Four Seasons Mash-up

The concert features virtuoso violinist Ilana Zaks performing music by Vivaldi, Piazzolla, and Mark O’Connor.

Ilana Zaks has been described as “fearless, refreshing and commanding” (Boston Music Intelligencer) and “captivating and delightful”(Worcester Telegram). She has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera. She has also appeared as a soloist and orchestral member with numerous other ensembles, including the Boston Civic Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others.

Antonio Vivaldi was not the first to write concertos featuring a solo instrument with orchestra, but he did more than anyone else to spread that northern Italian specialty to the rest of the world. The Mash-up begins with Vivaldi’s Spring and ends with his Winter concertos.

Astor Piazzolla's Summer from Four Seasons of Buenos Aires presents a captivating fusion of traditional Argentine tango and classical music elements.

Mark O'Connor's American Seasons is a four-movement violin concerto inspired by the cycle of life and the American experience, with each movement representing a different stage. Fall represents maturity.

Peter Boyer’s Three Olympians ends the concert and the season. Boyer created three mini-portraits of Greek mythological figures Apollo, Aphrodite, and Ares. This work is unabashedly tonal, straightforward, and hopefully a good deal of fun.