The fall season marks the close of summer festivals and the return of our local orchestras, chamber series, and opera companies. The live classical music scene in Connecticut will be as brightly colored and vivid as New England leaves. Among the following events are several that you may not have known about, some by organizations you may not have attended recently. Take every possible opportunity to enjoy the good life and hear one of these events. It is fortunate for us that live classical music remains plentiful in Connecticut.
HSO’s Masterworks Series
>>“New World Visions”, Oct. 1-4, Belding Theater, The Bushnell: The HSO will open their Masterworks season with a program of works that represent new worlds of sound for the composers who wrote them. The New World Symphony by Dvo¿ák has been an audience favorite ever since it was debuted in Manhattan during the 1893 season. The program will also feature violinist Caroline Goulding as soloist in the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, and will also include “Shaker Loops” by John Adams. The concert will be conducted by Carolyn Kuan. For tickets: hartfordsymphony.org/tickets, 860-987-5900.
>>“Bold Beethoven”, Nov. 5-7, Belding Theater, The Bushnell: Conductor William Eddins created a sensation when he conducted the HSO last season. He will return for a program in which he once again not only conducts the orchestra but also conducts a concerto from the piano. Eddins will be soloist and conductor for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor. The Coriolan Overture and the Eighth symphony are also included on this program. hartfordsymphony.org/tickets, 860-987-5900.
>>“Joyful voices with the Hartford Chorale”, Dec. 3-6, Belding Theater, The Bushnell: Carolyn Kuan once again will conduct the HSO and the Hartford Chorale in excerpts from Handel’s Messiah. The program will also include the Fauré Requiem, and “Blue Cathedral” by Jennifer Higdon. hartfordsymphony.org/tickets, 860-987-5900.
Richard P. Garmany Chamber Music Series:
>>Dawn Upshaw, Oct. 15, 7:30 p.m., Millard Auditorium, Hartt School: This is the seventh season of the Garmany Chamber Series, and it has already become a fixture on the Connecticut music scene. In this season-opening event that is not-to-be-missed, Dawn Upshaw will be joined by pianist Gilbert Kalish. Upshaw has an astonishing legacy of recordings in repertoire that ranges from the Baroque to major works written especially for her by composers like John Adams, Osvaldo Golijov, John Harbison, and Henri Dutilleux. The opportunity to hear her voice in an intimate hall is a rare and unexpected treat. For additional information, call (860) 768-4228, harttweb.hartford.edu
>>Dover Quartet, Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m., Millard Auditorium, Hartt School: The Dover Quartet came to the attention of the music world with their performances in the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition. The New Yorker has called them “the young American string quartet of the moment.” They will perform Mozart’s late string quartet in F major K. 590, “Ainsi la Nuit” by Henri Dutilleux and the Dvo¿ák String Quartet in F Major, Op. 96, nicknamed the “American.” For additional information, call (860) 768-4228, harttweb.hartford.edu
CONCORA
>>ClavierFest, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m., Trinity Episcopal Church, 120 Sigourney St., Hartford: This program is a fundraiser for the CONCORA’s magnificent annual Bach concert in March. The event will feature keyboardists Edward Clark, Christa Rakich and Stephen Gamboa-Diaz, with Greig Shearer, baroque flute, and Jennifer Ferrand, soprano. For additional information call 860-293-0567, or visit their website: concora.org
>>The Romantic Choir, Nov. 21, 2015 at 7:30 p.m., St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 872 Farmington Ave., West Hartford: A concert of a cappella choral works, including motets by Brahms, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Bruckner; the Casals “O Vos Omnes;” and a choral version of “Nimrod” from the Enigma Variations by Elgar set to the “Lux Aeterna” text. For additional information call 860-293-0567, or visit their website: concora.org
Jorgensen Center For The Performing Arts
>>The Munich Symphony Orchestra at Jorgensen, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m., at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, Storrs: Internationally recognized conductor and recording artist Philippe Entremont will lead the The Munich Symphony Orchestra in a program of energized classical favorites including the overture to Rossini’s “L’italiana in Algeri,” excerpts from Bizet’s Carmen Suites, the ballet music from Massenet’s “Le Cid,” and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, Op. 90 (The Italian). For additional information call (860) 486-4226, or jorgensen.uconn.edu.
Live Opera
>>Salt Marsh Opera: Madame Butterfly: Oct. 23, 7 p.m., and Oct. 25, 3 p.m. at the Pequot Museum Auditorium, 110 Pequot Trail, Mashantucket.
Oct. 30, 7 p.m., and Nov. 1, 3 p.m. at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook.
This season is the 15th anniversary of the Salt Marsh Opera company (saltmarshopera.org). Puccini’s powerful and lyrically thrilling opera is the perfect way for a local opera to make a statement. For tickets for Pequot performance, call 860-535-0753. The production in Old Saybrook will be fully staged and will be performed with a live orchestra. For tickets, call 860-510-0453.
>>Connecticut Concert Opera, Tosca: Oct. 30, at 8 p.m., and Nov. 1, at 2:30 p.m. Hoffman Auditorium of the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford.
Members of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra will perform onstage in a semi-staged production. The CCO has a strong cast lined up for this production that is anchored by tenor Viktor Antipenko who won the CCO Opera Idol Competition in 2013 and has recently performed at the Bolshoi. Opera Idol winner from 2014 Diane Kalinowski, will be Tosca, and bass Nelson Martinez will perform Scarpia. For tickets call (860) 722-2300, or connconcertopera.org
