“It's been a good year for us here,” said Pickett, conductor and musical director.
“Basically record-breaking ticket sales. We're kind of back to where we were before COVID. We've had several complete sellouts this year, and the orchestra's playing great.”
But the symphony’s plans do not stop there. Pickett teased next year’s season and said the organization will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary by highlighting American voices and composers.
“You'll see the official announcement soon. There’s composers you'd expect like Gershwin, Bernstein and Copland, and then African American composers and women and voices that are equally American voices but have not been heard quite as much.”
Until now, however, the symphony’s main focus has been its production of “Cinderella,” performed in collaboration with St. Louis Ballet.
This production of “Cinderella” features music composed by Russian pianist and composer Sergei Prokofiev in the 1940s. Prokofiev is perhaps best known for “Peter and the Wolf,” as well as his ballet adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet.” This production of “Cinderella” has no affiliation with the Disney version.
“Prokofiev's modern ballet scores are fit for the modern audience that's listening to them. They're very romantic in their sensibility. They're not kind of harsh and dissonant,” Pickett said.
“I think when you're writing for dance, it has to be something that the dancers can dance to, so it's going to have melody and rhythm. And of course with ‘Cinderella’ you've got the ball,” he added. “So you've got waltzes and the different dances they perform at the ball. It's great fun.”
This year marks the fourth consecutive year the symphony has collaborated with St. Louis Ballet. The partnership began when the symphony wanted to feature professional ballet dancers during a performance of “The Nutcracker.”
Pickett reached out to the company, and two dancers were sent to perform.
“Everybody loved it. They were so appreciative,” Pickett said. “They said it was so great to dance to a full orchestra. They don't get to do that very often because for ballet companies, the expense of the orchestra is just gigantic.”
While planning the following season, Pickett contacted Gen Horiuchi, the ballet company’s artistic director.
“He’s a very special choreographer. He's a trained musician as well as a dancer, and so his choreography is so responsive to the music,” Pickett said.
Horiuchi, originally from Japan, was brought to the United States by George Balanchine of the New York City Ballet. He later became a principal dancer and choreographed the opening ceremonies for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
Horiuchi agreed to continue the collaboration, allowing the orchestra to perform with the company in both Springfield and St. Louis and establishing an ongoing artistic partnership.
“I didn't know that what people in Springfield were dying for was some professional ballet to come in,” Pickett said. “But I have to say, I love it and I love working with this company. They are absolutely spectacular, and it's one of the highlights of the year for us.”
“They do such a great job. I like to think and hope that what we do is inspiring for the young ballet dancers,” he added.
For more information on the Symphony’s upcoming performances, visit their website, Instagram or Facebook pages.
