BILLINGS— The Billings Symphony is holding a concert Saturday night, “75 Years of Music in One Night”, to celebrate turning 75 years old this season.
The concert will open with Reinhold Glière’s “Russian Sailor’s Dance”, a song the symphony played in their first concert in 1951. The Saturday concert will also include contemporary pieces, such as Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine”.
Watch to see how the symphony is honoring its 75th anniversary:
The symphony is the second-oldest in Montana, behind the Butte Symphony, which was founded in 1950.
“A lot of music happens in 75 years. And just the symphony alone, it's a long list,” said the symphony’s principal violist, Samantha Inez.
The violist has played with the symphony for seven years and is also Youth Programs Manager for the Billings Symphony Youth Orchestra.
“I think the thing that Billing Symphony is incredibly good at is making everybody feel like their butt belongs in a symphony seat. It's like you don't have to be dressed up in a gown. You can show up in jeans and a t-shirt. You can show up however you feel comfortable,” said Inez.
The symphony is also going through changes. Music Director Anne Harrigan is retiring after the season ends.
“I had planned the 75th season with that in mind and then I started doing the math and realizing it was also going to be my year for retiring,” said Harrigan.
The director started as a guest conductor 22 years ago and became the music director 20 years ago.
“The time has gone by so quickly and there's always another thing to do, and so it doesn't feel like 22 years. It feels like just a couple years,” said Harrigan, who has been preparing for this concert for several years.
“I feel like everybody's had a heightened sense of emotion. It's been a lot of fun,” she added.
The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Alberta Bair Theater in Billings. To buy tickets to the concert, you can visit their website here.
