Super/Natural: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice & Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony
Flint Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 7:30pm
FIM Whiting Auditorium
Enrique Diemecke, music director & conductor
Juan Riveros, harp
Paul Dukas, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Claude Debussy, Danses sacrée et profane (Sacred and Profane Dances)
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 in F Major, op. 68 (Pastoral Symphony)
Debussy’s Sacred and Profane Dances is one of the most frequently played and best-loved pieces for harp, and Juan Riveros will breathe new life into this staple of any harpist’s repertoire. Performed alongside Dukas’s whimsical The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, the program pairs the sacred and supernatural with the inspiration of the natural world. Prepare to embrace a transformation—like that of springtime — that will leave you nostalgic and invigorated.
Where have I heard this before?
If you had flashbacks of dancing mops and buckets and Mickey mouse in a wizard’s cap, you are on the right track! The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was made especially popular in Disney’s 1940 animated concert film, Fantasia.
The same film used Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, adding a Greco-Roman mythological component, including centaurs, a celebration for the god Bacchus, and a storm created by an enraged Zeus.
Inside the Music • 6:30pm
Title: Fantasie en Français (Fantasy in French)
Guest Speaker: Catherine McMichael, composer/pianist, owner of Camellia Music
Juan Riveros, harp
Juan Riveros is one of a new generation of young harpists who bridge a variety of genres and artistic avenues, building audiences and fostering fresh appreciation for an instrument with ancient and diverse traditions. His numerous honors include Award Winner in the 2022 Lyon & Healy Awards, Outstanding Instrumentalist in Harp at the 2022 and 2023 Sphinx SOPA Competitions, Award Winner in the 2020 Anne Adams Awards Competition, Third Prize in the Young Professional Division of the 2019 American Harp Society National Competition, and Grand Prize in the Lewisville Lake International Concerto Competition.
Orchestral experience includes performances as guest principal harp with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Riveros holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Harp Performance and Music Theory from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Yolanda Kondonassis.
Title Sponsors: Phyllis Schroeder in memory of Dr. Paul Schroeder
Supporting Sponsors: Xcelerated IT Strategies, David & Heide Wharton
ASL Sponsor: Elga Credit Union
Age recommendation: No one under 5 admitted (including babies in arms)
Runtime: Approximately 2 hours 30 minutes
Including intermission
Sensory warning: Full band and loud volume.
Genesee County residents receive 30% off – discount applied at checkout.
Eligible for a 15% off package discount when you purchase 3 or more qualifying shows. Build your package here.
Already have a package? Add this show and claim your 15% discount by calling FIM Ticket Center at 810.237.7333.
Tickets start at $18 (plus fees)
Also check out other Entertainment events in Flint, Music events in Flint, Concerts in Flint.
