Lawton Phil to open its new season with virtual concert

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  • Violinist David Kim and Maestro Jon Kalbfleisch perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at the McMahon Auditorium. The virtual concert will be broadcast in its entirety Saturday evening on local stations, with a rebroadcast on KSWO Channel 7 Sunday evening. Ledger photo by Curtis Awbrey
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LAWTON – Opening Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra’s 59th concert season, violinist David Kim will perform Vivaldi’s 1723 inspirational concerto Four Seasons.

Playing violin since age 3, Kim went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School. He was named Concertmaster with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1999. He is currently performing as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and is touring the Midwest and Florida.

Conducting the concert will be Maestro Jon Kalbfleisch, a Lawton native who has received nine Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Musical Direction in Washington, D.C. Theatre (29 nominations). He was awarded the 2009 Regional Tony Award (Signature Theatre-Resident Music Director), 2009 Grammy Nomination MASS by Leonard Bernstein, Baltimore Symphony, (Pianist). Kalbfleisch is the 2015 Cameron University Distinguished Alumni Award winner.

A first for the Philharmonic, this year’s season opener, ‘Music Makes Life Better’, will be virtual, said Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra Executive Director Patty Neuwirth.

To better protect the health of orchestra members and supporters, the organization decided the first concert of the season will be streamed online and broadcast to the public.

“This is the first time for the Philharmonic to host a virtual concert,” Neuwirth said. “But we were wondering what we could do to keep the orchestra alive in Lawton and allow our faithful subscribers to safely enjoy the music we all love. I think the decision to host a virtual concert was in everybody’s best interest.”

Patrons can access the concert in several ways: on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m., it can be viewed on Fidelity 5, Broadcast 7.3 Cable One 29 and Spectrum 1240. KSWO Channel 7 also will broadcast the concert Sunday at 10:30 p.m. The concert will also be streamed on www. lawtonphil.com for one month, Neuwirth said.

In addition to the loyal supporters, Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra extends special thanks to the McMahon Foundation, BancFirst and Legend Driven Honda for their continued support, Neuwirth added.