Auburn Symphony gives Foothills gift of music with "Messiah" concert

The holidays will arrive early in the Foothills with the Auburn Symphony presenting a special ?Messiah? sing-along concert at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 9, at the Placer High School auditorium theater in Auburn. Tickets are $10 per person. Tickets are available now for the annual presentation of Handel?s ?Messiah,? which is performed with a little help from the community.?We invited singers who have performed this seasonal piece before to join us,? said Maestro Michael Goodwin, ?so, we will have some outstanding guest soloists. And, the audience will be encouraged to sing along on the choruses.? The regular concert season series continues on Friday, Jan. 30 and Sunday, Feb. 1, when Maestro Goodwin leads the symphony orchestra in ?Belgian Chocolate and a Diva,? a concert featuring Belgian composer Franck?s deliciously intense and rich symphony, with the stunning soprano Ronit Widman-Levy singing some of the most beautiful opera arias ever written. Pieces include: Rossini?s Overture Semiramide; Gounod?s Jewel Song Faust; Bizet?s Micaela?s Aria Carmen; Mascagni?s Intermezzo Cavalleria Rusticana; Puccini?s Canzona di Doretta La Rondine; Verdi?s Ah, fors e lui-Sempre libera La Traviata; and Franck?s Symphony in D Minor.On Friday, April 2 and Sunday, April 4, Brian Ganz plays the Brahms Second Piano Concerto, which is a study in contrasts. There is the elegant warmth of Richard Strauss? Wind Serenade and Benjamin Britten?s most brilliant orchestral piece, and then the great Brahms 2nd concerto, played by one of America?s greatest pianists. Selections include R. Strauss? Serenade for Winds; Britten?s Variations on a Theme of Purcell (A Young Person?s Guide to the Orchestra); and Brahms? Piano Concerto No. 2 in Bb Major.All performances begin at 8:15 on Friday evenings; and 3 p.m.on Sundays. Individual concert tickets are on sale, ranging in price from $20 to $45; with discounts for seniors and groups of 16 or more.For information on any concert, call 823-6683 or visit www.auburnsymphony.com.