Special Features of the Starlight Symphony

October 1, 2013May 22, 2008 by Reynolds

What’s this program about?

Maestro Allan Halbert founded the Starlight Symphony Orchestra, a recent addition to Portland’s thriving arts community. Halbert says, “My hope is to offer musical programs that connect with the community and with people who’ve had limited exposure to a live orchestra.”His innovative programming includes an exciting mix of classical, jazz, gospel, pop, and show music.

Works discussed: The season finale features Mozart’s Sinfonie Concertante K.364 (“Adagio”), Shostakovich’s Piano Concert No. 2 (“Andante”), Bruch’s Kol Nidrei, and Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story.

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And Then There's This . . .

Vince Bielski, When Classical Learning Meets Public Education the Dialogue Isn’t Always Socratic. “Classical education, whose name gained traction in the 1980s to evoke the movement’s focus on liberal arts and the Western canon, is struggling to overcome local political opposition.”

Peter Wood, After College: The Coming Cultural Collapse of Higher Education. “Students graduate with a veneer of knowledge rather than a core. An increasingly obsolescent institution has wedded itself to an increasingly noisome cultural stance.”

Anthony Esolen, Heap Songs Upon Their Heads. “We are the most beauty-starved people, I am persuaded, who have ever trod the earth.”

Gregory Wolfe, The Wound of Beauty. “The time has come to bring beauty back, to give it the glass slipper and invite it to the prom.”