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Charlotte Symphony Concert: Half Killer, Half Filler
By Lawrence Toppman Every arts event ought to be a voyage of discovery, and the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (CSO) concert Saturday at Knight Theater fit the description. The musicians discovered...
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Here’s an “Enigma:” Where Does the Charlotte Symphony Find Strong Guest...
By Lawrence Toppman I have been going over the roster of guest conductors since Kwame Ryan was hired, people who’ll fill his shoes until the 2025-26 season as music director, and I am trying...
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‘Havana’ good time with Zamora, Mambo Kings, Charlotte Symphony
By Lorenzo Cimahombre (Lawrence Toppman to you English-speakers) The drum kit at midstage seemed like a novelty, though classical composers from Haydn to Shostakovich have used non-classical drums....
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“Become Ocean:” A moving immersion in deep creative waters
By Lawrence Toppman For 45 minutes Saturday afternoon, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (CSO) became one with the sensuous music of John Luther Adams. I became one with the primordial sea from which...
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Charlotte Symphony: The Extroversion Worked, the Introversion Did Not
By Lawrence Toppman A Shakespeare professor once returned my paper about “Othello” with the comment “An unusual idea, beautifully articulated and completely wrong.” I thought of that incident Saturday...
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Charlotte Symphony Unveils 2025-26 Season Like No Other
By Lawrence Toppman What will the old-timers say? What will people in their 70s, who have followed the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (CSO) for nearly five decades and gotten used to a diet mainly of...
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Perick rejoins CSO and rocks one-of-a-kind Wagner
Pictured: The Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center; courtesy Charlotte Symphony. By Lawrence Toppman Conducting classical music is one of the few jobs where a worker has the potential to...
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Meyer Quietly Catches Fire with Charlotte Symphony
By Lawrence Toppman Not one composer known to the average classical music fan has ever published a concerto for double bass, unless you count Oscar-winning film scorers Nino Rota and Tan Dun. So...
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Charlotte Symphony Offers A World Premiere (kind of) and a Diverse Weekend
By Lawrence Toppman Professors in journalism school warned me never to say never, as it’s almost impossible to prove something hasn’t ever happened. But I’m pretty sure I’m right, so I’ll plunge...
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Outdoor Overtures: A New Season of Summer Pops Awaits from the Charlotte...
Blankets, baskets, and beach chairs are not something you’d see at Belk Theater. However, when the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Summer Pops take up residence at Symphony Park next to South Park Mall...
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