Join us this Wednesday evening at 9, on WHRO FM’s “A Local Touch: Music with a Virginia Connection,” for a special evening as Raymond Jones presents a carefully curated selection of significant works to honor Black History Month, all with ties to Virginia.
The highlight of this program will be Norfolk-born maestro Thomas Wilkins conducting the Virginia Symphony Orchestra in two captivating performances. First, the dynamic and energetic “Polovtsian Dances” from Alexander Borodin’s opera “Prince Igor,” followed by a more introspective and nostalgic piece by George Butterworth, “A Shropshire Lad.”
Raymond has also selected performances by two distinguished conductors from Richmond: Paul Freeman and Isaiah Jackson. Freeman leads the Czech National Symphony Orchestra alongside flutist Mary Stolper in Virgil Thomson’s Concerto for Flute, and later conducts the National Opera Orchestra in Gounod’s "Faust" suite. Meanwhile, Isaiah Jackson conducts the American String Orchestra, joined by pianist Earl Wild, in an arrangement of Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat.
Other featured works of the evening include Hailstork’s Symphony No. 1, performed by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra under the expert direction of JoAnn Falletta, as well as Florence Price’s Violin Concerto No. 2, in a delicate yet demanding interpretation by violinist Randall Goosby, accompanied by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
We’ll close the night with the expressive voice of Norfolk-born Dorothy Maynor, performing “Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow” and “Go Tell It on the Mountain.”
Great maestros, outstanding orchestras, and exceptional soloists with deep connections to Virginia come together for a night celebrating Black History Month. Tune in this Wednesday at 9 PM for A Local Touch on 90.3 WHRO-FM, or listen online via the Media Player.
