In Sunday’s (2/8) Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania), Steve Siegel writes, “The celebration of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra’s 60th anniversary began even before famed pianist André Watts touched the keyboard in the season’s opening concert last October. The program opened with a resounding herald trumpet fanfare composed by Kutztown University faculty member John Metcalf, one of five commissions by the orchestra of local composers’ works being premiered in each concert of its 60th season. The fanfare program was conceived by ASO conductor and music director Diane Wittry, who was looking for a unique way to mark the orchestra’s milestone season. … The concert Feb. 12 and 13, featuring a semi-staged version of Bizet’s popular opera ‘Carmen,’ will open with Larry Lipkis’ ‘Maestranza,’ named after the famous bullring in Seville where the last act of the opera takes place. Lipkis, composer-in-residence and professor of music at Moravian College, has composed a piece designed to make the audience feel they’re part of the spectacle, by creating an exciting stadium atmosphere that perfectly fits the mood. … In March, we’ll hear ‘Concert Fanfare—Endless Possibilities’ by Douglas Ovens, department chair and professor of music at Muhlenberg College. April’s concert will feature ‘Fanfare’ by Paul Salerni, professor of music at Lehigh University and NEH distinguished chair in Humanities.”
Posted February 8, 2011
