The Queens Symphony Orchestra will present three free concerts this month as the highlights of “1001 Voices,” the group’s first Arts & Music Festival. The shows, along with dozens of affiliated events and exhibits, are designed for attendees to “discover the immigrant experience in Queens.”
The first conert, entitled “From the New World,” will be held at 7 p.m. April 14 at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center, located at 153-10 Jamaica Ave. It will feature the musician Richard “Earthman” Laurent performing the festival opening; as well as Antonin Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor, performed by cellist Jung-Hsuan Ko, winner of the QSO’s 2011 Young Soloist Competition. The third part of the show will be a Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World.”
The QSO notes that Dvorak’s music was influenced and inspired by American culture, and that he used the spiritual “Goin’ Home” as the melody for one movement in Symphony No. 9.
A preview lecture on the show will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 12 at the Queens Central Library in Jamaica.
The next free performance, entitled “Songs of a Wayfarer,” will be held at 8 p.m. April 20 at Flushing Town Hall, located at 137-35 Northern Blvd. Performers there will include soprano Jennifer Zetlan of the Metropolitan Opera and mezzo soprano Francesca Lunghi. The show will feature the title piece, by Gustav Mahler, as well as the “Star-Spangled Banner” and other performances.
That concert’s preview lecture will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 19 at the Flushing Library.
The final free performance will be held at 3 p.m. April 29 at the Kupferberg Center at Queens College, located at 65-30 Kissena Blvd. in Flushing.
That show will feature the world premiere of “1001 Voices: a Symphony for Queens,” with music by Frank London of the Klezmatics, words by actor Judith Sloan and visuals by Warren Lehrer — the latter two the cocreators of “Crossing the BLVD.” The family opera “Gauchito and the Pony” will also be performed.
The event’s preview lecture will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 26 at the Hillcrest Library.
The other arts events that are part of the orchestra’s Arts & Music Festival, planned as an annual event, are all listed online at queenssymphony.org.
Free QSO concerts
When: April 14, 20 and 29
Where: Various locations in Queens
Tickets: Free
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