In Wednesday’s (1/28) Las Vegas Sun, Becky Bosshart reports, “The Henderson Symphony Orchestra will premiere commissioned work by UNLV professor and composer Virko Baley, who was inspired by desert sunsets and the beauty of the Las Vegas Valley. Baley’s two movements for the Henderson orchestra, ‘Mojave Dusk’ and ‘The Torrents of Springs,’ will highlight the Master Series III concert at 2 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Valley View Recreation Center. Baley, born in 1938 in the former Soviet Union, is a Las Vegas cultural icon, said Molly Murphy, executive director of the Henderson Symphony Orchestra. She called his new pieces ‘a reflection of our city. In this town he has been very important. He turned 70, so we wanted to honor him.’ In addition to his international work, Baley co-directs Nevada Encounters of New Music, a UNLV symposium and festival in early April.” Music by Barber, Ives, and Stravinsky round out the program.
