Conductor George Vass leads the Bushey Symphony Orchestra in their 50th anniversary concert next month.
Dedicated to the pursuit of community music making, George has served as the orchestra’s Music Director since 1985 and is delighted to mark this important landmark in their history. He is also the director of the internationally renowned Presteigne Festival, and has been called ‘the saviour of contemporary classical music’ by BBC Radio 3 in recognition of his commitment to the programming and commissioning of new music.
George’s upcoming performance with the Bushey Symphony Orchestra opens with the world premiere of James Francis Brown’s A Flourish for Bushey. Brown became a frequent visitor to the Presteigne Festival in the early 2000s, calling it “a new must for music lovers who appreciate the notion that new music ought to be a natural and enriching inclusion in programming”, crediting George for his “inspired directorship.”
Brown’s work is followed in the programme by Dvořák’s In Nature’s Realm, op. 91 and Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 16, with soloist Xiaowen Shang, who was nominated as one of BBC Music Magazine’s ‘Rising Stars’ of 2024. The second half of the concert is dedicated to Schumann’s Symphony No 3 in E flat, op, 97, Rhenish.
The concert takes place at the purpose-built Clarendon Muse Concert Hall, part of Watford Boy’s Grammar School on May 18th at 3pm. Tickets are now available for purchase, and full details of this performance may be found by following the link below.
