The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) in collaboration with the Alexandria Choral Society will release a virtual winter concert later this month featuring ASO musicians and a guest appearance by ACS singers. The 30-minute video, Sure on This Shining Night: A Message of Hope, will be available throughout the month of December.
“The question for the Alexandria Symphony has been how music can contribute at this fraught moment to finding a more accepting and empathetic, less partisan, common ground,” says ASO Music Director James Ross. “What can bring us together, even if apart? This project is our answer to that question.”
Program highlights include harp melodies near the hearth, a Swedish holiday song with voice and guitar, Prokokiev’s Troika (Sleigh Ride) with brass quintet, and the “Pastorale” from Handel’s Messiah. The centerpiece will be an appeal for kindness and healing: Morten Lauridsen’s Sure on This Shining Night produced with the Alexandria Choral Society.
“This is another example of how the ASO has forged new paths to expand our audience during the pandemic,” says ASO Board President Melynda Wilcox. The video will be posted on YouTube and
distributed widely through email and social media. “At a time when so many of us will not be with family and friends over the holidays, the ASO's musical message of hope is a poignant and meaningful alternative to a greeting card or stocking stuffer,” adds Wilcox.
Early access will allow sponsors to send the video as a virtual holiday gift to friends, family and clients before it’s released to the general public. Sponsor support covers production costs and allows the ASO to share the video as a message of health, peace and healing to the widest possible audience. Sponsors receive public acknowledgement.
“Music has the power to uplift and inspire both listeners and performers,” says ASO Executive Director George Hanson. “This shared musical experience brings hope and feelings of togetherness during these challenging times in a way only music can.”
More information about the program and how to become a sponsor is posted on the ASO’s dedicated webpage: www.alexsym.org/sure-on-this-shining-night/