In Saturday’s (3/12) Daily Press (Virginia), David Nicholson writes, “JoAnn Falletta’s 20 years as music director and conductor of the Virginia Symphony will be recognized on Saturday, March 19, with a ‘Roaring 20s’ celebration at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel. The theme of the party recalls the era when the 90-year-old orchestra first came into being. But few would argue that its most significant growth has come during the past two decades. Under Falletta’s stewardship, the orchestra has made numerous recordings, reached new audiences through residences in newly built performing halls in Newport News and Virginia Beach, and expanded its reach beyond Hampton Roads with performances in Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Carnegie Hall in New York City. … Many of the 400 works by American composers, including more than 80 world premieres, she has programmed have been played in Hampton Roads. This year, audiences heard the world premiere of Lowell Liebermann’s third symphony and the Virginia premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Grammy-winning percussion concerto. One of Falletta’s gifts is her ability to balance a symphony program with familiar and new music.”
Posted March 14, 2011
