If you go
› What: Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Masterworks concert.› When: 7:30 p.m. today, Jan. 26.› Where: Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St.› Admission: $21-$83.› Phone: 423-267-8583.› Website: www.chattanoogasymphony.org.
As the song goes, it is a small world.
When Billy Hunter, principal trumpet with New York's Metropolitan Opera, was invited to perform with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, the opportunity to renew old friendships was one reason he accepted.
"I knew Kayoko Dan (CSO conductor) from the time she came into the industry as a flute player. Then I found out Holly Mulcahy was concertmaster, so I had that connection, too," says the trumpeter. Mulcahy's brother, Craig, was Hunter's roommate at Juilliard.
Hunter will perform with the CSO in the Masterworks Series concert tonight, Jan. 26, at the Tivoli. He will be the featured soloist on Hummel's Concerto for Trumpet.
"The piece is written in a kind of classical style. It's a little romantic. It has my favorite second movement of any concerto," says Hunter.
"Originally, it was written in E major, but was changed to E-flat major for the more modern instruments. I've listened to Wynton Marsalis play this piece. It's very well-known in the trumpet world."
Hunter, who has been playing trumpet since sixth grade, is on the faculty of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa and at New Jersey City University. He will join the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music later this year.
He also coaches the National Youth Orchestra of the United States, a two-week intensive that prepares young musicians brought together by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute for a two-week world tour.
The CSO will open with Franz Schubert's "Rosamunde" Overture. Although "Rosamunde" (the drama) only survived two performances, Schubert's music is still performed.
After Hunter's concerto, the orchestra will close with Dvorak's Symphony No. 7, considered by many music scholars as his most ambitious work.
Before the concert, Douglas Hedwig and Concertmaster Mulcahy will hold a Spotlight Talk at 6:45 p.m in the Tivoli's Dance Studio.
Following the concert, ticketholders are invited to stay in the lobby for Postlude, where they can meet the guest artist and CSO musicians while enjoying complimentary sparkling wine.