The St. Andrewβs Bach Society is throwing a big birthday bash for one of Tucsonβs most beloved arts patrons.
The society is teaming up with the Grammy-nominated True Concord Voices and Orchestra on June 26 to honor Dorothy Dyer Vanek a few days before she turns 90 on July 3. The birthday concert at St. Andrewβs Presbyterian Church, 7650 N. Paseo del Norte in Oro Valley, will feature a full orchestra, choir and soloists performing music by Mozart, Handel and Beethoven, said Bach Society artistic director Ben Nisbet.
βI think that thatβs a really well-deserved thing for her,β Nisbet said, citing Vanekβs financial support and commitment to Tucsonβs classical-music organizations, including the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, True Concord and the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra.
βHer birthday is in the summer, and the other organizations that she normally works with are not doing anything over the summer, so itβs hard for them to recognize her in a public way,β Nisbet said.
A highlight of the June 26 concert will be Beethovenβs fascinating βChoral Fantasy,β which combines the full musical force of orchestra and voices. The quirky work, largely regarded as one of Beethovenβs finest as well as a milestone in the choral repertoire, has hints to the composerβs monumental Ninth Symphony.
The piece is a fitting tribute for Vanek, whose support of Tucsonβs orchestras and choirs over the past 40 years has made an immeasurable impact, Nisbet said. She sponsored this yearβs TSO Classics series and contributes annually to the semi-professional SASO. Her biggest recent gifts have been to True Concord, putting up the money to commission Stephen Paulus to compose βPrayers and Remembrancesβ and paying the costs to record the piece on βFar In the Heavens,β a CD of Paulusβ choral works.
Paulus died before the CD was released last Sept. 11, the same day True Concord made its New York City debut. Vanek also put up a sizeable chunk of the $225,000 for that trip, Holtan has said.
In November, Vanek pledged $150,000 to the Tucson Desert Song Festival to host a Leonard Bernstein festival in 2018.
βOne of the main things we want to stress to the community is that through her generosity and her commitment to the arts she has, for lack of a better way to put it, been one of the biggest content producers for the city,β Nisbet said. βSo this is a way to give back to her. The organizations and audiences that sheβs given so much to want to give something back to her.β
The Bach Societyβs summer season β its 28th β kicks off June 5 with a βSunday Schubertiade,β a celebration of the music of Franz Schubert including βThe Trout,β featuring soprano Erika Burkhart. True Concord returns for βSunday with Bachβ on July 31, which includes Bachβs cantatas and organ preludes performed by Guy Whatley.
The season concludes Aug. 28 with another look at Bach in βMultiples of Bach,β a concert focused on his double, triple and quadruple concertos. Guest soloists include Whatley and several TSO musicians: concertmaster Lauren Roth, oboist David Barford and flutist Sasha Lipay.
Concerts begin at 2 p.m. at Grace St. Paulβs Episcopal Church, 2331 E. Adams St., unless noted. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students, except for the June 26 concert; those tickets are $16 for adults and $8 for students.
Tickets are available at the door or online at standrewsbach.org Details: Call 808-2122.