The Austin Symphony Orchestra has decided that with the fireworks display being canceled this July 4th -- and many of the thousands of folks who usually come to Auditorium Shores for the concert and fireworks doubtful to show -- it would be best not to have their annual Independence Day concert. There were worries that the smaller number of attendees would mean less financial backing for the concert. "Going ahead with the concert without sufficient financial support could endanger the health of this organization," the ASO stated in a press release. "This is the first time in 35 years that the ASO has had to cancel both the concert and fireworks portions of this concert," ASO Executive Director Anthony Corroa said. "This event has been our gift to the city and its citizens for so many years, showing our appreciation for their support during our 100-year existence." ASO will continue to offer their free Sunday evening music series throughout the summer. more ›

Streets near Auditorium Shores will be closed on July 4th as thousands of Austinites flock to the park for the annual musical and fireworks show put on by the Austin Symphony Orchestra. The outdoor musical program will feature the usual Sousa marches and "Star Spangled Banner," as well as works by Rodgers, Ellington, Barber, and more. The 1812 Overture will accompany the fireworks, of course -- with help from cannons from the Texas National Guard Salute Battery. more ›

The Austin Symphony Orchestra will kick off their seventh season of "Hartman Foundation Concerts in the Park" this Sunday, May 31 at 7:30pm. The free, hour-long concert series runs Sunday evenings throughout the summer (until August 23). You are invited to bring a blanket, lawn chair and a picnic to Hartman Concert Park at the Long Center [directions]. The ASO's Large String Ensemble's show this weekend will focus on Classical music; there is a good mix of ensembles and music genres in the summer schedule. [Austin Symphony Orchestra] more ›

To those who shun holiday traditions and know no other form of dancing than grinding on your friends at Creekside Lounge, we invite you to consider an intriguingly classy alternative. You may not realize it, but Austin has a hard-working, ambitious and innovative ballet company in its midst, and they have bestowed upon us one of the greatest gifts of all—a fresh, energetic rendering of a classic Christmas show. more ›

Harvard scores papers related to Norman Mailer's sex life three years after the author sold his official archives to UT. Yo-Yo Ma will play with the Austin Symphony later this year; maybe some of the parking issues evident this Sunday will have been dealt with by then. Burnet Road Farmer's Market land for sale (again). Hope you didn't try to bribe a fake cop downtown earlier this month. Infant asphyxiation deaths at an increase this year in Travis County, Austin's Center for Child Protection reports. more ›

The Austin Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Austin: Handel’s MessiahDecember 4, 2007 at 8:00 p.m.4214 N. Capitol of Texas Highway (4214 N. Capitol of Texas Highway)Riverbend Centre[info] | [tickets] Sir Thomas Beecham wrote of Handel in his memoirs, "Since his time mankind has heard no music written for voices which can even feebly rival his for grandeur of build and tone, nobility and tenderness of melody, scholastic skill and ingenuity and inexhaustible variety of effect…Handel…is... more ›

At the regal Riverbend Centre on Saturday night, Joanna Newsom proved why she’s one of today’s most iconoclastic and oddly appealing musicians: not only did she mesh shockingly well with the ultra-classy Austin Symphony Orchestra, but she also managed to get in trouble for hauling a bottle of Maker’s Mark onto stage. And it’s in this almost-accidental appeal to both sides of the concert-going spectrum—as well as an almost embarrassing wealth of talent—that she... more ›

Five years ago you never would have believed it, but it’s true: the harp is so in. And evidence of that is most acute in that elfin goddess of harpsterism, Joanna Newsom, who will be toting her really big harp—and the lilting wordplay that comes along with it—right on down to Austin this Saturday night. And no, it won’t just be her alone lighting up the stage and the eyes of adoring boys at Riverbend Centre, but also our own internationally acclaimed Austin Symphony Orchestra. more ›

UPDATE: We called Frontgate this morning, and were informed that the tickets will indeed be general seated admission. Tickets will be $35 with a $5.50 service fee. more ›

We've just confirmed that Joanna Newsom will be giving a special performance at the Riverbend Centre in October. This will be the first time all of us regular folks stateside will have a chance to experience the whole shebang that audiences in the UK had last year, as she toured Europe in support of . The performance will feature the orchestral arrangements of Van Dyke Parks, who assisted Newsom on the album, and previous performances have garnered praise worldwide -- this isn't one you want to miss. more ›

To continue Austin's year-long celebration of Shostakovich's centennial, pianist Melissa Marse and Russian bass Nikita Storojev will be joining the Austin Symphony Orchestra for two nights of the twentieth-century Russian composer's works. The ASO will start off with selections from Shostakovich's score for Ovod (The Gadfly). Melissa Marse will then perform the Piano Concerto No. 2 by Shostakovich with the ASO. This concerto leans towards Romanticism (most evident in the second movement), while still... more ›

What a possible travesty! Might the Texas Commission on the Arts -- provider of grants, information, and technical assistance to artists and arts organizations in visual arts, theatre, dance, music, media and literature -- be destroyed? The organization, which has been the primary source of governmental funding of the arts in Texas for over forty years, was under the Sunset review this year, a process all state agencies undergo every 12 years to determine whether they should continue to exist or not. more ›

Tonight, Dionysium's debate will be resolve whether or not movies should be released in theaters and on DVD simultaneously and will feature The Reel Deal host Korey Coleman vs. Burnt Orange Productions DVD producer Byron Sebock. more ›

As part of his Symphony Tour, Declan McManus aka Elvis Costello will be visiting Austin for one night only at the UTPAC's Bass Concert Hall and will be performing with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. more ›

Austin took a big leap forward earlier this week in its goal to become a major performing arts powerhouse before the next decade. The ambitious Long Center - which when completed in 2008 will consolidate the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Austin, and Austin Lyric Opera as well as serve as an exhibition space for hundreds of local artists and organizations - received $500,000 from the Dallas-based Meadows Foundation. This brings the total level of donations to over $61 million, ever closer to its goal of raising $77 million. more ›