Published: September 24, 2009 06:34 pm         

TH Symphony Orchestra kicks off season

TERRE HAUTE — The Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra will kick off its 2009–10 season with a celebration of 2009 — the Year of Astronomy, on Saturday at Tilson Auditorium.

Music Director David Bowden and the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra will present “Planets and Star Wars” in collaboration with the Terre Haute Children’s Museum.

The concert will feature Holst’s spectacular and ground breaking evocation of the planets. This music was a model for John Williams as he wrote the music for Star Wars. Selections will include: The Planets, suite for large orchestra, op. 32 by Gustav Holst. Seven movements depict each of the planets as Mars, the Bringer of War: Venus, the Bringer of Peace: Mercury, the Winged Messenger; Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity: Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age; Uranus, the Magician and Neptune, the Mystic — each with its own unique sound.

Other selections will be Sphären-Klänge Waltz (Music of the Spheres) by Josef Strauss, Selections from Apollo 13 by James Horner, Clair de Lune (Moonlight) from Suite Bergamasque by Claude Debussy and Adagio Sostenuto from “Moonlight” Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven.

The performance will conclude with Star Wars Medley by John Williams, highlighted by a thrilling light saber battle.

This concert cycle will offer a special opportunity for children to bring their families to a free Family Time Concert beginning at 12:30 p.m. (also at Tilson). This abbreviated version of the performance is a chance for children to become familiar with classical music and the excitement that a live performance can provide.

Tickets for the regular 7:30 p.m. performance can be purchased in advance at the Hulman Center Ticket Office weekdays Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by calling (812) 237.3737. Tickets are also available at the door.

Come early for “Concert Conversations with David Bowden” at 6:45 p.m. in the Heritage Ballroom. This is a chance to hear the background of the music that will be played and the composers that wrote it. It’s also a time to meet Bowden personally and ask him questions about how a symphony orchestra works and performs.