Barry Epperley’s Final Season Includes Special Guests
SAYING GOODBYE: Signature Symphony’s Artistic Director and Conductor Barry Epperley will step down after the 2013-14 season. Epperley, therefore, designed a final season to challenge and thrill audience members. “I treat the season and individual concerts like a good meal,” he says. “For the Pops, it’s a little bit of comfort food, but for the Classics, I become an adventurous chef, mixing the program so there is something comfortable and something new to the ears of the audience.”
Courtesy SIGNATURE SYMPHONY
Signature Symphony at Tulsa Community College promises a crowd pleasing 2013-2014 season as Artistic Director and Conductor Barry Epperley prepares to step down. After 35 years behind the baton, he will retire in June 2014. Epperley, therefore, designed a final season to challenge and thrill audience members.
Epperley begins the season with works from two of the greatest composers of the 20th century, Igor Stravinsky and Maurice Ravel, in The French Connection.
Stravinsky’s “Le Sacre du Printemps” or “The Rite of Spring,” a work never performed by the Signature Symphony at , and considered to be one of the world changers for music and in 2013 celebrates its 100th anniversary. “It is still revered and admired for its rhythms, harmonies and animal drive,” Epperley says. The same evening performance will include Ravel’s “Bolero,” also a work that has never been performed by the symphony as well as Piano Concerto for Left Hand.
Three other works considered to be the greatest works ever written and never performed by the Signature Symphony at are included in the Classics series: Bartok’s “Concerto for Orchestra,” Brahms’ “Violin Concerto” and Mahler’s “Resurrection Symphony.”
“There will be at least six works that I have wanted to play for a long time and this is my last chance. Along with those works, we get to have the wonderful Sarah Coburn back with star tenor, George Dyer,” Epperley says. Two of his favorite guest conductors, Piotr Sulkowski and Dan Wootten, will also be featured during the season.
The 2013-2014 Pops series begins with the best of Broadway from composers such as Richard Rodgers, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter and Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Lorenz Hart and Don Black.
From Broadway to Beethoven, A Night in Old Vienna is second in the Pops series and showcases soprano Beverly Hoch. Two crowd favorites return to the series, Christmas in Tulsa and the magical Cirque de la Symphonie with its visual treats such as the trapeze and ribbon artists, juggler and quick change artist. We step back to the Great White Way for the final Pops series titled Broadway Babies featuring Emily Drennan, John Sawyer and surprise appearances by several Signature Symphony favorite guest artists from past seasons.
Epperley not only designed the 2013-2014 Signature Symphony at season to include works he’s always wanted to do but also something for the audience. “I treat the season and individual concerts like a good meal. There should be appetizers, salads, a meat dish and a sweet dessert,” Epperley says. “For the Pops, it’s a little bit of comfort food, but for the Classics, I become an adventurous chef, mixing the program so there is something comfortable and something new to the ears of the audience.”
You can reserve your season tickets for the 2013-2014 Signature Symphony at by calling the VanTrease Performing Arts Center for Education ticket office 918-595-7777.
Updated 03-25-2013
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