First published in the Jan. 12 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
The Pasadena Symphony kicks off the new year with Mendelssohn and Mozart on Saturday, Jan. 21, at Ambassador Auditorium, with both matinee and evening performances at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Acclaimed conductor Joseph Young, who serves as music director of the Berkeley Symphony, among other major posts across the U.S., returns as artistic partner to lead the orchestra on an aural journey through the Italian countryside with Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4. “Italian.”
The highlight of January’s concert will be Mozart’s superb Piano concerto No. 20, performed by Vijay Venkatesh, a young pianist “blessed with it all: transcendent technique, unbridled passion and irresistible charisma. He breathes with an oxygen of imagination,” according to the Washington Post. The Composer’s Showcase will open the concert with Grammy-nominated composer Anna Clyne’s “Sound and Fury.” Inspired by Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” soliloquy and Haydn’s 60th Symphony, this opening piece will leave the audience invigorated by its ferocious string gestures and reflective with its haunting melodies.
Guests can arrive early to enjoy the outdoor tented Symphony Lounge, which opens two hours prior to show time. A posh setting along Ambassador Auditorium’s beautiful outdoor plaza, the Symphony Lounge offers sandwiches, salads and desserts by Love Birds, coffee, cocktails and fine wines from the Michero Family, before the concert and during intermission.
All concerts are held at Ambassador Auditorium, located at 131 South St. John Ave.
Subscription packages start at as low as $99, with single tickets starting at $40. Both may be purchased online at pasadenasymphony-pops.org, or by calling (626) 793-7172.
The Pasadena Public Health Department recommends all guests either be fully vaccinated or obtain a negative COVID-19 test prior to entry to Ambassador Auditorium, but it is not required. Masks are strongly recommended but not required. As conditions in the community evolve, the Pasadena Symphony reserves the right to update policies with a focus on public safety. For the most up to date venue safety protocols, visit pasadenasymphony-pops.org/symphony-covid-safety/.
