Four Seasons
SPONSORED BY
Carolina DeVaney & Larry Heard
Arlene Mitchell
Scott Speck, conductor
Chee-Yun, violin
Saturday, February 20, 2027 – 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 21, 2027 – 2:30 PM
Saenger Theatre
This concert, including intermission, is approximately 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Please review the venue’s security policies including the use of clear bags/purses only by clicking here.
Program
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741): Four Seasons
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992): Four Seasons of Buenos Aires
Chee-Yun
Vivaldi: La primavera (Spring) Allegro – Largo – Allegro
Piazzolla: Verano Porteño (Summer)
Vivaldi: L’estate (Summer) Allegro non molto – Adagio e piano – Presto e forte
Piazzolla: Otoño Porteño (Autumn)
INTERMISSION
Vivaldi: L’autunno (Autumn) Allegro – Adagio molto – Allegro
Piazzolla: Invierno Porteño (Winter)
Vivaldi: L’inverno (Winter) Allegro non molto – Largo – Allegro
Piazzolla: Primavera Porteña (Spring)
OUR SOLOIST
Chee-Yun, violin
Violinist Chee-Yun’s flawless technique, dazzling tone, and compelling artistry have enraptured audiences on five continents. Charming, charismatic, and deeply passionate about her art, Chee-Yun continues to carve a unique place for herself in the ever-evolving world of classical music.
A winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Chee-Yun has performed with many of the world’s foremost orchestras and conductors. She has appeared with the San Francisco, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Atlanta, and National symphony orchestras, as well as with the Saint Paul and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestras. As a recitalist, Chee-Yun has performed in many major U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta. In 2016, Chee-Yun performed as a guest artist for the Secretary General at the United Nations in celebration of Korea’s National Foundation Day and the 25th anniversary of South Korea joining the UN. In 1993, Chee-Yun performed at the White House for President Bill Clinton and guests at an event honoring recipients of the National Medal of the Arts. Recent highlights include her appearance with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, as well as her collaboration with acclaimed guitarist Mak Grgić.
Her most recent recording, Serenata Notturno, released by Decca/Korea, is an album of light classics that went platinum within six months of its release. In addition to her active performance and recording schedule, Chee-Yun is a dedicated and enthusiastic educator. Her past faculty positions have included serving as the resident Starling Soloist and Adjunct Professor of Violin at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and as Visiting Professor of Music (Violin) at the Indiana University School of Music. From 2007 to 2017, she served as Artist-in-Residence and Professor of Violin at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Chee-Yun plays a violin made by Francesco Ruggieri in 1669. It is rumored to have been buried with a previous owner for 200 years and has been profiled by the Washington Post.
TakeNote! Learn More, Enjoy More
Enhance your concert experience with Take-Note! Join music experts and explore the world of classical music from an in-depth perspective. This informative pre-concert talk begins at 6:30 p.m. before Saturday classical performances and 1:30 p.m. before Sunday classical performances in Room 1927 adjacent to the Saenger entrance on Joachim Street.
Bring the kids for FREE on Sunday!
Through MSO’s Big Red Ticket program, sponsored by Alabama Power Foundation and the Figures Foundation, students in grades K-12 can attend any classical Sunday matinee FREE when accompanied by a paying adult. It’s a great cultural opportunity and an amazing concert experience! Seats are limited, so please purchase tickets by phone at (251)432-2010. Please no children under 5 and no babies in arms. Want to bring a student on a Saturday? Student tickets are just $10.
Speck Speaks
Music Director Scott Speck Discusses the Concert
“Chee-Yun is a force of nature. I first met her back in 1993, just as we both were beginning our musical careers. I was working in my first professional job, as Associate Conductor of the Honolulu Symphony, and she had just won the Avery Fisher Career Grant. She came to Honolulu and knocked the audience’s socks off with her sparkling personality and ebullient playing. We became fast friends. I invited her to solo with the MSO in 2011, playing the Mendelssohn violin concerto — and she won the hearts of Mobile. We brought her back the following year to play the Sibelius violin concerto, and again in 2015 to perform Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole with the Mobile Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Then, in 2018, we invited Chee-Yun to play Vivaldi’s masterpiece The Four Seasons, coupled with Astor Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. She was prepared to perform all the Vivaldi seasons first, followed by all the Piazzolla seasons. But I threw her for a loop: I told her that I wanted to alternate composers, playing one season by Vivaldi, one by Piazzolla, another by Vivaldi, and so on. I thought that this constant switching of gears from Baroque to tango and back would help these two disparate musical styles to illuminate each other. She took on the challenge — and the evening was a sensation. This has been her preferred mode of playing these two works ever since. Now, eight years later, it’s time to do it again!”