VC WEB BLOG | Dmitry Sitkovetsky: "Greensboro Symphony's Going ... Not So Classical" [BLOG]

“For me, music is the greatest manifestation of the human spirit.  Without speaking a word, we’re all lifted up into a sphere where individually none of us is capable of getting. And we take the audience with us.

This is what we strive to do here at Greensboro Symphony. We can do this, in part, because we are a beautifully diverse community of artists. Different backgrounds.  Different cultures.  Different experiences. Yet, we are joined together in the collective power of making music together. It is our individuality, our stories and our unique attributes that inform the way we are able to approach this music. 

This idea is the inspiration behind the bold new project that the Greensboro Symphony is embarking upon. We launch our upcoming 58th season with an entirely new, fresh format that we call “Not So Classical”.

Through five film vignettes, we explore the human relationship with music and the impact it has throughout every phase of life.  The footage includes interviews with dozens of our musicians, Greensboro residents, GSO board members, community leaders, and young professionals in an exciting tale of Greensboro’s, and its Symphony’s, growth and transformation.

GSO interweaves the video narrative with performances of four classical masterpieces: Franz Joseph Haydn’s Overture Lo special; W.A. Mozart’s Violin Concerto in G major; Frederic Chopin’s Prelude No. 15 for string orchestra in D flat major and Alexander Borodin’s Symphony No. 2. With this 90-minute performance, we hope to create a new and cinematic and musical experience to inspire audiences old and new.  We hope to inspire seasoned, classical music aficionados to experience familiar music in fresh and unexpected ways. At the same time, we want the program to entice audiences who are unfamiliar with the live orchestral experience with a new means of understanding the classical repertoire.

“Not So Classical” is produced and directed by internationally acclaimed filmmaker David Donnelly. David has dedicated the last five years of his life to connecting new audiences to classical music. David found an international audience for his film Maestro, and now wants to go a step further by reimagining the live concert experience through film.  When David first met the GSO community, he was amazed and inspired by all of their stories. In shining a light on the Greensboro community, he hopes to give audiences new perspectives on the music.

Among those from the Greensboro community who have participated in the “Not So Classical” project is Ken Jeong. Known across the country as the star of The Hangover film trilogy and TV’s “Community,” in “Not So Classical,” Ken talks about his experience growing up in Greensboro and his music education in his hometown. Ken says, “It’s exciting to see the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra do this live, hybrid musical show. You are really reaching across many generations to share this deep appreciation for music, and I think it’s pretty innovative. When I think of my own acting, I think in terms of music and I think in terms of flow.

There’s a rhythm, there’s a music, there’s a cadence to it – whether I know it or not. We are always looking for that flow artistically, and I think that comes from my music background.”

We hope that you will join Greensboro Symphony at the Historic Carolina Theatre in Greensboro, NC on September 28 and 30 at 8PM as we launch our 58th Season with this exciting new, world-premiere concept: “Not So Classical,” a new perspective on the music that has entertained and inspired for centuries.

– Dmitry”