Classical Music for All

Dallas Symphony fills expansive 2022-23 season with premieres and debuts

Fabio Luisi, Dallas Symphony Orchestra music director

Conductor Fabio Luisi and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra will return for an expansive season in 2022-23.

Photo by Barbara Luisi Photography

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has announced the programs for its 2022-23 concert season, one featuring over 40 different events highlighting the past, present, and future of classical and orchestral music.

According to the DSO release, the Classical Series will include composers heard for the first time at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, the home for the majority of DSO concerts. Pops and family programming will celebrate many genres of music, from jazz and blues to radio hits and film music.

“We are thrilled to present a diverse range of music and to explore classical music in new ways and from new perspectives,” said Ross Perot President & CEO Kim Noltemy in a statement. “The DSO welcomes everyone to its performances, and we hope that audiences will discover something new or rediscover some favorites.”

The season, running September 2022 to June 2023, will kick off on the weekend of September 2-4 with a screening of Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, with the orchestra playing John Williams' iconic score live.

Music Director Fabio Luisi, now in the third year of his tenure with the DSO, will lead nine concert programs during the season, starting with a classical program and the 2022 Dallas Symphony Orchestra Gala on the weekend of September 30-October 2. That classical program, featuring Richard Strauss' tone poem Don Quixote, will feature cellist Jan Vogler in his DSO debut as soloist.

In one of his final concerts of the season, taking place May 4-7, 2023, Luisi will lead the DSO in Brahms’s Fourth Symphony, which will be the final installment in its recording project of the complete Brahms Symphonies. That concert will also include the world premiere of composer-in-residence Angélica Negrón's Arquitecta.

In addition to Vogler, a number of other musicians and conductors will make their DSO debuts during the season. On the musician/singer side, soprano Jeanine De Bique will solo in a concert featuring Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (September 22-24); and violinist Randall Goosby will take on Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto (January 27-29, 2023).

On the conductor side, Spanish conductor Juanjo Mena will lead works by Haydn, Ginastera, and Debussy (October 20-23); LA Opera Music Director James Conlon will make his postponed debut with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 (January 5-8, 2023); Finnish conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste will lead a program of Russian music (April 27-30, 2023); and Spanish conductor Jaime Martín will finish the DSO Classical season with works by Hungarian composers (May 26-28, 2023).

The fourth annual Dallas Symphony Women in Classical Music Symposium will return, November 6-9, offering networking events, performances, and opportunities for peer engagement on the unique experiences of women in classical music. Soprano Julia Bullock will be presented with this year’s Award of Excellence during the symposium.

The Pops Series, featuring three concerts led by Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, will feature a variety of popular and movie music. Popular music concerts will include Kings of Soul, showcasing the music of Marvin Gaye, James Brown, The Temptations, and more (March 10-12, 2023); Back to the '80s, with music by Madonna, Huey Lewis & The News, Queen, and more (April 14-16, 2023); and Nothin’ But the Blues!, which pays tribute to people like Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ma Rainey, and Louis Armstrong (June 23-25, 2023). There will also be Aretha: A Tribute, solely dedicated to the iconic work of Aretha Franklin (October 14-16).

The DSO is obviously a huge fan of John Williams, as — in addition to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial — each of the other movie-focused concerts will feature his work. There will be a screening of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (October 28-30); a holiday screening of Home Alone (December 16-18); and an evening celebrating the music of Williams, including Jaws, Star Wars, Schindler’s List, and Munich (February 17-19, 2023).

Subscriptions are now on sale at dallassymphony.org, with packages starting at $176. Single tickets will go on sale to the public in June.

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Crafts News

Massive arts & crafts expo comes to DFW with state-of-the-art tricks

TX Pinners Conference

Cutting-edge crafting is going down.

If you're wondering where all the artsy-crafty people will be this weekend, head for Fort Worth, where The Texas Pinners Conference, celebrating all things DIY, is going down for two days.

This one-of-a-kind trade show hosts more than 200 vendors and exhibitors, offering a wide array of classes and shopping opportunities, representing the best of Texas. It's taking place at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3401 W Lancaster Ave. on Friday, September 22, from 10 am-8 pm and Saturday, September 23, from 9 am-7 pm.

Founded in 2013, the Pinners Conference brings together individuals with a common interest in creativity, hobbies and do-it-yourself projects. It's held in seven states including Kansas City, Georgia, and Idaho.

Texas was the first state outside of the original location in Salt Lake City, says co-founder Roxanne Bennett.

"Texas is such a creative environment," she says. "People are willing to try new things, they're active on social media, and they stay on top of trends."

The conference stays vital because trends in the crafts world change so quickly.

"This year the hot trend is UV resin," she says. "Praviously, this was something you could do only if you had all the tools. Now they have a process where you hold a blue light over the material and it dries in 3 minutes. People are going crazy for it."

The event has two components:

More than 110 interactive classes taught by industry experts, influencers, and professionals in their fields. Workshops and demonstrations introduce new techniques, insights, and innovative crafting ideas.
Vendors, all related to crafts, cooking, self-improvement, photography, party planning, scrapbooking, holiday, beauty, and fashion, featuring local artists and shops.

That's part of the appeal: Nearly all of the presenters are small business owners doing what they love to do.

Also new this year: free tickets for teachers.

"As a former educator, I know that teachers are some of the most inspiring individuals, especially in our children's lives," Bennett says. "So, what better way to encourage their creativity and show appreciation than to give them access to one of the largest creative events offline?"

Teachers can reserve free tickets at tx.pinnersconference.com/gettickets, using the code TEACH. Educators and school administrators are eligible for two complimentary tickets. Attendees are encouraged to bring their school ID badges to the event.

Tickets start at $12, which include entrance to the conference, access to exhibitors’ shopping, make-and-takes and more. Children 8 years and under are free. Class passes run from $22 to $39. Many classes will have optional kits to purchase once registered for the class.

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