Terre Haute Symphony Returns to Tilson Auditorium for May 1 Concert!

That’s right, the THSO is headed back to its home stage at Tilson Auditorium on May 1st at 4:30pm after seeking alternative venues due to the pandemic this season. The Terre Haute Symphony will be inviting 2020-2021 season ticket holders to attend the concert in-person and will open a very limited number of single tickets if they become able.

Due to social distancing requirements, the THSO has reprogrammed the concert repertoire to allow for fewer musicians on stage. The concert is titled Beethoven’s Humor and will showcase the composer’s Symphony No. 1.

Artistic Director David Bowden noted, “We are delighted finally to be able to have an audience listening to and responding to our playing. This will be the first in-person performance for us since November. It’s wonderful that we are able to do this again safely!”

Humor is not the first thing you think of when you hear the name Ludwig van Beethoven. And yet, the brash young composer loved tweaking his audience’s funny bone. The composer’s First Symphony is filled with musical jokes, and to the audiences of his day, the work brought giggles as well as snorts of disgust at the first performance. But the public loved the work, and Beethoven, the symphonist, was on his journey to becoming the composer of “The Ninth,” perhaps the greatest and most important symphony ever written.

The concert will also feature three short works interpolated between the movements of Beethoven’s First Symphony, including Gabriel’s Oboe from The Mission, the second movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto which was featured music in Out of Africa, and Beethoven’s lovely Romance No. 2 in F Major for violin and orchestra.

Concertmaster, Daniel Aizenshtadt

Principal Oboe, Rebecca McGuire

Principal Clarinet, Samantha Johnson-Helms

This intimate concert will highlight three THSO principal musicians including Concertmaster Daniel Aizenshtadt, Principal Oboe Rebecca McGuire, and Principal Clarinet, Samantha Johnson-Helms.

There will be no intermission for this 75-minute performance.

Tickets & Seating

Season Ticket Holders

2020-2021 Season Ticket Holders will receive colored admission tickets in the mail which will grant them access to Tilson beginning at 4:00pm on May 1, 2021. The Heritage Ballroom and Lounge will not be open for early guests.

Single Tickets

Single tickets may be sold in very limited quantities the week of April 26th at www.thso.org. Patrons should check the THSO website beginning April 26th for availability.

Tickets will not be available for purchase at the venue due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Seating

Every other row of seats in the auditorium will be roped off to help ensure social distancing. There will not be specific assigned seating due to social distancing policies. Patrons will sit along the aisle of an open row. Parties may sit together. Ushers will be available for questions.

Masks REQUIRED

Masks are REQUIRED at all times. Patrons will not be granted entry into the venue without a mask. Our staff, musicians, and volunteers will be wearing masks for the safety of our patrons. A limited quantity of masks will be available free to patrons who are not able to bring their own.

Parking

Low-cost parking is available in the Indiana State parking garage located on the corner of Cherry Street and 7th Street.

Sponsors

This concert is proudly sponsored by several symphony supporters including Bob & Jo Brown, Carl Bender & Barbara Brugnaux, Dick & Betsy Frank, and Tom Tucker & Sherry Dailey.

About the Featured Soloists

Daniel Aizenshtadt, Concertmaster

Israeli-born violinist Daniel Aizenshtadt currently holds the Concertmaster position with the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra and the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. He made his solo debut with the Israeli Camerata at age 11 and has performed solo concerts with several notable orchestras such as the Israeli Philharmonic, the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, the Rishon Letzion Symphony Orchestra, the L’european Romantique, the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra. Daniel began his violin studies with his mother, Tania Aizenshtadt. Receiving full scholarships, he pursued his undergraduate degree at the New England Conservatory under Miriam Fried and his master’s degree at Rice University with Cho-Liang Lin. Daniel is currently pursuing the prestigious Artist Diploma degree under the tutelage of Grigory Kalinovsky at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

Daniel was awarded the coveted first prize of The Aviv Competition in 2014 and was a recipient of several scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation (AICF). As an Aviv Competition prizewinner, Daniel received a generous instrument loan from Yehuda Zisapel’s private instrument collection, a beautiful violin made by G.F Pressenda in 1823. He currently plays this instrument when performing with the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra. Daniel has also collaborated with several notable artists such as Yuri Bashmet, Nobuko Imai, Shlomo Mintz, and Vadim Gluzman.

Rebecca McGuire, Principal Oboe

Rebecca McGuire is the newly appointed Principal Oboist of the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra.

She currently holds the positions of Principal Oboe in the Carmel Symphony Orchestra, Oboe Instructor at Western Illinois University, and Oboist of the Volante Winds, a highly acclaimed wind quintet with recent performances at the American Music Festival (NC), Juneau Jazz and Classics Festival (AK), and the Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival in South Korea.

Known for her beautifully sincere and expressive musicality, Rebecca has performed as a soloist and chamber musician for audiences around the world. In 2018, she made her debut as an international soloist, performing Telemann’s Oboe Concerto in F minor and the Samuel Barber Canzonetta for Oboe and Strings with the Freies Kammerorchester Köln, Ensemble 07 in Cologne, Germany.

Rebecca is graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and completed doctoral studies in oboe performance at the Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music.

Samantha Johnson-Helms, Principal Clarinet

Hailed for her "great dynamic sensitivity and exquisite phrasing," Samantha Johnson-Helms is a sought-after collaborative musician and teacher. She currently serves as Principal Clarinet of the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra and the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic where she has been a featured soloist on numerous occasions.

Samantha is also a frequent substitute for ensembles in the Midwest and can be heard on recordings for Naxos and Hal Leonard. She is a founding member of the award-winning clarinet quartet, the Novacane Quartet, and holds advanced degrees from Butler University and Indiana University. She is currently a candidate for the degree Doctor of Music at Indiana University where she studied with Eli Eban and Howard Klug.

In addition to her performance role with the THSO, Samantha was appointed as Executive Director of the organization in the summer of 2020 while continuing to serve as Principal Clarinet. Among the long-term objectives that she hopes to bring to the THSO are increased engagement and collaboration with other arts organizations and Terre Haute businesses, furthering the symphony’s outreach in music education, and launching innovative virtual content to expand and support the symphony’s presence on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic.