Music

The Key to a Great Season

Barbara Arnold |

George Gershwin’s
George Gershwin’s

World-renowned jazz and classical pianist John Jensen will tickle the ivories at the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra’s final concert of the 2018-19 season at 7:30pm Saturday, May 4, at the Pablo Center at the Confluence. The featured soloist will play George Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” – a symphonic work which is at its heart jazz – with ECCO’s many skilled musicians. Led by Music Director Dr. Frank A. Watkins, the orchestra’s “American Dreams” concert will also feature the following works: Symphony No. 5, also known as “Sinfonia Sacra,” composed by son of Swedish immigrants Howard Hanson and inspired by the Gospel of St. John; the “Petite Suite,” a collection of four European dances, created by English composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor serves as an example of British light music; and Selections from Aaron Copland’s “Billy the Kid” suite – “Prairie Night” and “Celebration Dance”– will wrap up the concert. Tickets are available at the door and online at pablocenter.org. Adults are $29; ages 21 and under are free. This concert is made possible by a grant from the Eau Claire Community Foundation.