Here’s our annual overview of classical performances in the Richmond area. All the major ticketed subscription series are included; some college, church, choral and other dates are yet to be announced.
Pending those additions, the coming season does not look to be as plagued with conflicting concert dates as 2016-17 was. I see only two significant ones:
– Dec. 10, when the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia stages an English baroque program at the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design, and the University of Richmond presents its Festival of Lessons and Carols at Cannon Memorial Chapel. (With a high-speed commute and no dinner, you conceivably could catch the Lessons and Carols in the afternoon and the Chamber Music Society in the evening.)
– Feb. 25, when a Richmond Symphony Metro Collection concert at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland and a Chamber Music Society program at UR’s Perkinson Recital Hall start within an hour of each other. (Excerpts of the symphony program will be presented on Feb. 22 at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery.)
On Nov. 12 and March 21, Richmond Symphony concerts conflict with chamber music events, but patrons can switch to Nov. 11 and March 22 symphony dates.
Presenters continue to concentrate most events on weekends, so expect many clusters of performances.
For program details, follow the links to presenters’ websites and season announcements on Letter V’s former home, http://letterv.blogspot.com
Richmond Symphony: http://www.richmondsymphony.com
letterv.blogspot.com/2017/02/richmond-symphony-2017-18.html
Virginia Opera: http://vaopera.org
letterv.blogspot.com/2017/05/virginia-opera-2017-18.html
Virginia Commonwealth University Rennolds Chamber Concerts: http://arts.vcu.edu/music/events
letterv.blogspot.com/2017/05/vcu-rennolds-concerts-2017-18.html
University of Richmond Modlin Arts Center: http://modlin.richmond.edu
letterv.blogspot.com/2017/07/ur-modlin-center-2017-18.html
Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia: http://cmscva.org
letterv.blogspot.com/2017/06/chamber-music-society-2017-18.html
* Admission free or by donation
** Free admission, ticket required
SEPTEMBER
10 – Escher String Quartet with Jason Vieaux, guitar (UR Modlin Center)
14 – Richmond Symphony, Steven Smith conducting, with Joshua Bell & Yesong Sophie Lee, violins (Dominion Arts Center)
15 – Richmond Symphony Casual Fridays, Steven Smith conducting & speaking (Dominion Arts Center)
*16 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (Richmond Public Library)
17 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (UR Perkinson Hall)
*18 – Anna Nizhegorodtseva, piano (UR Perkinson Hall)
*22-24 – Alexander Paley Music Festival (St. Luke Lutheran Church)
23 – Richmond Symphony Pops, Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting, with Matthew E. White, Natalie Press, Tim Barry, Clair Morgan & Bio Ritmo (Dominion Arts Center)
*24 – Daniel Sañez, organ (Cathedral of the Sacred Heart)
28 – Richmond Symphony Rush Hour, Steven Smith conducting, with Molly Sharp, viola (Hardywood Park Craft Brewery)
OCTOBER
1 – Richmond Symphony, Steven Smith conducting, with Molly Sharp, viola (Randolph-Macon College)
*1 – American Brass Quintet (Cathedral of the Sacred Heart)
*10 – Eunmi Ko, piano (UR Perkinson Hall)
13/15 – Virginia Opera “Samson and Delilah” (Dominion Arts Center)
14 – Emerson String Quartet (VCU Singleton Arts Center)
*20 – Nathaniel Dett Chorale (Cathedral of the Sacred Heart)
20 – Richard Goode, piano (UR Modlin Center)
21 – Richmond Symphony LolliPops, Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting (Dominion Arts Center)
27 – Richmond Symphony Casual Fridays: Time for Three (Dominion Arts Center)
28 – Richmond Symphony, Steven Smith conducting, with Time for Three (Dominion Arts Center)
**30 – Thomas Meglioranza, baritone & Reiko Uchida, piano (UR Perkinson Hall)
NOVEMBER
*3 – American Guild of Organists: Todd Wilson, organ (All Saints Episcopal Church)
*3-4 – Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival (UR Modlin Center)
5 – Richmond Philharmonic, Peter Wilson conducting (Collegiate School)
9 – Shanghai Quartet with Shmuel Ashkenazi, violin & Peter Wiley, cello (UR Modlin Center)
*10 – Peter Latona, organ (Cathedral of the Sacred Heart)
11-12 – Richmond Symphony & Symphony Chorus, Steven Smith conducting (Dominion Arts Center)
12 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia: Johnny Gandelsman, violin (UR Perkinson Hall)
*13 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (Richmond Public Library)
17/19 – Virginia Opera “The Girl of the Golden West” (Dominion Arts Center)
*19 – UR Wind Ensemble with Ben Anderson, trombone (UR Modlin Center)
25 – Richmond Symphony LolliPops, Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting (Dominion Arts Center)
27 – Commonwealth Catholic Charities concert (Cathedral of the Sacred Heart)
*29 – UR Symphony Orchestra with Catherine Edwards, piano & Duncan Trawick, baritone (UR Modlin Center)
DECEMBER
1 – Richmond Symphony, Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting, with Symphony Chorus & soloists TBA (“Messiah”) (Dominion Arts Center)
2-3 – Richmond Symphony Pops, Erin Freeman conducting, with Symphony Chorus & Susan Greenbaum, vocalists, in “Let It Snow!” (Dominion Arts Center)
*4 – Richmond Philharmonic, Peter Wilson conducting (James Center Atrium)
10 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (Branch Museum of Architecture and Design)
*10 – UR Schola Cantorum & Women’s Chorale in Festival of Lessons & Carols (UR Cannon Memorial Chapel)
12 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (Holy Comforter Episcopal Church)
*16 – Festival of Lessons and Carols (Cathedral of the Sacred Heart)
JANUARY
13-14 – Richmond Symphony, Steven Smith conducting, with Symphony Chorus & Virginia Opera Emerging Artists (Dominion Arts Center)
18 – Richmond Symphony Rush Hour, Steven Smith conducting & speaking, with Zachary Guiles, trombone (Hardywood Park Craft Brewery)
20 – Richmond Symphony LolliPops, Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting, with School of Richmond Ballet (Dominion Arts Center)
21 – Richmond Symphony, Steven Smith conducting, with Zachary Guiles, trombone (Randolph-Macon College)
27 – Richmond Symphny Pops, Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting, with Michael Cavanaugh, vocalist (Dominion Arts Center)
28 – Leon Fleisher & Katherine Jacobson, pianos (VCU Singleton Arts Center)
*31 – Richard Becker, piano (UR Modlin Center)
FEBRUARY
3-4 – Richmond Symphony, Steven Smith conducting, with Symphony Chorus, choristers from Virginia colleges and universities & pianist TBA (Dominion Arts Center)
*9 – Daniel Stipe, organ (Cathedral of the Sacred Heart)
14 – China National Symphony Orchestra, Tan Dun conducting (UR Modlin Center)
17 – Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet (VCU Singleton Arts Center)
18 – Gil Shaham, violin & Akira Eguchi, piano (UR Modlin Center)
22 – Richmond Symphony Rush Hour, Steven Smith conducting & speaking (Hardywood Park Craft Brewery)
23/25 – Virginia Opera “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Dominion Arts Center)
*24 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (Richmond Public Library)
25 – Richmond Symphony, Steven Smith conducting (Randolph-Macon College)
25 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (UR Perkinson Hall)
MARCH
4 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia: Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord (Second Presbyterian Church)
*7 – Ensemble Arte (UR Modlin Center)
9 – Richmond Symphony Casual Fridays, Danail Rachev conducting & speaking (Dominion Arts Center)
*9 – American Guild of Organists: Katelyn Emerson, organ (River Road Church, Baptist)
10 – Richmond Symphony, Danail Rachev conducting, with Ian Parker, piano (Dominion Arts Center)
17 – Richmond Symphony LolliPops, Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting, with Really Inventive Stuff’s Michael Boudewyns (Dominion Arts Center)
17 – Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio (VCU Singleton Arts Center)
18 – Richmond Philharmonic, Peter Wilson conducting, with pianist Charles Staples (Collegiate School)
21-22 – Richmond Symphony, Steven Smith conducting, with Daisuke Yamamoto, violin, and Neal Cary, cello (Dominion Arts Center)
21 – Jerusalem Quartet (UR Modlin Center)
23 – eighth blackbird with Dan Trueman, composer-fiddler, & Iarla Ó Lionáird, singer (UR Modlin Center)
24 – Richmond Symphony Pops, Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting, with Motortown All-Stars (Dominion Arts Center)
*25 – Richard Becker & Doris Wylee-Becker, piano duo (UR Modlin Center)
*26 – Bruce Stevens, organ (UR Cannon Memorial Chapel)
APRIL
*4 – UR Symphony Orchestra with Joanne Kong, piano (UR Modlin Center)
6 – Stile Antico (Cathedral of the Sacred Heart)
7 – So Percussion with Dawn Upshaw, soprano, & Gilbert Kalish, piano (UR Modlin Center)
13/15 – Virginia Opera “Lucia di Lammermoor” (Dominion Arts Center)
*15 – UR Schola Cantorum & Women’s Chorale with Washington & Lee Choir and eighth blackbird (UR Modlin Center)
*20 – American Guild of Organists: David Briggs, organ (St. James’s Episcopal Church)
*21 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (Richmond Public Library)
22 – Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia (First Unitarian Universalist Church)
MAY
3 – Richmond Symphony Rush Hour, Steven Smith conducting & speaking (Hardywood Park Craft Brewery)
6 – Richmond Symphony, Chia-Hsuan Lin conducting (Randolph-Macon College)
11 – Richmond Symphony Casual Fridays, Steven Smith conducting & speaking, with Mason Bates, composer & electronica (Dominion Arts Center)
*11 – Jennifer McPherson, organ (Cathedral of the Sacred Heart)
12 – Richmond Symphony, Steven Smith conducting, with Symphony Chorus & Mason Bates, composer-electronica (Dominion Arts Center)
13 – Richmond Philharmonic, Peter Wilson conducting, with tuba player Rob Teehan (Collegiate School)
JUNE
*17 – Richmond Philharmonic, Peter Wilson conducting (Sunday Park, Brandermill)
Letter V 