The Score | Rogue Valley Symphony: 50 x 5

It’s not every day that an orchestra hits the half-century mark—and it’s not every orchestra that performs five new works in one season. But that’s exactly what the Rogue Valley Symphony in Ashland, Oregon is doing to mark its 50th birthday during the 2017-18 season. The orchestra will perform the world premiere of a commissioned piece by Jonathan Leshnoff, Rogue Sparks, as well as two works commissioned from local composers: Cantus, by I’lana Cotton, and How Can You Own The Sky, by Ethan Gans-Morse. Other new works, co-commissioned with a consortium of orchestras, are Love Song to the Sun, a concerto for electric violin by Tracy Silverman, who will perform with the orchestra on electric violin, and a violin concerto by David Ludwig performed by Bella Hristova. Under the direction of Music Director Martin Majkut, the orchestra is also adding one more concert to its Masterworks subscription series for a total of six concerts, each given three performances in the cities of Ashland, Medford, and Grants Pass.