Alexandria Symphony Presents the Nutcracker with a Twist

Posted Nov 22, 2019 | ASO News, Press Releases, 

Alexandria, VA—The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) continues its 2019-2020 Season on Saturday, December 14, 2019 (7:00 p.m.) and Sunday, December 15, 2019 (2:00 p.m.), under the direction of Maestro James Ross. In his second year as Music Director with the ASO, Ross endeavors to feature forgotten voices in the concert hall and present symphonic music in unconventional and creative ways.

The program will delight audiences with the Nutcracker presented to two ways: excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s ballet suite and Duke Ellington’s version that swings. Besides holiday-themed music attendees will enjoy visual accompaniments to Saturday’s performance, and both concerts will be followed by a reception for the entire audience. Performances will be presented with no intermission and one hour earlier than usual to accommodate families and young children.

To open the program, the ASO presents the Prelude to Hänsel and Gretel, an opera traditionally performed during the holiday season in Germany and abroad, followed by selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, including “Waltz of the Flowers” and “Waltz of the Snowflakes.”

Joining the ASO is harpist Morgan Short, winner of the 43rd Annual Mary Graham Lasley Scholarship Competition. Ms. Short will perform Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, originally written for guitar and later rendered for harp by the composer. Ms. Short is a Classics Alive Artist, sought-after touring soloist, and enrolled at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

The concert will culminate with Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite, accompanied on Saturday by video realizations by the New Live following the story of an African-American girl from Harlem. “Tchaikovsky is only one point along a line of creativity starting with E.T.A. Hoffman’s original story, continuing through Ellington’s big-band re-imagining to resetting the story in Harlem through the eyes of a young girl,” says Maestro Ross. “It’s a wonder-worthy, multi-sensory experience for the whole family.”