World-renowned harpist Maria Casale joins Pasadena Community Orchestra in January 30th concert that also features William Grant Still's "Afro-American" Symphony

On Friday, January 30, 2015, at 8:00 p.m., harpist Maria Casale, who has been a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and L.A. Chamber Orchestra, joins the Pasadena Community Orchestra and Music Director Bethany Pflueger in the second concert of the orchestra’s 32nd season. As a soloist, Casale has enamored audiences throughout the world as well as with Los Angeles’ finest. Her performance of Handel’s lyrical Harp Concerto in B-flat Major will transport audiences to an elegant 18th-century atmosphere. The concert’s major piece is William Grant Still’s Symphony #1, the “Afro-American.” A marvelous fusion of symphonic form with the blues, jazz and ragtime, the work ranges from lush pathos to lively dances to sly humor. The orchestra also presents Arthur Sullivan’s most popular orchestral work (composed before he became the musician half of Gilbert & Sullivan!). Comprised of four dance movements, the Overture di Ballo closes with a rousing “gallop” reminiscent of the patter songs and other up-tempo numbers from Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. The concert opens with Mozart’s Overture to Don Giovanni, containing some of the composer’s finest writing. Foreshadowing the opera’s shifting between comedy and drama, the overture opens with dark ferocity, but primarily displays the sunny wit and energy for which Mozart is so justly famed. Audience members may meet the soloist and other musicians at a reception following the concert. Admission is free, and no reservations are necessary.

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