Don’t miss the FOOSA Philharmonic’s free concerts this week
It’s FOOSA time again. One of the highlights of Fresno’s summer classical music scene is the weekend of free concerts offered at the FOOSA Festival, aka the Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy at Fresno State. Artistic director Thomas Loewenheim has built this annual festival into a well-known event featuring top musicians from around the world as instructors. Students attend from around the world as well, along with a chunk of top-performers from the greater Fresno area.
I’ve enjoyed covering FOOSA over the years. Here are two of my favorite stories:
A TALE OF FOOSA: AT AGE 10, FRESNO’S ORCHESTRA ACADEMY SOARS AT THE SAROYAN. IT COULDN’T BE DONE WITHOUT THE FLUTE AND THE TROMBONE
And this one:
ROAD TRIP: A DISNEY HALL CONCERT FOR THE AGES
One of the best parts about the FOOSA program is the way that faculty members perform alongside their students. The resulting sound is impressive.
“This is a huge festival, and the caliber of both local and from away musicians is exceptional this year,” Loewenheim tells me.
One of the highlights for FOOSA students is the annual concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall. If, for any reason, you’re in the Los Angeles area on Thursday, June 22, you can get a free ticket to attend “Music of Ecstasy: Scriabin & Shostakovich.” The 8 p.m. concert is a wonderful opportunity to experience this beautiful hall and some beautiful music.
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For those in the greater Fresno area, two succeeding concerts are closer to home:
The Disney Hall concert repeats at 8 pm. Friday, June 23, at Fresno’s Saroyan Theatre. The program includes Joan Tower’s “Sequoia,” which finds a connection between the structural balance of Beethoven’s music and the towering strength of the largest trees on earth. Also included: Scriabin’s “The Poem of Ecstasy” and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11 (“The Year 1905”).
The FOOSA Festival Finale is 7 p.m. Saturday, June 24, at Fresno State’s Concert Hall. It includes performances from the FOOSA Philharmonic, the FOOSA Half-Day String Orchestra, and other ensembles and student artists, including the winner of the FOOSA Concerto Competition.
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