There’s something about Tony Holiday that draws people together. In fact, community has been at the core of Holiday’s young career from the beginning. Since relocating from Salt Lake City to Memphis in 2017, Holiday has been at the center of a soul blues revival in Memphis, anchored by a contingent of young, savvy well-schooled musicians with a “family-like” attitude and a strong belief in one another. Mentored by past legends, Holiday and this loose Memphis collective are building on the city’s rich traditions and carrying them forward.
Concertmaster Alice Hallstrom’s violin opens the concert on a quiet note that builds throughout Ralph Vaughan-Williams’ exquisitely melodic, pastoral, and quintessentially English work.
Jean Sibelius’ good-natured and deceptively uncomplicated-sounding Symphony No. 3 is a turning point from his first two intensely romantic and nationalistic symphonies to his later, more austere and complex symphonic works. The second half reveals an early 20th century overture by the underplayed (and under-recognized) New York born, Berlin trained composer Helen Crane. We bookend the program with another English composer, BAFTA Award-winning film composer Richard Harvey (The DaVinci Code) whose beloved Concerto Antico is a stunning contemporary Baroque showcase for guest soloist Scott Hill’s guitar.
