Kennett Symphony begins 72nd Season with Opening Night Concert

Posted by Press Release on September 5, 2012

The Kennett Symphony of Chester County begins its 72nd season with Opening Night Concert, under the direction of Maestra Mary Woodmansee Green, featuring pianist Igor Resnianski. The concert will be presented at West Chester University’s Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre on Saturday, September 29, 2012, at 8:00 pm.

The opening concert includes two youthful works: Prokofiev’s spirited and elegant Classical Symphony, and Brahm’s passionate First Piano Concerto performed by Igor Resnianski. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Corigliano’s Creations, narrated by Leon Spencer, rounds out the program.
Considered one of the major composers of the 20th Century, Sergei Prokofiev composed his Classical Symphony in 1917 when he was just 26 years old. Regarded as one of the first neoclassical works, Prokofiev composed the symphony with the intent of creating a work that contained elements from both the classical style of Joseph Haydn and modern composition practices.
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Corigliano’s Creations was premiered by the Milwaukee Symphony in 1984. Corigliano writes of the work: “Creations challenged me to write specifically for a recorded medium. It also offered me the chance to build music more abstractly than I’d done before; often, in this case, out of pure sonority, rather than harmony and line. Much of my later work uses techniques I developed for the first time while scoring Creations.”
A leading composer of the Romantic period, Johannes Brahms composed his First Piano Concerto in 1833 when he was just 25 years old. Breaking from the traditional role of the orchestra as an accompaniment to an instrumental solo, Brahms composed his concerto with the intent of creating a work that showcased the soloist and orchestra as equal partners.
A Steinway artist, Igor Resnianski is a prize winner of many international piano competitions including the First Prize of the New Orleans International Piano Competition, the Bronze Medal of the International World Piano Competition, Cincinnati, Ohio, the Bronze Medal of the Nena Wideman International Piano Competition, Shreveport, Louisiana, and the Second Prize of the All Russian Piano Competition Sodrujestvo. He has performed with numerous orchestras including Forth Worth Symphony, New Orleans Symphony and Acadiana Symphony. Dr. Resnianski teaches at West Chester University and the Nelly Berman School of Music. In spring 2012, Dr. Resnianski was named “Music Teach of the Year” by the Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association.
Leon Spencer, Jr. received a Bachelor’s degree in music education from Muskingum University and attended Westminster Choir College for graduate studies in vocal pedagogy and choral conducting. Co-owner of Pro Musica Studio in Kennett Square, he served as mayor of Kennett Square from 1999-2010. He currently serves on the boards of the Chester County School Authority, the Chester County Regional Educational Service, Kendall at Crosslands, and Kennett Square Borough Council.
West Chester University’s Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre is located at the Swope Music Building at the intersection of S. High Street and East Campus Drive. The entrance is located on the parking lot side of the building (M-Lot). The street address is 817 S. High Street, West Chester, PA 19383. Single ticket prices are $35 in advance, $40 at the door, students are $5. Subscriptions are available featuring a variety of packages and prices as well as group discounts. Free parking. For complete information visit www.kennettsymphony.org or call the Kennett Symphony at 610 444 6363.
Sponsored in part by Herr Foods, Inc.
Celebrating its 72nd season, the Kennett Symphony of Chester County is based in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and serves residents of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey, along with the thousands of tourists who attend the Kennett Symphony's popular summer concerts in Longwood Garden’s Open Air Theatre. In addition to presenting varied and entertaining orchestral concerts, the Kennett Symphony encourages young musicians through annual Instrumental and Voice Competitions and its affiliation with the Kennett Symphony Children’s Chorus.