Described as a true champion of Bronx arts, conductor and artistic director, Michael Spierman, returns with the opening performance of the 2022-23 season with the Bronx Symphony Orchestra on Sunday Oct. 23, at the orchestra’s home base of Lehman College. Kicking off at 3 p.m. with a program by Haydn, Mendelssohn and Rossini, the orchestra, founded over 50 years ago, will give a number of performances in The Bronx, which will be free to the public. This is due to the company’s mission to make classical music concerts, performed by first-rate musicians, available to people of all economic levels, allowing them experience the beauty of the orchestral repertoire.

Spierman, the founder of Bronx Symphony Orchestra, will join the company’s 40 musicians who are drawn from other major orchestras and Broadway shows, along with special guest violinist, Garry Ianco, for the concert series. The program comprises “Symphony No. 104” by Joseph Haydn, “L’italiana in Algeri Overture” by Gioachino Rossini, “Violin Concerto” by Felix Mendelssohn, and guest violinist, Garry Ianco.

 

The media team for the concert series provided the following background to the program:

“Symphony No. 104 in D Major” is Joseph Haydn’s final symphony and the last of the twelve London symphonies. The work was composed in 1795 while Haydn was living in London, and premiered there at the King’s Theatre on May 4, 1795. The premiere was a success, and Haydn reportedly wrote in his diary at the time, “The whole company was thoroughly pleased and so was I.” He added, “I made 4,000 gulden on this evening; such a thing is possible only in England.”

 

Rossini wrote “L’italiana in Algeri” when he was 21 years old, claiming that it took him 18 days to complete the opera. It enjoyed a successful premiere at the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice on May 22, 1823. The music is characteristic of Rossini’s style, remarkable for its fusion of sustained, manic energy with elegant, pristine melodies.

 

Mendelssohn’s “Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64,” is his last concerto. Well received at its premiere, it has remained among the most prominent and highly-regarded violin concertos. Composed between 1838 and 1844, the work was premiered March 13, 1845, and continues to hold a central place in the violin repertoire.

 

Garry Ianco, guest violinist, enjoys a varied international career, from performances with symphony orchestras, to playing Broadway shows, to collaborating with artists, Richard Wolfe, Alexander Markov, Frederick Zlotkin, and Nina Beilina. Ianco has been concertmaster with several orchestras, including New Jersey Philharmonic, and Orchestra of St. Peter-by-the-Sea. With the Chelsea Opera, he was able to work closely with composers including Lee Hoiby, Matthew Harris, Tom Cipullo, and Seymour Barab.

 

On Broadway, Ianco was concertmaster for Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of “Phantom of the Opera” and “Evita.” A passionate educator, Ianco was an adjunct professor of music at New Jersey City University, and has held faculty positions at the Monmouth Conservatory of Music and the Judith Wharton School.

 

New York native, Spierman founded the Bronx Symphony Orchestra in 1969 with the mission of bringing music to people of all walks of life and financial incomes. The Orchestra performs works from all periods, including Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th Century. The unique spirit and level of excellence of the Orchestra makes for some of the most exciting concerts presented in the New York City area.  Spierman, artistic director of the Bronx Opera, was on the music faculty at Hunter College for 38 years, chaired the music panel at the New York State Council on the Arts, and has guest conducted with orchestras in the U.S., England, Bulgaria, and South America.