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.