By Aigner Loren Wilson Music fans in the area are familiar with two of the bigger names in the music scene: Olympia Symphony Orchestra (OSO) and Emerald City Music (ECM). Both groups have a long history of bringing music to the community and supporting each other’s missions to do so. This year, the two organizations …
By Melinda Minton Huw Edwards, Maestro for the Olympia Symphony Orchestra (OSO), is making a departure after 17 years. The symphony is a collection of local artists who enjoy taking the classics and not so well-known collections and working them into a local, live experience for the audience to breathe in and enjoy. Maestro Edwards …
By Molly Walsh As Washingtonians enter another week of a “new normal” under Governor Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, social distancing measures have gradually woven into a routine way of life for many households across the state. As schools, workplaces and even wedding ceremonies have transitioned to a virtual setting, music and performing …
By MELINDA MINTON Olympia Symphony Orchestra’s grand finale for its 66th season provides the experience of visiting characters its audience will immediately recognize. The group’s upcoming concert, Cast of Characters, subtitled “an overture in four parts,” could also refer to the players themselves, whom conductor Huw Edwards calls “a cast of characters and a microcosm of society.” The show …
By LUCIA VOLKER The upcoming season is the 66th for Olympia Symphony Orchestra. Last year, the focus was on grand, celebratory symphonies. “The season after a big anniversary year is always tough, when the hoopla is over and bunting taken down,” says music director and conductor Huw Edwards, “but these are great years to really …
by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS In June of 1947, the Olympia Symphony Orchestra (OSO) performed its first ever work — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Overture to Don Giovanni.” Now, at the culmination of its 65th season, the OSO will once again open with Mozart’s famous overture — in essence, coming full circle. The concert …
by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS When an orchestra covers a beloved composer, it must take care to play his music with precision. “No piece of music is easy,” said Huw Edwards, Music Director and Conductor of the Olympia Symphony Orchestra, “but Mozart is famous for being so exposed — any blemish on [the performance’s] …
by Jennifer Crain for OLY ARTS In October, Olympia Symphony Orchestra embarks on an ambitious celebration of its 65th year. The program Opening Statements launches the season with “Awakening,” a contemplative, three-movement piece by Joseph Curiale, an American composer who’s created works for the screen and concert stage for more than three decades. Maestro Huw …
By John Longenbaugh This is on page 8-9 of OLY ARTS Summer 2024 print edition. Ah, summer. The time of year when what you want isn’t just one good thing, but a bunch of them sort of bumping into each other in an exciting fashion. Take the words “Love,” “Oly,” “Summer” and “Festival”— four fine …
Close out the weekend with the final performance of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” co-produced by Harlequin Productions and the Olympia Symphony Orchestra, with members of the Masterworks Choral Ensemble. Directed by Aaron Lamb and conducted by Alexandra Arrieche, this Tony Award-winning musical will enthrall you with its dark, witty tale of …