Pride

Alexandra Arrieche, Music Director and Conductor

Based on a love story for the ages, explore musical expressions of prohibited love with the Olympia Symphony through this thought-provoking program, including dazzling audience favorite, Kristin Lee, and a surprise ending you won't want to miss!

PROKOFIEV/BERNSTEIN Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto (featuring Kristin Lee, violin)

…and a special MYSTERY PIECE!

About the music:

The three composers presented on this program – Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Bernstein – wrote music inspired by Shakespear’s tale of Romeo and Juliet. We will explore Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and Bernstein’s West Side Story in an unconventional “mashup” presentation, comparing how each composer envisioned various scenes of the story, in parallel.

This will be followed by Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, which he composed at about the same time as his own Romeo and Juliet.

The theme of prohibited love permeates this concert, both in literal programmatic representations (Prokofiev and Bernstein) and in the inspiration of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Tchaikovsky intended to dedicate this concerto to his partner, but relented to the societal pressure to disguise his homosexuality.

This poignant, reflective concert will conclude with a very special unannounced encore that you will not want to miss.

About the 2023-2024 Season "True Colors":

Music Director and Conductor Alexandra Arrieche and the Olympia Symphony invite you to appreciate our authentic selves and all the beautiful facets that shape who we are – as individuals and as members of our colorful communities. Join us as we envision a bright and radiant future, experience the ripple effect of kindness and belonging, expand our horizons, and embrace our uniquenesses.

About the artwork (“Color the Season” winner):

"A Blue Bossa Nova Summer" by Nancy Farrar-Coughlin

Medium: Acrylics on stretched canvas over wood

Artist Statement: While painting outside in my garden on a warm summer solstice afternoon, I was listening to my favorite jazz, Bossa Nova. The music and summer heat inspired this piece.