The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra returns to the Moss Arts Center for an evening of music that traverses musical landscapes, both near and far, with a performance of “Masterworks: Musical Travelogue” on March 12 at 3 p.m.

The performance will be held in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Moss Arts Center’s Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.

Led by David Stewart Wiley, Roanoke Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor, the ensemble will premiere “Franklin County,” a new work from Jerome Margolis. A composer and musician who relocated to Boones Mill, Virginia, after retiring in 2006, Margolis was inspired by the natural beauty of Virginia when he created his newest orchestral poem.

“Franklin County” intentionally portrays the natural beauty, pioneer history, religious hymns, and the banjo and fiddle musical heritage of Southwest Virginia.

The performance will also feature Aaron Copland’s “Billy the Kid Suite.” Even 20 years after his death, Copland remains one of the most popular American classical composers and his 1938 ballet score “Billy the Kid” was commissioned by Lincoln Kirstein for his Ballet Caravan.

The score became one of Copland’s most enduring hits, crystallizing the Wild West orchestral idiom. In 1939, the composer compressed the ballet score into a suite of six continuous sections, which became the “Billy the Kid Suite.”

These works from American composers are paired with Czech composer Bedrich Smetana’s “The Moldau” from his series of six symphonic poems, “Má Vlast,” and “Bolero,” the most popular work by French composer Maurice Ravel.

This Roanoke Symphony Orchestra performance of “Masterworks: Musical Travelogue” is supported in part by a gift from the Merryman family.

Tickets

Tickets for the performance are $25-55 for general public and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.

Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Kacy McAllister at 540-231-5300 or email kmcallis@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to an event.

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