2011/2012 Masterworks Series single tickets available September 19

The 2011/2012 Masterworks Series tickets will be available through the Flynn Regional Box Office beginning September 19. Mark your calendars! Keep reading for the complete schedule and to download a subscription form. Subscribe to all 5 concerts and save! Find us on Facebook or sign up for our e-mail list and don't miss any updates.

Download a Masterworks Series subscription form.


October 29, 2011
Jaime Laredo, conductorVassily Primakov, piano
SAINT-SAENS Danse macabre
RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique


December 3, 2011
Anthony Princiotti, conductor
Katherine Winterstein, violin
BEETHOVEN Coriolan Overture
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 2
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 2


January 28, 2012
Robert De Cormier, conductor
Soloists TBA
VSO Chorus

FAURE Requiem
MOZART Requiem


March 10, 2012
Jaime Laredo, conductor
Jennifer Montone, horn
PROKOFIEV Classical Symphony
STRAUSS Horn Concerto No. 1
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3, "Eroica"


April 28, 2012
Jaime Laredo, conductor
Alon Goldstein, piano
OSVALDO GOLIJOV Sidereus
FALLA Nights in the Gardens of Spain
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 1
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Symphony Sampler is August 26 in Newport

Symphony Sampler is a regional event hosted by the North Country Friends of the VSO. It's an excellent opportunity to socialize, enjoy music made by local musicians, and support the VSO. The event will be held on Friday night, August 26, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Dancing Sail at Eastside Restaurant in Newport.


The evening includes:

--Music by The Bassooniacs, a quartet which includes VSO bassoonist Rachael Elliott of St. Johnsbury and Steve Tatum, a NCUHS graduate.

--Sumptuous buffet and cash bar

--Multi-prize raffle (grand prize is a hotel stay in Burlington and a pair of tickets to a Masterworks Series concert)

--Live auction of an original painted Adirondack chair and a Symphony Sampler quilt made by Carolyn Ferrara

Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for ages 13-17, $20 for under age 13. Seating is limited. Tickets are nonrefundable. For more information, call (802) 334-8110 or (800) VSO-9293 x14. You may purchase tickets by completing and remitting this form. Keep reading!

3rd Annual Instant Wine Cellar Raffle

Take a chance at enjoying wine of noble vintage like Dick and Judy Koloski, last year's winners (pictured), by purchasing a ticket for our 3rd Annual Instant Wine Cellar Raffle. Only 450 tickets will be sold for this exciting raffle. The prize includes 100+ bottles of wine and a wine cellar. Visit our website for more details. Call Mike at (800) 876-9293 x 25 or e-mail mike@vso.org to buy a ticket. Keep reading!

Volunteers still needed for July 9 concert in Randolph

We're still searching for a few great people to assist in the smooth production of our summer festival tour concert at Three Stallion Inn in Randolph on Saturday, July 9. Volunteers help park cars, rip tickets, pass out program books, and more. You receive a free t-shirt and you are the first people on site, so you will be able to secure prime real estate on the picnic field. Come join us! E-mail Katie@vso.org to sign up or if you have questions. Keep reading!

On Stage with the VSO at the Summer Festival Tour

During our Summer Festival Tour, we have some special guests that join us on stage from time to time. We often have guest conductors and guest chimists. There's a point in Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture when the chimes are whacked in a very random and obvious way, the composer's method of invoking thoughts of church bells. This Fourth of July, we welcome David Schraffenberger, who provided us with this hilarious introductory verbiage. Look for David on stage on July 4 in Shelburne.

David Schraffenberger is a recovering roadie. He manages Production Advantage, Inc., a nice little catalog company serving the live entertainment industry. He's also on the Board of Trustees for IA Stagehands Local 919, Burlington, VT and the VP of the VT/NH Marketing Group. See if you can pick out the delicate melody of the chime part from the opening theme of the popular cartoon, Futurama, masterfully woven into the intricate chime part Tchaikovsky wrote into the 1812 overture.

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Summer Festival Tour: What to do the day of the concert?

You have your tickets for a 2011 TD Bank Summer Festival Tour concert. You have decided on your picnic dinner menu, the perfect wine pairing, and your lawn chairs are in the car. You wake up on the day of the concert and there are a few clouds in the sky. Will the concert be outdoors? We receive an inundation of calls in our office from concertgoers wondering if we are going to be outdoors or indoors. Here is a guide to learning about this important decision that happens each concert day.

1. Wait. We make our rain calls at different times each day, but we absolutely make a decision by 3 p.m.

2. Check the web. We will post our rain decision on the website (www.vso.org -- check the scrolling calendar in the bottom left hand column) and on our Facebook page.

3. Listen to the radio. We report our rain call decisions to local radio stations and VPR. Listen in for an announcement.

4. Pick up the phone. Call the VSO office at (800) 876-9293 and listen to the main outgoing message. We update this information daily during the tour.

5. Get directions. If we are going inside, links to Google maps of the rain sites can be found on the event pages.

We'll see you there!

Keep reading for the complete concert schedule.

2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourFriday, July 1, 2011, gates open at 5 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Sugarbush Resort, Warren
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourSaturday, July 2, 2011, gates open at 5 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Hildene Meadowlands, Manchester
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourSunday, July 3, 2011, gates open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Grafton Ponds, Grafton
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourMonday, July 4, 2011, gates open at 5:15 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Shelburne Farms, Shelburne
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourThursday, July 7, 2011, gates open at 5 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Mountain Top Inn, Chittenden
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourFriday, July 8, 2011, gates open at 5 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Quechee Polo Grounds, Quechee
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourSaturday, July 9, 2011, gates open at 5 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Three Stallion Inn, Randolph
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourSunday, July 10, 2011, gates open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Trapp Family Lodge Concert Meadow, Stowe
Visit the event page Keep reading!

We still need a few helping hands!

We still need volunteer helpers to assist in the smooth execution of our summer festival tour concerts. Volunteers arrive before general public and get to choose prime real estate in the concert fields. Volunteers receive a free t-shirt in exchange for assistance in selling tickets, ripping tickets, handing out program books, parking cars, and more. We especially need help rounding out our teams for the July 8 concert in Quechee and the July 9 concert in Randolph. Thanks! Keep reading!

Summer Festival Tour a "big smile"

Keep reading for the complete schedule.


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourFriday, July 1, 2011, gates open at 5 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Sugarbush Resort, Warren
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourSaturday, July 2, 2011, gates open at 5 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Hildene Meadowlands, Manchester
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourSunday, July 3, 2011, gates open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Grafton Ponds, Grafton
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourMonday, July 4, 2011, gates open at 5:15 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Shelburne Farms, Shelburne
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourThursday, July 7, 2011, gates open at 5 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Mountain Top Inn, Chittenden
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourFriday, July 8, 2011, gates open at 5 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Quechee Polo Grounds, Quechee
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourSaturday, July 9, 2011, gates open at 5 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Three Stallion Inn, Randolph
Visit the event page


2011 TD Bank Summer Festival TourSunday, July 10, 2011, gates open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking, concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
Trapp Family Lodge Concert Meadow, Stowe
Visit the event page Keep reading!

King Arthur Flour Giveaway at our Summer Festival Tour Concerts!

We're treating you like royalty this summer with eight chances to win a gift pack from King Arthur Flour, only instead of a sceptre, this giveaway prize will inspire you to grab the nearest wire whisk! The iconic Vermont brand has donated a prize valued at $75 to be given away at seven of our eight summer festival tour concerts (not July 10). Visit our website for a complete schedule of concerts. Cut to the chase and visit the Flynn Regional Box Office to buy tickets.

Each prize includes a King Arthur Flour tote bag, an apron, a huge cookbook, a plastic bowl scraper embossed with the King Arthur Flour logo, 2 boxes of King Arthur Flour scone mix, and a VSO t-shirt and sticker.

Only concert attendees will be allowed to enter this giveaway. An entry form will be located inside your program book at the concert. We hope to see you at our 2011 TD Bank Summer Festival Tour!

Keep reading!

2010/2011 SymphonyKids Official Statistics

The Vermont Symphony Orchestra's SymphonyKids Educational Outreach Programs recently completed a very successful 2010/2011 schoolyear. We reached 30,550 students across Vermont through 248 presentations serving 199 schools in 159 different communities! Thank you to our generous sponsors that provided subsidies for schools, our regional board volunteers who assisted in fundraising and booking programs in schools, and to the schools that welcomed our groups into their communities. See you next year!
Keep reading!