The Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra begins its 40th Anniversary season with a very special performance. The BVSO and music director Marcelo Bussiki will be joined on the Rudder Auditorium stage by the world-famous mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke on Sunday, Oct. 17 starting at 5 p.m. St. Joseph Health has graciously partnered with the BVSO as the official sponsor of the 2021-2022 season.
The performance will start out with Mendelssohn’s famous work that perfectly encapsulates the spellbinding, ethereal world of Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture. The second piece of the evening will feature mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke singing the enchanting song cycle Summer Nights (Les nuits d’été) by French composer Berlioz. After the intermission, the orchestra performs the great Russian composer, Shostakovich’s watershed piece, his Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 10.
Two-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke has been called a “luminous standout” (New York Times) and “equal parts poise, radiance, and elegant directness” (Opera News). A graduate of Rice University and The Juilliard School, she is sought after by the world’s leading orchestras, opera companies, and chamber music ensembles for her versatile repertoire. Her last performance with the BVSO was during the 2010-2011 season when she performed in a semi-stage production of Bizet’s opéra comique Carmen where she performed the title role.
Music director Marcelo Bussiki shares that, “We are extremely happy to have Sasha open the season with us. I remembered her when she was still at Rice University for her undergrad school. A few years later, I booked her for a concert and I was mesmerized. From that point on, I decided whenever I can, I would book Sasha.”
Advanced adult tickets to Summer Nights are $55 and can be purchased online at bvso.org or by contacting the MSC box office at (979) 845-1234. Ticket purchases are also available at the door the evening of the performance for $60. All programs are subject to change. Contact the Symphony Office with any further questions.
About the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra
The BVSO is a non-profit performing arts organization with the mission to maintain a symphony of high artistic standards, and to promote the musical arts for cultural and education purposes in the Brazos Valley. For more information about the Symphony, visit the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra website at bvso.org.
Check out Insite BV's interview with Sasha Cooke from our September issue here: insitebrazosvalley.com/shining-in-the-spotlight-internationally-acclaimed-mezzo-soprano-sasha-cooke-returns-home-to-sing-with-the-brazos-valley-symphony-orchestra.
Information Courtesy of BVSO
