Two young and accomplished musicians perform with Newburgh Symphony on Jan. 20

Newburgh - The Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Woomyung Choe, presents a concert for the entire family on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Newburgh Free Academy Auditorium. (The snow date is Sunday, Jan. 21 at 3 p.m.) Claudia Cummings and James Rensink will serve as commentators for the evening. Cummings, soprano, conductor and producer, has most recently launched the well-received Opera Company of the Highlands. She also is choral master of the Newburgh Symphonic Chorale. Rensink, meanwhile, is one of a handful of musicians who has been seen at Lincoln Center as leading baritone, pianist, composer and conductor. He has performed world-wide with leading artists and received a special citation from the Congress of the U.S. for his achievements. The Jan. 20 performance also will feature two remarkably accomplished teenagers who began their music studies at four and were soon setting award records. Madalyn Parnas, violin, and Cicely Parnas, cello, will perform La Muse et le Poete, Opus 132, by Camille Saint-Saens. A prolific composer whose music epitomizes the French love of clarity and formal elegance, Saint-Saens (1835-1921) wrote this captivating work while on holiday in 1909. With its changes of mood and tempo, it has the quality of an improvisation and stands as one of few contributions to the double concerto form. Madalyn Parnas appeared with Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra a second time last season after making a big hit at her first appearance in Newburgh. Her playing was described as “a lush virtuoso performance.” She was featured in the magazine Music Alive! following her performance in Boston’s Jordan Hall for the NPR radio show, From the Top. She is a student of renowned violinist James Boswell. This year alone, Cicely Parnas has won three more first prizes in competitions and has garnered enthusiastic reviews on all her appearances as a guest soloist. In a performance of Monn’s Cello Concerto, Cicely was recognized as “possessed of prodigious technique and an Olympic gymnast’s poise.” In addition to studying chamber music privately, she is a student of conductor and cellist Ronald Feldman. The Parnas sisters are the granddaughters of world-renowned cellist Leslie Parnas. The evening begins with Georges Bizet’s Petite Suite d’Orchestre, Jeux d’Enfants, Opus 22. Bizet (1838-1875) wrote Jeux d’Enfants (Children’s Games or Scenes) in 1871 for and about children, and it remains one of his most popular works. A respite from more tiresome labors, the work made him uncharacteristically happy and confident. Little needs to be said about either Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) or his traditional Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker Suite, Opus 71. The tale by Hoffmann is performed literally thousands of times each season, and GNSO will play several selections from this story about Clara and her favorite Christmas present — the nutcracker. The finale is Moldau from Ma Vlast (My Country) by Bedrich Smetana (1824-1889), one of three great composers of Czech classical music, including Dvorak and Janacek. Light and cheerful in its inspiration and poetic in its instrumentation, this composition depicts the course of the Moldau River — exalting nature, the legends and history of Czechoslovakia. The Shacklett Preview at 6 p.m. is a pre-concert introduction to the evening’s music by Gordon Shacklett. Ticket prices are $25 for reserved seating, $20 for general admission, $15 for seniors, $10 for students, and children under 7 are admitted free of charge. Tickets may be purchased at the door or reserved. (845) 626-0625 or www.newburghsymphony.org. Newburgh Free Academy is located at 201 Fullerton Ave. in Newburgh.