The Plainfield Symphony Kicks Off Its 83rd Season
New Jersey's oldest community orchestra opens its 2002-2003 concert season on Saturday, October 26, 2002 with Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra at 8:00 p.m. at the historic Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church in Plainfield. Music Director Sabin Pautza will be on the podium, leading soloists Evelyn Estava and Michael Avagliano along with the talented virtuosi of the Plainfield Symphony. The opening night program also features Schubert's magnificent Second Symphony and the overture to Rossini's comic opera La Scala di Seta.
The Plainfield Symphony has been providing Central Jersey with live classical performances every year since 1919, making this unique ensemble the oldest community orchestra in New Jersey and one of the oldest in the nation. Originally an all-volunteer orchestra, the PSO now boasts the perfect mix of first-class professionals and talented amateurs. Maestro Pautza begins his 16th season this year.
Violinist Evelyn Estava, a top-performing artist in her native Venezuela, has made many guest soloist appearances with symphony orchestras in Latin America and has performed in major halls and music festivals on three continents. She is a member of the Madison String Quartet and currently serves as concertmaster on the Plainfield Symphony. Also active as an orchestral musician, Estava performs regularly with the Harrisburg Symphony, the Hudson Valley Philarmonic, and the Staten Island Symphony.
With a tone described as "both bold and graceful" by The Washington Post, violinist Michael Avagliano has received acclaim as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States and Europe. Avagliano has performed as a member of the New Jersey Symphony, the Singapore Symphony, and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.
Sabin Pautza has been widely recognized as a conductor, composer, and teacher in his native Romania and in Europe. He is featured in the International Who's Who in Music and Musicians, Cambridge, England. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Music from the Bucharest Academy of Music in 1965 and studied composition at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Siena, Italy, with Franco Donatoni. Most recently, Pautza received Honorable Mention at the Nissim National Composition Contest for his "Sinfonia Sacra" commissioned by the Choral Art Society of New Jersey. He also won the first prize in the Martin Luther King, Jr., Composition Contest in January 1995 for his composition "Chimes." In November 1997, the Plainfield Symphony performed his "Saxophone Concerto" with Paul Cohen, who commissioned the work, as soloist. In May 2000, Maestro Pautza's cantata "Ode to Hope" was given its world premiere by the Plainfield Symphony and the Crescent Choral Society. He is currently in his 16th season as music director/conductor of the Plainfield Symphony.
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Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Department of State, through a grant administered by the Union County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.
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