New Haven Symphony Orchestra

I went to this concert due to my interest in the photos of Ansel Adams. I left with a great admiration for Chris Brubeck. His compositions and performances were exceptional, as was the playing of the Guilford High students he recruited for one of the pieces. The symphony was in good form, as well. I had a chance to speak with Chris after the show and told him that I felt he was carrying the mantle of George Russell on account of his fine compositional and orchestrational talents, as well as great jazz playing...

The concert was just beautiful. The orchestra was featured without singers, and they did such a great job with such wonderful compositions. Thank you, NHSO!

Wonderful concert ... Lively and varied! The director was engaging and fun. Costumed audience members added to the festivity ... Great evening!

This was truly an extraordinary event. It's easy to already love the music of John Williams but to see it displayed live so beautifully by the talented musicians and stellar conductor, made it feel like you were really part of the musical experience. All of the highlights were covered in the perfect order for proper build up of excitement. I also thought the program was a perfect length. It wasn't too short but it left me wanting more and it got us home at a decent hour. ;) A special nod to Chelsea Tipton as he was so passionate about what he was sharing with us, you couldn't help but join in his excitement. His comedic timing was not over done and gave you just enough to laugh at before you darn near wept to the beautiful music played by the NHSO. The musicians seemed to really enjoy what they were playing as well. My husband walked down the aisle at our wedding to the Jurassic Park theme and my father-in-law, who had passed away exactly a year before this concert, was an avid Star Wars fan. Emotions were high and we couldn't be more thrilled to have participated in this event Thank you for an incredible evening

This was a fantastic show! The quality of the musicians, the diverse material, the high school students joining in, the talk by Brubeck before the show, and of course the Ansel Adams photos. I would go to this again, and bring friends, in a heartbeat!!!

If it wasn't for the Ansel Adams project, I may not have attended this event but I'm so glad I did. I've been a fan on Ansel Adams since I was a teen and my family took a cross-country trip, stopping at many of the beautiful places Adams captured in is photos. I've also had a great admiration for classical music and jazz but only casually. Bringing the two together was absolutely beautiful and helped me to appreciate both arts even more.

The merging of music and photography was perfect and it was a great experience to witness.

I believe I had an out of body experience during this concert. The music transported me to a magical place. I wish it could have lasted all night!!!

Emily Baer as a composer and as a pianist is brilliant. What a gift from God she has received and she's only 13. Her rendition of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue from memory was superb and her encore performance of variations on the flight of the bumble bee for piano was spellbinding. We like the Shubert Theater as a venue for a symphony orchestra. We usually see musicals and opera there but a symphony on the stage was new to us there and we loved it. We bought tickets at the last minute online. Decided on a row in the center mezanine rear priced at $35 per seat vs. $75 five rows further front that was already sold out. That's where we usually sit and found hardly any difference at the rear. Definitely a better value and our choice from now on - center mezzanine towards the rear.

The music, the venue (a most welcome change), the genius of Copland and Gershwin, the meticulous performances of the orchestra and each NHSO soloist, the lovely & talented young guest artist, and the perfectly co-ordinated photos accompanying Appalachian Spring all combined to make it the very best NHSO concert ever.