Audience Chosen Show YOU ASKED FOR IT Kicks Off Canton Symphony Orchestra's 79th Season

Maestro Gerhardt Zimmermann gave the audience three works in three categories from which to choose for the Canton Symphony Orchestra's opening night concert and they chose well! The concert, titled "You Asked For It!", kicks off the CSO's 79th season on October 1, 2016 at 8:00pm at Umstattd Performing Arts Hall at the Zimmermann Symphony Center and is sponsored in part by Buckingham, Doolittle and Burroughs, Fred Olivieri Construction Company, The Williams Companies and Glenn and Joy E. Silverhart.

An overture, a piano concerto and a symphony were the categories Zimmermann offered. In October and November 2015, MasterWorks concert attendees voted on the selections and the winners were: Mozart's Overture toThe Magic Flute, Rachmaninoff's romantic Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganiniand Dvo?ák's bold Symphony No. 9 (From the New World). "The selections chosen are all very recognizable," notes Zimmermann, Music Director of the Canton Symphony Orchestra. "Even a casual listener will hum along. The audience chose a very dynamic program!"

To perform the Rachmaninoff Rhapsody, the orchestra will feature pianist Sara Davis Buechner. With an active repertoire of more than 100 piano concertos -- one of the largest of any concert pianist today - she has appeared as soloist with many of the world's première orchestras. Audiences throughout North America have applauded Ms. Buechner's recitals in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center and the Hollywood Bowl; and she enjoys wide success throughout Asia where she tours annually. In 2016 Sara Davis Buechner joined the prestigious piano faculty of Temple University in Philadelphia. Formerly she taught at New York University, the University of British Columbia, and was an Honorary Visiting Professor of Music at the University of Shanghai. She has presented lectures and masterclasses worldwide, is a regular adjudicator of prominent international piano competitions and has served as Principal Music Consultant for Dover Publications International.

The concert will open with a world premiere piece by local composer, Eric Benjamin. For over 35 years Zimmermann has opened each season with a work by an American composer. Although not chosen by the audience, the tradition will stand and a new piece will be revealed.

Tickets for the Canton Symphony Orchestra concert on October 1, 2016 range in price from $28-$48 and are available online at www.cantonsymphony.org, by phone at 330-452-2094 or in person at the Canton Symphony Orchestra administrative offices in the Zimmermann Symphony Center at 2331 17th Street NW in Canton weekdays 9am-5pm.

Founded in 1937, the Canton Symphony Orchestra is a fully professional ensemble and organization dedicated to performing concerts that enrich, educate and entertain. Under the direction of Gerhardt Zimmermann, the orchestra performs classical, pops, holiday, and educational programs. Most performances are in Umstattd Performing Arts Hall at the Zimmermann Symphony Center 2331 17th Street NW, Canton, Ohio (adjacent to McKinley High School). Parking at the Zimmermann Symphony Center is free. For more information, please visit www.CantonSymphony.org.