American Classical Orchestra Opens 30th Anniversary Season at Alice Tully Hall Tonight

Tonight, September 23 at 8:00PM at Alice Tully Hall, the American Classical Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Thomas Crawford, presents its opening night concert of its 30th Anniversary season with music that includes Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, which will feature violin soloist Krista Bennion Feeney; Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 and Mozart's Symphony No. 35 'Haffner'.

Krista Bennion Feeney will perform the legendary Mendelssohn Concerto on a historic violin made in 1809 with the same configuration, proportions, materials and sound as that of Mendelssohn's concertmaster Ferdinand David, at the Gewandhaus Orchestra. For this concert, the ACO string section will use the type of gut strings that were used by Mendelssohn, providing a unique window into his actual sound world.

The concert will be preceded by a Pre-Concert Lecture at 7:00PM by Maestro Thomas Crawford.

Thomas Crawford says, 'There are only a handful of violinists in the world who can play the virtuosic Mendelssohn Concerto on a period violin, and Krista Bennion Feeney is one of them. The texture of using all gut strings and fingering positions in keeping with Mendelssohn's era will be like hearing this masterpiece for the first time'.