The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra today announced its schedule for the 2010-11 season, which the symphony is calling "Great. Live. Music."

Guest artists for the season include pianist Roman Rabinovich, as well as a host of local luminaries such as William Bolcom and Joan Morris, University of Michigan harpsichordist Ed Parmentier, violinist Yehonatan Berick, violist Rebecca Albers, and soprano Melody Racine. Arie Lipsky will lead the orchestra for his 11th season.

The season opens with a special Sunday afternoon "Made in Michigan" concert at Hill Auditorium, with the rest of the dates set at the Michigan Theater. A performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 3 concludes the season next spring.

To order season subscriptions, call 734-994-4801; mail 220 E. Huron Suite 470, Ann Arbor, MI 48104; fax 734/994-3949; email a2so@a2so.com; or go online to www.a2so.com.

The full press release from the orchestra:

“Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks, and invents.” Like so many others, Beethoven once passionately struggled to express, in words, exactly what makes great music. The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra will perform some of the greatest classical music in the repertoire in its 2010-2011 Season, Great. Live. Music. After a wildly successful Season of Celebration, the A2SO continues with incredible momentum, predicting significant ticket sales and popularity for the greatest season of live music to date.

In his 11th season, Maestro Arie Lipsky celebrates Michigan, flirts with the romance of famous Russian pieces, and proves why Beethoven, Mozart, and Mahler truly are great composers. Celebrating the universal power and emotions of classical music, Great. Live. Music. also features works by Bolcom, Grieg, Bach, and Dvořák, performed in the best way possible: LIVE.

Joining the A2SO on stage this season are some of the greatest soloists of our time. Michigan’s own William Bolcom and Joan Morris, the incredible duo heralded by the Chicago Sun Times as “the best thing to happen to American popular song since the invention of sheet music,” will grace the stage of Hill Auditorium at the remarkable season premiere, Made In Michigan. The 2008 Gilmore Young Artist Award winner, pianist Adam Golka, joins the symphony for the Beethoven Festival on October 23rd. Roman Rabinovich, winner of the 2008 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, leads the A2SO in a vibrant journey through Russian music, and University of Michigan Professor of Harpsichord Ed Parmentier, A2SO Associate Concertmaster Kathryn Votapek, and A2SO Principal Flutist Penelope Fischer heat things up at Strings on Fire on November 13th. U-M Professor of Violin Yehonatan Berick and U-M Professor of Viola Rebecca Albers light up the stage at the Mozart Birthday Bash in January. U-M Professor of Voice Melody Racine wows us in Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 in a triumphant close to the season.

The season premiere, Made In Michigan, will be presented as a special Sunday concert at 4 PM at Hill Auditorium, while the remaining classical series concerts will take place at the historic Michigan Theater on Saturdays at 8 PM, with pre-concert lectures highlighting each evening’s music from 7-7:30 PM. The Benard L. Maas Foundation Family Concert Series will also be presented at the Michigan Theater on Sundays at 4 PM and the traditional Sing Along with Santa, a favorite among Ann Arbor area youngsters, will be presented at the Bethlehem UCC on Saturday, December 11th at 4 PM.

Made In Michigan, 9/26. Listen locally to the A2SO, the ranks of Hill’s Frieze organ built in Detroit, and the wealth of great musical talent Michigan offers at a joint concert celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Bentley Historical Library. This concert is steeped in Michigan roots, culture, and traditions. Made In Michigan showcases William Albright’s delightful Sleight of Hand Rag, an outstanding piece from within the Bentley’s collections. Ann Arbor treasured composer William Bolcom, singer Joan Morris, organist Steven Ball, and flute virtuoso Amy Porter bring their talents to the stage, and Michael Daugherty’s Trail of Tears receives its Michigan premiere.

Beethoven Festival, 10/23. The soaring beauty of ballet music in the Prometheus Overture opens this evening with the symphony and the great master Ludwig van Beethoven. Revel in the audience favorite Piano Concerto No. 4, rich with melodic layers of complexity. Winner of the 2008 Gilmore Young Artist Prize and the 2009 Max I. Allen Classical Fellowship Award for the American Pianist Association, Adam Golka brings precision and finesse to the keyboard. As deafening silence began closing in on Beethoven, he continued to compose magnificent works like his Symphony No. 2. The evening concludes with that memorable symphony full of grace, wit, and lyrical melodies. This concert is sponsored by the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center, Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Transplant Center.

Strings On Fire, 11/13. The beauty and warmth of A2SO strings create an evening of live musical magic. Elegant and expressive, playful and intimate, this is a concerto “as much fun to play as it is to listen to,” says violin soloist Kathryn Votapek. “Brandenburg No. 5 shows Bach at his most content, a delightful, relaxed conversation among the three soloists and orchestra,” adds master harpsichordist Ed Parmentier. Savor the warm, luscious melodies of Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings and be wrapped in the soulful melodies and dancing tunes of Grieg’s Holberg Suite. This concert is sponsored by the Ray & Eleanor Cross Foundation.

Mozart Birthday Bash, 1/22. For Mozart’s 255th birthday, the A2SO plays dazzling examples of Mozart’s genius and creativity, opening with the rollicking Wind Serenade. As a combination of concerto and symphony, the Sinfonia Concertante is one of the great duets in the repertoire, featuring U-M faculty members Yehonatan Berick, violin, and Rebecca Albers, viola. Enjoy one of the first examples of trumpet and percussion use in a classical symphony with the “Linz” Symphony. Composed, copied, rehearsed, and performed by Mozart in just one weekend while being hosted in the town of Linz, Austria. The symphony swirls with the finesse and charm that is uniquely Mozart. This concert is sponsored by the Carl and Isabelle Brauer Fund.

Russian Romance, 3/12. The A2SO brings the romance of great Russian music to Ann Arbor with a tour de force concert program. The orchestra takes off faster and faster as the unrelenting dance rhythms of Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmila Overture provide a festive start to an evening full of must-hear selections. Back by audience demand, pianist Roman Rabinovich performs a giant in the repertoire, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3. This listening experience is guaranteed to warm up your March evening with lush, lyrical, and poignant melodies. Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, conceived to honor the greatness of the human spirit, rounds out a lovely evening of live Russian music.

Mahler’s Third, 4/30. The A2SO’s season of Great. Live. Music. concludes with the magnificence, expression, and passionate drama of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3. A unique work in six movements, based on the work of various poets, the symphony explores what flowers in a meadow, animals in the woods, voices of angels, and the innocence of children may tell us about life and love. The pure voices of the Ann Arbor Youth Chorale and the UMS Choral Union Women’s Chorus join the warm, rich voice of soprano Melody Racine bringing poetry to life in the thrilling, triumphant conclusion. A true masterpiece, this concert is co-sponsored by Bank of Ann Arbor with support from A. Michael and Remedios Montalbo Young.

Complementing the great classical series concerts are remarkable symphonic classics for the whole family. The Benard L. Maas Foundation Family Concert Series presents a collection of great musical pieces designed to entertain everyone from the tiniest tots to the most experienced listeners.

Peter and the Wolf, 11/14. The opening family concert of the season is a double-feature. Prokofiev’s playful classic delights, inspires, and connects with the child in all of us. The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra tells the story of Peter with the strings, flighty bird songs played by flutes, sneaking cats represented by oboe melodies, and the great wolf played by three powerful French horns. Come hear the orchestra tell this wonderful story. The second part of the concert feature’s Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Britten’s variations on a theme come to life from high to low, brass to strings, percussion to woodwinds in this well known work. A variety of moods, tones, and colors are shown through a simple theme that leads to a majestic, full orchestral finish. A celebrity narrator guides the symphonic journey.

Sea to Shining Sea, 3/13. Celebrating the beauty of the world around us, the A2SO plays symphonic classics that explore the wonder and awe of the Earth and its resources. The program includes Beethoven’s magnificent Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral” and features selections from Chambers, Grieg, Handel, Debussy, and Vivaldi. For any one who has ever admired the magnificence of our planet, this is a concert not to be missed! This concert is sponsored by Toyota.

To order season subscriptions, call 734/994-4801; mail 220 E. Huron Suite 470, Ann Arbor, MI 48104; fax 734/994-3949; email a2so@a2so.com; online at www.a2so.com. First time subscribers buy one season subscription and get one free! Now is the time to take the opportunity to enjoy all the incredible performances of the A2SO for a discounted price!

The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra is a premier regional orchestra that offers live, symphonic music for all ages. The A²SO touches the lives of over 76,000 people annually from tiny tots to seasoned citizens in venues ranging from the Michigan Theater to Hill Auditorium, to schools in the five-county area, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Dexter District Libraries and senior centers. For concert or education programming information, contact the A2SO at 220 E. Huron, Suite 470, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, or phone 734/994-4801, or a2so@a2so.com.