At this year's concert, the Hochstein Alumni Orchestra (HAO) performs Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C Major, with alumni soloist Jackie Hager on one of the most performed concertos in the repertoire; Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides concert overture, inspired by a trip to Scotland; the stately bagpipe tune Highland Cathedral, featuring bagpiper Jake Kwiatkowski and the 10-member Hochstein Alumni Pipes & Drums; and the Prelude to Hugo Wolf’s comic opera Der Corregidor.

The concert also features the World Premiere of In bocca al lupo, written for the orchestra by Hochstein alumnus and Rochester composer and educator Dave Kluge. The title is an Italian idiom used to wish someone good luck, similar to “break a leg” in English. It literally means “in the mouth of the wolf.” His piece works to capture the contrast of fortune and misfortune through the use of minor and major tonalities.

Created in 2010 as a reunion of musicians with connections to Hochstein, the Hochstein Alumni Orchestra has reunited each year to present free, high-quality concerts. Members of the HAO have gone on to win international contests, have received mention by music critic Alex Ross in The New Yorker magazine, and earned opportunities to play in professional orchestras including the Detroit Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Fort Worth Symphony.

The concert is free, with cash donations accepted to benefit Hochstein’s Tuition Assistance Program.

This concert will be livestreamed, on Hochstein’s YouTube channel, for those not able to attend the concert in person. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgZWNyZ-Hek

Download the program: https://hochstein.org/Portals/0/Concert%20Programs/HAO%202024%20program%20for%20web.pdf?ver=x0Sh8rSJQniJYBaEOJwt8w%3d%3d

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