Vermont Symphony Brings
Beethoven Violen Concerto
With Laredo as Soloist

Ken Squier gets excited about a lot of things. As the owner of Thunder Road and a nationally known broadcaster of NASCAR events, as well as the owner of WDEV and associated stations, he's a man of large enthusiasms.

But right now, nothing excites Ken Squier more than the performance the Vermont Symphony Orchestra has scheduled in Randolph this Saturday evening .

Randolph has been plugged into the VSO's nine-town "Made In Vermont" partly at the urging of Squier, who also happens to be the chairman of the orchestra's board of directors.

"You can't find a much better place to perform than Chandler Music Hall," he explained this week. The concert starts at 7:30 Saturday the 23rd.

The VSO, the oldest state-supported orchestra in the country has "never been better, musically" than it is now, under the direction of Jaime Laredo, Squier said.

And the program being brought to Randolph is something to write home about. Laredo, a world-renowned violinist, will perform the Beethoven Violin Concerto, a masterpiece that is on everybody's list of top orchestral favorites.

There's no way that the VSO could afford Laredo's price as a solo performer, Squier pointed out.

"It's just incredible in every way that Laredo is going to do that and perform that piece in all these small stages," he told The Herald this week. "The fact that a man of that world renown likes Vermont (his new home) so much that he's willing to make that contribution is amazing.

"And it is a contribution—we couldn't afford him one night, much less nine. "

"This is an extraordinary opportunity," echoed VSO executive director Alan Jordan. "It's one of the most popular and challenging works in the violin repertoire."

Ticket Worries

Nevertheless, Squier is worried about lagging ticket sales.

"This is a guy who can sell out Carnegie Hall!" he said of conductor/soloist Laredo. "It would be criminal if we couldn’t fill the seats at Chandler."

Tickets are non-reserved, with deep discounts for Vermont State College faculty and staff and students and for those under 18. They will be available at the door or through the Flynn regional box office at 801-86FLYNN.

Also to be performed will be music of Faure, Rossini, and Bartok.

The program further includes a world premiere commission, "Green Mountain Variations," by Vermont composer Peter Hamlin. Hamlin teaches music theory and composition at Middlebury College, from which he received a BA in 1973. He will personally attend the Randolph concert.

"I hear the orchestra is thrilled with it," Squier noted.

He said he has received a lot of support in Randolph, in particular from Jesse Sammis of the Green Mountain Stock Farm, who sits on the orchestra's board.

"Sam Sammis has been incredibly helpful; he has stepped up over and over again to help us with individual projects," he said.

In addition, Gifford hospital is promoting the concert and the Three Stallion Inn has scheduled a dinner/concert combo.

Squier stressed that he wants Chandler Music Hall to be a regular stop for what he called "Vermont's premiere cultural attraction," the VSO. "We are coming back," he said. "We're committed to it."