Dear Friends,

In all my musical travels, I've never found an audience more open to the power of symphonic music than our audience here in Mobile. Our patrons seems unusually interested in the music and culture of other places, as well as the music from right here at home.

In this economy, many of us are putting off big international trips for awhile.  So this year we've decided to take you around the world musically. For 2010-11, the Mobile Symphony and I have fashioned the most international season yet. This thrilling third season of the Mobile Symphony's Energy Series features music from several exotic destinations.

This season we take you to Italy in Respighi's The Pines of Rome; to Russia in Tchaikovsky's Pathétique Symphony and Stravinsky's Firebird; to Germany in Mendelssohn's violin concerto; to Austria in Schubert's Unfinished Symphony and Mahler's enormous Symphony no. 5; and to England in Elgar's Enigma Variations and Benjamin Britten's witty and ingenious Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. We also present the great American tradition of Motown, an evening of marvelous love songs for Valentine's Day, and a dazzling composition by Philip Glass.

We're featuring the internationally renowned Eroica Trio to perform Beethoven's Triple Concerto, and the phenomenal young violinist Stefan Jackiw in the Mendelssohn concerto. Our very own concertmaster, Jenny Grégoire, performs the Saint-Saëns Violin concerto no. 3, and principal flutist Andra Bohnet joins harpist Katie Ott for Mozart's Flute and Harp concerto. Our January concert features an energetic young conductor, Teresa Cheung. And in a triumphant return after a four-year absence, we present the great Russian pianist Yuri Rozum, playing Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

We invite you to travel around the world with us, from the comfort of your seat. Subscribe now to the Mobile Symphony's 2010-2011 season.  See you at the Saenger!

Scott Speck
Music Director