WORCESTER—
The Worcester Music Festival has come a long way.
And over the course of the 2007-08 season, major international orchestras and other groups and performers will travel a long way to Mechanics Hall. The Sofia Festival Orchestra of Bulgaria, the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico and the State Orchestra of Russia are just part of a lineup that has a distinct global tone to it.
Music Worcester Inc. has announced the schedule for the 148th Worcester Music Festival as well as the 29th International Artists Series and the 13th Mass Jazz Festival. All told, Music Worcester will be presenting 19 concerts beginning Oct. 17 with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra at Mechanics Hall. Among chamber groups visiting will be the New Zealand String Quartet, Camerata Ireland and the all-female Claremont Trio.
On the world music/performance front, Ballet Folklorico de Mexico will bring the music, dance and costume of Mexican folklore; the hypnotic Georgian State Dance Company is scheduled to make a welcome return visit; and the Band of The Coldstream Guards and the Pipes, Drums and Dancers of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards should offer plenty of pageantry.
But local connections are also highlighted. The Boston Philharmonic program will include the U.S. premiere of a work by Shirish Korde of the College of the Holy Cross, and the Worcester Chorus will present four concerts during the season.
Music Worcester executive director Stasia B. Hovenesian said she can remember the days when the Worcester Music Festival was a one-week event with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in residency and different big-name soloists featured each evening. Formal attire was the norm with pre-and post-concert parties in people’s homes dominating the city’s social life.
“The format we now have stretches concert series’ musical horizons and introduces a broader audience to not only world-class orchestras, soloists and chamber ensembles from around the world, but also the colorful pageantry of dance companies,” Hovenesian said.
“Who would have imagined years ago that the venerable music festival would present all that plus Irish Step, modern tap dancing and fiddling, world music, and the greats of the jazz world? These modern additions to our series overflow with talent and in no way compromise our commitment to presenting the best the music world has to offer with the emphasis on classical music.”
Concerts begin at 8 p.m. in Mechanics Hall, unless noted otherwise. Tickets range from $25 to $46, with 10 percent discounts on subscriptions of six or more concerts. For more information, call (508) 754-3231 or visit
www.musicworces-ter.org.
The schedule is as follows:
Oct. 17
Boston Philharmonic Orchestra
Oct. 23
Ballet Folklorico
Oct. 30
The Georgian State Dance Company
Nov. 4
The Worcester Chorus and the All Saints Church Boy, Girl and Adult Choirs perform a concert of British and American sacred music. At All Saints Church at 4 p.m.
Nov. 9
The New Zealand String Quartet. At Tuckerman Hall
Dec. 1
Handel’s “Messiah.” The Worcester Chorus continues a 108-year-old tradition
Jan. 18
Time for Three. A mix of classical, jazz and bluegrass. Tuckerman Hall
Jan. 29
Band of the Coldstream Guards, and the Pipes, Drums and Dancers of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Feb. 6
Sofia Festival Orchestra. Martin Panteleev conducts
Feb. 19
State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico
Feb. 26
Monterey Jazz Festival
March 1
Kendrick Oliver and the New Life Jazz Orchestra. Tuckerman Hall
March 6
Camerata Ireland. Tuckerman Hall
March 15
Worcester Chorus: Mozart’s Requiem
March 31
State Symphony Orchestra of Russia. Denis Matsuev, piano.
April 8
The Stepcrew
April 12
Anagnoson and Kinton Piano Duo. Tuckerman Hall
April 26
The Claremont Trio. Tuckerman Hall
June 7
Worcester Chorus: A Gershwin Celebration. Alden Hall, WPI
