Dear friends, family, and music lovers,
In these uncertain times, it is more important than ever to keep beauty in our lives. It breaks my heart not to be able to share music with you all alongside my colleagues in Eugene and Santa Rosa. However, I hope this page is a small substitute to keep us connected through great music and performances. Below you'll find information on my Happy Hour Watch Parties, weekly Spotify playlists, educational videos for children, and other great resources to check out.
Thank you for your kind thoughts and wishes, and please continue to keep our dear musicians and staff in your thoughts in the difficult weeks ahead. Please stay safe and healthy with your loved ones. And be assured that with your help, we will be back stronger than ever and committed to making the world a kinder, more beautiful place.
Sincerely yours,
Francesco
Watch Parties
(NOTE: I'm moving across the country over the next couple weeks, so things will be a bit slower until I'm settled again)
SCHEDULE (Fb.me/leccechong):
May 5 - 12pm PDT - Live Facebook Q&A about orchestra auditions and playing in orchestra (put together by the University of Oregon School of Music)
May 7 - 5pm PDT - Watch Party - Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony
If you miss a Watch Party or want to watch it on your own time, they are all archived on my Youtube Channel.
Spotify Playlists
Favorite Recordings of Beloved Masterpieces
Week of May 26: One of my favorite violinists, Zino Francescatti, playing one of my favorite concertos, the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
Discover a New Masterpiece
Week of May 26: Everybody knows the Rachmaninoff piano concertos, but the first symphony? I'm obsessed with this piece and although the premiere was failure - I think this is one of the ambitious symphonic works in the repertoire.
What I'm Relaxing To
Week of May 26: Every time I'm in Chicago, I go to Kingston Mines for the Blues! And that's where I first heard Joanna Conner. It was awesome.
Educational Videos
The Eugene Symphony and Santa Rosa Symphony both have extensive education programs for students which have had to be put on hold. With students at home, we want to make sure that our young people still have access to arts education. My fiance, Chloe Tula, is a harpist with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach (where we're holed up at the moment!) and we'll be producing weekly videos where you can sing and/or play along with us on some famous orchestral melodies! You can also join us live for the Facebook premiere of these videos every Monday at 10am PT/1pm ET on the Eugene Symphony Facebook Page.