All Over Albany

Albany Symphony season 2018-2019

Albany Symphony music director David Alan Miller.

The schedule for the next Albany Symphony season -- the 2018-2019 season -- is out. It includes a a concert with Albany Pro Musica at Proctors, Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, and -- as the ASO is known for -- works by many living American composers.

Tickets for the season are available via a season subscription. (Individual date tickets will be available later on.)

And, of course, the ASO's current season is in progress, with two Romeo & Juliet-themed concerts at the Troy Music Hall this weekend and more shows throughout the spring.

Onto a scan of the schedule...

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Albany Symphony season 2017-2018

As usual, the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall will be one of the venues to host the ASO during the next season.

The schedule for the next Albany Symphony season -- the 2017-2018 season -- is out. It includes a weekend of Mozart, a weekend of Gershwin, and performances of new music by living composers.

Tickets for many of the dates are available via a season subscription. (Individual date tickets will be available later on.)

And, of course, the ASO's current season is in progress, with handful of dates over the next few months.

Without further ado...

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Albany Symphony 2016-2017 season includes Yo-Yo Ma and an opera based on novel by William Kennedy

The scheduled for the next Albany Symphony season is out. It includes a concert with Yo-Yo Ma, a performance of Beethoven's 9th symphony (you know this one), and the premiere of an opera based on a novel by William Kennedy.

Tickets for many of the dates are available via a season subscription. (Individual date tickets will be available later on.)

The 2016-2017 season with the Albany Symphony's 87th -- and it will be the 25th season with David Alan Miller as music director.

Without further ado...

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Another Grammy nomination for Albany Symphony Orchestra

The list of nominees for this year's Grammy awards is out today -- and the Albany Symphony Orchestra has snagged another nomination.

A recording of Christopher Rouse's Seeing and Kabir Padavali by the ASO was nominated for best classical solo vocal album. The album features soprano Talise Trevigne and pianist Orion Weiss, and the ASO conducted by David Alan Miller.

The performance of Seeing was recorded at EMPAC in June of 2013. And Kabir Padavali was recorded at the Troy Music Hall in February of 2013.

Back in 2013 Amy Biancolli wrote about Seeing and the ASO's performance of it -- including the strong response it prompted in some people -- for the Times Union.

The ASO won a Grammy -- its first -- last year in the best classical instrument solo category.

Earlier on AOA: Grammy winners David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the little symphony that could

Drawing: Joshua Bell with the ASO + Yono's

Drawing's closed!

The Albany Symphony Orchestra opens its new season September 6 at the Palace with a concert featuring superstar violinist Joshua Bell. We have two tickets to the performance and we're giving them away. BUT WAIT. There's more: The winner will also receive a $100 gift certificate for dinner at Yono's (reservations recommended) -- which is, of course, just a short walk from the Palace.

To enter the drawing, please answer this question in the comments:

What is something classic about the Capital Region?

Could be a building, a tradition, whatever. We'll draw one winner at random. That person gets the pair of tickets and Yono's gift certificate.

The ASO performance at the Palace starts at 7 pm on Saturday, September 6. Tickets are $56 and up.

Important: All comments must be submitted by 5 pm on Friday, August 29, 2014 to be entered in the drawing. You must answer the question to be part of the drawing. (Normal commenting guidelines apply.) One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winner will be notified via email by noon on Saturday and must respond by noon on Tuesday, September 2.

photo: Bill Phelps

Joshua Bell to play with the Albany Symphony Orchestra again

Joshua Bell

The opening night for the 2014-2015 season of the Albany Symphony Orchestra will be September 6 at the Palace and it will feature acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell. Tickets are currently available as part of season subscription packages, some of which start at $149.

Bell is a renowned performer who's sold millions of albums. He plays a 300-year-old Stradivarius that he bought for almost $4 million. He was also the subject of a great Washington Post story a few years back in which he played incognito for commuters in a Washington Metro station. He previously appeared with the ASO back in 2011.

A handful of other bits about the ASO's upcoming season are after the jump. It's current season is still in progress -- it next performs Beethoven's Third Symphony at Troy Music Hall March 1.

Earlier on AOA: Grammy winners David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the little symphony that could

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Grammy winners David Alan Miller and the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the little symphony that could

David Alan Miller conducts the Albany Symphony Orchestra

The recent Grammy win for the Albany Symphony Orchestra and conductor David Alan Miller -- in the best classical instrument solo category for a recording with percussionist Evelyn Glennie -- is even cooler when you take a look at the competition.

"We were up against the New York Philharmonic and major international orchestras," says Miller. "So we play in this big, fabulous, international sandbox and we are a little like the little engine that could."

The ASO's musical director and conductor also points out the company the orchestra was in at appearances at Carnegie Hall over the last few years. "The New York Times did an article about the Carnegie festival the ASO participated in a few years ago -- most of the six orchestras involved had annual budgets of $16 million to $25 million," Miller says, "Ours is about $2 million."

How is an Upstate New York orchestra with such a small budget getting this kind of recognition? Miller thinks it comes in part from a rare combination of classics and a dedication to new American compositions.

We talked with Miller this week about the ASO's Grammy win, its "secret" garage band project, and why you shouldn't talk to him about "classical" music.

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A Grammy for the Albany Symphony Orchestra

This is great: The Albany Symphony Orchestra won a Grammy Sunday.

The ASO's victory was in the best classical instrument solo category for its recording of "Conjurer," a percussion concerto by American composer John Corigliano. The ASO performed the piece with Evelyn Glennie, a renowned Scottie percussionist, with David Alan Miller conducting.

You can hear a 45 second clip of the music at this YouTube video -- the ASO recording starts at the 2:15 mark.

It's the ASO's first Grammy. It topped a field that included the New York Philharmonic.

Glennie is scheduled to perform with the ASO again on May 17 at EMPAC as part of the he annual American Musical Festival. Tickets for that performance are "almost gone," according to the ASO's website.