By Randi Bjornstad

The Eugene Symphony makes its way back to the Hult Center stage for its 2021-22 season opening after a year-plus hiatus caused by, of course, the covid-19 pandemic.

And, like many other ways of doing things in the arts, entertainment, food-and-drink, and education arenas, some things will pick up where they left off as seamlessly as possible, while others will incorporate new — and sometimes even improved — ways of operating.

For example, during the pandemic, many music and theater groups began presenting performances online, allowing audience members to watch and listen from the comfort — and safety — of their own homes, and at a much lower price than they would pay for the admittedly enhanced in-person experience. But that breakthrough had another tremendous benefit, extending the opportunity to participate in the arts to people who otherwise could not because of financial, health, or mobility constraints.

Some things familiar, some things new

The Eugene Symphony opens its season on Sept. 23 with a performance in the Silva Concert Hall at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts. But as a new way of doing things, on the evening before the opening night, the symphony will welcome a limited number of people to attend its final rehearsal, watching the musicians and the conductor work through their final tweaks before the official season opening the next evening.

The dress rehearsal performance on Sept. 22 will be limited to 250 seats in the front and rear orchestra sections in order to observe social distancing requirements as the pandemic continues, and tickets for the rehearsal must be purchased in lots of two or four in order to accommodate as many as 250 concertgoers safely. The rehearsal will last about two-and-one-half hours, with a 15-minute break. Although it is a “dress rehearsal,” the musicians will be wearing casual clothes rather than the all-black selections seen at their formal concerts. Masks will be required inside the Hult Center, and those who attend must either provide certification of full covid vaccination or a negative result from a test administered no more than 48 hours before the rehearsal. Concessions will be available, with masking required between sips and bites. Tickets for the dress rehearsal performance range from $27 to $65.

Composer Libby Larsen

The program

Of course, music-lovers at the dress rehearsal will hear the same program as those who attend on opening night. With maestro Francesco Lecce-Chong on the podium, the concert begins with Deep Summer Music, work described as “reminiscent of ripening crops that blaze with color,” composed by American composer, speaker, and Grammy-winning music producer Elizabeth “Libby” Brown Larsen.

Composer Florence Price

That piece is followed by work of another American composer, Florence Price, who was born in 1897 and grew up in a mixed-race family in Little Rock, Ark., where her father was the only Black dentist in the city, and her mother was a music teacher. She is considered to be the first Black

Pianist Michelle Cann

woman recognized as a symphonic composer, and also the first to have a composition performed by a major orchestra.

The Eugene Symphony will play Price’s Piano Concerto, with guest pianist Michelle Cann at the keyboard.

The program will conclude with Sergei Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances.

In another innovation related to the pandemic year, the “Opening Night & Welcome Back” concert will be video-recorded and made available for on-demand viewing for one week, starting at 7:30 p.m. on  Sunday, Oct. 3, at a cost of $20 for the week, available online at eugenesymphony.org. (Donors who give $120 or more annually to the Eugene Symphony may stream the concert via the donor portal for one month.)

Eugene Symphony: Opening Night & Welcome Back

When: 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept.23, 2001

Where: Silva Concert Hall, Hult Center for the Performing Arts, One Eugene Center, downtown Eugene

Tickets: $10 to $65, available at the Hult Center box office, 541-682-5000, or online at eugenesymphony.org or  hultcenter.org

Current Hult Center Ticketing Policies

  • A ticket is required for everyone entering the theater, including infants. Some events may not allow young children.
  • Until further notice, masks or face coverings are required at all times while inside the Hult Center.
  • Ticket orders are subject to fees; no refunds or exchanges.
  • Patrons arriving late will be seated at an appropriate break in the performance. If seating has ended, you may not be admitted into the event.
  • Because of covid changes, policies also are subject to change. For more information on health and safety click here.

Eugene Symphony maestro Francesco Lecce-Chong and the orchestra open their 2021-22 season on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021.