Vermont Symphony Orchestra and Chorus: “Paradise and Light”

The VSO Chorus joins the Orchestra in an uplifting program of choral and orchestral works. The concert features the world premiere of Dr. Matthew Evan Taylor‘s piece, from despair … Light!, which forms part of his African American Requiem Series. from despair…Light! explores gospel choral traditions of hymn lining, touching on themes of grief, loss, and shared healing.  Vaughan Williams’ Toward the Unknown Region, set to poetry by Walt Whitman, celebrates the spirit of youthful adventure. These choral pieces in the first half are accompanied by a subtly nuanced work for strings by Augusta Read Thomas, a self-described poet-composer based in Chicago. VSO Music Director candidate James Burton concludes the evening with Dvorak’s richly melodic Symphony No. 7, which the composer hoped would be “capable of stirring the world.”

Student tickets are always $10.  The performance is at The Flynn in downtown Burlington.