SPRING FOURTH with the Blue Ridge Orchestra's lively 2023-24 finale. The BRO celebrated the return of spring with the first and fourth movements of Schumann's Spring Symphony, Beethoven's Fourth Symphony, and the first movement of Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B minor, with Franklin Keel, violoncellist, and conductor Milton Crotts.

Spring Fourth featured works by Schumann, Dvorak, and Beethoven, three of the world’s greatest classical composers, chosen by BRO Music Director Milton Crotts to commemorate the season.

The program began with the first and fourth movements of Robert Schumann’s majestic Symphony No. 1 – “Spring” – written in 1841, and reflective of the composer’s joyful optimism at that time of his life. Asheville’s own Franklin Keel performed the first movement, Allegro, from Anton Dvorak’s beloved Cello Concerto in B Minor, known for the lyrical solo part and the richness of the orchestral accompaniment. The program closed with Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Fourth” – his irresistible Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major – a lively, cheerful contrast to many of his better-known works.

The Blue Ridge Orchestra has been making fine music accessible to audiences across WNC for upwards of two decades. Comprised of over fifty talented local musicians who volunteer their time to practice, rehearse, and perform, the BRO has presented concerts not only in Asheville, but in Canton, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, and Clyde. Under the leadership of Milton Crotts, the orchestra has become known for its imaginative, inventive, and invigorating performances.

Photo Credit: Kathy Kmonicek

BRO Music Director Milton Crotts and Opera Theatre Director David Holley hosted an evening of elegant opera music including selections from Mozart’s comedic masterpiece The Impresario, “Chi il bel sogno” from Puccini’s La Rondine, and “Morro, ma prima in grazia” from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera about the assassination of Swedish King Gustav III. The program featured iconic songs sung by the title characters of three beloved French operas: Bizet's Carmen sings the defiant and challenging “Habanera”; Massenet's Manon performs her celebratory “Gavotte”; Lakme and her servant girl Mallika sing the hauntingly beautiful “Flower Duet” by Leo Delibes. The emotional tenor aria “La Serenata”, the "Intermezzo" from Cavalleria Rusticana, and the "Meditation" from Thais were among the many other highlights of these intimate concerts.

Musique Ménage was generously sponsored by Souther Williams Vineyard and Whistle Hop Brewing Company.

Photo Credit: Kathy Kmonicek

The Blue Ridge Orchestra welcomed the winter holidays with two performances of BRO Revels! 2023, featuring Seth Walker and The Walker Family Band. This program also highlighted The Nutcracker Suite while introducing harpist Tori Parrish. Presented at 3:00 pm in Charles M. Beall Auditorium, Haywood Community College, on Saturday, December 9th, and in the Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church on Sunday, December 10th, the program was an eclectic mix of old and new, familiar and surprising.

BRO Revels! 2023 was generously sponsored by Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty.

Photo Credit: Kathy Kmonicek

"The Well-Tempered Wizard"
From the opening chords of Bach’s celebrated Toccata and Fugue in D Minor to the closing strains from the score of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Music Director Milton Crotts designed a program that evokes the spirit of Halloween. Works from the classical music world—Mozart’s Don Giovanni Overture, Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre, and Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King—are complemented with selections from Broadway’s Wicked and The Phantom of the Opera. Photo Credit: Kathy Kmonicek