Mercedians were able to once again come together and enjoy the sights and sounds of classical music — live and in-person! — as the Merced Symphony held their 2021 Season Finale concert on Saturday, July 3, at 7:30 p.m. inside of the Merced Theatre.
Entitled “Reconnecting,” the show marked the group’s return to live concerts; however, the event was still live-streamed on Comcast Channel 97, AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, and the Merced Symphony’s YouTube Channel and Facebook Page.
Funding for the Reconnecting concert was provided, in part, under the federal CARES Act in addition to generous contributions from Symphony patrons and sponsors and major support from the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program.
Led by Maestro Ming Luke and Concertmaster Illana Thomas, the evening began with Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 in D major/D minor, Op. 107. Audience members were next treated to selections of From The New World, Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95. Finishing out the show was an arrangement of An American in Paris from John Whitney.
In addition to providing one-of-a-kind musical performances for residents throughout the Central Valley, the Merced Symphony also coordinates and performs for a number of special educational concerts with Merced County school districts so that local students can experience live symphonic music performed by some of the best Musicians from across the state of California.
For more information about the Merced Symphony, and to keep track of the group’s most up-to-date announcements, residents are encouraged to log onto mercedsymphony.org.