Symphony announces 2007-2008 season The Greater Grand Forks Symphony announces the opening of its 99th season with the return of oboist Andrea Gullickson to Grand Forks on Sept. 29 and 30 at the Empire Arts Center. The “Legends and Fantasies” season, led by Conductor James Hannon, is one of the most ambitious yet for the nearly century old local orchestra housed in the UND Music Department. Hannon likes “big” orchestra and repertoire choices this year include some of the giants in orchestral repertoire – Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony, Berlioz’ “Symphonie Fantastique,” Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” and Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” The season also includes new music. Gullickson will play the title piece from her new CD, "Down a River of Time." The recently written work for oboe and orchestra was composed by Eric Ewazen, a faculty member at Yale University. Another new work, “Arrows of Time” by Richard Peaslee, will be featured in November when East Grand Forks trombonist Nick Hagen performs with the orchestra. Hagen is taking time off from his studies at the Juilliard Conservatory in New York to return to the Grand Forks area. “Carmina Burana,” to be performed in February at the Chester Fritz Auditorium, will include over 250 singers -- the combined force of the Grand Forks Master Chorale and UND choirs, all under the direction of Joshua Bronfman. Job Christenson will create original choreography for dancers from the North Dakota Ballet Company. The concert will also include “Sharpened Stick," a percussion solo directed by Mike Blake, and a performance of Berlioz’ "Roman Carnival Overture." The symphony regularly invites nationally-known recording artists to solo with the orchestra, and to visit local classrooms and student programs while they are in town. In addition to Gullickson and Hagen, this season’s guest artists include Ralph Votapek, an internationally recognized pianist who was the first winner of the Van Cliburn Award, and Parry Karp, a cellist whose best known recording is the concerto by Ernst Bloch that he will perform with the Symphony. The September premiere includes a host of special events to celebrate the season opening. An opening night party for subscribers and contributors is planned before the 7:30 p.m. curtain downtown at the Toasted Frog, receptions at the Empire for all ticket-holders and musicians will follow the concert, and Ms. Gullickson will be the guest of honor at a “house party” Friday evening at the home of a Symphony sponsor. To order tickets, call 777-4090. For further information visit the GGFSO web site at WWW.GGFSO.ORG or call 777-3359. -- Jennifer Tarlin, Executive Director, Greater Grand Forks Symphony, ggfso@und.edu, 777-3359