Rhapsody in Blue on program for symphony pops concert

4/30/2009

Pianist Jon Nakamatsu will be the special guest of the Toledo Symphony, conducted by Carl Topilow, in a KeyBank Pops Series concert at 8 p.m. May 9 in the Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd. A gold medalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Nakamatsu will be featured in George Gershwin s Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F. Topilow, a clarinetist, will be featured in Theme from The Godfather. The program, titled Red, White, and Rhapsody in Blue, also includes American patriotic and folk songs. Tickets range from $10 to $60. Information: 419-246-8000 or toledosymphony.com.

The Toledo Symphony hits the road for an evening of theatrical music in Sandusky. In the program called Broadway s Best, Chelsea Tipton II will direct, with guests Nat Chandler, who has appeared on Broadway in the title role in The Scarlet Pimpernel, and Carol Dusdieker, a soprano pursuing her doctorate in music at Indiana University. The concert is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. May 8 in the Sandusky State Theatre, 107 Columbus Ave. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, and $5 for students. Information: 419-626-1950 or sanduskystate.com.

Kenneth Thompson conducts the Toledo Youth Orchestra in the finale of its season at 3 p.m. May 10 in the Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle. The program includes works by Berlioz, Max Bruch s Scottish Fantasy featuring violinist Nick Biniker, and Beethoven s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15, featuring pianist Angela Li. The orchestra is composed of about 100 students representing more than 20 high schools in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. The concert is free.

Tenor John Easterlin, who has performed with the Metropolitan and New York City operas, will perform three songs, including The Lord is My Strength, during the worship service that begins at 9:45 a.m. May 10 in Epworth United Methodist Church, 3077 Valleyview Drive.

Bowling Green State University has announced the performers for its 2009-10 Festival Series, scheduled in Kobacker Hall of the Moore Musical Arts Center.

The 30th anniversary of the series opens at 3 p.m. Sept. 13 with the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, composed of top alumni from the national Sphinx Competition for young black and Latino string players. The percussion group NEXUS, known for its revival of the 1920s ragtime xylophone and its improvisational skills, will perform at 8 p.m. Oct. 8. The holiday concert, at 8 p.m. Dec. 2, will feature the University Choral Society and the Toledo Symphony in George Frideric Handel s Messiah. Pianist Barry Douglas will present the Lois M. Nitschke Memorial Concert at 8 p.m. Jan. 26, and the series will end with the Grammy Award-winning all-male a capella group Chanticleer at 8 p.m. March 3.

Series subscriptions range from $80 to $145. Individual tickets range from $20 to $36, with discounts for students. Information: 800-589-2224, 419-372-8171, or bgsu.edu/festivalseries.