Auburn Symphony Orchestra presents ‘Love and Legends’

Auburn Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming concert, “Love and Legends,” will tell epic and heartfelt stories of adventure and love.

“Love and Legends,” conducted by Wesley Schulz, will be performed at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28, in the Auburn Performing Arts Center. Pre-concert talk by Classical King’s Dave Beck at 1:30 p.m. in the lobby.

Tickets and information can be found at auburnsymphony.org or by calling the box office at 253-887-7777. Ticket pricing is $42 ($37 seniors, $12 students/families). Auburn Symphony Orchestra believes that orchestral music is for everyone. So you may choose to pay another amount that is within your means.

The concert will feature The Firebird and Don Juan, which are heroic adventures, stories of dashing heroes complete with seduction and vengeance. Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird takes you on a journey through a Russian folktale about a hero, Ivan Tsarevich, who battles the evil sorcerer Kashchei with the help of a mythical firebird. Richard Strauss’s virtuosic tone poem Don Juan tells an exuberant tale that scandalized Strauss’s contemporaries.

Viola solo

The show will feature award-winning Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak, who has achieved international acclaim as a trailblazing artist, praised for his radiant stage presence, dynamic interpretations, and fearless power. ASO welcomes him to Auburn to tackle Bela Bartok’s Concerto for Viola.

ASO will also present the Washington state premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s “Cold Mountain Suite,” a co-commissioned project with 37 other orchestras across the country inspired by Charles Frazier’s novel.

ASO guest artist Jordan Bak hosts a masterclass for advanced high school and college level violists. Learn something new with this world-class artist as he works with students on their musicianship. Free and open to the public to observe from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at St Matthew / San Mateo Episcopal Church in Auburn. In a masterclass a student has the opportunity to play for a teacher who works with the student on musicianship, technique, tone, and performance skills in a public setting. A masterclass is different from a private lesson in that the teaching happens in a way that includes everyone in the room.