Evolution of the Symphony
explored in RPO Symphony 101

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Music Director Christopher Seaman looks at the evolution of the symphony in "The Shape of the Symphony," the next Symphony 101 Series concerts on Friday, February 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Performance Hall at Hochstein and on Sunday, February 8 at 2 p.m. at Hale Auditorium, Roberts Cultural Life Center, Roberts Wesleyan College, North Chili. The program includes excerpts from works by Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, Brahms and Shostakovich.

General admission tickets are $20, available from the RPO Box Office, online at www.rpo.org and at all Wegmans Video Departments. The Symphony 101 Series is sponsored by PAETEC Communications and made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The symphony is a staple of the orchestral repertoire. Mixing wonderful musical illustrations played by the orchestra, anecdotes and some background information, Maestro Seaman will explore the evolution of the symphony and how the different movements work together to express the composer's vision. These interactive performances, which have been extremely popular since the RPO launched Symphony 101 two years ago, include time for questions and answers, which sometimes lead to lively discussion.