The Norwalk Concert Hall, 125 East Ave., Norwalk, will be the venue for the Norwalk Symphony’s third annual family concert on Sunday, March 9, at 3. Pianist Gita Abhiraman, a senior at New Canaan High School, will perform.
Once again, the symphony has invited the principal orchestra of the Norwalk Youth Symphony to join them on stage for a side-by-side performance.
This year, the combined forces will open the concert with Rossini’s Overture to the “Barber of Seville.” After the overture, the young Philharmonia Strings of the Norwalk Youth Symphony, under the direction of Jessica McNamara, will have a spotlight performance to encourage all the youngsters in the audience to study an instrument, according to a release.
The first half of the concert will end with a movement of Lalo’s concerto for cello with 13-year-old Madison Howard of Westport as soloist. On Saturday, Feb. 1, the NSO held its second annual Young Artists’ Festival which includes a concerto competition and Madison is this year’s winner.
There will be a brief intermission to reset the stage for the second half, a performance of Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals.” This piece requires two piano soloists and music director Jonathan Yates will conduct from the piano. He will be joined at the second piano by Gita Abhiraman. She was the winner of last year’s concerto competition.
Gita has been a student of Yoshie Akimoto, a Steinway artist, for the past four years. Previously, she studied with Deborah Kahan of Stamford. In 2011 and 2012, respectively, Gita was the first prize winner of the Senior J.S. Bach Competition and Senior French Repertoire Competition of the Schubert Awards Competition. Also in 2011, Gita studied and performed solo and chamber music at the Killington Music Festival in Vermont.
She has performed at Young Pianist’s Concert at Steinway Hall in New York. In addition to music, Gita dances, debates, creates film, and writes. In 2012, she won Best in Film and Animation in Connecticut’s Scholastic Art and Writing Award and received national recognition for her work.
Tickets for the concert are $5 for students under 18 and range from to $20-$40 for adults.
More info/tickets: 203-956-6771, NorwalkSymphony.org
Gita Abhiraman, a senior at New Canaan High School, will be playing piano in an upcoming Norwalk Symphony family concert.