A Letter from the President of the HCS

Welcome to the 49th season of fine music presented by the Hawai'i Concert Society. Seven concerts are scheduled, all at the U.H. Hilo Performing Arts Center. As usual, our season features some of the world-F¢s great classical musicians, as well as dance and ethnic music.-A By ordering tickets now you can guarantee that you and yours will be in attendance at your choice of events, and at substantial savings.

The 2010-11 season can be thought of as two stretches of exceptional classical music concerts surrounding a remarkable, eclectic, and non-classical month of January. The season begins in early October with the up-and-coming Zemlinsky String Quartet. Based on its impressive string of competition victories as well as the excellent reviews it has garnered, these young Czech musicians have a chance of becoming one of the world's great quartets. Five weeks later we will hear another rising star, Welsh soprano Rachel Schutz, ably abetted by pianist Jonathan Korth and chamber musicians, in a concert of artsong and chamber music. Ms. Schutz, who has been called an "astounding lyric coloratura," has been dazzling audiences wherever she sings. Our end-of-November concert highlights a woodwind not previously featured in our seasons &ndash the clarinet, with acclaimed soloist Michael Norsworthy giving us a tour of some of the essential chamber music literature for that melodious instrument.

And then comes January. For several years the Concert Society has been pursuing the opportunity to present in Hilo a night of authentic Spanish flamenco music and dance by world masters of this complex and mysterious art form, and we believe that we have hit the jackpot in securing a performance in mid-month by Noche Flamenca. The troupe's lead dancer, Soledad Barrio, has been called "one of the most thrilling dancers in the world" and the critic for the New York Times has written thusly, "Since starting as chief dance critic here in April, I have encountered many dance companies, and many more individual dancers. Of these there has been none I have been so glad to discover as Noche Flamenca and, above all, its lead dancer, Soledad Barrio." For many of us this will be a once in a lifetime experience. Less than two weeks later we will present another exhilarating ethnic experience when Scotland's Battlefield Band returns to Hilo after an absence of almost a decade. A national treasure, the band exemplifies the ongoing nature of the Scottish musical tradition.

The season concludes with two superb classical events. In March we present a return performance by pianist Joyce Yang, who thoroughly charmed our audience three seasons ago with her poise and personality and whose playing took our collective breath away. And in May we present musicians from

Chamber Music Hawaii who will perform in a number of groupings, giving us the opportunity to hear some of the great chamber music written for less common ensembles of instruments. One of the featured pieces will be Brahms' Clarinet Quintet, often judged to be the finest of his many chamber music compositions.

Season tickets are great bargains – a 20% discount off box office prices. If you do not wish to or cannot attend all of the concerts, you may custom-design a mini-series of at least four concerts, at a 10% saving. You also may add extra tickets at these prices to your order. You also may order tickets for fewer than four concerts (at box office prices) at this time. Our tickets make great birthday and anniversary presents, Christmas stocking stuffers, etc. Order now to ensure that you do not miss this exciting season.

Sincerely,
Tom Geballe
President