Nashua Chamber Orchestra, March 7, 8, 2026 Concerts

The Nashua Chamber Orchestra, music director David Feltner, is joined by the Nashua Choral Society, Brian Dukeshier, music director, in Beautiful Brahms, a concert featuring Part 2 of Brahms’ A German Requiem. The concert includes works by Mendelssohn, Heitzig and Feltner.

Performances:
SATURDAY, MARCH 7th, 7:30; Nashua Community College, 505 Amherst St., Judd Gregg Hall
SUNDAY, MARCH 8th, 3:00; Milford Town Hall on the Milford Oval

Tickets can be purchased at the door, or on-line at the web site: nco-music.org

Prices are $20, adults; $15, seniors and college students; students under 18, free.

Dr. Brian Dukeshier, recently engaged by the NCS, is dedicated to enriching communities through choral excellence. An experienced educator and mentor, he is known for his expressive conducting style, and for building meaningful connections between performers and audiences.

Trumpeter Rick Bolling performs regularly with a number of New England ensembles. A dedicated member of the NCO for over two decades, Rick is also an a avid triathlete.

Johannes Brahms (1833—1897) was a towering figure of the Romantic Era. A German Requiem is Brahms’ longest composition, and largest ensemble work. It is unique in that it does not use the Latin mass text. Brahms assembled the libretto himself, using selections from the German Lutheran Bible. Its focus is on comforting the living. The composer conducted the premiere at Bremen Cathedral, on April 10, 1868. The text inspires hope, and embraces all people. The music traverses a variety of moods, ending with a serene, ethereal feeling of peace. “Blessed are the dead…”

Felix Mendelssohn (1809—1847) was a child prodigy who composed mature works at an early age. His Octet, written at age 16, is part of the standard repertoire. His overture, Die Heimkehr aus der Fremde, (Son and Stranger), Opus 89, composed at age 20 and premiered for friends in 1829, is a lesser known work. Devotees will recognize Mendelssohn’s unmistakable orchestral style.

Steve Heitzig, born in Minnesota in 1959, composed Flower of the Earth as an Homage to artist Georgia O’Keefe. The Homage is a tone painting of four of Ms. O’Keefe’s flowers.

Maestro David Feltner (b. 1959) was inspired to write Looking Towards Heaven by cherished memories. A service at Old South Church in Boston brought back memories of playing hymns on his viola in church, for his grandmother, when he was a student at Indiana University. The piece opens with a solo viola. The four hymn tunes overlap and are expanded by other instruments, as the trumpet improvises above them. Looking Towards Heaven is dedicated to the composer’s mother and grandmother.