Berkshire Symphony Orchestra to Perform 'Competition Winners Gala'
 Photo courtesy Williams College
Student musicians Hannah Smith-Drelich, David Kealhofer and Laone Thekiso.
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Berkshire Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Ronald Feldman, will perform on Friday, April 30, at 8 p.m. in Chapin Hall on the Williams College campus. There will also be a pre-concert talk with Feldman in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall at 7:15. These free events are open to the public and do not require tickets.
The concert showcases student soloists who have won the Berkshire Symphony Student Soloist Competition: freshman David Kealhofer, cello; senior Hannah Smith-Drelich, clarinet; and sophomore Laone Thekiso, piano. In addition, the concert features the premiere of student Brian Simalchik's senior thesis composition.
Kealhofer will perform "Variations on a Rococo Theme, opus 33" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Smith-Drelich will perform Mozart's "Clarinet Concerto, K. 622," and Thekiso will perform "Piano Concerto No. 1, opus 1 in F-Sharp Minor," by Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Simalchik will present his latest composition, "Wey-Gat Cycles," inspired by a specific location on the Hudson River in upstate New York. The Wey-Gat, Dutch for "Wind Gate," was a name early settlers gave to a section of the Hudson River between Storm King Mountain and Breakneck Mountain.
The orchestra will perform "Symphony No. 2 in D Major, opus 43," by Jean Sibelius.
The Berkshire Symphony is conducted by Ronald Feldman and includes nearly 70 members, half of whom are students and half of whom are professional musicians. The ensemble presents four major concerts each season. In addition to performing the great standards of orchestral repertoire a recurring theme each year is the performance of contemporary works. Championing the works of living American composers has been an integral part of the mission of the Berkshire Symphony. For more information, visit music.williams.edu or call 413-597-3146.
Chapin Hall is located at 54 Chapin Hall Drive on the Williams College campus. For building locations on the Williams campus, consult the map outside the driveway entrance to the Security Office located in Hopkins Hall on Main Street (Route 2), next to the Thompson Memorial Chapel. The map can also be found at www.williams.edu/home/campusmap/.
