Orchestra Santa Monica will kick off its 2014-15 season with “Heroic Beethoven and More!” on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 3:30 p.m. at Barnum Hall. Culture Spot LA readers can win free tickets.
The orchestra will perform Beethoven’s dramatic “Egmont” Overture, celebrating the life and heroism of a 16th-century Dutch nobleman, and the emotional and provocative “Eroica” Symphony. “Eroica” was originally penned to honor Napoleon Bonaparte and then renamed when Beethoven deemed the leader “a tyrant.” The Third Symphony was also featured prominently in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “Psycho,” heightening the tension inside the Bates Motel.
An opening concert highlight is Grammy-winning pianist Gloria Cheng performing the West Coast premiere of Latvian composer Georgs Pelecis’ “Concertino Bianco,” which uses only the white notes on the piano. The concert is generously sponsored by John Bohn, one of Santa Monica’s most distinguished citizens.
This is Orchestra Santa Monica’s third season of offering high-quality symphonic concerts of both traditional repertoire and new music. The orchestra is helmed by Conductor and Music Director Allen Robert Gross who has received worldwide recognition for his imaginative interpretations of standard and contemporary orchestral repertoires.
Culture Spot LA readers can win a pair of tickets. Email editor@culturespotla.com to be entered in a drawing.
The season opener will take place at Barnum Hall on the campus of Santa Monica High School, 601 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica 90405. Tickets are $30, seniors $25, college students $15, K-12 students $10. Tickets can be purchased by calling (310) 525-7618 or visiting www.orchestrasantamonica.org.