Welcome Letter from Michael Butterman

Dear friends,

Photo: Shannon Palmer

We can’t wait to welcome you back! Back to the spacious and newly renovated RiverView Theater. Back to a full slate of incredible music spanning everything from Vivaldi to Led Zeppelin. Our 2022-23 Willis-Knighton Masterworks Series has it all and we know you’ll want to be a part of it.

Two of the greatest works in the history of music frame our season—Beethoven’s monumental Fifth and Ninth symphonies. We’ll also hear favorites by Dvořák, Haydn, Mozart and Ravel’s famous Boléro. And there’s plenty of fresh to complement the familiar as we present a world premiere by Shreveport native James Eakin, a new composition by Anna Clyne, and two works written by the soloists who will be performing them: bass phenom Xavier Foley and Cuban piano sensation Aldo López-Gavilán.

Our season kicks off in grand style as Metropolitan Opera stars Paul Groves and Michelle DeYoung join us for favorite arias and duets before adding their voices to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. The fabulous Megan Hilty of Broadway and television fame headlines our holiday pops, and we’ll take a trip down memory lane with concerts featuring the timeless music of ABBA, Nat King Cole and Led Zeppelin.

But all of this is only part of the picture. We’ll introduce thousands of young students to the magic of music at our annual Discovery Concerts and a free Family Concert in January featuring a new work by Kermit Poling based on a classic book by Bill Joyce. And our Noel Foundation Chamber Music Series shines the spotlight on SSO musicians as they collaborate with each other and with guests like violinist William Hagen, cellist John-Henry Crawford, two Wideman Competition winners and Aldo López-Gavilán.

Join our growing family of subscribers today to ensure the best seats, considerable discounts over single ticket prices, and exclusive subscriber-only perks and event invitations. Your Shreveport Symphony has something truly special for everyone this season, and we can’t wait to get started!

Enjoy,

 

 

Michael Butterman, Music Director