The Dallas Chamber Symphony is gearing up for a significant event as it approaches the final round of the Dallas International Violin Competition, set to take place on June 17 at the Moody Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District.
This competition marks a crucial milestone for the orchestra, which will be hosting its second bi-annual Dallas International Violin Competition in 2025.
The competition’s final round is scheduled to be the grand finale for the 2024-2025 season.
Having first hosted the competition in 2023, the orchestra is proud of the growth seen in the number of applicants this year.
Richard McKay, the Music and Artistic Director of the Dallas Chamber Symphony, expressed his enthusiasm about the increased interest.
“And it’s grown a lot,” he stated.
The competition attracted three times as many applicants, representing major music schools across the nation.
Three finalists will showcase their talent alongside the orchestra, under the baton of conductor Peter Bay.
McKay highlighted the importance of competitions in nurturing an artist’s development.
“Competitions are an important part of the musical journey for many musicians, so for many people, picking up a win early in a career can really launch them forward,” he remarked.
As the orchestra looks ahead to its 2025-2026 season, it will commence on October 14 with a highly regarded soloist.
“Anton Nel, he’s wonderful,” McKay praised.
Nel, currently the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Endowed Chair at the University of Texas at Austin – Butler School of Music, returns to perform with the orchestra after a successful engagement in 2024.
He will be presenting piano concertos by classical giants Mozart and Poulenc in the October program.
“These are very, very different pieces of music,” McKay noted.
He described Poulenc’s work as neoclassical, with touches of Mozart’s classical influence, making the juxtaposition of the two composers particularly meaningful.
Additionally, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major will enrich the October festivities.
On November 11, award-winning cellist Alexander Hersh will present Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with the orchestra.
McKay remarked on Hersh’s online presence and collaboration with Christopher Goodpasture, who performed in the previous season.
The November program will also feature Dvořák’s Czech Suite and Mozart’s Symphony No. 38, also known as the “Prague.”
“It’s kind of a Czech accented program,” McKay elaborated.
The orchestra is set to perform on February 17, featuring Adam Schoenberg’s Canto, Schubert’s Fifth Symphony, and Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto, which will showcase Yi-Chen Feng, the second prize winner of the 2024 Dallas International Piano Competition.
McKay remarked on how competitions have become an invaluable resource for the orchestra, particularly for a relatively young ensemble seeking top-tier talent.
“These competitions have really proved to be a wonderful resource for the orchestra because a lot of orchestras, especially chamber orchestras and especially relatively young ones like ours, can have a lot of difficulty attracting top-shelf talent early in their existence,” he explained.
He emphasized how these events provide the opportunity to meet emerging artists who are poised for greatness.
Furthermore, the orchestra has formed fruitful collaborations with these talented individuals, fostering relationships that extend beyond the competition.
“What we find is that because we are a part of their musical journey early on, they are very receptive and eager to working with us on not just the competition, but on a number of concert projects we’re working on,” McKay added.
The April 21 concert will feature harpist Yumiko Schlaffer, who has been performing with the orchestra for several years.
She will be soloing on Debussy’s Danse sacrée et dance profane.
“She’s a fantastic harpist,” McKay praised, noting the selection fits well within a strings program.
The concert will also include Górecki’s Three Pieces in Old Style and Strauss’ Metamorphosen.
Moving to May 19, the winning performer from the Dallas International Violin Competition will grace the stage, along with Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, concluding the orchestra’s Brahms cycle with Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor.
“It’s a great one. It’s so gorgeous,” McKay enthused, referring to the expressive harmonics of Brahms’ work.
The season will draw to a close with the final round of the Dallas International Piano Competition on June 23.
While McKay will lead the majority of the six concerts in the season, Jim Stopher will take the podium for the competition’s final.
All season performances will be hosted at the Moody Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District.
Subscriptions for the season are already on sale, with single tickets available from July 15.
McKay expressed optimism about the upcoming season, stating, “I think it’s another season that checks a lot of really important boxes for the orchestra.
It offers repertoire that the orchestra wants to play and really should be playing.
It presents a mix of underperformed yet noteworthy pieces, as well as a diverse lineup of soloists, all showcasing remarkable talent and musicianship.”
He concluded, “There’s something on every program that I think is quite special.”
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