Akron Symphony announces new season
The new season of the Akron Symphony kicks off Saturday, Sept. 21. The symphony hosted its 2024 season announcement yesterday at Jilly’s Music Room.
In an email, Music Director Christopher Wilkins said, “Next season’s concerts are filled with great and famous works: concertos by Mozart and Rachmaninoff; monumental favorites like Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony and the Verdi Requiem; and Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ with local legend Theron Brown at the keyboard. We also unveil hidden gems of the repertoire, works that tell stories of the American experience.”
Here’s what the symphony has in store for next season at E.J. Thomas Hall:
- Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto (Sept. 21)
- The Planets (Oct. 19)
- The Lark Ascending & Schubert’s Fifth (Nov. 16)
- Holiday Pops (Dec. 13)
- Rhapsody in Blue (Jan. 18, 2025)
- Gospel Meets Symphony (Feb. 8, 2025)
- Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony (March 1, 2025)
- Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto & Beethoven’s First (March 29, 2025)
- Requiem (May 10, 2025)
The symphony’s next concert, Tchaikovsky & Bowden, is Saturday at E.J. Thomas Hall. To purchase tickets and see other upcoming shows, click here.
Akron native Vinnie Cimino named a James Beard finalist
Also yesterday, the James Beard Foundation announced its 2024 Restaurant and Chef Award Nominees, and a local name was on the list: Vinnie Cimino, chef of Cleveland restaurant Cordelia. Cimino, an Akron native who calls Highland Square home, is one of five finalists for Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH). He is one of two Ohio chefs in the category; the other is Jose Salazar of Mita’s in Cincinnati. The winners will be announced Monday, June 10, at an awards ceremony in Chicago.
Akron Soul Train will host Opening Reception: Melih Meric and Alyssa Lizzini Friday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Meric’s “Stitched Editions: Exploring the New” uses geometric patterns and paper to explore themes of Middle Eastern identity and erasure. In “The Universe Between Here and There,” Lizzini uses ink, paint and paper to create layered, large-scale drawings that delve into memory, time and space. Both exhibits are on view through Saturday, May 11.
Start the weekend with a visit to the Akron Zoo to check out its new event, Wildlife Illuminated. The zoo will be aglow with special effect lighting, lighted sculptures, illuminated paintings and detailed projections. Tickets are $14 to $24 for adults and $11 to $20 for children. Infants under two are free. Parking is also free. The event runs from 6:30 to 10 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday and will continue until June 1.
Take in the cherry blossoms in bloom on the Towpath Trail at Saturday’s Sakura Festival. The event will include live performances, food trucks, sake tastings, local vendors and activities such as origami, flower arranging, a story walk and more. The fun starts at 3 p.m. and goes until 9 p.m. The festival is free to attend, but some activities (painting, candle making and face painting) cost extra.
