More than a year in advance, symphonies around Maine begin looking ahead. They talk themes, soloists and balancing traditional music with up-and-coming artists or composers.
This summer, they’ll start practicing; in the fall, patrons will hear everything from classics such as “The Nutcracker” to a Maine premiere of Bangor Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor Lucas Richman’s “Concerto for Piano and Orchestra: In Truth.”
A year-long process
At the Augusta Symphony Orchestra, a handful of musicians and conductor Paul Ross serve as a music committee. Their process is fairly simple and informal — usually involving a few conversations over dinner.
Kristi Mann, ASO board president and cellist, said the symphony starts getting serious about the programs about a year in advance, but it’s an ongoing process.
“We are always talking about pieces that we would like to play,” she said.
As soon as conductor and program director Paul Ross has considered the instruments needed for a piece, the difficulty and how the compositions would complement each other when played within the same program, he brings it to the board. Board members look at the cost of renting or purchasing the music, paying a soloist if needed and audience appeal.
At BSO, it’s more or less the same.
Brian Hinrichs, executive director, said Richman brings him and a programming committee a first draft of ideas for the upcoming season in late fall. After talking to different soloists who might be a good fit, the draft goes to the BSO board. Then at the beginning of the year, Hinrichs begins contacting and contracting guest artists and creating the marketing materials needed to get people in the door.
In Portland, the agenda has been set for three years. Last year, the Portland Symphony Orchestra decided to celebrate its 90th year by performing all nine of Beethoven’s symphonies, three per year.
As such, General Manager Carolyn Nishon said patrons this year can expect to hear Beethoven’s first, fifth and eighth symphonies.
“Knowing that we’ll be doing three each year has been giving us a direction,” Nishon said. “Still a lot of it was … thinking about the feel and each symphony and how to build it into each season.”
A balancing act
More than a year-long process of giving “yes” or “no” to each proposed piece, selecting a program for any given year is a balancing act.
Sometimes that means working around a theme for an entire season or just one particular performance. For example, the theme for fall 2015 in Augusta is “Americana.”
Other times, symphonies start with a piece they’ve been yearning to play and build the program around that. Still other times, there’s a soloist the symphony may have wanted to include, so a program is built around him or her.
The balance comes in as people such as Nishon, Mann and Hinrichs try to figure out what will appeal to a wide audience while introducing them to new material.
“We wanted to make sure that the well-known symphonies were spread out with the end performance of Beethoven’s ninth [expected in the 2016-2017 season] being the biggest bang of all,” Nishon said.
In Bangor, finding balance means bringing an opera — “La Boheme” by Puccini — to the BSO stage for the first time in years. But it also means making sure the opera is a great piece, with some name recognition for those people who may never consider going to see one.
“Lucas brings a really creative eye to achieving balance while keeping things fresh and exciting,” Hinrichs said. “This particular programming hits on a lot of notes for us. For opera lovers in the community, it’s a really exciting experience, and for other people who maybe don’t know if they like opera, it’s a spectacularly gorgeous piece.”
What to expect
In the coming months, symphonies around the state will be finalizing their season and starting practice. The Augusta symphony practices weekly from September to April. They play three concerts and a joint concert with the Maine Youth Orchestra.
For the BSO, this is the 120th season. Hinrichs ensures it will be a season to remember.
“We really wanted to go big. On every program, you will find something really exciting and really powerful that shows the full forces of our orchestra,” he said.
Here’s what to expect this upcoming season from the BSO, the ASO and the PSO:
Bangor: The New World; Beethoven and Friends; “The Nutcracker”; Mahler’s “Titan”; An Evening of Romance with Noel Paul Stookey; Brahms and Tchaikovsky and “La Boheme.” For more information, visit bangorsymphony.org.
Augusta: Symphony No. 4 by Robert Schumann; Suite in D Major by Arthur Bird and a special performance by singer and songwriter Kate Schrock with and orchestral accompaniment. For more information, visit augustasymphonymaine.org.
Portland: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, No. 5 and No. 8; Enchanted Favorites; Brahms’ Second Concerto; Rachmaninoff’s Third; Orchestral Spectaculars; Peer Gynt; Tribute to John Denver; Music of the Beach Boys: Pet Sounds; Portland in Love and Music of John Williams. For more information, visit portlandsymphony.org.
