October 13, 2022 By Nina Wellford
“Opening Night”: magical words for those who love the arts! Musical and theatrical organizations have seasons, just like sports teams, and the Fall months bring openings to seasons that are eagerly anticipated by fans who love the thrill of a live performance that stirs the soul.
Atlantic Symphony Orchestra’s Opening Night on October 22 at 7:30 pm is especially thrilling. It marks the beginning of Music Director Jin Kim’s 25th season conducting the orchestra, the return to a full season of live performances, and it features a stunning soloist who has become an ASO audience favorite.
Soloist Luosha Fang is a “double threat:” equally skilled in playing the violin and the viola. ASO Executive Director Karen Thompson says, “We are really excited to welcome Luosha back this season. We first heard Luosha in 2018 as a viola soloist, after she won the Tokyo Viola Competition, one of the two major international viola competitions. For Opening Night, she will be playing the virtuosic Violin Concerto by Tchaikovsky that she planned to perform in March, 2020, but that was the first concert we had to cancel due to the pandemic. Instead, she became the first musician we featured in our virtual programming, which actually let us get to know her well!” Since then she wowed audiences in two live solo performances, at Old Ship Meeting House and Sunset at the Abbey. Luosha plays on a Pietro Guarnieri violin made in 1734 and kindly loaned by Dr. Ryuji Ueno.
ASO performs in the acoustically excellent and intimate Hale Theater in Thayer Academy’s Center for the Arts, located just off Route 3 in Braintree. Thompson credits Thayer Academy for working with the ASO to develop their partnership, which began when the Arts Center was constucted 14 years ago. ASO performs all their full-orchestra concerts at Thayer. Parking is accessible and free, seats are reserved, and all seats have an uninterrupted view of the stage.
With the lifting of Covid restrictions, Opening Night marks the return of audience favorites like the hospitality bar sponsored by Bin Ends Wine, held pre-concert and during intermission. ASO will not be checking vaccine cards, and mask-wearing is not required but encouraged. A cadre of volunteers, called Fanfare, helps the evening run smoothly. “Fanfare does everything from procuring dinner for the musicians, setting up the lobby, selling tickets and ushering, to taking photos at our concerts,” explains Thompson. “Joining Fanfare is a great way for people to support the orchestra.”
Opening Night also marks the beginning of Jin Kim’s 25th year as Music Director and Conductor of Atlantic Symphony. With its roots in Hingham, ASO serves audiences from across the South Shore. When he was hired in 1997, it was his first position as music director of an orchestra. “I guess time really does fly when you are having fun!” says Kim. “Little did I realize that the ASO and the South Shore would become part of my family and a place I call home. I continue to feel blessed to have met and worked with so many amazing people while being a part of such a great organization.”
Thompson, a Hingham resident, has worked with Kim for the past seven years. “Jin has shown an extraordinary level of commitment over the years, to first form and then grow an orchestra and see it through the inevitable throes of a new organization. He has helped it mature into a significant cultural resource for our region.”
“Our goal has always been about building a world class orchestra while providing a welcoming and personal concert experience,” says Kim. “For me, the highlight continues to be the people - world class musicians, soloists, audiences and supporters working together to produce and share great performances. I'd be a very rich person if I received a dollar each time an audience member raved about how this was the best concert experience ever!”
The organization will celebrate Jin Kim at a special musical dinner event called “Take a Bow” in November. Thompson describes it as “an intimate evening for our supporters to come together to toast Jin and give thanks for the community he has built around outstanding live music.”
The season schedule, lots of information about the ASO’s history and musicians, and tickets for Opening Night, Take a Bow, and all other ASO performances can be found online at www.atlanticsymphony.org. Thompson is offering Anchor readers a special discount on tickets for Opening Night - just enter ANCHOR as the coupon code to receive 10% off. Opening Night: October 22, 7:30 pm at Thayer Academy’s Center for the Arts 745 Washington St. Braintree. Tickets available online and at the door. Reserved seats.