RSO season finale set for Saturday; science center hosting new exhibit [Spotlight]

May 14—The Reading Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Andrew Constantine, will present its final concert of the season on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Santander Performing Arts Center.

The night begins with Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera's ballet, "Four Dances," about rural life in Argentina, opening with workers in a field and ending with a furious dance by the gauchos of Argentina.

Next, guest soloist JP Jofre will join the RSO for Piazzolla's Bandoneon Concerto and Jofre's own Concerto for Bandoneon and Violin. (The bandoneon is a type of accordion.) Jofre is a native to San Juan, Argentina, and is a Grammy-nominated composer and bandoneon player. His music has been recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, 16-time Grammy winner Paquito D' Rivera and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, to name a few.

Closing out the concert will be deFalla's Three Cornered Hat, Suite No. 2. DeFalla is considered to be the most distinguished Spanish composer of the early 20th century.

For tickets and more information, see www.readingsymphony.org or call 610-373-7557.

In anticipation of Saturday's concert, the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture in cooperation with the Reading Symphony Orchestra League will present a Know Your Symphony Lecture on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at The Highlands, 2000 Cambridge Ave., Wyomissing. The lecturer will be Dr. Daniel Immel, professor of music at Kutztown University.

Exhibit

The Reading Science Center, 645 Penn St., in partnership with PBS39, will unveil its latest exhibit, "Science Superhero School," on Saturday at 2 p.m. The center will be offering free admission that day through its partnership with Remake Learning Days.

"Science Superhero School" is an interactive exhibit designed to exercise visitors' superpowers of science alongside "Hero Elementary" stars Lucita Sky, AJ Gadgets, Sara Snap and Benny Bubbles. The exhibit will feature interactive displays and hands-on activities for visitors of all ages, providing them with an opportunity to compare scientists from different fields, test their observation skills with science tasks, and predict what their very own superhero might look like as they investigate the world of science.

PBS39 and Reading Science Center share and encourage a love and appreciation of science through hands-on and experiential STEM education. "Science Superhero School" exemplifies the goal to expose Reading area's young learners to the diversity of real-life scientists.

For more information, see readingsciencecenter.org.

Music

Twin Valley High School's music program will host its second annual Day of Music festival next Sunday from noon to 6:30 p.m. on the high school campus. The day will feature performances from the department's instrumental and choral ensembles, and extracurricular ensembles such as Select Chorus and Indoor Percussion.

Unlike concerts in the past, the festival will showcase professional performers from Berks and Chester counties who will perform all day alongside the Twin Valley musicians. Additionally, The Twin Valley Music Boosters will sell refreshments and musical merchandise alongside vendor tables from community businesses.

"The Day of Music festival is not solely about our school and its musical accomplishments, but our surrounding community," said high school senior and musician Heather Anderson. "The best way as a community to bind ourselves and become stronger is to support every detail of our youth. Music is one of those key details."

Chorus president Jenna DiFabrizio added: "This day is not just for our students, it is for our community. It's a chance for local performers and businesses to be seen and heard in one place. We also have to thank all of our music teachers, because they are the ones who help us do what we love."

Events

Three new shows have been announced for the Santander Performing Arts Center, Reading: Legends in Concert direct from London on July 19, Disney Junior Live on Tour: "Costume Palooza" on Sept. 2, and Chris D'Elia's "Don't Push Me" Tour on Dec. 3.

The Legends tour pays tribute to Freddie Mercury, Adele, Rod Stewart and Elton John. Each performer looks like the star they portray. The concerts feature elaborate sets, costumes and special effects.

Disney Junior Live features characters from Marvel's "Spidey and his Amazing Friends" and other hit Disney Junior series, including Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Doc McStuffins, the Puppy Dog Pals and Bo from "Firebuds." This year, the live show will also welcome the superhero kittens from the new series "SuperKitties."

D'Elia is a stand-up comedian who has starred in three Netflix comedy specials, "Incorrigible" (2015), "Man on Fire" (2017) and "No Pain" (2020), and hosts the podcast "Congratulations with Chris D'Elia."

For tickets and more information, see santander-arena.com.

Books

Frances Dean Nolde will be reading from her book "She Looked to the Sky," about her mother, Frances Dean Wilcox Nolde, Reading's pioneer aviator during the 1940s and '50s, on June 1 at 6 p.m. at the Wyomissing Public Library. She will also be selling the book at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's World War II Weekend at Reading Regional Airport the weekend of June 2-4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition, Tracy Schott of Schott Productions is holding the premiere of her documentary "From the River," which gives a short history of Reading and features a section on Frances Dean Wilcox Nolde, in the Boscov's Film Theatre at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts on June 2 at 7:30 p.m.

A new mural at GoggleWorks shows the story-line elements linked to the film and has a depiction of the aviator in her maroon Navion, flying in the clouds above the city of Reading.

Frances Dean Wilcox Nolde dreamed of becoming an opera star and did perform in a Gershwin musical with Fred Astaire and became the star of a 1930s radio serial. But after she married a wealthy textile manufacturer and became the mother of seven children on his Pennsylvania estate, she became a pioneer pilot, World War II Civil Air Patrol commander, winner of an early transcontinental all-women's air race and eventually a colonel in the CAP in charge of the women's program.