Saturday, April 17th, 2027 | 7:30pm
Umstattd Hall | Zimmermann Symphony Center
2331 17th St. NW
Canton, OH 44708
DESCRIPTION
In the spirit of a proper finale, the virtuosity of both the Canton Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will be showcased and celebrated with a program led by guest conductor Timothy Muffit.
Shifting quickly between tension to momentum and setting the stage with unmistakable theatrical energy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni Overture opens with striking contrasts, a compelling opening to this emotionally complex program.
Completed in 1953, Alberto Ginastera wrote Variaciones concertantes after the Argentinian government (led by the infamous Juan Domingo Péron) forced the composer to resign from the Music Conservatory at the National University of La Plata. Following his painful departure, the Asociación Amigos de la Música commissioned Ginastera to write this piece as an orchestral showcase, with each variation highlighting a different instrument or section while drawing on the rhythmic vitality of Argentine musical traditions.
Francis Poulenc’s Stabat Mater offers a profound shift in tone as this piece was written after the death of his close friend and artist Christian Berard. The medieval text Stabat Mater directly translates to “the sorrowful mother was standing,” referring to Mary during the crucifixion. Featuring guest soprano Shan Hai and the Canton Symphony Orchestra Chorus under the direction of Doug Beery, the work moves between intimacy and intensity, balancing grief with moments of clarity and quiet resolution.
Program
Don Giovanni Overture……………………………..Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Variaciones concertantes………………………………………….Alberto Ginastera
Intermission
Stabat Mater…………………………………………………………………..Francis Poulenc
2026 Art & Music Educator Awards
During this concert, we will celebrate the many art and music educators contributing to the rich array of high-quality and revered programming available to our youth in Stark County. Their service is tireless and often overlooked, so we invite you to join us in honoring their service to our community.
To learn more about the Art & Music Educator Awards, including how to nominate someone who you think is deserving of the honor, please click below.
TICKETS
$20 / $35 / $45 / $60 / $70
Includes fees. Additional $2 to mail 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
Subscribers: additional tickets 20% off
*Must call to redeem discounted tickets
*Discounts do not apply to Economy section
Box Office: 330-452-2094
boxoffice@cantonsymphony.org
Hotel AccomModations
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Shan Hai, soprano
Soprano Shan Hai has been praised by Opera News for her “remarkably accomplished vocalism, with bright, accurate coloratura runs and genuine trills.”
She has appeared with the New York Festival of Song and was a participant in the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera, where she performed excerpts as Ophélie in Thomas’ Hamlet, sang Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Servilia in La clemenza di Tito, and covered Lucia in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia.
Her operatic roles include Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Eurydice in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, Le Feu in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, and Romilda in Handel’s Serse.
She is a prizewinner of the Ades Vocal Competition and the Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition with the Manhattan School of Music Symphony Orchestra, and has received awards from the Opera Index Competition, the Gerda Lissner Lieder/Song Competition, and the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. She was also a finalist in the Neue Stimmen International Vocal Competition.
Shan Hai is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory. | LEARN MORE
Timothy Muffitt, conductor
Timothy Muffitt is currently Music Director and Conductor of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. The 2025-26 season will be his last with the LSO, stepping down after 20 years. From 1999 to 2019, he was also Music Director of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. Upon his resignation there he was honored with the title Music Director Laureate. Muffitt is also Artistic Director of the Chautauqua Institution Music School and conductor of the Music School Festival Orchestra, one of the country’s premiere orchestral training ensembles. He has held this position since 1997.Along with continued growth in artistic excellence, Muffitt’s work has been marked by innovative and imaginative programming. In addition to traditional concert settings, he has crafted concert programs in new and engaging formats and venues, creating musical experiences that have expanded the audience base in his communities and garnered enthusiastic response.
Also notable throughout his career has been the championing of new music from composers of broadly diverse backgrounds including composers from traditionally under-represented communities along with well-established living composers and those whose stars are still rising. He has been involved in commissioning well over 100 works in his career and initiated a Composer-in-Residence program with The Lansing Symphony. These efforts reflect his commitment to creating a nurturing environment for music of our time, all while striking a balance with traditional repertoire that creates a dynamic and enlightening experience for the audiences. | LEARN MORE
Douglas Beery, director of chorus
Mr. Beery received a Bachelor of Music degree from Capital University and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from The Ohio State University. Additional Doctoral work has been credited in Music Education with a cognate in Conducting at Kent State University. Further graduate conducting study has taken place at the University of Michigan and Miami University. He currently serves as Director of Choral Activities at Hoover High School in North Canton. Choral groups under Beery’s direction have earned consistent and numerous superior ratings at OMEA District and State Adjudicated events and have been invited through audition to perform at the OMEA Professional Development Conferences. Mr. Beery is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and Ohio Music Education Association. In addition, He has served as Director of Music at Central Presbyterian Church, and Music Director for the contemporary service at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, both of Massillon, Ohio.
the canton symphony chorus
Permanently founded in 1983 by then music director Dr. Jeffrey H. Brandes, the CSO Chorus is an auditioned choral ensemble composed of all volunteer vocalists from the greater Stark County area. Chorus members come from all walks of life and have a wide array of choral experience levels. They are united by their love of music and strive to create a remarkable experience not only for the audience but also for themselves.
The view from the top of the stage, looking out towards the audience over a 60-piece orchestra is indescribably profound. Members of the chorus are able to sing with not only the Canton Symphony Orchestra, but also with some of the industry’s most renowned soloists and ensembles. Members have plenty of instruction and support to prepare for more difficult pieces, as some concerts feature choral parts in different languages, such as German, Italian, French, and more. The group is not just a supplemental piece to the CSO–it is its own community program that is meant to educate and support vocalists looking for a place to sing. | LEARN MORE
Composer Spotlight
