Welcome to Playfest 2021
Welcome to Playfest 2021
COME PLAYFEST WITH US
Kick off the 2021/2022 VSO season with three days of music, play, discovery and innovation. On October 26, join our panel discussion on music and diversity. On October 29, see what Vermont students have created based on a melody by composer Suad Bushnaq. Then on October 30 enjoy the first VSO Classical Series concert of 2021/2022 season, live and streamed online.
GET YOUR PLAYFEST PLAYLIST
Stream a selection of music by the composers featured in the October Playfest: Ludwig van Beethoven, Maurice Ravel, Suad Bushnaq, and Jessie Montgomery, curated by VSO’s Artistic Advisor and Project Conductor Matt LaRocca.
THE PLAYFEST EVENTS
COME EXPLORE WITH US
- Suad Bushnaq, a Jordanian/Canadian composer
- Irene Webster, the Kenyan-born Afro-Jazz singer known as KeruBo
- Said Bulle, Somali-born founder of African/Vermont hip-hop group A2VT
- Mikahely, guitarist and valiha player from Madagascar, and
- Dr. Zeina Salame, UVM Andrew Harris fellow and instructor in Arab-American theater
COME TALK WITH US
In Conversation: Conductor Akiko Fujimoto. Join VSO Executive Director Elise Brunelle as she talks with the first Music Director candidate, conductor Akiko Fujimoto, discussing everything from Beethoven to Bushnaq, Fujimoto’s work alongside Osmo Vänska, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Zubin Mehta, and Susanna Mälkki, the role of an orchestra in the second least populated U.S. state, and their shared status as being the slowest runner in elementary school P.E.
COME CREATE WITH US
Masterclef Music Composition Competition. We’ve invited middle and high school students in Vermont to remix, re-compose and play with a melody from Suad Bushnaq. We’ve encouraged students to explore all kinds of genres—classical, pop, indie, hip-hop, jazz, etc. – with any instrument they play. Selected finalists will join Bushnaq and accompanist Randal Pierce at Contois Auditorium in Burlington on October 29 to workshop their music, then attend the VSO concert at the Flynn on October 30, featuring Bushnaq’s concerto. One grand prize and two runners-up prizes will be awarded. The workshop on October 29 is free and open to the public from 3:00 – 6:00pm.
COME CELEBRATE WITH US
At last, the VSO returns to the Flynn in Burlington! We’ll start the 2021/2022 season with a concert featuring the world premiere performance of Bushnaq’s cello concerto, Sampson’s Walk on Air, with soloist and VSO principal cellist John Dunlop. The concert includes contemporary composer Jessie Montgomery’s Strum, described by The Washington Post as “turbulent, wildly colorful, and exploding with life;” Maurice Ravel’s whimsical eulogy to friends lost in WWI, Le Tombeau de Couperin; and an homage to Viennese traditions with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1.
The concert will be led by conductor Akiko Fujimoto, our first of seven candidates auditioning for the position of VSO’s next Music Director.
Join us October 30 at 7:30pm, or purchase a streaming ticket to experience the concert later. Contact Grace Space, Manager of Audience Experience, at grace@vso.org to learn more about streaming tickets. Click here to learn more about venue accessibility at the Flynn.
Buy Tickets for the Flynn concert
COME EAT WITH US
A lucky group of 60 diners signed up lickety-split and sold out our first VSO music and food pairing! We partnered with Sas Stewart and her Adventure Dinner on October 9 for a candlelit concert and evening of craft cocktails and dessert at AO Glass in Burlington.
COME READ WITH US
A selection of books for all ages that explore classical music will be on display and available at the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington. A special Storytime event for children will be scheduled soon.
COME RECREATE WITH US
The Burlington Bike Path will feature a ten-point “musical tour” via QR codes, curated by Matt LaRocca, pairing the beauty of Vermont’s natural settings with music to enhance your experience.
COME COCKTAIL WITH US
Sip a Bushnaq Limonana, a Ravel French 75, or a mocktail Montgomery Manhattan as we create craft drinks at the Flynn. These intermission refreshments are tied to the hometown cultures of our Classical Series composers, inspiring your tastebuds with flavors from Jordan, France, and New York.
Keep visiting this page for more community-based events!
GET YOUR PLAYFEST TICKETS
Purchase tickets for the October 30, 2021, Classical Series concert at the Flynn.
ENTER TO WIN!
Join our email mailing list and be entered to win complimentary tickets to a 2021/2022 concert of your choice.
