The Asheville Symphony presents Masterworks 4: Scottish, a program inspired by the sounds and stories of Scotland, on Saturday, February 14, with concerts at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. The performances, with guest conductor James Lowe leading the orchestra, will be held at the First Baptist Church of Asheville. In addition, award-winning violinist Geneva Lewis will join the orchestra with a solo performance during Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy.
Geneva Lewis. Photo by Matthew Holler
Also on the musical program are Aileen Sweeney’s Glisk and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3, Scottish, the latter inspired by its composer’s travels through the rugged Scottish Highlands. “I spent much of my life in Scotland, so I feel extremely close to Mendelssohn’s evocative work as I’ve visited or lived in the places that inspired him,” says Lowe, who is music director of the Spokane Symphony. “I’m also delighted to be performing Glisk by young Scottish composer Aileen Sweeney, a beautiful, quicksilver work that captures the ever-changing Scottish light. I know the connections between Scotland and Asheville are strong so I’m very much looking forward to my first visit!”
In stepping into Asheville Symphony music director Darko Butorac’s shoes, Lowe will be returning a favor. In 2024, soon after Hurricane Helene struck and Asheville concerts were canceled, Butorac was able to fill in as guest conductor with the Spokane Symphony when Lowe fell ill. The program for that concert also included the works Glisk and Scottish. “Darko and I are old friends, so I’m really very much looking forward to meeting his musical family in Asheville,” Lowe says.
Geneva Lewis is a New-Zealand-born violinist who was recently named one of BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artists. She has been recognized as the 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant and Grand Prize winner of the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Competition and a Performance Today Young Artist in Residence, among other career honors. Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, built around traditional Scottish melodies, offers a showpiece for both solo violin and orchestra.
Lowe was born in Nottingham, England, and began his conducting career with the Nottingham Youth Orchestra. He attended the University of Edinburgh, and has worked with orchestras throughout Europe, South Africa, Japan and the US, where he began full-time direction of the Spokane Symphony for the 2019-2020 season. In addition to his conducting schedule, he remains committed to fostering public interest in classical music and working with young musicians.
Learn more and purchase tickets at AshevilleSymphony.org or by phone at 828.254.7046. The First Baptist Church of Asheville is located at 5 Oak Street, Asheville.
