Patrons taking in a recent VCO concert at Meadowlark Botanical Garden. Photo by Louis Sica/Courtesy of VCO
Take In the stunning Korean Bell Garden located in Northern Virginia’s Meadowlark Botanical Gardens as the flawless backdrop to the Virginia Chamber Orchestra’s (VCO) ensemble’s latest outdoor series of live concerts.
Continuing its partnership with Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, a varied line-up of VCO ensembles will provide live music with the dramatic Korean Bell of Peace and Harmony as a visual focal point in a September series of Sunday afternoon concerts. The outdoor concerts will be performed in a socially distancing environment in recognition of ongoing COVID-19 health and safety guidance from the CDC, Commonwealth of Virginia and Fairfax County.
The four September Sunday afternoon concerts will highlight works of women composers who span the centuries and celebrate works of composers such as Mozart, Boyce, Borodin, Dvorak and Paganini and African-American composer William Grant Stills.
Women composers to be performed include Austrian Maria Theresa von Paradis (1759-1824) who was blind from a very early age. As a composer and pianist she toured Europe. It is reported that Mozart even composed a piano concerto for her. A VCO string quartet will perform von Paradis’ “Sicilienne” on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 5, 2021. The program also includes compositions by Mozart, Kivrak, Still and Dvorak.
Contemporary American composer Mary Coy Whitmore’s “Scuttles for Solo Viola” will be performed on Sunday, Sept. 12. Whitmore will be present at the concert to talk about her piece "Scuttles for Solo Viola" to be performed by Osman Kivrak, the VCO's Principal Violist. The concert will include a VCO String Trio playing Mozart, Wanhal, Corelli and Telemann.
The Sept. 19 concert highlights woodwinds. British-American Rebecca Clarke’s (1886-1979) “Pastoral for Viola and Clarinet” will be performed. Music by Mozart, Boyce and Ibert will also be played. A VCO guitar quintet is the focus on Sept. 26 with music from the late Turkish composer Kevser Hanim titled “Nihavend Longa for Viola and Guitar.” The guitar centered concert will also highlight Mozart, Borodin, Paganini and Boccherini.
VCO announced as well that VCO Maestro David Grandis was awarded an International Conducting Prize. Grandis, additionally Director of Orchestras at the College of William and Mary, is one of only three prize winners in the recent twenty-eighth International Conductors Workshop and Competition (ICWC) Grandis competed against conductors from around the globe and the United States.
A glorious series of outdoor concerts performed with the highest artistic integrity awaits in the striking Meadowlark Gardens.
Where and When
Virginia Chamber Orchestra in partnership with Meadowlark Gardens presents “Music in the Gardens” at the Korean Bell Garden, Meadowlark Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Garden Court, Vienna. The four Sunday afternoon series from VCO ensembles are Sunday afternoons, Sept 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2021 from 3 to 4 p.m. Tickets: Concerts are free with admission to the Gardens $3 (ages 6-17 and those over 55) and $6 (Adults 18-54). Children under 6 are free. For details, go to https://www.vco.events/.
Note: Meadowlark Gardens will follow the latest COVID guidelines from the CDC, Commonwealth of Virginia and NOVA Parks and the Fairfax County Parks Authority. Bring a blanket or bag chair and enjoy. Picnicking is not permitted, please feel free to bring a beverage and snack or purchase in the gift shop. Alcohol is prohibited. It is approximately an 8-minute walk from the Visitor’s Center to the concert location.