The Charleston Symphony Channel
The Charleston Symphony wants to do our part in lifting you up as we all face this challenging time! To help do this, we have created the Charleston Symphony Channel as a place for you to access our videos.
We hope you enjoy!
WHAT’S NEW
Join Kathy St. John as she tries to beat the clock sharing her thoughts on Beethoven’s 6th Symphony!
Norbert Lewandowski performs “Spiegel im Spiegel” by Arvo Part. This piece translates from German to “mirror in a mirror.” Arvo Part is most known for the music he created later on in his career which took on a minimalist quality. Listen along to find out more.
Join us as we watch Damian Kremer attempt to beat the clock (by waiting for it to run out of batteries), talking about David Stahl.
Can Chris beat the clock as he recalls his first time playing Beethoven’s 5th symphony?
Quinn Delaney is back for another installment of bassoon jazz! Join along as he plays, Alone Together.
JOIN THE CSO IN CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL OF WOMEN’S RIGHT TO VOTE IN THE UNITED STATES!
August 18th, 2020 marks 100 years since the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution. Suffragettes fought for many years to secure the right for women to vote. It took another 45 years to secure that right for every citizen, regardless of skin color. Today, our country continues to inch closer to gender equality, (although there is more work to be done) because of the bravery and steadfastness of the suffragettes. The women of the CSO salute the women (and men) of long ago, who fought for the 19th Amendment. Listen along as they play Rights of Women, written “By a Lady” in 1795.
Join the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League, with members of the Charleston Symphony, as they “Swing for the Symphony” on Monday, October 5th!
Teams will be challenged by the par-71 course designed by Seth Raynor, an admirer of the strategy and design of well-known Scottish golf courses. Country Club of Charleston is recognized as one of the Southeast’s premiere courses, with sweeping vistas along Wappoo Creek toward Charleston Harbor. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m., and the Shamble-format tournament kicks off at noon.The event includes lunch, a silent auction, post-golf reception and prizes. Music will be provided by members of the CSO Brass. Only 72 golfers will be admitted to play in the tournament, so make sure to reserve your spot today!
Beth Albert reveals how Beethoven forever changed writing for timpani and why she is particularly excited to play the pieces of this season!
Kari Kistler, fresh off of her win a month ago, tempts her fate again by trying to beat the clock while sharing with us her experience of playing Beethoven’s Emperor Piano Concerto along with West Side Story!
Get ready to join the CSO for “Music of the Movies: In Space”!
Charlie Messersmith shares a personal story related to performing “Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme” by Richard Strauss.
Jessica Hull-Dambaugh shares some of the unique flutes she has collected from around the world!
Kathy St. John shares with us Alma Mahler’s contribution to classical music. Although we will not be performing her work next season, her story is very interesting!
Join the CSO for a special look at the music of next season’s Pops show “Music of the Movies: In Space”, created by Assistant Concertmaster Micah Gangwer!
Michael Smith, executive director, gives an update on the CSO.
GREATEST HITS
There’s no better way to celebrate the founding of our nation than with the playing of Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever”! Join the CSO as they perform this great work virtually with over 65 individually recorded audio and video tracks.
Join the CSO brass for a tribute to America performing the Olympic Fanfare and Theme by John Williams!
Using the power of music and spoken word, the CSO, in collaboration with the Gaillard Center, Roper St. Francis, and Ranky Tanky, will bring our community together in a positive and constructive way to promote equality.
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
The complete concert featuring the Charleston Symphony performing works by Respighi, Copland, and Mussorgsky in conjunction with paintings of 50 veterans by Mary Whyte from her exhibition “WE THE PEOPLE: PORTRAITS OF VETERANS IN AMERICA”.
BEETHOVEN’S 5TH
Perhaps the most recognizable piece of classical music ever written, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony rose to a new level of prominence during World War II, when the BBC used the symphony’s famous four-note opening to preface daily radio broadcasts. Mimicking the sound of the letter “V” in Morse code (dot-dot-dot-dash), the first few notes of Beethoven’s Fifth became closely associated with the Allied Force’s quest for victory, and ultimately gave this masterpiece its unofficial nickname, the “Victory” Symphony.
Sit back and relax as you listen to your symphony play Beethoven’s 5th right in your own home!
BEETHOVEN’S 9TH
The first ever to include a chorus, this symphony may have been Beethoven’s way of, quite literally, giving voice to his own internal battle between despair and triumph.
ON APRIL 18TH, WE VIRTUALLY CELEBRATE THE CITY OF CHARLESTON’S 350TH ANNIVERSARY WITH
DVOŘÁK’S NEW WORLD SYMPHONY
Today our community celebrates and commemorates 350 years since the founding of Charleston. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Charleston Symphony’s season finale, which was set to be a part of the City of Charleston’s 350th Anniversary Celebration, has been cancelled. However, we still want to play our part in bringing our community together through music on this momentous occasion. To mark this anniversary, we are delighted to release a previously recorded live performance of Dvořák’s New World Symphony, which has been called, “an anthem to American roots,” on SoundCloud. The CSO musicians have also recorded a short excerpt for you!
Join us for a special performance of musical selections by female composers, inspired by works of southern women artists included in the exhibition “Central to Their Lives” at the Gibbes Museum of Art. A chamber music concert was scheduled to take place in the Gibbes rotunda on April 22, but due to the COVID-19 social distancing regulations, we were forced to cancel. Instead, we bring to your home performances by Charleston Symphony musicians from their homes, and hope that it helps you find some calm amidst the chaos. “Central to their Lives: Southern Women Artists in the Johnson Collection” is organized by the Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, South Carolina.
RANKY TANKY WITH THE CSO
REBROADCAST WITH REMASTERED AUDIO
Last month we closed out our Pops season with a sold-out performance by Ranky Tanky, Charleston’s own Grammy Award winners!
We are rebroadcasting our Ranky Tanky with the CSO performance now with remastered audio. Expect an evening of Jazz, Gullah, and R&B fusion all with an orchestral backdrop.
Ranky Tanky is the Gullah term for “get funky” which is exactly what we plan to do once again for this exciting Lowcountry collaboration.
May The Fourth Be With You! In collaboration with the Charleston County Public Library, the Brass Quintet wishes you a happy Star Wars day!
The Charleston Symphony Channel will be updated frequently, so check back soon for more fun-filled videos! Be sure to also follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on all things CSO!