‘Magic in the Mountains’ Lake Placid Sinfonietta presents

16 Concerts In Six Weeks

LAKE PLACID — Get ready to be enchanted by the Lake Placid Sinfonietta’s 2023 season, “Magic in the Mountains.”

Beginning with a park concert in downtown Lake Placid and ending with a magnificent horn concerto and Beethoven Symphony on Aug. 13, the six-week season will be nothing short of magical, with performances featuring classical masterpieces, contemporary works, light classical and pops selections.

Under the baton of Music Director Stuart Malina, the ensemble includes 20 top musicians from orchestras around the country. Three new musicians will be introduced this summer and exciting soloists include violinist Bella Hristova, saxophonist Valentin Kovalev, soprano Natalie Sweeney and harpist Gretchen Van Hoesen.

In all, 16 concerts will be presented — a subscription Symphony Series in the theater of the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, open air park concerts in Mid’s Park downtown, a free children’s concert, and Adirondack Series concerts in Tupper Lake, North Creek and Saranac Lake.

This year’s subscription Symphony Series will take place on five Sundays and one Saturday evening at the LPCA. The lineup of concerts promises to transport audiences to new realms of musical beauty. Tickets are available online at both the Lake Placid Sinfonietta and LPCA websites, or can be purchased in person at the LPCA box office or by phone at 518-523-2512.

The Symphony Series kicks off on July 9 with “Hot Magic,” a concert that will ignite your senses with Ernest Bloch’s “Four Episodes for Chamber Orchestra,” Erwin Schulhoff’s “Hot-Sonate” featuring guest artist Valentin Kovalev on saxophone, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Symphony No. 41, ‘The Jupiter.’”

“Spellbinding Images” on July 16 features a performance of Maurice Ravel’s “Introduction and Allegro” with guest artist Gretchen Van Hoesen on the harp, as well as Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 arranged by Klaus Simon. Van Hoesen is the current principal harpist of the Pittsburgh Symphony and daughter of former Sinfonietta bassoonist David Van Hoesen.

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Experience “String Sorcery” on July 22, a Saturday concert featuring Bella Hristova, violin guest artist, in Max Bruch’s “Violin Concerto No. 1,” followed by Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, which will place the magic of the strings at the forefront of this performance. On July 30, “Woodland Sprites” will transport you to the heart of nature with Gioachino Rossini’s “Overture from Barber of Seville,” Béla Bartók’s “Romanian Folk Dances,” Mabel Wheeler Daniels’ “Deep Forest,” and Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” featuring soloist Daniel Szasz, concertmaster of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta and the Alabama Symphony.

“Mesmerizing Melodies” on Aug. 6 features Samuel Barber’s haunting “Adagio for Strings,” Aaron Copland’s “Eight Poems of Emily Dickenson” featuring mezzo soprano Natalie Sweeney from the Seagle Festival, and Béla Bartók’s “Concerto for Orchestra,” a piece he composed in Saranac Lake. The presentation of the work by Bartók is presented in collaboration with Historic Saranac Lake in celebration of their newly acquired collection of artifacts belonging to the renowned composer.

Finally, on Aug. 13, “Mystical Light” will close out the series with Ottorino Respighi’s “Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 3,” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Horn Concerto No. 3” featuring soloist James Rester, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 1.”

The Lake Placid Sinfonietta’s 2023 Park Series of free, open-air community concerts begin Thursday, July 6, at Mid’s Park in the

Paul White Memorial Shell, named for the Sinfonietta’s beloved longtime conductor. The concerts will begin at 7 p.m. and are approximately one hour long. These family-friendly events are free, but donations will be accepted, as well as proceeds from nightly raffles of donated prizes from area merchants.

This years Adirondack Series includes a free community concert in Saranac Lake on July 13 at the Hotel Saranac sponsored by Adirondack Health. On the program is Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances. This performance is also presented in collaboration with Historic Saranac Lake. On July 21, a free morning concert for young children sponsored by Stewart’s Shops will be offered (details to be announced) and on July 27 the orchestra travels to North Creek for a concert at the Tannery Pond Center. Tickets are available in advance and at the door by calling 518-251-2505. The last Adirondack Series concert of 2023 will be at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake on Aug. 10. Tickets are available online and at The Wild Center. Concert program information and links to tickets to concerts and events can be found at www.LakePlacidSinfonietta.org.