BELLOWS FALLS-This month, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra (VSO) will collaborate with The Moth Radio Hour to weave powerful storytelling into its "Made in Vermont" tour, an annual concert series uplifting Vermont artists through music.
The tour will be stopping at the Bellows Falls Opera House for a concert on Sunday, Nov. 16, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Conducted by VSO Music Director Andrew Crust, the 2025 "Made in Vermont" program centers around the concept of storytelling and the power of narrative through music. Storytellers from The Moth Radio Hour will narrate writings by poet Robert Frost and past U.S. President Calvin Coolidge, as well as their own personal tales - ranging from summer family camping adventures, to beauty pageants, to road trips-all set to live orchestral accompaniment by the VSO.
The program opens with Joaquín Turina's La oración del torero (The Bullfighter's Prayer), a piece inspired by a bullfight in a Madrid chapel, contrasting moments of quiet reflection with bursts of energy.
Interspersed throughout the program are selections from Edward Elgar, including "Sault d'amour," "Sospiri," and the nature-inspired "Chanson de matin." The first half also features contemporary Blackfoot composer Sonny-Ray Day Rider's The Grief Eater Firaga, II. "Blood Elegy," an exploration of grief and nature; and Leroy Anderson's playful classic "Plink, Plank, Plunk."
The second half opens with movements from Edvard Grieg's Holberg Suite, a tribute to Norwegian writer and philosopher Ludvig Holberg, and concludes with Benjamin Britten's "Simple Symphony," based on themes the composer wrote as a child.
"This program takes the audience on a journey through distinct eras and sound worlds-from Turina's evocative Spanish chapel to Elgar's luminous melodic writing, and Britten's reflections on childhood," Crust said in a news release. "Each work conveys its own narrative through texture, color, and emotion. Paired with The Moth's storytellers, the result is a layered, deeply immersive concert experience where spoken and musical narratives intertwine."
For ticket information and event details for VSO's public Made in Vermont performances, visit VSO.org. Note these concerts are not broadcast on The Moth Radio Hour.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.