The Firelands Symphony Orchestra season premiers on Sunday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m. (Photo by Doug Klein/Firelands Photography)

The Firelands Symphony Orchestra (FSO), under the direction of Carl Topilow, presents its season opening concert, “An American Salute,” on Sunday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m. at Sawmill Creek Convention Center. The concert will not only feature the full orchestra but also guest pianist Kathryn Brown and guest vocalist Kirsten C. Kunkle.

The Firelands Symphony Orchestra Chorale (FSC), under the direction of Michael Shirtz, will present their first performance of the season, the annual “Songs of Thanksgiving” concert. There will be two performances of this event at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Sandusky: Saturday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 24, at 4 p.m.

General admission tickets for all concerts are available at FirelandsSymphony.com/Tickets or by calling the FSO office at 419-621-4800 (Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Subscription packages are also available for the FSO season.

“An American Salute” will feature the full orchestra playing songs that celebrate our veterans. Patriotic tunes include Charles Ives’ “Variations on America,” Anthony DiLorenzo’s “For Spacious Skies,” Morton Gould’s “American Symphonette No. 2,” John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” and more. Local veterans in attendance will also be honored and recognized during the Armed Forces Salute.

Highlighting the concert will be pianist Kathryn Brown, who will perform George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” marking its 100th anniversary. Brown has performed around the globe as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, widely hailed for her interpretations from Mozart to Gershwin, as well as her premieres of the New Music of today. She gave her New York Recital Debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and has also appeared in concert at New York’s 92nd Street Y.

Michael Shirtz leads the FSO Chorale. (Photo by Doug Klein/Firelands Photography)

The concert will also feature great American musical theatre works from Into the Woods, Carousel, She Loves Me, and My Fair Lady. Guest vocalist Kirsten C. Kunkle will join to provide stunning vocals for these pieces. Kunkle is a familiar face to the FSO, having served as last season’s artist in residence for the chorale, as well as a guest vocalist at last season’s “Vive La France” concert.

Following the season premier for the orchestra is the premier for the FSO Chorale, with the “Songs of Thanksgiving” concert. This annual event will have two performances this year, due to its growing popularity among audiences.

The annual Songs of Thanksgiving concerts are a special musical experience celebrating gratitude and the spirit of humanity through beautiful choral works and soulful readings. This year’s theme is “Making Our Garden Grow” and focuses on celebrating the joy of the garden and bountiful harvest through all living things that are connected and intertwined with each other to make our garden grow.

Some featured choral works for this concert include: Dave Brubeck’s “How Does Your Garden Grow,” Franz Joseph Haydn’s “The Heavens are Telling” from The Creation, Dan Forrest’s “Let Me Listen,” and Leonard Bernstein’s “Make Our Garden Grow” from Candide. The performance will also feature Rosephayne Powell’s “To Sit and Dream,” which is based on Langston Hughes’s famous poem “To You.”

The concert will be a tapestry of reflection weaved through not only music, but also interspersed readings and reflections that fit the theme of each song and offer a chance to explore our place in the world around us, with narrator William Barrett.

These concerts are made possible with sponsorship from: Randolph J. & Estelle M. Dorn Foundation, Sidney Frohman Foundation, Daryl & Joyce Deering, Erie County Community Foundation, Tusing Builders & Roofing Services, Firelands Health and Ohio Arts Council.