Fair Melusines...a sidenote for the October 3rd Concert

This Saturday, October 3rd, 2009, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra will be featuring an event.

One of the featured pieces will be Mendelssohn's Oveture to The Fair Melusine.

Melusines are half-women, half-serpent characters from European folklore, resembling mermaids.

There are different stories that depict melusines; in one story, there is an actual character named Melusine. She was the love-child of a king and a fairy, and as many of these star-crossed, cross-breeded love affairs go, there ends up being dilemmas. The king ended up upsetting the fairy somehow, and Melusine, along with her two sisters, decided to seek revenge. Their actions, however, upsetted their mother more. She punished her daughters...Melusine's punishment turned her into a serpent waist-down.

Stories inspired more stories....German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, famously known for his work Fauste, wrote the novel Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre. This novel featured the story Die neue Melusine (the New Melusine).

Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer, an Austrian playwright and poet, took part in the theatrical version of Goethe's story by creating a libretto for Conradin Kreutzer's opera Melusina. In turn, Mendelssohn wrote an overture for the piece.

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information found through internet research :

• wikipedia.org
• http://www.baltic-youth-philharmonic.org/ (courtesy of Dr. Jan Brachmann)

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Event information:

October 3rd, 2009, 8:00 p.m.

Center for the Arts

George Mason University

4400 University Dr., MS 2F5

Fairfax, VA 22030

MENDELSSOHN: Overture to The Fair Melusine
MOZART: Clarinet Concerto in A MajorJon Manasse, clarinet
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 4

The Center for the Arts is six miles west of the Beltway, at Braddock Road and Route 123 in Fairfax, Virginia.

Congratulations to the Catalogue for Philanthropy Greater Washington’s 2009-2010 Class!

As previously announced, The FSO has been selected to be featured in the 2009/10 Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington! This year's Catalogue includes 36 nonprofits that were chosen both for their intrinsic excellence and because they are examples of the impact that the Catalogue has had on area nonprofits.

Here's the the excellent company from Northern Virginia we'll be keeping in the new Catalogue:

VA: Arlington County

1. A-SPAN (Arlington Street People's Assistance Network) - A low-barrier homeless services provider serving street homeless people
2. Doorways for Women and Families - Shelter and services for homeless families and domestic violence survivors
3. The Reading Connection - Homeless and transitional literacy programs for local children and families

VA: City Of Alexandria

1. Alexandria Seaport Foundation - Providing contextual, job-based GED program to at-risk youths
2. Alexandria Symphony Orchestra - Vibrant, innovative performing arts group engaging under-served audiences
3. Carpenter's Shelter - Services, education, and advocacy to end and prevent homelessness
4. Computer CORE - Job-readiness training in computer and lifeskills for low-income adults

VA: City Of Fairfax

1. Fairfax Area Christian Emergency and Transitional Services (FACETS) - Supportive housing, counseling, and emergency and transitional services for homeless, low-income people

VA: Fairfax County

1. Annandale Christian Community for Action - Faith-based collaborative meeting the needs of vulnerable neighbors, regardless of religious affiliation
2. Earth Sangha - Buddhist environmental group focused on ecological restoration
3. Our Daily Bread - Emergency assistance to struggling families in the Fairfax County area
4. Shelter House - Providing shelter and services to homeless families
5. Tahirih Justice Center - Protecting immigrant women and girls who are fleeing gender-based violence
6. Western Fairfax Christian Ministries - Premier provider of homelessnes prevention services in western Fairfax County