Season Ticket Packages On Sale Now!
2016-17 Season Tickets Available!
It’s not too late to get a great deal on tickets to our four-concert subscription series, which will feature music ranging from Ravel to Mahler, along with many more of your favorites! Buy now and get a complimentary Gift Certificate voucher that lets you bring two of your friends or family to one of the concerts! Explore our website for a preview of all the fantastic music and guest artists we have planned for you!
"I've taken requests from the community and the orchestra to formulate a season that's incredibly diverse and fun." --Scott Seaton, Music Director
Purchase season ticket packages and single tickets from the Cascade Theatre Box Office (530-243-8877) or the University Box Office at CSU, Chico (530-898-6333)
Saying Goodbye
(A message from Executive Director Keith Herritt, as published in the NSS May concert program.)
I’ll be leaving my position with the North State Symphony a few weeks after this week-end’s concerts. So I plan to enjoy the music with a small dose of nostalgia.
The Symphony formed (from its precursors Chico and Redding Symphonies) in 2001, and I was hired for the 2004-2005 season. Since then, our growth has been steady, despite the Great Recession. Our budget’s doubled, our endowment is now in the million-dollar range.
Former Music Director Kyle Wiley Pickett established a high musical standard. To broaden the Symphony’s scope and reach, under Pickett we added the Christmas Holiday concerts and chamber music. When he announced that he was moving on, there were fears that would mean the collapse of the whole orchestra!
Now Scott Seaton’s in place and the response to his leadership has been wonderful to see. As you will see in the brochures being distributed, another growth spurt is happening, with added Pops concerts in both cities and a New Year’s Eve celebration in Redding.
These past successes and new opportunities all reflects the fact that many people care about NSS. I thank you for the interest which has helped us to this point, and look forward to seeing many of you at future concerts.
Sincerely,
Keith Herritt
Executive Director
2016-17 Season Announcement
Welcome to the 2016-2017 North State Symphony season! In my second season as Music Director for this wonderful organization, we continue to bring you music that will excite and delight you. From familiar classics to music never heard before, I have taken requests from the community and orchestra to formulate a season that is fun and incredibly diverse.
This season we kick off our “NSS POPS!” series dedicated to bringing a wider variety of music to you. These fun performances will have many different themes and access everything from movie music to popular band covers and tributes. We are YOUR orchestra and in addition to our beloved subscription series that will range from Ravel to Mahler this year, we are excited to bring more of your favorite music to you. Make sure you attend the pre-concert talks one hour before each classical performance to gain a deeper insight to the performers and pieces on the programs.
This season is a truly exciting time of growth for the North State Symphony and I am brimming with anticipation to bring to you and also experience this incredible music with all of you!
Musically yours,
Scott Seaton
“Celebration Center Stage” Coming Soon!
NSS Closes “First Seaton Season” with “Celebration Center Stage” Concerts
The North State Symphony will celebrate its successful first year under Music Director Scott Seaton with concerts on May 14 in Chico and May 15 in Redding. Four composers will be heard from, ranging from Beethoven to young American Mason Bates.
“At my first concert last September, we played Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony,” Seaton said, “and it feels right to have more Beethoven as we wind up the season. The piece we are playing, ‘Leonore Overture #3,’ has the same drama and energy as the Fifth and concludes with one of the most riveting endings in all of Beethoven’s music.
“The rest of the concert includes two super-lush pieces, a short one by the opera composer Puccini and an enormous set of fiery dances by Rachmaninoff.
“This is the end of the season,” Seaton added, “and it’s been a lot of fun for me and for the orchestra. I’ve really enjoyed mixing in something new at almost every concert. We all love classical music from the past, but I’m always looking to the future too.”
“Our May 14-15 concert has a piece called ‘Mothership,’ by Bates, a fellow who started out as a DJ in a Chicago dance club. There’s some unusual stuff for a symphony, including improvised solos and electronica. But it’s also based on a form Beethoven used, called a scherzo. Amazing, really.”
Tickets for the concerts are available at the University Box Office in Chico (530-898-6333) and the Cascade Theatre in Redding (530-243-8877), or online at www.northstatesymphony.org.
The Chico concert will be held in Laxson Auditorium, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. The Redding concert will be held on Sunday, May 15, at 4 p.m. in the Cascade Theatre. It will include special activities provided by the symphony’s season sponsor, Dignity Health.
The Redding concert is sponsored by Lee and Judy Salter, while Seaton himself is sponsored by Rose Crain and Vern McHaney in Redding, and Chico Eye Center.
Seaton also hopes for as many people as possible to attend the free, pre-concert talks one hour before each performance. The talks are sponsored by Richard and Pat Macias in Chico, and the Record Searchlight in Redding.
For more information on the concert, call 530-898-5984.