Albany Symphony Launches Music Director David Alan Miller’s 30th Anniversary Season on Saturday, Oct. 9 at the Palace Theatre

ALBANY — Music Director David Alan Miller and the musicians of the Albany Symphony return to the Palace Theatre stage on Saturday, October 9, at 7:30 p.m. for the start of Miller’s 30th Anniversary Season.

The program features Ludwig van Beethoven’s beloved Symphony No. 3, “Eroica,” as well as Jean Sibelius’ Lemminkäinen Suite, and Coincident Dances, an aural melting pot of city sounds by Jessie Montgomery.  Patrons are being welcomed back to the concert hall for the first time since Spring 2020, with extra precautions in place for everyone’s health and safety in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The concert, along with all Albany Symphony subscription concerts this season, is also being streamed live online to increase access for patrons who cannot attend in person or live too far away to come to the concert hall.

Tickets (including live stream access) start at $20 and are available at albanysymphony.com. “We are so thrilled to gather again, and to be able to make beautiful music with and for our patrons and friends here in the Capital Region and beyond,” Miller said. “This season is a special one for us. The musicians and I can’t wait to share this program celebrating heroism, community, and the healing power of great music with you.” 

Opening Night’s program includes Beethoven’s Eroica, the symphony that launched, appropriately, the “heroic” middle period of the composer’s career and pushed the boundaries of the symphony form, Sibelius’ Lemminkäinen Suite, music that brings Finnish folktales of the eponymous hero from the Kalevala to life in vivid vignettes, and Coincident Dances by Jessie Montgomery, a frequent Albany Symphony collaborator who draws from her life experiences in thoughtful and captivating ways. “Coincident Dances is inspired by the sounds found in New York’s various cultures, capturing the frenetic energy and multicultural aural palette one hears even in a short walk through a New York City neighborhood,” Montgomery said. “The work is a fusion of several different sound-worlds: English consort, samba, mbira dance music from Ghana, swing, and techno.”

This Opening Night performance kicks off a season of celebration as Maestro Miller, Music Director of the Albany Symphony since 1992, begins his 30th season leading the orchestra. “With his creative, thoughtful programming, his tremendous talent as a conductor, and his tireless advocacy for education, inclusion, and the Capital Region community, David Alan Miller truly embodies the Albany Symphony’s mission,” says Symphony Board Chair Jerel Golub. “I encourage everyone to join us in our concert halls this season to celebrate David’s momentous milestone.” 

In accordance with local guidelines and in coordination with our partner venues, the Albany Symphony has adopted health and safety protocols for the wellbeing of all patrons, musicians, and staff. From now until the end of November 2021, patrons will be required to present proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and matching ID upon arrival, or, alternatively, proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result taken within 48 hours of the event. Patrons will be required to wear masks while indoors, regardless of vaccination status. These measures are being implemented for the safety of our patrons and may be extended or amended at any time if guidance or regulations change. Visit albanysymphony.com/covid for details.