FREE February Concert by South Texas Symphonic Orchestra Features Up-and-Coming Pianist & Well Known Composer
STXSO‘s FREE February Concert Showcases its First Concert of 2024, Featuring Up-and-Coming Pianist and Notable Composer!
The esteemed nonprofit orchestra, South Texas Symphonic Orchestra (STXSO), will be performing their first FREE concert of 2024 on Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 7:30 pm at The University of Texas San Antonio, and it will be life-changing, particularly for one incredibly talented pianist, Eymen Geylan.
Eymen Geylan is currently a grad student at UTSA and this performance will be her graduation recital that she must complete successfully to graduate.
“Eymen Geylan is the star of the show! What makes this concert so special is that we have this gifted artist as a collaborative musician with the orchestra,” says Dr. Ronnie Sanders, STXSO’s renowned conductor and artistic director, as well as a two-time Grammy Signature Award winner for excellence in music education.
Geylan hails from Izmir, Turkey and has attended a conservatory since the age of 12. This will be her first time performing as a soloist with a large ensemble orchestra.
“Since I was born, I was really into art, listening to music and singing. When I would watch piano players play, I just loved it. The piano is a powerful instrument, and I’m excited to play at the concert. I’ve been practicing the concerto for over a year now,” says Geylan.
Additionally, STXSO will perform Federico Chávez-Blanco’s Danza a La Aurora. This composition depicts the dawn of Mexico using traditional folk themes. Chávez-Blanco is an award-winning composer who is originally from Mexico and now lives in San Antonio. Having been trained at the renowned National Conservatory of Music Maestros, his musical works have since been featured in numerous films, television shows and stage performances.
CONCERT DETAILS
DATE:
Saturday, Feb. 24, 7:30 pm.
WHERE:
UTSA Main Campus, Fine Arts Building Retama Auditorium Recital Hall at 1 UTSA Circle, Room 2.02.02, San Antonio, TX 78249
COST:
Free to General Public; VIP Front-Row Seats Available for a Nominal Fee
TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT:
PROGRAM (featured pieces, others to follow):
– Liszt Piano Concerto No. 2, performed by pianist Eymen Geylan
– Saint-Saens Bacchanale from Samson and Delila
– Danza a La Aurora (Dance to the Dawn) by Federico Chávez-Blanco
– An American Anthem by Anthony DiLorenzo
ABOUT CONDUCTOR DR. RONNIE SANDERS
Hailed by Diane Windler as “a conductor with authority on the podium,” Ronnie Sanders made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut in a critically acclaimed performance with the New England Philharmonic Orchestra in 2005. Sanders studied at the Juilliard School in New York City and holds a master’s degree in conducting from the University of Houston and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University. Sanders served as a state commissioner for the Texas Commission on the Arts from 2011 – 2018.
Sanders was privileged to have been personally coached by Maestro Milton Katims, conductor of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra from 1954 – 1976. Katims was a conducting protégé of Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini. Not only is Sanders an established orchestral conductor, he has conducted opera, ballet, concerti, choral works and numerous musicals. His vision for the South Texas Symphonic Orchestra is to serve our local community of musicians who are highly skilled and have a passion to perform at the highest artistic levels.
MORE ABOUT STXSO
STXSO was created to unite humanity through the performance of the greatest music ever written, simply for the love of music. The Orchestra has emerged as one of San Antonio’s leading major orchestras. STXSO is dedicated to performing symphonic music of the highest caliber often to underserved and underrepresented audiences.
The orchestra is strongly committed to music education. Each year, the symphony provides educational concerts to thousands of students across the greater Bexar county area and across Texas at no cost to the schools. STXSO is a member of the League of American Orchestras and the Texas Association of Symphony Orchestras. In 2020, STXSO was designated a finalist in the American Prize Competition.
For more information on STXSO, visit stxso.net.
