Kenneth Kiesler, conductor
Fabiola Kim, violin

PROGRAM
Braxton Blake (World Premiere), Toccata – *The premiere of this piece has been postponed.
Samuel Barber, Violin Concerto
Brahms, Symphony No. 4

This USO concert brings together the world premiere of an exuberant new work, a beautiful and exciting 20th century violin concerto played by a stellar soloist, and a beloved masterpiece. Ann Arbor composer Braxton Blake has written a brand-new piece for very large orchestra expressly for the USO. The notes fly like the wind, with thrilling effect. The composer said, “A virtuosic work, the Toccata was composed to be an energetic and driven piece. Every instrument and orchestral grouping have solo and soli passages that highlight the orchestra's and their conductor's gifts – it is in many ways a brief concerto for orchestra.”

Hailed by the New York Times as “a brilliant soloist,” who “played with extraordinary precision and luminosity,” Fabiola Kim is a dynamic and versatile artist who enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and a pedagogue. She joins the USO for the songful and stunning Violin Concerto by Samuel Barber. Its first two movements are songful, warm, and beautiful. The finale brings the first half of the concert to a close the way it began, with a kind of perpetual motion that is rapid and very virtuosic.

The Fourth Symphony by Brahms stands as a towering monument in the landscape of all symphonies. It is a compelling and mostly tragic drama which draws on hallowed music of the past, with striking innovation and a forward-leaning palette of instrumental colors.

GUEST ARTIST BIO:
https://smtd.umich.edu/profiles/fabiola-kim/