South Florida Symphony Orchestra Will Present Dvořák, Sibelius and Schubert in Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale

South Florida Symphony Orchestra (SFSO), led by Music Director Maestra Sebrina María Alfonso, will present a program featuring Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto with guest soloist Siwoo Kim, and Franz Schubert’s Overture in D major (In the Italian Style).

Performances take place Tuesday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. at New World Center in Miami Beach (500 17th Street) and Wednesday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale (707 NE 8th Street). A pre-concert chat with Dr. Alan Mason, professor emeritus of music at Barry University, will be held 30 minutes prior to the March 10 performance at New World Center.

Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, composed during the height of his career, draws inspiration from the countryside of his native Bohemia and features lyrical themes and folk-influenced rhythms. Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, the only concerto he composed, will be performed by Siwoo Kim. The work is noted for its technical demands and expansive emotional range. The program opens with Schubert’s Overture in D major, one of two overtures he composed in 1817 “in the Italian style,” reflecting the operatic influence of Gioachino Rossini.

Kim has performed as a soloist with orchestras including the Tucson Symphony, Houston Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Seongnam Philharmonic, Johannesburg Philharmonic, and Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie. He is the founding co-artistic director of the VIVO Music Festival in Columbus, Ohio, principal violinist of Music From Copland House, and an advocate for contemporary music, having premiered and recorded works by composers including Samuel Adler and Michael Torke.

The concerts are part of SFSO’s 28th season, “Juxtapositions,” which pairs established masterworks with a range of musical voices and styles. The season concludes April 8 in Fort Lauderdale with a program featuring Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 (“Italian”), his Hebrides Overture (“Fingal’s Cave”), and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4.