In Sunday’s (3/1) Press Herald (Portland, Maine), Amy Paradysz writes, “Both the Portland Symphony Orchestra and Portland Hunt + Alpine Club were pleased with the enthusiastic response to the first in a series of events called Symphony & Spirits…. It’s a collaboration that offers younger adults a reduced price on a PSO concert that is preceded by a cocktail gathering. ‘This is the first time the PSO has actively tried to engage this 21-39 age group,’ said assistant conductor Norman Huynh, one of the Symphony & Spirits organizers.… The 60 tickets sold out in just two days…. Sixty was the cap because everyone with a Symphony & Spirits ticket would be invited to the Hunt + Alpine Club for a Beethoven-inspired cocktail…. Bartender Andrew Volk served dozens of Immortal Beloveds, an inventive cocktail comprised of Americano, Cynar, sparkling white wine and an orange twist. ‘This is a blast,’ Volk said, moments before the bar emptied out as the crowd headed to the PSO’s [February 17] concert, which included the world premiere of ‘Becoming Beethoven,’ a new piece by young American composer Michael-Thomas Foumai commissioned by the PSO…. ‘It’s a cool, affordable way to do something different,’ said Becca Nisetich of Portland.”
Posted March 2, 2015
