Vallejo Festival Orchestra

MUSIC FROM
THE LAND OF MIDNIGHT SUN

Saturday, March 11, 2023
at 7:30 in the evening

Maestro Thomas Conlin will lead the Vallejo Festival Orchestra on a musical journey to “The Land of Midnight Sun” on Saturday, March 11 at Vallejo’s historic Empress Theatre. Soprano Katherine Whyte will join Conlin and the VFO for the San Francisco Bay Area premieres of six orchestrated songs by Scandinavia’s greatest composer, Jean Sibelius.

The program also includes Sibelius’s rousing, turbulent tone-poem, “Finlandia,” which evokes the struggle of the Finnish people against the dominance of Russia under the Czars, and his monumental Symphony No. 2, which, according to Conlin, “vividly depicts Finland’s immense lakes, fjords, jagged rocks, streams, majestic snow-covered mountains, and beautiful northern lights.”

“Once heard, the elemental power and grandeur of this music will be seared into your brain forever,” Conlin added, “along with a feeling of exaltation that can only be expressed through music. Its immense natural force, the magnificence of its climaxes and its sonic symphonic splendor will never be forgotten!

“Massive waves of sound and intense, powerful emotions characterize Sibelius’s symphony. ‘Awesome’ and ‘majestic’ are the best words to describe his orchestral tone-paintings of the bleak, icy, vast Finnish landscape. His songs, on the other hand, are intimate, sometimes rapturous settings of the most enchanting poetry by well-known Swedish poets.”

Although often performed in recital with piano accompaniment, six of Sibelius’s most popular songs will be heard in their orchestral versions for the first time in northern California: “Spring is Flying,” “Was it a dream?”, “The Tryst,” “Autumn Night,” “Sigh, Rushes, Sigh,” and “Black Roses.” A seventh song, “The Diamond on the March Snow,” has been performed by the San Francisco Symphony.

Whyte will sing the Sibelius songs in Swedish while translations into English are projected above the orchestra. Conlin was the first to employ this technology, in 1968 at the American premiere of Mozart’s opera “Lucio Silla” with the Chamber Opera Society of Baltimore. A decade later they debuted at New York City Opera and soon “supertitles” appeared at opera productions world-wide.

Opera Today has praised Whyte’s “keen artistic sensibility” while the San Francisco Classical Voice singled out “her glamorous, vibrato-rich voice”. Following her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2007 in Strauss’s “Die Ägyptische Helena,” she has returned to the company for productions of “Rigoletto,” “Jenufa,” “Parsifal,” “Don Giovanni,” “ Così fan tutte” and others. Recent and upcoming engagements for Ms. Whyte include her celebrated Countess Almaviva in “Le nozze di Figaro” with Intermountain Opera Bozeman, her debut with Syracuse’s Symphoria and with Greensboro Symphony performing Poulenc’s Gloria, a return to New Choral Society as soprano soloist in “Carmina Burana,” a solo recital at Gordon College, her debut with Heartbeat Opera in “Der Freischütz,” and Fiordiligi in “Così fan tutte” with Opera Grand Rapids.

Founded by Conlin in 2020, the Vallejo Festival Orchestra is the resident ensemble of the Vallejo Center for the Arts. Performances at the acoustically perfect Empress Theatre have included “Three Tenors! -the Next Generation,” “From Vienna with Love,” “The Greatest Wagner Concert Ever,” and “Tchaikovsky’s Star-Crossed Lovers.” All were played to standing-room-only audiences. Conlin has guaranteed goosebumps to anyone attending “Music from The Land of Midnight Night.” Tickets are available at www.EmpressTheatre.org. or by calling 707-552-2400.

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Empress Theater

Established 1911

Contact Info

Empress Theatre

330 Virginia St, Vallejo, CA 94590

Phone: 707-552-2400
Box Office Hours: 

Tues – Sat 11-4 PM

Q

Accessibility Information

GUIDE TO ATTENDING EVENTS

The Vallejo Center for the Arts (VCA)and the Empress Theatre are committed to
ensuring that all patrons have a wonderful time while they are here! We ask our guests
to conduct themselves in a respectful way in accordance with the code of conduct and
all laws and local ordinances.

The Empress Theatre is located at 330 Virginia Street Vallejo, CA. The theater is
wheelchair accessible from the main entrance.

SEATING:

Wheelchair accessible seating is available in the Orchestra section of the auditorium.
The Empress Theatre does not provide wheelchairs and the staff is not able to assist
patrons in transferring to or from a wheelchair, theater seat, or vehicle; operate
motorized mobility aids such as scooters; or to provide personal attendant services such
as assisting patrons in the restroom, or with similar activities.

RESTROOMS

Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are located in the lobby of the Empress Theatre.

ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES

A wireless FM Assistive Listening System is available for all performances. Headsets
and neck loops with T-coil functionality are available free of charge in the Empress
Theatre lobby (see House Manager). A valid I.D. or credit card is required as a security
deposit and will be returned upon return of the headset.

CHILDREN

Patrons of all ages are welcome at our venue and are expected to be considerate of
other patrons in attendance.

ANIMALS

Service Animals are welcomed at the Empress Theatre. As of March 15, 2011, only
dogs are recognized as service animals under titles II and III of the ADA. In addition, the
service dog must be individually trained to do work or perform tasks that are directly
related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or
emotional support no longer qualify as service animals under the ADA. For more
information, please visit www.ada.gov.

ALCOHOL BEVERAGE POLICY

The Vallejo Center for the Arts strictly adheres to all local and state laws regarding
alcohol consumption. Wine and beer, along with other assorted beverages, and snacks
may be purchased in the Empress Lounge and at the concession booth in the Empress
lobby. Guests should expect to be carded for appropriate identification.

No outside alcohol is permitted.

SMOKING/VAPING

Smoking/Vaping and use of tobacco, including e-cigarettes, will be prohibited at the
Vallejo Center for the Arts.

LOST AND FOUND

Lost and Found items may be claimed by conducting the Box Office. If you are seeking
lost items, please call 707.552.2400.