The New Haven Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Alasdair Neale in a 2019 performance. Photo by Matt Fried
“Lights, camera, action. It’s the New Haven Symphony Orchestra,” writes Brian Zahn in Thursday’s (1/28) Hew Haven Register (CT). “With its annual gala on Feb. 6, symphony leaders find themselves trying entirely new things. ‘In a lot of ways, we’re producing our first TV special,’ said Elaine Carroll, the NHSO’s chief executive officer. The symphony’s Rise Gala will … be streamed virtually to patrons. The night’s entertainment includes the premiere of ‘RISE,’ an arrangement written by NHSO Young Composer Program graduate Anton Kot with live choreography, plus music written by Wilbur Cross High School students performed by the NHSO’s Harmony Quartet…. The NHSO … is … recognizing and honoring community leaders: … soprano Harolyn Blackwell, New Haven librarians Diane Brown and Xia Feng, the Yale University School of Public Health, and musician Helen Eugenia Hagan … the late composer and pianist [who] was among the first Black women to attend the Yale School of Music…. NHSO Board Director Burton Alter will be recognized … for his involvement in local nonprofit organizations such as … the Neighborhood Music School…. Carroll said commissioning Kot’s ‘RISE’ is an example of how the NHSO is working synchronously with the city of New Haven…. ‘We are choosing to embrace change,’ she said.”
