MUSIC PROGRAMS

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“Play Me, I’m Yours” Street Piano Project“Play Me, I’m Yours” Street Piano Project is an interactive public art project to be presented by Omaha Creative Institute from August 24–September 8. First actualized by British artist Luke Jerram in 2008, “Play Me, I’m Yours” has occurred in 35 cities around the world and now it is happening in Omaha!

Centered on a mission of empowering, strengthening, and inspiring community residents through the arts, ten pianos will be placed in public locations throughout Omaha and Council Bluffs. Passersby will have full access to the pianos, which will be personalized and decorated by area artists or the local community. Kids from a Joslyn summer art camp will transform one of the pianos, its location to be announced. And, on Thursday, September 5 at 7 pm, Joslyn will hold a crazy fun, public sing-along! Presented as a creative “Spark” during Omaha Creative Week, join local pianists and A People’s Choir to sing your heart out! Stay tuned for piano

locations and program details at joslyn.org, and plan to engage with, activate, and take ownership of your urban environment this summer! n

The Omaha Symphony Chamber Orchestra presents its 2013–2014 season, Symphony Joslyn, in Joslyn’s Witherspoon Concert Hall, select Sundays, September through May, at 2 pm. Joslyn curators present pre-concert talks at 1 pm and 1:25 pm. Featured artworks are selected to connect with the concert themes.

September 29 – Age of Enlightenment Artwork: Jean-François-Pierre Peyron’s The Death of Socrates (1788)

Program: The masters Bach, Haydn, and Beethoven illuminate the age of reason with music of pure perfection.

November 10 – The Neoclassic Stravinsky Artwork: Konstantin Egorovich Makovsky’s Russian Beauty and Cat (1865)

Program: Stravinsky’s twentieth-century masterpieces hearken back to the age of Bach, Haydn, and Mozart with a delightful modern sensibility.

January 12 – Out of Control: Madness, Passion, and Obsession Artwork: Edouard Cibot’s Fallen Angels (1833)

Program: A rapturous afternoon with vivid musical portrayals of psychological thrills, burning desire, and destructive jealousy.

February 23 – Eccentric Works from Distinguished Artists Artwork: Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954), Head of a Woman, 1917, oil on wood panel, Partial Gift of the Gilbert C. Swanson Foundation and Museum Purchase Fund, 1989.9 (pictured right)

Program: Color outside the lines with Shostakovich’s satirical incidental music, Goossens’s lyrical lines spun by Principal Oboist Alexandra Rock, and Saint-Saëns’s charming zoological portraits.

March 23 – Classical, Jazz, Romantic Artwork: Manierre Dawson (American, 1887–1969), Equation, 1914, oil on cardboard on board, Museum purchase with funds provided by the Joslyn Women’s Association: Collectors’ Choice III and the JWA 1987–88 Administration, and gift of Ephraim Marks, 1988.4 (pictured right)

Program: A symphonic romp from pre-revolutionary France gives way to dazzling jazz riffs from Principal Clarinetist Carmelo Galante, and Brahms’s rich and gorgeous serenade.

May 18 – The Spring of Creation Artwork: William Adolphe Bouguereau’s Return of Spring (1886)

Program: From Milhaud’s jazz-age take on the beginning of the world to Respighi’s depiction of the birth of Venus, here is evocative music that explores the act of creation.

Tickets: (402) 342-3560 or visit omahasymphony.org. New subscribers save 50% when purchasing the entire series. Joslyn members may purchase single concert tickets for $26.50 each (a 20% savings; to receive the discount, you must call the Symphony box office to reserve advance single tickets or show your Joslyn membership card if purchasing tickets at the door the day of the concert).

Special thanks to Carmen and John Gottschalk.

WE NEED YOU! Can you play a familiar tune on the piano? Would you like to showcase your talents as the community sings along? Send your name, song title, and contact information to mallbritten@joslyn.org. Deadline to submit: August 2; pianists will be selected and notified by August 16. Want to be a volunteer Piano Buddy who helps look after a piano? Contact natalie@omahcreativeinstitute.org.