”
Commanday added that he and the musicians warmly welcome both longtime supporters and first-time concertgoers to experience the program in the Palladium’s celebrated setting and acoustics.
Rising cellist takes the spotlight
Cellist Alexander Hersh will join the orchestra as the evening’s featured soloist. A top laureate of the 2024 Naumburg International Cello Competition, Hersh made his Carnegie Hall recital debut in 2022 and has appeared with major orchestras and at prominent chamber-music festivals around the world.
His combination of technical command, imagination and emotional depth makes him especially suited to Dvořák’s demanding concerto, a work that shifts between moments of tenderness, grandeur, reflection and heroism.
Guests interested in learning more about the program can attend a pre-concert talk from 6:20 to 6:40 p.m. in the Robert Adams Room. The discussion will explore the stories and meaning behind the evening’s music.
A season of celebration
The Carmel Symphony Orchestra’s 50th-season theme is Horizons to Heroes — A Season of Celebration. Throughout the season, the orchestra will present music ranging from sweeping depictions of the natural world to deeply personal stories of courage, identity and aspiration.
The programming will also recognize the richness of music shaped in America, highlighting composers born in the United States as well as international artists influenced by the country’s character and possibilities.
To make classical music more accessible, the orchestra offers family-friendly pricing along with special ticket options. Tickets are $15 for guests age 18 and younger, $30 for adults under age 30 and $14.50 for an individual military ticket. These prices will appear after seats are selected during the online ordering process.
HORIZONS: The Promise of a Vast Land begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Palladium. Tickets are available through the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts or by calling the Fifth Third Bank Box Office at (317) 843-3800.
To explore the orchestra’s full Golden Anniversary season, visit CarmelSymphony.org
