For Hometown News
The National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba comes to the United States for the first time ever, a historic event.
The concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at Peabody Auditorium is the orchestra's first stop on its tour of Florida. Featured pianist is Nachito Herrera of the famed Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. Since its beginnings in 1960, the orchestra has been instrumental in developing and introducing Cuban and Latin American music to the international classical music community. It has a vast symphonic repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary music.
The concert opens the Daytona Beach Symphony Society's 61st season. The program includes renditions of works by George Gershwin - Cuban Overture and Rhapsody in Blue, Ernesto Lecuona - La Comparsa, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 5.
Nachito Herrera, who will play Rhapsody in Blue, notes, "George Gershwin undertook classical piano lessons as a youngster and used to play with different bands in jazz clubs (like me!) ... prior to composing classical pieces. I especially love to play Rhapsody in Blue as it particularly speaks to (and for) me as a classically-trained jazz pianist. I think this may be the finest representation of a well-known 'classical' work for piano and orchestra that also lends itself to jazz or swing. "
A free pre-concert talk will be given in the Peabody Auditorium at 6 p.m. by Dr. Rose Grace, assistant professor of Piano at Bethune-Cookman University and a graduate of the Eastman School of Music.
Tickets range from $34-59. There are three options to buy tickets. Visit Peabody Auditorium Box Office, 600 Auditorium Blvd., Daytona Beach; call Ticketmaster 1-800-745-3000; or order online at www.dbss.org.
For more information, and to inquire about student and family discounts, call the Daytona Beach Symphony Society at (386) 253-2901.