April 17-May 3: Play Me I'm Yours Public Art Project

This street piano event is part of the project “Play Me, I’m Yours” by British artist Luke Jerram. The exhibit has been touring internationally since 2008 in locations such as New York, Boston and London and will make its debut in Florence from April 17 to May 3.

The Florence project is sponsored by the Willcox, Buyck & Williams Foundation.
“We are going to be placing about 20 pianos around Florence,” said project manager Roger Malfatti. “This is an international activity that’s being done all over the world. We’re the only place in the southern half of the country that’s going to be doing it this year.”

Malfatti said the purpose of “Play Me, I’m Yours” is to get people to create their own art, whether it is playing a piano, or decorating one.“We’re looking for people to express themselves,” said Reynolds Williams, an organizer of the project. “It can be one person or a group. We do want it to be fun art. Artists are artists, so they will decide how to express themselves.”

Williams said his main reason for wanting to bring “Play Me, I’m Yours” to Florence is that it is something everyone will be able to enjoy together.
“There are plenty of talented people in Florence. That’s one thing that brings people together,” Williams said. “All of us can enjoy music and art. The point is not to make money or raise funds; the point is to bring people of Florence together, and people of the state.”


For further information contact rmalfatti@sc.rr.com, visit our web site streetpianos.com/florence2015 and like us on Facebook  Play Me I’m Yours, Florence

January 29: Play Me I'm Yours Artist Informational Meeting

Florence, South Carolina will present “Play Me, I’m Yours” from April 17 until May 3, 2015 as part of the Willcox, Buyck & Williams Foundation’s history & culture participation squares and other public spaces for anyone to play and enjoy. Up to 25 pianos will be placed around area including downtown Florence, Florence Darlington Tech, Magnolia Mall, Timrod Park, Veterans Park, Lake City and others. 

There are still opportunities for artists to decorate the pianos. An organizational meeting will be held on January 29, 2015 at 6 PM in the Art Trail Gallery (corner of Irby and Evans Sts.}. Those interested should email Project Manager Roger Malfatti – rmalfatti@sc.rr.com.

This street piano event is part of the project “Play Me, I’m Yours” by British artist Luke Jerram. The exhibit has been touring internationally since 2008 in locations such as New York, Boston and London. Florence is the only location in the South East United States

March 31st: Symphony features Young Artist Competition Winners

Kristy L

Spring is here at the Florence Symphony Orchestra and so is fresh young talent! Come join us on March 31st and see the talented young winners of the FSO’s 3rd Annual Young Artist Concerto Competition: 1st place winner Kristy Liao, 2nd place winner Worth Lewallen, and 3rd place winner Benjamin Liu. They will all be performing under the direction of Music Director Dr. Terry Roberts with our incredibly talented orchestra. It will be a night of music you will remember forever.

Worth Lewallen

This night of memorable music will begin with violinist Benjamin Liu performing his winning piece, Concerto No. 3 in G major for Violin, K. 216 by Mozart. Benjamin is an 18 year old senior at Wilson High School and has studied the violin for 14 years. He is currently studying under Dr. Sherry Woods. He has performed from 2008-2012 in the South Carolina All-State Orchestra and in the South Carolina Region IV Orchestra from 2007-2011.

Benjamin Liu

The evening will move forward with the FSO's own Worth Lewallen performing his winning piece, Concerto for Violin in G major, Hob. VIIa:4 written by Haydn. Worth Lewallen is a 17 year old senior at West Florence High School. He has studied violin for 12 years with Mrs. Starr Ward  and has also studied with Ms. Ronda Lee, his high school orchestra teacher. Worth is Concert Master of the West Florence High School Orchestra, he is also a member of the Florence Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Florence Symphony Orchestra.  Last year he was awarded with the title Spoleto Rising Star Competition Winner and was asked to perform in the festival on multiple occasions.

Rounding out the Young Artist Competition winners will be 1st place winner Kristy Liao performing her winning piece Concerto for violin in E minor, op. 64 by Mendelssohn. Kristy is a 17 year old senior at Wilson High School and has studied violin for 9 years. She is currently studying violin with Prof./Dr. William Terwilliger. She was a Ruth Kern Concerto Competition finalist, she placed 3rd in the SC MTNA Competition, and has performed in the SC All-Region and All-State Orchestras.  She has also done solo performances with the Fleur de Lis Chamber Orchestra and the Florence All-City Orchestra.

The evening will end with the Florence Symphony performing Beethoven's Symphony no. 2 in D major, op. 3.

This will be a spring concert not to be missed! The talent is amazing, the scores are excellent, and you should definitely go see it! Please call and reserve your seats today. Season Adult tickets start as low as $29 with senior and student discounts available. Contact the FMU Performing Arts Box Office for your tickets by visiting or calling 843.661.4444 today!   

This project is made possible through funding from the Florence Regional Arts Alliance's Quarterly Grants Program, which is funded in part by a generous award from Honda of South Carolina, the South Carolina Arts Commission and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of SC

For more information regarding concerts and the Florence Symphony please visit our website florencesymphony.com and LIKE us on Facebook!

FSO’s Malfatti announces retirement, search for new director begins

Roger Malfatti, who’s presided over extraordinary expansion and enhancement of the Florence Symphony Orchestra as that organization’s executive director, is retiring.

Malfatti recently told the symphony’s board of directors that he’d like to step down by the end of the season.

No precise “last day” has been set. When tendering his resignation, Malfatti offered to stay until the board was able to find a new executive director, and the board accepted Malfatti’s gracious offer.

“Roger has done a terrific job as our director and we have really appreciated his hard work,” said Marion Swink, chairman of the FSO board. “We wish him well, but he’ll be sorely missed.”

Said Malfatti, “It has been an honor and a pleasure to have served the Florence Symphony. I’ve enjoyed my time working with the board, conductor Terry Roberts, the musicians and our patrons. I’ll miss it but I look forward to attending concerts for years to come.”

Malfatti began his work with the Florence Symphony on Jan. 1, 2010. His stint with the FSO followed a long career in the arts and recreation field. Malfatti has years of experience in concert management in New York, and symphony management in Long Island, NY; Des Moines, Iowa, Savannah, GA, as well as Florence.

Malfatti has always been active in the arts and currently serves on several boards including the South Carolina Pecan Festival, the Masterworks Choir, the Art Trail Gallery Chamber Series and Photograph Exhibits, the City Parks and Beautification Commission and the South Carolina Festival and Events Association. Over his career he has participated in many activities of the American Symphony Orchestra League, the US Institute for Theatre Technology and the NY State Parks and Recreation Association. He has served on the Iowa and Georgia State Arts Council grant panels and has taught Arts Administration at Drake University in Des Moines.

With the FSO, Malfatti presided over a major expansion of the organization’s scope and reach.

During his three years at the helm, the symphony’s subscriptions increased from 370 per year to more than 600 for the current season. The number of concerts increased from four to six per year, and the organization’s income and contributions both doubled.

Malfatti also helped the symphony move into its new home at the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center in 2011.

Swink said the symphony board has formed a search committee to look for a new director.

The symphony is seeking an individual with experience in marketing, fundraising and the arts. A full description of the job, along with instructions for potential applications, is online atwww.florencesymphony.com

  

The executive director is housed at the symphony offices at the Performing Arts Center. The position is part-time with flexible hours.

For more information: Contact Roger Malfatti at 661-2541

Audition Alert: Florence Symphony Orchestra to hold auditions on May 20th

The Florence Symphony Orchestra (FSO) will be holding its orchestra auditions for the 2013-2014 Concert Season on Monday May 20, 2013 at the FMU Performing Arts Center (201 South Dargan Street in downtown Florence). FSO is specifically looking for a 2nd Trombone player, but all players are welcome to audition. Please contact Mark Jackson (markjacksonfso@gmail.com) for an appointment time and more information.

April 28th: The Atlantean Trio at the Art Trail Gallery in Florence

Chamber Music at the Gallery series presents its  final program of the season at the Art Trail Gallery on Sunday, April 28th with the Atlantean Trio. The performance is at 5PM followed by a reception. Ticket are $10 each available at the door. The gallery is located at the corner of Irby and Evans in downtown Florence.

THE ATLANTEAN PIANO TRIO was formed in 2005 by Department of Music faculty members at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.  The trio’s name was created to complement UNCW's award-winning, student-produced creative magazine the Atlantis, which in turn reflects the university’s unique Atlantic Ocean coastal location in beautiful Wilmington, North Carolina.  Richard Thomas and Barry Salwen are original members; Abigail Van Steenhuyse joined the trio in 2011.  Since its establishment, the trio has performed regularly at university and college venues and recital series in North and South Carolina.

ABIGAIL VAN STEENHUYSE, originally from Annapolis, Maryland, received degrees in violin performance from East Carolina University and University of Michigan.  She is the winner of the Mary Ruth Hardy Violin Scholarship and the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.  Performing in various festivals and ensembles Van Steenhuyse has toured England, Iceland, Scotland, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, and Canada.  After completing a three-year training program in 2008, she became an AmSAT (American Society for the Alexander Technique, (www.amsatonline.org) certified teacher of the Alexander Technique from Alexander Technique Ann Arbor (ATAA), directed by Jane Heirich.  Van Steenhuyse is on the faculty of the Paul Rolland String Method Workshop at George Mason University where she teaches the Alexander Technique and has recently presented Alexander Technique workshops to musicians at East Carolina University and University of North Carolina Wilmington.  Van Steenhuyse is a member of the Wilmington and Long Bay Symphonies, and has been teaching violin for ten years.

RICHARD THOMAS is Assistant Professor of Music at Presbyterian College and Director of the Presbyterian College Chamber Orchestra.  He is a former member of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Colombia (Bogotá) the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) and a former faculty member of the Universidad del Cauca, Universidad del Valle in Colombia, and the Conservatorio Nacional in the Dominican Republic.  Most recently he served on the faculties of the South Carolina Governor‘s School for the Arts and Humanities, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, was principal cellist of the Wilmington Symphony and was String Department Head at Camp Encore-Coda in Sweden, Maine from 1999-2008.  In June of 2010 he gave solo recitals in Japan including performances at the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai and gave master classes at the Jhong-Shin School in Taipei, Taiwan.  Thomas studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music, DePauw University, the University of North Texas, and received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of South Carolina.  Thomas plays a 2004 Grubaugh and Seifert cello.

BARRY DAVID SALWEN is an international concert pianist, giving performances and master classes in the US, Europe, Israel, and Asia.  He gave two weeks of master classes at the Shanghai Conservatory in China, among many other places.  More recently, as the recipient of a prestigious Fulbright Scholars Grant, he gave a semester’s seminar at the Music Conservatory in Freiburg, Germany.  Dr. Salwen received his bachelors, masters, and doctorate in piano from The Juilliard School.  Following that he studied at the Music Academy in Vienna as the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship.  His annual master classes at UNCW have been attended by students from all over eastern North Carolina.  Among Dr. Salwen’s nine CDs is the first recording of the complete solo piano music of the American master Roger Sessions; he is the first artist to record all of these works.  In 2005 the recording was reissued on Albany Records.  This year his recording of the Sessions piano concerto will be reissued as well.

Please join us for another exciting afternoon of music with these extraordinarily talented musicians.

February 11th: Florence Symphony Orchestra's Winter Concert

Elias Latto

Come join the excitement with the Florence Symphony Orchestra for our Winter Concert on Monday, February 11, 2013 at the FMU Performing Arts Center. The Florence Symphony Orchestra will be performing with guest Violinist Terris Roberts and guest Violist Elias Latto.

Terris Roberts

 Guest soloist, Terris Roberts, began his violin studies at the age of 6.  Now 21, he has started to make his mark in the music world.  He has worked with internationally renowned conductors including Ransom Wilson of Yale/SUNY Purchase,  John Mauceri of the Hollywood Bowl and Charles Barker of the American Ballet Theatre to name a few.  He has also worked with renowned chamber music artists such as members of the Vermeer and Melos string quartets as well as the Eighth Blackbird Ensemble.   In the summers, he has attended the Brevard Summer Music Festival and the Meadowmount School of Music.   He received his high school Diploma at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with special concentration in violin.  He currently studies as a junior undergraduate student at the University of Missouri, Kansas City Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Joseph Genualdi.

Our guest soloist, Elias Latto, is currently the student of renowned violist, Sheila Browne, at the University of North Carolina: School of the Arts. Elias began playing the viola at the age of 10 years old in a public school string program. He very quickly became fascinated with music and began studying privately with Julliard-graduate, Linda Sickles. Elias worked with Sickles for 8 years—during which he held many scholarships at the Petrie School of Music including the top Peggy Gingilet scholarship. Elias has now performed in orchestras internationally in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. He has collaborated with artist such as violinist, Shmuel Ashkenasi, and cellist, Mark Johnson of the Vermeer String Quartet. Elias has studied with Sheila Browne now for 3 years and will finish his bachelor’s degree before moving to New York City to begin work on his master’s degree in chamber music performance.

The evening of brilliant Classical music will begin with Conductor Dr. Terry Roberts leading the orchestra in Gioachino Rossini's comic opera " Overture to L’Italiana in Algeri ". Following that wonderful beginning the orchestra will perform Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's true double concerto " Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola, K. 364" with guest soloists Terris Roberts and Elias Latto. Lastly, the evening  of music will end with Robert Schumann's symphonic fantasy "Symphony # 4". This is definitely a Winter Concert to see and hear.

Prime seating will go quickly for this concert event so call today and reserve your seats now! February 11th’s Winter Concert will be an evening of excitement not to be missed!

Adult tickets start as low as $28 with senior and student discounts available. Contact the FMU Performing Arts Box Office for your tickets by visiting or calling 843.661.4444 today! 

January 26th: 2nd Annual Youth Piano Competition at the FMU PAC

The Florence Symphony Orchestra is proud to present its 2nd Annual Youth Piano Competition. Prize winners of this competition will receive the opportunity to perform their audition piece at the Florence Symphony's April 8, 2013 concert with the Florence Symphony Orchestra accompanying them. The competition is open to all piano students enrolled in grades 9-12 who have a home address within Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Lee, Marion, or Marlboro counties.

Those wishing to enter the competition must have their applications and a CD performance in to the Florence Symphony Orchestra by January 18, 2013. Finalists will be notified immediately thereafter and assigned a time to perform before a panel of judges on January 26^th, 2013 at the FMU Performing Arts Center. All audition pieces must be performed by memory on the day of the audition and the day of the April 8, 2013 concert.

Applications and rules may be obtained by going to the web address www.florencesymphony.com/young . Applications and rules may also be obtained by emailing the Florence Symphony at manager@florencesymphony.com or calling 843.661.2541.

This competition is made possible through funding from the Florence Regional Arts Alliance's Quarterly Grants Program, which is funded in part by a generous award from Honda of South Carolina, the South,Carolina Arts Commission and the John and, Susan Bennett Memorial Arts, Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of SC.

December 15th: The Florence Symphony Orchestra to present Holiday Pops

Come celebrate the holiday season with the Florence Symphony Orchestra on SATURDAY,December 15, 2012! The Florence Symphony will be performing a Special Holiday Pops concert featuring the Royal Ladies of Country (Ava Barber, Becky Hobbs, & Leona Williams) at the FMU Performing Arts Center.

The Royal Ladies of Country are three talented ladies who have written songs for country legends like Alabama, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, George Jones, Randy Travis, Conway Twitty, and many more. They have all performed on the Grand Ole Opry stage during their illustrious careers and they are definitely talented ladies that you don’t want to miss on December 15, 2012!

Ava Barber began her professional career at age 10 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Lawrence Welk discovered Ava’s talent in 1973 and hired her to perform on The Lawrence Welk Show until its closing in 1982. Leona Williams recorded such hits as Once More, Yes Ma'am, He Found Me In A Honky Tonk, Country Girl With Hot Pants On and Broadminded. And has made personal appearances at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Becky Hobbs songs have been recorded by Alabama, Conway Twitty, (George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Emmylou Harris, Glen Campbell, and others. She is the co-writer of Alabama’s hit, “Angels Among Us”.

This will be a concert of fun and excitement as Dr. Terry Roberts leads the orchestra and the Ladies in performing all your holiday favorites like “Silver Bells”, “I’ll be Home for Christmas”, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, “Let it Snow”, “March of the Toys”, “ Sleigh Ride” and many more.

 Prime seating will go quickly for this fun and exciting Holiday Pops Concert in the FMU Performing Arts Center, reserve your seats today to join us for a special Saturday evening of fun and excitement!

Adult tickets start as low as $33 with senior and student discounts available. Contact the FMU Performing Arts Box Office for your tickets by visiting or calling 843.661.4444 today! 

Large groups of 10 or more can get a special discount on tickets! Please call the symphony office at 843.661.2541 for more information on group rates.

Masterworks Choir Ushers in the Holiday Season

The Masterworks Choir presents its annual Christmas Concert on Sunday December 9, 2012 at Central United Methodist Church. There will be 2 performances, one at 4 PM and the other at 7 PM. The church is located in downtown Florence at the Corner of Irby and Cheves Streets. All are welcome to this free concert. Bring the whole family, a nursery for the little ones will be provided.

The program will feature 2 great works for the Season, The Rutter GLORIA and Handel’s MESSIAH. Under the baton of the Masterwork’s new Music Director, Dr. Will Carswell the 70 plus voice choir will be joined by soloists Tina Milhorn Stallard, soprano; Janet Hopkins, mezzo-soprano; Walter Cuttino, tenor and Eric Kesler, Bass.

Dr. William Carswell is an Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Coker College in Hartsville, SC.  In addition to conducting the Coker Singers and Coker Chamber Singers, he teaches conducting, voice, and courses in music education.  Dr. Carswell recently completed five seasons as Music Director and Conductor of the Columbia Choral Society in Columbia, SC.   Walter Cuttino Upon completing his education, Mr. Cuttino performed throughout Europe, with over 1,000 operatic performances to his credit.  Ferrando (Cosi fan Tutte), Almaviva (Barber of Seville), Tamino (The Magic Flute), Lenski (Eugene Onegin), Alfredo (La Traviata) and Rodolfo (La Boheme) are a sampling of the more than forty roles in his repertoire.  He has also performed over 500 concerts, including a concert tour with the late Leonard Bernstein to London and Moscow.  Janet Hopkins New York Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Janet Hopkins has won world wide critical acclaim for her wide-ranging operatic and concert repertoire.  Active as a concert artist, soprano Tina MilhornStallard has performed solos in works such as Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Haydn’sThe Creation, Bach’s St. John Passion, Poulenc’s Gloria and Handel’s Messiah. In June, 2011, she made her Lincoln Center debut as soprano soloist in Timothy Powell’s Incarnation Mysteria.  Eric Kesler holds a Master in Music Performance and Bachelor in Music Education degrees from Appalachian State University. He is currently a Candidate for the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC and is adjunct professor of voice at Coker College, Hartsville, SC.

John Rutter is, perhaps, the most widely known and respected living composer of choral music today. He is best known for his Christmas carols including What Sweeter Music, Shepherd Pipe’s Carol, Star Carol, and Candlelight Carol, to name a few.  Many know him from his wedding anthem composed for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton; This is the Day which the Lord Hath Made.

Messiah, the most famous oratorio ever written, is quite unlike Handel's other ones, let alone those by most earlier and later composers. A German who initially made his fame writing Italian operas for English audiences, Handel found in the 1730s that the public wanted something new and more understandable. After composing some three dozen Italian operas, works of great musical brilliance but often dramatically inert and set to mediocre librettos, he shifted his energies to creating what are in essence sacred English operas.

This project is made possible through funding from the Florence

Regional Arts Alliance's Quarterly Grants Program, which is funded in

part by a generous award from Honda of South Carolina, the South

Carolina Arts Commission and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts

Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of SC.

2012-13 Chamber Music Series at the Art Trail Gallery

Chamber Music at the Art Trail Gallery 

Announces 2012 – 2013 Concert Series

An exciting line up of musical artists is scheduled for the Art Trail Gallery Chamber Music 2012 – 2013 Series.

Sept. 23, 2012

Balkan Quartet

Quartet in Residence at the Georgia Perimeter College

Oct. 28, 2012

Eileen Strempl, Soprano

Presidential Scholar in the Arts

Sylvia Beaudette, Piano

Nov. 18, 2012

Hye-Jin Kim

2009 Winner of the Concert Artist Guild International Competition

Violin & Cello Duo

Feb. 24, 2013

Aurora Musicalis

A diverse chamber music ensemble

March 17,2013

Chamber Music Charleston

with Harpsichord, Bassoon, Flute and Violin

April 28, 2013

Atlantean Piano Trio

Un. of NC, Wilmington

All concerts are at 5PM in the Art Trail Gallery. Each program is approximately 1 hour with a reception to follow. The Sept. 23 and Oct. 28 concert will be at the current Gallery location at 135 S Dargan St. The remaining concerts November through April will be at the new Gallery Location on the corner of W. Evans and Irby Sts.

Tickets are $10 each or $50 for all 6. Single Tickets and series tickets will be available at the door on October 8.

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Reserve Your Seat Now to the Florence Symphony

Hurry and reserve your seats today for the upcoming 2012-2013 Florence Symphony Orchestra concert season led by conductor Terry Roberts! This season is sure to be one of the best ever with a regular five concert season and an additional sixth Special Holiday Pops concert featuring the Royal Ladies of Country Ava Barber, Leona Williams, and Becky Hobbs performing a Country Christmas with the Florence Symphony Orchestra.

Monday, October 8, 2012- Opening Night Concert

featuring pianist Dmitri Lebkovich

Monday, November 12, 2012- Fall Concert

with flutist Amy Porter

Monday, February 13, 2013- Winter Concert

featuring Terris Roberts, violin and Elias Latto, viola

Monday, April 8, 2013- Spring Concert Young Artist Competition

Monday, May 13, 2013- A Night at the Opera

featuring Baritone Greg Jebaily

Saturday, December 15, 2012- A Special Holiday Pops

You don’t want to miss the chance to not only hear the sounds of classical music, but the chance to see the amazing young winners of our Annual Piano Competition or a night of beautiful overtures and arias sung by local singers. Prime seating will go quickly for this exciting second season in the FMU Performing Arts Center, reserve your seats today!  

Season Adult tickets start as low as $112 with senior and student discounts available. The sixth concert is a Special Holiday Concert and can be added to the five concert subscription for a discounted price or it can be purchased separately later. Contact us at manager@florencesymphony.com, call 843.661.2541, or visit our web site florencesymphony.com for your season brochure and order form today!

Attention Young Musicians

The Florence Symphony Youth Orchestra will be auditioning young musicians grades 6^th-12^th for the upcoming 2012/2013 concert season. Auditions will be held in the FMU Performing Arts Center on August 27, 2012. All positions will be considered. Please e-mail Mark Jackson at markjacksonfso@gmail.com for more information on registering for an audition time or call the Florence Symphony Orchestra office at843.661.2541.

The FSYO is made up of talented 6^th-12^th graders from around the Pee Dee region. They perform a Fall and Spring concert as well as an annual concert for 4^th grade elementary students. For more information regarding rehearsal schedules and the FSYO please visit the Florence Symphony Orchestra website atwww.florencesymphony.com.

Call to Classical Musicians from the Florence Symphony Orchestra

Below is a message from Roger Malfatti, General Manager of the Florence Symphony Orchestra:

CALLING ALL CLASSICAL MUSICIANS!!

The Florence Symphony Orchestra is auditioning for new orchestra players for the 2012-2013 concert season. All player positions will be considered.

We will be auditioning players with an appointment starting Monday, August 13, 2012 at 4:30PM in the FMU Performing Arts Center.  If you are interested in becoming a symphony member call the symphony office at 843.661.2541 or email our personnel manager at MARKJACKSONFSO@GMAIL.COM for an appointment time. Please have a solo piece of your choosing prepared and sight reading will be provided.

Come play your part and entertain the crowd! We look forward to hearing from you!

Florence Symphony Orchestra Announces its 2012-13 Season

Reserve your seats today for the upcoming 2012-2013 Florence Symphony Orchestra concert season! This upcoming season is sure to be one of the best ever with a five concert season and a sixth Special Holiday Pops concert featuring the Royal Ladies of Country.

This is our second season in our new home in the FMU Performing Arts Center. Our new home is a luxurious 60,000 square foot building with seating for 800 and breathtaking symphonic sounds that are not to be missed. Prime seating will go quickly for this exciting second season in the FMU Performing Arts Center, reserve your seats today!

Monday, October 8, 2012- Opening Night Concert

Monday, November 12, 2012- Fall Concert

Monday, February 13, 2013- Winter Concert

Monday, April 8, 2013- Spring Concert

Monday, May 13, 2013- A Night at the Opera

Saturday, December 15, 2012- A Special Holiday Pops

Season Adult tickets start as low as $112 with senior and student discounts available. The sixth concert is a Special Holiday Concert and can be added to the five concert subscription for a discounted price or it can be purchased separately later. Contact us at manager@florencesymphony.com , call843.661.2541, or visit our web site florencesymphony.com for your season brochure and order form today!

·         Monday, October 8, 2012 – Opening Night Concert

Our Opening Night concert will feature Tannhauser Overture by Richard Wagner, Piano Concerto # 2 by Camille Saint-Saens, Grand Polanaise by Fredrick Chopin with Dmitri Lebkovich performing on piano, and the evening will end with Ottorino Respighi’s symphonic poem Pines of Rome.

·         Monday, November 12, 2012 – Fall Concert

This fall concert the Florence Symphony will perform Carnival Overture by Antonin Dvorak, Trail of Tears by Michael Daugherty with Amy Porter performing on flute, Hungarian Dances # 2 and 7 by Johannes Brahms, and the FSO will end the evening with the 1812 Overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

·         Monday, February 11, 2013 – Winter Concert

In our February concert the Florence Symphony will be performing Italian in Algiers Overture by Gioachino Antonio Rossini, Sinfonia Concertante by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with Terris Roberts performing on Violin and Elias Latto on viola. This winter evening of music will end with Symphony # 4 by Robert Schumann.

·         Monday, April 8, 2013 – Spring Concert featuring Piano Competition winners

This spring concert will feature the talented young winners of our Annual Piano Competition with them performing their winning audition pieces and then the Florence Symphony will end the evening by performing Symphony # 9 by Franz Schubert.

·         Monday, May 13, 2013 – A Night at the Opera Concert

Our May concert will be a Night at the Opera with Overtures and Arias with local singers featuring the Baritone of Greg Jebaily.

·         Saturday, December 15, 2012 – A Special Holiday Pops

This is a special sixth concert featuring the Royal Ladies of Country Ava Barber, Leona Williams, and Becky Hobbs performing a Country Christmas with the Florence Symphony Orchestra.

 

May 7th: “Pops” concludes Florence Symphony’s First Season in the new FMU Performing Arts Center

The Florence Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Terry Roberts, will perform a Pops Concert featuring the very talented Florence Men’s Choral Society on May 7, 2012 at the FMU Performing Arts Center.

Join us in enjoying the sounds of the last concert of the 2011/2012 season as the Florence Symphony Orchestra and the Florence Men’s Choral Society perform the greats. The program includes the Overture to “William Tell”; polka from the "Bartered Bride”; Horse and Buggy and Buglers Holiday by Leroy Anderson; and music from the ”Phantom of the Opera. The Choral Society will join the symphony in Spring!

The Florence Men’s Choral Society is an all-volunteer, all male, community non-profit choral society based in Florence, SC offering the Pee Dee region and state of South Carolina musical performances throughout the year. The voices of Julian Young, Artistic Director and founder of the Florence Men’s Choral Society, and his troupe are a treat for the ears and their talent must not be missed!

Look for announcements of next season’s line up soon.

Please call and get your seats today for the May Pops Concert! Tickets start as low as $18 for students. Contact the FMU Performing Arts Center for your concert tickets by either visiting or calling the box office at 843.661.4444 today.