June 25 - July 1, 2025 ◆ ON THE STAGE: Craig Fullerton will accompany the Wangaratta Symphony Orchestra as guest conductor at its upcoming concert inspired by Dvorak’s 9th Symphony.
A guest conductor for Dvorak’s 9th Symphony
DID you know that astronaut Neil Armstrong took a taped recording of Dvorak’s 9th Symphony with him during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 (the first moon landing)? The Wangaratta Symphony Orchestra (WSO) will play the whole of this well-known symphony at its next concert. Each section gets to play some of the main themes and it is fascinating to hear how melodies move across from one group to another. Dvorak’ s 9th Symphony, subtitled by ‘The New World’, was a new challenge for the composer. Although well-known and respected in his home country of Czechoslovakia, he was interested in exploring new ideas in music, and so travelled to the ‘new world’ - the United States of America (USA) - in in 1892 to become the director of the National Conservatory of Music. His 9th Symphony incorporates various folk tunes from the Black American community and traditional Indigenous American musical themes. He made a huge contribution to the development of new music in the USA and beyond. ■ Continued Page 6
VET CORNER
UP THE SLOPES
YOUR HEALTH
TOOL TALK
with WARBY ST VET
with JEFF
with TERESA
with RUSSELL