Charlotte Symphony brings holiday concerts home with live-streaming amid COVID-19
Having just begun rehearsing together in person a few weeks ago amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra on Thursday announced its holiday concerts.
The line-up includes traditional music mixed with new surprises such as resident conductor Christopher James Lees conducting and playing the harpsichord at the same time, said Deirdre Roddin, a symphony spokeswoman.
Lees will use facial cues and other ways to communicate timing and musicality while performing, Roddin said.
Another first will be the premiere of “A Carolina Christmas Carol” by Emmy Award-winning composer Gary Fry of Charlotte.
The three concerts include two to be live-streamed concerts from the Knight Theater in uptown, according to the symphony.
“At Home for the Holidays” will be live-streamed at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 12. The concert, led by Lees, will include traditional favorites and surprises including Fry’s “A Carolina Christmas Carol.” Tickets cost $25. The show will be available on-demand through Dec. 28.
“The Story of the Nutcracker” also will be streamed live at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 19. Also led by Lees, the one-hour, family-friendly adaptation of music from Tchaikovsky’s ballet will include a retelling of the story through narration. Tickets cost $15. It will be available on-demand through Dec. 28.
“A Baroque Celebration: Old World, New Year” will be recorded in advance and available Jan. 1-8. Works include those by J.S. Bach, Telemann and Dall’Abaco. Lees, for the first time, will conduct while playing the harpsichord. Concertmaster Calin Ovidiu Lupanu will perform as a soloist. Tickets are $25.
“While we can’t all gather together for indoor performances,” Roddin said, “we picture families decorating homes together and reconnecting during the holiday season.”
Under the statewide Phase 3 reopening plan, indoor venues are capped at 25 people.
The symphony has been offering other live-streaming concerts. A four-concert fall series continues with “Brahms + Dvorak” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and “Mendelssohn + Shaw” at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 4. Both concerts will be available on-demand for one week.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all scheduled live concerts through Dec. 31 are canceled, Roddin said. The Charlotte Symphony will work to gradually phase in live, indoor audiences as local conditions safely allow.
The 22-member symphony began rehearsing together last month for the first time since the pandemic began in March.
Also last month, the symphony and the Charlotte Knights worked with Atrium Health on COVID-19 safety procedures to hold an in-person concert at Truist Field in uptown. Seating was limited to 7% occupancy, or 735 seats, the Observer previously reported.
Roddin said the symphony’s brass players also performed a smaller outdoor concert format of five concerts at NoDa Brewing Co.
This story was originally published November 19, 2020 at 12:02 PM.