Beyond the Stage: International Concert series enters its 43rd season at Kravis Center
Few arts genres come to life as vibrantly from background information as classical music. Whether we learn the harrowing story of a first performance—Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring comes to mind—or gather fascinating biographical knowledge of a composer’s life, the wonderful music sounds a little richer in the concert hall.
Classical music listeners who attend performances at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts are fortunate to be able to supplement their evening by attending “Beyond the Stage.” This pre-concert lecture talk is presented by Sharon McDaniel, a leading classical music critic and Kravis Center programming associate. Ms. McDaniel speaks before each Regional Arts Concert Series performance, 6:45 p.m. for MUSIC “At Eight” and 12:45 p.m. for MUSIC “At Two.”
“I guide the audiences through the music on the program they are about to attend, providing entertaining insights into the composers as well as the concert’s performers,” she says.
Upcoming
Check out the full schedule for Music at 2 and Music at 8 here.
As a result of her talent, Ms. McDaniel received fellowships to the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and the National Arts Journalism Program. She is also the recipient of several journalism awards for feature writing and criticism. She continues to write for numerous publications and online outlets, including PalmBeachArtsPaper.com, SouthFloridaClassicalReview.com, and the American Record Guide.
Classical music is rich in storytelling, and Ms. McDaniel illuminates these tales of forsaken love, arduous writing conditions, and jilted patrons while interweaving the inherent artistic demands and musical nuances within a particular score. Her pre-concert series will once again borrow from among the most celebrated music and musicians in the world.
The Kravis Center’s 2017/18 Regional Arts Concert Series is without parallel. Maestro Zubin Mehta opened the PM series with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. The Moscow State Symphony Orchestra will open the afternoon series on 11/15 with Rachmaninoff’s tone poem The Rock and will feature pianist Dmitry Masleev performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. In 2018, Pinchas Zukerman will lead the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, and Riccardo Muti will bring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in performances of Stravinsky, Brahms, and Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto for Low Brass. Other performances will feature Itzhak Perlman, organist Cameron Carpenter, and Joshua Bell, who will perform as violin soloist and conductor of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Orchestra.
Ms. McDaniel’s “Beyond the Stage” annotated pre-concert talks have become a requisite addition to these esteemed performances. She presented her first pre-concert talks in 2009, and she has seen her audience grow every year.
“My 45-minute talks offer something for everyone, from the experienced aficionado to the first-time concertgoer,” she says. “Each composition is described in its social, historical, and artistic context. Audio excerpts are sprinkled throughout to highlight specific elements in the music and to support the storytelling. Taken altogether, the aim of the talks is to enhance the listener’s enjoyment and understanding of the concert itself.”
The Kravis Center’s musical calendar, which Ms. McDaniel helps facilitate, provides a consistently diverse musical mosaic of composers and performers. Subscription tickets for the six-concert matinee series begin at $114, and the nine-concert evening series starts at $171, less than $20 per performance! Ms. McDaniel’s “Beyond the Stage” lecture for MUSIC “At Eight” and MUSIC “At Two” is complimentary.
Subscription tickets for the 2017/2018 season start as low as $114 for the six-concert 2 pm series and $171 for the nine-concert 8 pm series. Subscriptions are on sale now. Call the Kravis Center Box Office at 561.832.7469 or visit www.kravis.org/boxoffice to purchase.