The Memphis Repertory Orchestra will present its season finale concert at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, May 11 at the Buckman Performing Arts Center (60 Perkins Extd.). Admission is free to the public with donations kindly accepted. Seats will need to be reserved by clicking here.

To cap off what has been a truly remarkable season, the MRO has programmed a thrilling evening of music that will showcase the orchestra's depth and range of musical expression. The performance will open with the iconic work by John Williams, the Olympic Theme and Fanfare. This grand opening will welcome to the stage the incredibly talented soprano, Marie-Stephane Bernard, in a performance of Elgar's intriguing song cycle, Sea Pictures. A native of France, Marie studied vocal music in Paris and Rome before embarking on a successful opera career across Europe. The lyric soprano now lives in Memphis and splits her time between here and Paris. 

As a grand finale of finales, the orchestra will present Tchaikovsky's Symphony no. 4 in F minor. Written in 1877, during one of the most turbulent times of his life, Tchaikovsky said of the work's premiere in a letter to Mme. von Meck, a financial backer and supporter of his music,  "There is not a single line in this Symphony that I have not felt in my whole being and that has not been a true echo of the soul."

Response from Music Director William Langley following the MRO concert on April 6 at the Clark Opera Memphis Center - 

I am truly honored to have the opportunity to work with so many of my dearest friends and colleagues in the Memphis Repertory Orchestra. Tonight's concert exemplified the numerous talents and flare that has become synonymous with the MRO and its work across the city of Memphis.
Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy - Overture never fails to present a myriad of twists and turns around every corner. This wasn't a problem for the MRO as they skillfully skated through Tchaikovsky's rugged terrain with a burning passion and an electric vengeance. The story of Romeo and Juliet was told like never before....MRO style!
Brava to our fabulous soloist, Heidi Han and her sparkling performance of Beethoven's Violin Concerto. She gracefully interpreted one of the finest violin concertos with poise and the utmost attention to detail. One of the longest violin concertos in the repertory left everyone wanting more and wishing it would never end.
Many thanks to all that made this magical evening a super success! Namely, Daniel Gilbert, Jordan Stephens, Donna Leigh, Michelle Vigneau, MRO fans, Jonathan M. Ealy at Opera Memphis, and most importantly, the musicians of the MRO who continue to donate countless hours of practice and hard work time after time. It is because of YOU that we are able to continue presenting the masterworks of the repertoire in a youthfully energetic way to our wonderfully musical city of Memphis.
Looking forward to our next concert on Saturday May 11th at the Buckman Performing Center with soprano, Marie-Stéphane Bernard as we perform Elgar's Sea Pictures alongside a few other audience favorites! This concert will mark the first of our tenure as "Resident Orchestra" at the Buckman Performing Arts Center!
Thanks to all that continue to support the work of this wonderful orchestra and to those that spread the word to friends and continue coming back again and again to experience YOUR MRO in action!

 Bravi tutti!

 -WRL

Join the Memphis Repertory Orchestra on April 6 at 8:00 PM at the Clark Opera Memphis Center for an evening of romantic masterworks. This concert will mark the orchestras final 2012-2013 season concert "abroad" before beginning its tenure as resident orchestra at the Buckman Performing Arts Center on May 11.
The program will include an orchestra and audience favorite, Tchaikovsky's Overture to Romeo and Juliet. The MRO is excited to continue its history of exploring works by this stalwart composer with a piece that so beautifully portrays one of the greatest love stories of all time.
Violinist Heidi Han will join the orchestra in the second half of the concert for the Violin Concerto in D Major by Ludwig van Beethoven. The concerto is a monumental piece that some see as the embodiment of "Beethoven's mastery of Classical procedures merged with a new vision of art as heroic and individualistic achievement." (Quote from Paul Horsley, Kennedy Center, 2010)
As always, this concert will be given free to the public with donations kindly accepted at the door.

Our Debut Studio Recording is official released into wild. Physical copies can be purchased directly from us by sending an email request to info@memphisreporchestra.com or by visiting The Booksellers at Laurelwood. Digital versions can be downloaded from our online host - memphisreporchestra.bandcamp.com as well as various online retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, etc.

I am beyond speechless at the success of not only another concert with the illustrious Memphis Repertory Orchestra but a myriad of moments shared with friends and colleagues that will NEVER be forgotten. Tonight marks the first live performance of a piece of music that has saved me more times than I can count, a piece so complete and so beautifully composed that you can't help but escape to a far off place to solve all the problems of the world. Sibelius' Violin Concerto is brilliant in every sense of the word, challenging through and through but worth every bit in the end when you achieve a stellar performance like the one given tonight by the MRO and the unstoppable violinist, Will Haapaniemi!

Once again we were streamed live all over the world! Many thanks to Josh Quinn and the Kroc Center of Memphis for hosting us and making our time in the Nancy Crosby theatre not only a joy but truly an honor!

Looking ahead, I do have to share that the 2013-2014 Season for the MRO is shaping up rather nicely and I simply can't wait for you all to see what surprises we have in store for next season. I'll give you a small taste of what you might find on our line up as we take the stage at the Buckman Performing Arts Center as their resident orchestra... Brahms, Beethoven, Bruch, and Weber...not to mention the artists that will be joining us to celebrate these fabulous composers works in concert.

See you all next month on April 6th as we feature a dear friend of the MRO, Violinist Heidi Han in Beethoven's Violin Concerto! Surely an evening not to be missed!

Thanks to all that continue to support the work of this wonderful orchestra and to those that spread the word to friends and continue coming back time after time to experience YOUR MRO in action!

Bravi Tutti!

-WRL

Thanks to everyone who braved the storms and came out to our season opening concert! So thrilled to have support from our community like that. With the season successfully christened and launched, we are now looking ahead to October 20th at First Congregational Church. 


*Update on event change - please note that our January 26, 2013 concert will be at Lindenwood Christian Church. Visit the Upcoming Events page for more details.

The Memphis Repertory Orchestra is excited to announce its season opening concert on September 1st at 8:00 p.m. at First Congregational Church. Opening the program will be the overture from Verdi’s opera, La Forza del Destino, or The Force of Destiny (and what greater force behind destiny is there than love?). Embracing the roles of three drastically different characters all fallen subject to love’s warmth, Stafford Hartman will again grace the stage with her commanding yet passionate presence singing assorted arias from Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet, Massenet’s Manon, and Dvorak’s Rusalka. Concluding the evening’s program will be a true masterpiece by Franz Liszt, Les Préludes, whose inscription to the score reads, “What else is our life but a series of preludes to that unknown Hymn, the first and solemn note of which is intoned by Death?—Love is the glowing dawn of all existence…” Explore the dawn of your own existence while basking in what will be a magically unforgettable evening of classical music performed by the Mid-South’s very own, Memphis Repertory Orchestra.

"William Langley's MEMPHIS REPERTORY ORCHESTRA left a full crowd standing and applauding after surprising takes on such favorites as SWAN LAKE (one of my favorite arrangements), APPALACHIAN SPRING (marvelous violins and woodwinds), and -- in splendid form -- guest artist David Cho, whose cello star turn on Dvorak's CELLO CONCERTO was an emotional tour de force. Congratulations to all."