MusicaNova Orchestra Dead Elvis and Other Gems

Members who give $500+ annually receive 10% off concert tickets.

2024 Concert Series sponsored by

Repetoire
Michael Daugherty, Dead Elvis
Kristilyn Woods, bassoon

Peggy Glanville-Hicks, Three Gymnopédies

Franz Krommer, Concerto no. 2 for Two Clarinets and Orchestra, op. 91
Kristin Fray and Anthony Masiello, clarinet

Franz Joseph Haydn, Symphony no. 98 in B-flat Major

Michael Daugherty’s Dead Elvis is a tour de force in which the MusicaNova Orchestra’s principal bassoon, Kristilyn Woods, dons the sequined jumpsuit and plays the Dies Irae, the medieval Latin chant for the day of judgment, while a small ensemble riffs on rock and roll motifs. The piece contemplates the price of fame, the myth of Elvis, and how the dead rock star exemplifies American culture, history, and mythology.

The concert also features the orchestra’s Kristin Fray and Anthony Masiello in a rare double concerto for clarinets, the Three Gymnopedies that helped establish Glanville-Hicks as a leading 20^th century composer; and the sixth of Haydn’s 12 London symphonies, which ends with a pleasant surprise.