Fairfax Symphony Celebrates Christopher Zimmerman's 15th Anniversary as Music Director & Conductor

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra will host its season finale concert Saturday, May 31, 2025, at 8:00 pm at George Mason University's Center for the Arts in a special celebration of Music Director Christopher Zimmerman's 15th anniversary as the orchestra's artistic leader. The program of music by Elgar, Shostakovich, and Baltimore-based composer Jonathan Leshnoff exemplifies Zimmerman's commitment to presenting tried-and-true masterworks of the classical canon alongside new music by today's leading composers.

On the concert, the FSO performs Elgar's Introduction and Allegro for Strings and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10, paying tribute to Zimmerman's debut concert with the FSO in 2009, where these works were performed by the orchestra for the first time. The FSO also performs the East Coast Premiere of Concertante for Two Violins and Orchestra by Jonathan Leshnoff, featuring violin soloists Chee-Yun - a favorite of FSO audiences and a frequent collaborator of Zimmerman's - and Kit Zimmerman, Maestro Zimmerman's son and a distinguished member of the first violin section of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Switzerland. Chee-Yun and Kit Zimmerman join Christopher Zimmerman for a pre-concert talk at 7:00 p.m.

Violinist Chee-Yun, who performs on a 300-year old violin, said, "From the very first time working with Chris Zimmerman, a couple of decades ago, I was deeply inspired by his kind, witty and insightful leadership and musicianship. I'm looking forward to our upcoming collaboration with the FSO celebrating Chris' 15th anniversary as their music director and conductor. It'll be even more meaningful as I'll get to collaborate with not just one but two Zimmermans! I'm excited to perform Leshnoff's double concerto with Kit Zimmerman, whom I've witnessed grow from a talented young violinist to a great musician!"

Leshnoff's Concertante was commissioned by the FSO's Board Chairman Jose "Pepe" Figueroa in honor of his father, legendary Puerto Rican violinist Pepito Figueroa and his violin, the "Figueroa Stradivarius." In 1945, Pepito had the opportunity to purchase the Stradivarius in New York City; the owner's widow was so impressed by his playing that she declared she would only sell the instrument to him. Unfortunately, he did not have the funds to allow him to purchase it. A friend of the family in Puerto Rico, who owned the island's top newspaper El Mundo, put the story on the front page and within days, enough people from around Puerto Rico had donated money to purchase the violin, launching Pepito's lifelong career in performance and teaching. Pepito passed away at age 93, just hours after teaching one final violin lesson from his hospital bed.

The original work was written for two violins and piano, to be performed by Pepe's musical cousins, violinists Guillermo Figueroa Jr. and Narciso Figueroa Jr. and pianist Ivonne Figueroa. Leshnoff and Christopher Zimmerman then collaborated on the idea of arranging the piece for full orchestra and two violins. Zimmerman conducted the world premiere of the new orchestration with the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony - where he also serves as music director - in 2022.

During his tenure as FSO Music Director, Christopher Zimmerman has championed new music and emerging artists and composers by commissioning seven new works and conducting 22 premieres, including three U.S. premieres and four world premieres; fostered partnerships with other local arts organizations; launched major educational and community engagement initiatives including the FSO Fellowship program; and successfully shepherded the institution through the COVID-19 pandemic, among many other achievements. During each FSO performance, Zimmerman uniquely elevates the concert experience by connecting with his audience through historic, fun, witty insights, taking them deeper into the music they will hear. Audiences look forward to Zimmerman's British-accented, mid-concert commentary, which makes the music more accessible and enriches their experience.

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