The Unitarian Universalist Congregation will present its 18th annual Summer Orchestra Concert with the Orchestra at Shelter Rock on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 1 p.m.
The orchestra, under the baton of music director Stephen Michael Smith, will feature pianist Nathaniel LaNasa and mezzo-soprano Leah Wool.
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation is located at Shelter Rock at 48 Shelter Rock Road in Manhasset.
The facility is air-conditioned, fully handicapped accessible with ample, free parking. The concert will last about an hour, and attendees are invited to greet the artists at a reception on the grounds following the concert.
The program will include Beethoven’s monumental “Emperor” piano concert (Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73). Considered by many to be among the greatest piano concertos ever written, it is a beloved cornerstone of the classical music repertoire.
LaNasa has been praised for his “stormy lyricism” (The New York Times), his “poise and elegance” and “deft sense of precision” (Feast of Music). His recent New York City credits include Alice Tully Hall, MoMA, Poisson Rouge, the Rubin Museum, and he was a featured pianist in the award-winning production of Intimate Apparel broadcast on “Live from Lincoln Center.”
Wool will present selections from Joseph Canteloube’s exquisite Chants d’Auvergne (Songs of the Auvergne). Written between 1920 and 1930, the songs reflect the landscapes of the Auvergne in lush orchestral colors utilizing the rustic melodies and French folklore of the region.
Wool’s recent credits include the Defiant Requiem Foundation, Winston-Salem Symphony, OnSite Opera, Zankel Hall, New York Festival of Song, North Carolina Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Jacksonville Charlotte Symphony, Nashville Symphony, and Phoenix Symphony.
Rounding out the program will be “Wish You Were Here” from Bright Sheng’s Postcards. Bright Sheng is respected as one of the foremost composers of our time, whose stage, orchestral, chamber and vocal works are performed regularly throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
His opera Dream of the Red Chamber was premiered by San Francisco Opera in 2016 and he has enjoyed countless commissions, including one at the invitation of President Clinton to create a new work honoring the visiting Chinese Premiere Zhu Rongji.
The resulting Three Songs for Pipa and Cello was premiered by Wu Man and Yo Yo Ma during the state dinner hosted by the Clintons at the White House.
Leading the ensemble will be Smith, who is also music director of the Danbury Community Orchestra in Conn., and recently concluded a 14-year tenure with the Symphonic Pops of Long Island.
Tickets for the concert are $8 ($15 maximum per family; under 18 free) and can be purchased in advance at uucsr.org/24summer or at the door.
