Colorful Classical Concert in Newburgh

Just in time for spring: The Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Russell Ger, will present a concert titled “Luminosity” at Mount Saint Mary College on March 18 at 4pm.

Featuring the works of four composers, the program will explore the interaction between music and color. The pieces to be performed include Michael Torke’s “Bright Blue Music,” Thea Musgrave’s “Green,” Anna Clyne’s “Yellow, ed and Orange,” and Arthur Bliss’s “Color Symphony.”

“As sophisticated as our human languages are, they fall dramatically short when it comes to describing sensory experiences such as taste, sound and sight,” Ger notes. “Hence the old story of failing to adequately describe an arresting sunset to a blind person. So we are forced to borrow from other parts of language. In music, this is often from the visual medium of color which, in turn, is the theme of this program. An added bonus will be our uniquely exciting collaboration with a local Orange County visual artist Heidi Lanino, who will join me in conversation before the program and then paint a canvas for each work in real time in response to the music. These may be auctioned off at a later date.”

The Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra will present “Luminosity” at Aquinas Hall on the Mount Saint Mary College campus in Newburgh on March 18 at 4pm. Tickets are $50 (balcony), $40 (reserved), $35 (open), and $25 (senior citizens). Students are free.