MasterWorks II: Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto


Saturday, November 1st, 2025 | 7:30pm

Umstattd Hall | Zimmermann Symphony Center
2331 17th St. NW
Canton, OH 44708

DESCRIPTION

This concert will be conducted by Guest Conductor, JoAnn Falletta.

Themes of spiritual resilience, Romantic lyricism, and national identity converge in the second program of Where Our Stories Meet.

The concert opens with Adolphus Hailstork’s Fanfare on Amazing Grace, a powerful response to the original hymn’s legacy. Scored for brass and percussion, the work unfolds not as a simple arrangement but as an architectural meditation—gradually building from solemnity to exaltation. Hailstork, a key figure in American composition, invites the listener to consider both the historical weight and transformative hope embedded in the tune’s DNA.

Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, performed by Nikki Chooi, remains one of the most structurally innovative concertos of the 19th century. Dispensing with the customary orchestral introduction, Mendelssohn begins immediately with the soloist—creating a sense of urgency and intimacy. Its thorough-composed form, seamless transitions between movements, and a cadenza placed mid-movement (rather than at the end) were groundbreaking at the time and continue to influence concerto writing today. Beneath its technical brilliance lies an unmistakable emotional clarity—equal parts tenderness, melancholy, and triumph.

Dvořák’s Symphony No. 6 in D major closes the program with a nod to the composer’s Bohemian roots and his admiration for Brahms. The symphony’s pastoral second movement offers spacious lyricism reminiscent of the Czech countryside, while the third-movement furiant—marked by hemiolas and cross-rhythms—injects folk dance vitality into the orchestral form. It’s a work that embraces national identity without romanticizing it—asserting pride in cultural heritage through musical craftsmanship and thematic unity.

PROGRAM

Fanfare on Amazing Grace………………………………………….Adolphus Hailstork

Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64……………………………….Felix Mendelssohn

Intermission

Symphony No. 6………………………………………………………………..Antonín Dvořák

TICKETS

$12 / $27 / $37 / $52
All tickets, excluding children and students, are subject to a $3 processing fee. Must call for free and discounted tickets.
College Students (18+): FREE
Children 17 and under: FREE 
Veterans, First Responders, Healthcare Workers, & Educators: 20% off
SNAP & Medicaid Recipients: 20% off
Groups of 10 or more: 20% off
Box Office: 330-452-2094
boxoffice@cantonsymphony.org

There will be a pre-concert lecture prior to this concert at 6:30pm in Foundation Hall hosted by Prof. MJ Albacete.

Hotel Accomodations

The Canton Symphony Orchestra is a proud partner of Embassy Suites by Hilton at the Akron-Canton Airport, who have offered CSO patrons an exclusive rate to book rooms attending our concerts from out of town. To take advantage of this special offer, please click the link below or the image above. The rate is $135/night!
7883 Freedom Ave NW, North Canton, OH 44720 | (330) 305-0500

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Nikki Chooi

Nikki Chooi is an internationally acclaimed violinist known for his powerful, poetic performances and artistic versatility. A laureate of the Queen Elizabeth and Tchaikovsky Competitions, he has won top prizes at the Montreal Symphony’s ManuLife Competition, Klein, and Michael Hill International Violin Competitions.

He currently serves as Concertmaster of the Buffalo Philharmonic and Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and has guest led major ensembles including the Boston and Pittsburgh Symphonies. Formerly Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera, his solos are featured on The Met: Live in HD and Grammy-nominated recordings. A frequent soloist and chamber musician, Chooi has performed at leading festivals and venues worldwide, teaches masterclasses globally, and plays on rare violins, including a 1713 Stradivarius on loan from CANIMEX. | LEARN MORE

JoAnn Falletta

Multiple Grammy Award-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta serves as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, and the Connie and Marc Jacobson Music Director Laureate of the Virginia Symphony, Principal Guest Conductor of the Brevard Music Center and Conductor Laureate of the Hawaii Symphony. She was recently named one of the “Fifty Great Conductors”, past and present, by Gramophone Magazine, and is hailed for her work as a conductor, recording artist, audience builder and champion of American composers.

Falletta has held the positions of Principal Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony, Music Director of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Denver Chamber Orchestra and The Women’s Philharmonic. | LEARN MORE

Composer Spotlights

hailstork

Adolphus hailstork

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felix mendelssohn

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Antonín Dvořák

Presenting Sponser

BOB Leibensperger

Participating Sponser

This concert is supported by: