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Mesabi Symphony Orchestra opens season in Ely

MSO returns with A Joyous Noise

Keith Vandervort
Posted 10/27/21

ELY – A “joyous noise” filled the air at Vermilion Community College Fine Arts Theater Saturday afternoon as the Mesabi Symphony Orchestra opened their 2021-22 season after an …

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Mesabi Symphony Orchestra opens season in Ely

MSO returns with A Joyous Noise

Posted

ELY – A “joyous noise” filled the air at Vermilion Community College Fine Arts Theater Saturday afternoon as the Mesabi Symphony Orchestra opened their 2021-22 season after an 18-month hiatus.
The live concert shut-down was due to public health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. The 2021-22 season is called “Return to Harmony” to celebrate the fact that live concerts are once again resuming on the Iron Range.
“I want to thank you for your continued support of this organization,” said Ben Nilles, MSO artistic director, as he took the VCC stage in front of a large audience. “I thank you for helping the MSO thrive and remain a cultural pillar of our communities,” he said.
“Our season theme, Return to Harmony, is meant to encapsulate all of the feelings I, and the orchestra, have about this upcoming season as we hopefully approach an end to the pandemic,” he said.
The first concert on Saturday in Ely was followed by a repeat performance on Sunday in Virginia. The first piece in Joyous Noise featured the Act 2 Finale of “Triumphal March and Ballet Music” by Giuseppe Verdi. Nilles pointed out the use of a unique instrument, the cimbasso, in the tuba family, as played by Norman “Skip” Ferris. That was followed by “Evening Prayer and Dream Pantomine” from Hansel and Gretel, by Engelbert Humperdinck. (“Not the singer from the 1970s,” Nilles added).;Danse Macabre Op.40 (Dance of Death) by Camille Saint-Saens, was followed by Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, by Franz Liszt, arranged by Karl Muller Berghaus.
Other concerts in the Return to Harmony series include:
• Holidays at the Symphony will get audiences in the holiday spirit on Saturday, Dec. 11 in Goodman Auditorium at Virginia Secondary School.
• The annual Young Artist Competition Winners concert, Feb. 19 in Ely and Feb. 20 in Virginia, will again feature some of the most talented young musicians in the area.
• The MSO season closes April 23-24 in Virginia and Moose Lake Community School with A Musical Jubilee.
For ticket information, go to https://www.mesabisymphonyorchestra.org/.