2025 SEASon performances

CLASSIC MOZART

with guest Jeanmarie Riccobono, Clarinet

Sunday, July 13, 2025 | 4 p.m. | Benzie Central High School Auditorium

The Benzie Area Symphony Orchestra (BASO) opens the season of the Benzie Symphony at the High School Auditorium with an early symphony of Tchaikovsky and the last complete work by Mozart. The Mozart Clarinet Concerto is the most developed work of Mozart who embodies the height of the Classical era. With beautiful operatic themes and a dazzling display of technique, this work is as impressive in it's flashiness as it is in its most perfect form. Tchaikovsky composed the second symphony derived from Ukrainian Folk Songs and writes a conversation between the different sections of the orchestra in the most engaging, even cute pieces he ever wrote!

Donations to the orchestra are gratefully accepted at the door to help support the orchestra's continued operations in Benzie County and beyond. There is a suggested donation of $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, and free for anyone 17 and under.

This activity is support by the Michigan Arts and Culture Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

CLASSICS IN THE COUNTRY

Chamber music performed by the musicians of the BASO

Sunday, July 20 | 4 pm | St. Ambrose Cellars

Join us for an afternoon of light and intriguing chamber music selections brought to you by the musicians of the Benzie Area Symphony Orchestra.

You'll hear the various instrument families (strings, woodwinds & brass) each shine in their own spotlight, featured in imaginative combinations. An excellent opportunity to learn the different instruments of the orchestra and their unique personalities!

Suggested donation is $10. Lawn seating will be provided. As always, the crew at St. Ambrose is on-hand to offer food and beverage for purchase.

ROMANTIC PIANO

with guest artist Hyemin Kim, piano

Sunday, August 17 | 4 p.m. | Corson Auditorium at Interlochen

Experience exceptional artistry as special guest Dr. Hyemin Kim, piano, joins BASO to present Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 in Eb Major and BASO will also perform Dvorak's New World Symphony.

Dvorak composed the New World Symphony on American soil based on themes he heard from African American vocalists and Native American musicians. His monumental Symphony Number 9 is both familiar to us and significant as the first Western symphony derived from our native themes.

Hyemin Kim joins us again after her acclaimed performances in Corson auditorium the past two summers. She will perform the monumental and technical Romantic piano concerto by the wizard Franz Liszt and is sure to delight us again with an incredible encore at the end.

Dr. Hyemin Kim is a versatile performing artist and esteemed educator who serves as a faculty member in Collaborative Piano at Interlochen Arts Academy. Her career spans multiple roles, including soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, collaborator, and educator, showcasing her breadth and depth in the world of classical music.

This concert will also include the New World Symphony by Dvorak, often seen as the most popular of all symphonies. Astronaut Neil Armstrong took a tape recording including the New World Symphony along during the Apollo 11 mission, the first Moon landing, in 1969.

Although this concert will be performed at Interlochen's Corson Auditorium, your entrance donations will benefit the BASO as always. Suggested Donation: $15 adults, $10 seniors, FREE for those 17 and under.

ROCOCO CELLO

with special guest Evelyn Elsing, cello

Sunday, October 5 | 4 pm | Benzie Central High School Auditorium

The Benzie Area Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Thomas Riccobono, concludes its 2025 season by performing Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo theme with Cellist Evelyn Elsing. Evelyn is a professor emeritus at the University of Maryland, College Park. She was an active member of the chamber music scene in the Washington, DC area and a founding member of the Left Bank Quartet. She participated in numerous summer festivals in Europe and the United States, and won prizes in several international competitions including the Tchaikovsky Competition. She creates the most musical lines and has a vibrant transformative sound that lends it perfectly to Tchaivovsky's Rococo Variations, which was Tchaikovsky's homage to his idol, none other than Mozart!

In addition, BASO will perform Sibelius Symphony No. 1 in which you can hear the plight of the Finnish people as they stand up in defiance to Russia. This piece weaves in folk music of Finland, and shows a deep pride in their culture, music and song.

Suggested Donation: $15 adults, $10 seniors, FREE for those 17 and under.

Benzie Area Symphony Orchestra