Cape Ann Symphony presents selections from Mendelssohn, Saint-Saens, and Beethoven on Sunday March 16, 2025. Read more about the concert program below from the symphony’s printed matter.
Sunday Concerts in Spring: Scroll further to see printable flyers for two more delightful programs scheduled in April and May.
Press Release
The program for Mendelssohn, Saint-SaĂ«ns, and Beethoven includes Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 and Saint-SaĂ«ns’ Cello Concerto, featuring Owen Young, Cello. The March 16th Concert marks the first time CAS has performed the Beethoven Symphony No. 4 during Maestro Udagawa’s 25 year tenure as Music Director and Conductor of Cape Ann Symphony. Maestro Udagawa looks forward to bringing the exciting piece to CAS audiences, “We have never performed the Beethoven Symphony No. 4 in Cape Ann during my time as conductor of the orchestra. It’s a real masterpiece, and it was definitely time to do it. It sits between the very famous 3rd and 5th symphonies, so it’s definitely been overshadowed by those pieces, but I know that the audience will love this piece. It has everything that Beethoven is known for – power, energy, melodies of tremendous beauty – and in addition, it comes along with a huge dose of high spirits and humor. “
Written in 1830, Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture also known as Fingal’s Cave was inspired by a trip the composer took to Scotland. His travels took him to the Hebrides Islands and the island of Staffa – known for its puffins and its atmospheric cave. With its echoing acoustics, which magnified the sound of rumbling waves, Fingal’s Cave made a profound impression on Mendelssohn. Through the Hebrides Overture he sought to capture the swell and feel of the Atlantic, and the sound of waves crashing against rocks. “The Hebrides Overture of Mendelssohn is such evocative music and a perfect piece to perform on Cape Ann,” points out Maestro Udagawa, “The opening is Mendelssohn’s depiction of the ocean waves, and it gently rolls along. Eventually the music builds up to a stormy sequence, and towards the end when the music is again peaceful, one can imagine seagulls soaring over the ocean. The music has such color and sparkle, and it’s always wonderful to prepare this piece with the musicians of the orchestra and to perform it.”
Owen Young last played with CAS in March 2022. He performed the Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra with his BSO colleague violinist Lucia Lin.MaestroUdagawa is eager to collaborate with Owen Young again, “Owen Young is an incredible cellist and musician. In addition, he is an incredibly warm and nice person, and that really comes across in everything he does. That’s definitely one of the reasons the orchestra, I and our audience love him so much.” On March 16th world renowned cellist Young will play Saint-SaĂ«ns’ Cello Concerto with CAS. Many composers, including Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Rachmaninoff, consider this concerto to be the greatest of all cello concertos. In this demanding concerto Saint-SaĂ«ns broke with convention. Instead of using the normal three-movement concerto form, he wrote the piece in one continuous movement which contains three sections sharing interrelated ideas. “The Saint-Saens is a gorgeous concerto which is wildly difficult and virtuosic for the soloist,” says Maestro Udagawa,” in spite of the fireworks, Saint-Saens has written a piece of great charm and beauty. The main melody of the second movement is so beautiful and touching. The first movement is fiery and the last movement is also full of difficult passages for the soloist. It’s always amazing to see Owen play it with such command and ease. He makes it look easy, but we all know it isn’t! I can’t wait for CAS audiences to see this thrilling performance!”
About Owen Young
Cellist Owen Young joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in August 1991. A frequent collaborator in chamber music concerts and festivals, he has been featured as concerto soloist with numerous orchestras. Mr. Young has appeared in the Tanglewood, Aspen, Banff, Davos, Sunflower, Gateway, Brevard, and St. Barth’s music festivals and is a founding member of the innovative chamber ensemble Innuendo. His performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio, WQED in Pittsburgh, WITF in Harrisburg, and WGBH in Boston. He has performed frequently with singer/songwriter James Taylor, including the nationally televised concert “James Taylor Live at the Beacon Theatre” in New York City.
Mr. Young was formerly on the faculties of Boston Conservatory, New England Conservatory School of Continuing Education, and Longy School of Music. He is currently on the faculty of Berklee College of Music and is active in Project STEP, a String Training Education Program which provides talented young musicians that identify with historically underrepresented groups in classical music with comprehensive music instruction, envisioning a world in which the classical music profession reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of our communities.
Owen Young holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University. He was a Tanglewood Music Center Fellow in 1986 and 1987. After winning an Orchestra Fellowship in 1987, he played with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 1988 and with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1988-89. He was a member of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra in 1986-87 and of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1989 until he joined the BSO in 1991. From 1991 to 1996 Mr. Young was a Harvard-appointed resident tutor and director of concerts in Dunster House at Harvard University. His teachers included Elinor Osborn, Michael Grebanier, Anne Martindale Williams, and Aldo Parisot.
About Cape Ann Symphony and Yoichi Udagawa
Founded in Gloucester in 1951, the Cape Ann Symphony is a professional orchestra of over 70 players from throughout the New England area. They perform a subscription season of four concerts per year plus several Pops and youth concerts. The Symphony Board of Directors named Yoichi Udagawa the Music Director and Conductor of the Cape Ann Symphony in the summer of 2000 after a yearlong search. In addition to his leadership of Cape Ann Symphony, he is Music Director and Conductor of the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra and a cover conductor at the Boston Pops Orchestra. Frequently invited to guest conduct, Mr. Udagawa has worked with many different orchestras including the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Nobeoka Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Indian Hill Symphony, the Garden State Philharmonic, the Brown University Orchestra, the Syracuse Society for New Music, the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, the Newton Symphony, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Mid-Texas Symphony. Mr. Udagawa is at home in popular and contemporary music as well as the standard symphonic repertoire. He is known for his relaxed manner and ability to speak from the podium which has helped new audiences as well as enthusiasts gain a greater appreciation for symphonic music. His programs often include premieres of new works – some specially commissioned for the orchestra — as well as great orchestral works across the symphonic repertoire and lively Pops programs. He is also an integral part of the Cape Ann Symphony Youth Outreach programs to area schools.
tickets
Cape Ann Symphony Mendelssohn, Saint–SaĂ«ns, and Beethoven Concert is Sunday, March 16 at 2 pm at Manchester-Essex High School auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Single ticket prices are $50 for adults, $45 for senior citizens age 65 and above, $20 for Students of any age with a valid student id; $5 for youth 12 years old and under. For tickets and information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org.
Coming April 25, 2025
Coming May 11, 2025
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“We are so excited to perform for our audience masterpieces of classical music by Beethoven and Brahms, but also the world premiere of a work by Charles Floyd commissioned by the Cape Ann Symphony.”
Maestro Yoichi Udagawa
Floyd’s Hymn for the Fallen
“Charles Floyd’s latest composition Hymn for the Fallen written for the Cape Ann Symphony is a moving memorial to those we have lost. We are thrilled to premiere this beautiful piece on March 20. Charles is a composer who has an amazing ability to create works that touch our hearts.”
Brahms’ Double Concerto
“We are very excited that violinist Lucia Lin and cellist Owen Young are returning to the Cape Ann Symphony to perform Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra. The Double Concerto is the last major work for orchestra that the great composer wrote, and it’s a masterpiece. The way he weaves the violin and cello part together with each other and the orchestra is beyond compare, and it has some of the most beautiful melodies he ever wrote.”
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7
“We will be closing the concert with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, one of his most popular works. It combines everything about the music of Beethoven we love. His rhythmic drive, dramatic gesture, energy as well as lyricism and humor. We are really looking forward to sharing this music with our audience.”
Charles Floyd’s new work Hymn for the Fallen.
Johannes Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin and Cello featuring Lucia Lin, violin, and Owen Young, cello.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.
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Heidi Dallin shares a reminder about Cape Ann Symphony 70th season spring concert which sounds incredible!
Cape Ann Symphony’s 70th Concert Season continues on Sunday, March 20, 2022, at 2:00 pm at the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA., featuring guest artists BSO violinist Lucia Lin and BSO cellist Owen Young, a poignant new work written for CAS by composer Charles Floyd, and classic works by Beethoven and Brahms. There will be no requirement for proof of vaccination nor Covid tests at this concert. The wearing of masks will be up to the individual. Single ticket prices are $45 for adults, $40 for senior citizens, $20 for students of any age; $5 for youth 12 years old and under. For information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org
Cape Ann Symphony Music Director and Conductor Yoichi Udagawa looks forward to the eclectic program on March 20,
“We are so excited to bring our audience not only masterpieces of classical music from Beethoven and Brahms, but also the world premiere of a Charles Floyd work commissioned by Cape Ann Symphony. What an exciting afternoon of music!”
Yoichi Udagawa, Cape Ann Symphony Music Dir. & Conductor
Violinist Lucia Lin and cellist Owen Young return to CAS to perform Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra. Maestro Udagawa points out,
“The Brahms’ Double Concerto is the last major work for orchestra that the great composer wrote, and it’s a masterpiece. The way he weaves the violin and cello parts together with each other and the orchestra is beyond compare, and it has some of the most beautiful melodies he ever wrote. We are thrilled to be performing this with violinist Lucia Lin and cellist Owen Young of the Boston Symphony.”
Udagawa is also eager to share Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 with CAS audiences,
“The Beethoven Symphony No. 7 is one of his most popular works, and it combines everything about the music of Beethoven we love. His rhythmic drive, dramatic gesture, energy as well as lyricism and humor.”
About Composer, conductor, pianist Charles Floyd
Composer, conductor and pianist, Charles Floyd has been heard in concert with more than 500 orchestras in classical and pops performances, including annual appearances with the Boston Pops Orchestra. His eleven-year partnership with singer Natalie Cole included the multiple GRAMMY® Award- winning tribute to Nat King Cole entitled “Unforgettable, With Love;” Also the Emmy Award-winning PBS Great Performances concert video of the same title. Charles Floyd last appeared with CAS in 2015 when he performed the world premiere of his Piano Concerto to a sold-out audience and two standing ovations. CAS Board President Fran White remembers the concert well, “The atmosphere in the building was electric! The audience would not let him leave the stage. Maestro Udagawa brought him back to the piano for an encore and he played an arrangement of America the Beautiful which he improvised as he played it! He received another standing ovation!”
About Hymn for the Fallen by Charles Floyd
Charles Floyd’s latest composition “Hymn for the Fallen” written for the Cape Ann Symphony is part of a larger work: The Fallen.
“Charles Floyd has written an incredible piece for Cape Ann Symphony. We are so proud to premiere this touching piece on March 20. Charles describes it so much better than I ever could, but I will say that we are really looking forward to preparing it and presenting it to our audience. Charles is a composer who has an amazing ability to create works that touch our hearts.”
Floyd wrote “Hymn for the Fallen” to highlight the sense of isolation and helplessness experienced since 2020. He describes the work as follows:
“Hymn for the Fallen” begins in isolation with violins commencing a tuneful exposition that is later joined by violas and cellos. The harmonies that build are bittersweet, but quite tonal in nature. Polytonality (the simultaneous use of two or more keys) plays a big role as a vehicle to prevent the emotional affect from feeling too ‘settled’ or too ‘sweet’. This is to reflect the notion that the emotional aspects of the past two years remain largely unsettled and unresolved. The final result is a haunting melody that is as sing-able as a hymn which (hopefully) does not gloss over the gravity of sadness rather than to honor with reverence the loss of a loved one. The rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and the insurmountable loss of life as a result of it, various riots, fear, brutality, extremism, civil unrest, confusion, grief, and violence inspired me to create a series of works called The Fallen of which “Hymn for The Fallen” is one. The series is not intended to be performed in one sitting. Rather it is a collection of works on a series of difficult topics.”
Charles Floyd on his beautiful work, Hymn for the Fallen, commissioned by CAS
About BSO violinist Lucia Lin
BSO violinist Lucia Lin made her debut performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the age of 11. Since then, she has been a prizewinner of numerous competitions, including the 1990 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. She has performed many solo recitals for the Cape Ann Symphony and throughout the U.S., making her New York debut at Carnegie Recital Hall in March 1991, and has appeared with the Boston Pops Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria. Ms. Lin is a member of the Muir String Quartet, the quartet in residence at Boston University. She is also a founding member of the Boston Trio and the chamber group Innuendo. Ms. Lin joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1985 and served as assistant concertmaster from 1988 to 1991 and 1996 to 1998.
About BSO Cellist Owen Young
Cellist Owen Young joined the BSO in August 1991. He is a frequent collaborator in chamber music concerts and festivals; he has also appeared as concerto soloist with numerous orchestras. One of the Cape Ann Symphony’s regular soloists, he also has appeared in the Tanglewood, Aspen, Banff, Davos, Sunflower, Gateway, Brevard, and St. Barth’s music festivals and is a founding member of the innovative chamber ensemble Innuendo. He has performed frequently with singer/songwriter James Taylor, including the nationally televised concert “James Taylor Live at the Beacon Theatre” in New York City. Mr. Young was formerly on the faculties of the Boston Conservatory, the New England Conservatory Extension Division, and the Longy School of Music; is currently on the faculty of Berklee College of Music; and is active in Project STEP (String Training and Education Program for students of color)
About Cape Ann Symphony
Founded in Gloucester in 1951, the Cape Ann Symphony is a professional orchestra of over 70 players from throughout the New England area. They perform a subscription season of four concerts per year plus several Pops and youth concerts. The Symphony Board of Directors named Yoichi Udagawa the Music Director and Conductor of the Cape Ann Symphony in the summer of 2000 after a yearlong search. In addition to his leadership of Cape Ann Symphony, he is Music Director and Conductor of the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra and a cover conductor at the Boston Pops Orchestra. Maestro Udagawa is on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory where he teaches conducting. Frequently invited to guest conduct, Maestro Udagawa has worked with many different orchestras including the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Nobeoka Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Indian Hill Symphony, the Garden State Philharmonic, the Brown University Orchestra, the Syracuse Society for New Music, the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, the Newton Symphony, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Mid-Texas Symphony. Maestro Udagawa is at home in popular and contemporary music as well as the standard symphonic repertoire. He is known for his relaxed manner and ability to speak from the podium which has helped new audiences as well as enthusiasts gain a greater appreciation for symphonic music. His programs often include premieres of new works – some specially commissioned for the orchestra — as well as great orchestral works across the symphonic repertoire and lively Pops programs. He is also an integral part of the Cape Ann Symphony Youth Initiative.
About Yoichi Udagawa
Yoichi Udagawa, the son of a nuclear physicist father and singer/artist mother, was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. His family immigrated to the United States soon thereafter. He began playing the violin at age four and made his conducting debut at age fifteen. After receiving a music degree from the University of Texas at Austin, he continued advanced studies in conducting with Gunther Schuller, Seiji Ozawa, Morihiro Okabe, and Henry Charles Smith. A fan of many different styles of music, Mr. Udagawa also enjoys performing gospel music in addition to his conducting activities. He is also an accomplished violinist and an avid fan of exercise and yoga.
Buy tickets
Cape Ann Symphony’s Floyd, Beethoven, Brahms, Lin and Young Concert is Sunday, March 20, 2022, at 2:00 pm at the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. Single ticket prices are $45 for adults, $40 for senior citizens, $20 for students of any age; $5 for youth 12 years old and under. There will be no requirement for proof of vaccination nor Covid tests at this concert. The wearing of masks will be up to the individual. They will not be required. For information or tickets, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org
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Lucia Lin, Owen Young and Robert Levin Share Stage with CAS for May Concert
Cape Ann Symphony’s May Concert features The Three B’s: Bach, Beethoven and Brahms: a trio of renowned composers; and world class soloists: violinist Lucia Lin, cellist Owen Young and pianist Robert Levin on Saturday, May 21, 2016 at 8pm at the CAS performance venue at Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. These three powerful soloists join the orchestra for Beethoven’s Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano. The Three B’s Concert program also includes the orchestra playing Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.3and Brahms’ Symphony No. 3in F Major. Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium is handicapped accessible. Ticket prices are $40 for adults, $35 for senior citizens, $5 for Youth age 18 and under. For tickets and information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org
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Good Morning Gloucester 