Far out Symphony closes season with 'Space'
The Butler County Symphony Orchestra will close its 62nd season with a concert at 7:30 p.m. April 16 at the Butler Intermediate High School auditorium.
The theme for this season has been “Images,” and this final concert focuses on “Space.”
The concert will open with “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy.
The major orchestral performance will be Gustav Holst’s “The Planets,” where outer space visits include Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Neptune.
During the last movement of the piece, the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh will present a slide show and the Girls Ensemble from Butler Senior High will add vocals.
Another feature of the program is the premiere performance of a composition by the winner of the symphony’s national composer competition.
This is a first for the symphony association as it conducted a nationwide competition. Entrants were required to submit an original piece on the subject of “space exploration.” More than 30 entries from across the country were submitted.
The winner, Leon Steward of Castroville, Texas composed “The Fermi Paradox.”
Steward earned a bachelor’s in music theory and composition in 1981 and went on to receive a master’s in music education in 1988, both from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.
He has been a band director in Texas for the last 30 years and is presently teaching in Hondo, Texas. He also has been the music director for his church since 2003.
He is a professional horn player who has performed with the Symphony of Southeast Texas, Houston Symphonic Band, Regal Brass Quintet and Westwinds Woodwind Quintet.
Steward has more than 200 publications to his credit for band, jazz ensemble, solos, small and medium ensembles and marching band, and he belongs to many professional societies.
His composition, “The Fermi Paradox,” set in a romantic period style, is a musical journey through space away from our own solar system in search of intelligent life forms other than our own.
In the lobby the evening of the concert, the Pittsburgh astronomy group will be joined by the Kiski Astronomers to present displays that showcase images of the planets and other night sky objects, photos of star parties, and information about amateur astronomy and the clubs. Weather permitting, they will have telescopes set up outdoors after the concert.
Reserved seats for adults are $15 in advance, or $18 at the door. Student tickets are $5. Tickets are available at the symphony office, 259 S, Main St.
For more information, call 724-283-1402 or visit www.butlersymphony.org.
