Quad City Symphony Orchestra Masterworks III: “Winter Wonders,” December 2 and 3

Saturday, December 2, 7:30 p.m.

Adler Theatre, 136 East Third Street, Davenport IA

Sunday, December 3, 2 p.m.

Bartlett Performing Arts Center, 3600 Avenue of the Cities, Moline IL

Continuing their 2023-24 season with performances at Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 2 and Moline High School's Bartlett Performing Arts Center on December 3, the stunning musicians of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra deliver a spectacular seasonal treat in Masterworks III: Winter Wonders, a repertoire of Mozart, Handel, and other classic composers boasting extraordinary solo work by QCSO Principal Oboe Andrew Parker.

Parker is currently Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Texas at Austin's Butler School of Music, and he was previously Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Iowa. During his professional tenure, he has provided master classes throughout the country at such institutions as the University of Michigan, Temple University, Rice University, the University of Florida, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Luther College, Mannes Preparatory Division, and the University of Virginia. Parker has also been the guest artist at several double-reed events around the country in addition to co-hosting a Double Reed Clinics and Competition for five years at the University of Iowa. He also served as an adjudicator for the National Youth Orchestra, hosted by Carnegie Hall.

The gifted musician and QCSO Principal Oboe maintains a rich career as an orchestral musician, soloist, and chamber player and addition to his experience as a teacher. He recently performed the world premiere of an oboe concerto, Pillars or Creation, with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble and has also played in many orchestras in North America, including: the National Arts Centre Orchestra; the Florida Orchestra; the Fort Wayne Philharmonic; the Richmond Symphony; Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria; the Ann Arbor Symphony; the Flint Symphony; the New Mexico Symphony; the Santa Fe Symphony; the Great Falls Symphony; and the Plymouth Symphony. In addition to his collegiate teaching and performing experience, Parker has also taught and coached chamber music at various international music festivals, including the Round Top Music Festival, Oboe Fest in San Juan, FEMUSC festival in Brazil, the Hartwick Festival in New York, and the Kinhaven Music School in Vermont. In 2009, he was appointed the English horn Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival; a position he maintained for four seasons, while in his tenure as English horn fellow, Parker performed under the baton of several notable conductors.

In the December 2 and 3 Masterworks presentations, audiences are invited to delight in the wonders of winter beginning with the revelry of George Frideric Handel’s "Alexander’s Feast Suite," which will take you through a gambit of fiery revenge, overwhelming love, and transcendent joy. Then gather under a full moon for the tragic tale of two lovers swept away by a river in Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s “The Indian Spirit at Mesa Falls” from Winter Moons. Concertgoers will subsequently uncover the beautiful earthly colors hidden under a snowy white terrain in John Harbison’s "Snow Country" featuring a hauntingly beautiful Parker oboe solo. And at the program's end, guests can ward off the coldness of winter with the warmth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s stately yet energetic "Symphony No. 39."

Masterworks III: Winter Wonders performances will be held at Davenport's Adler Theatre on December 2 at 7:30 p.m., and at Moline High School's Bartlett Performing Arts Center on December 3 at 2 p.m. One hour prior to each performance, concert-goers are invited to attend informational "Concert Conversations" to learn about the works on the program, and admission to the concert events starts at $12 for adults and $7 for students and children. For more information and tickets, call (563)322-0931 and visit QCSO.org.