Sergei Prokofiev's grandson performs in Salina

Leading an orchestra in the performance of a great classical work can be a challenge for any conductor, but directing musicians in a performance of one’s own composition raises the stakes even higher.

During the second half of the upcoming “Romance” concert, Salina Symphony conductor and music director Yaniv Segal will lead orchestra members and the audience on a romantic musical journey with “Symphony in Scenes: Skychange,” a four-movement work based on music Segal wrote years ago for his own wedding.

Based on a quote from William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” that says, “Maids are May when they are maids, but the sky changes when they are wives,” Segal said his piece “is about events in our lives that change and alter our perspectives.”

“There are paths we have taken that bring us together, and paths we may go on in the future,” he said. “It’s about those moments when transformation occurs. There are many transformations in these movements, opening up to sunshine.”

The concert of “Romance” will begin at 4 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, 151 S. Santa Fe.

In addition to his own composition, Segal will conduct Tchaikovsky’s timeless romantic classic “Romeo and Juliet,” followed by the innovative, genre-defying music of guest artist Gabriel Prokofiev, who will perform selections from his electronic-based crossover album “Breaking Screens.”

Segal and Prokofiev will host a pre-concert talk beginning at 3 p.m. in the Stiefel Theatre’s Watson Room. Attendees are instructed to enter through the main theater doors, which will open at 2:30 p.m.

Yaniv Segal's music

Segal said that after being selected to be the Salina Symphony’s new conductor in May, executive director Adrienne Allen encouraged him to conduct some of his own music this upcoming season.

Segal chose to perform his wedding composition because he felt it best represented his style as a musician.

“I love melody: it’s my nature as a violinist to think melodically when I write,” he said. “I don’t shy away from changing meter, changing pulse on the chords. I express musical emotion through rhythm.”

There was only one issue with the piece: it wasn’t finished yet. Segal originally had written it for a smaller ensemble and now had to expand it for symphony orchestra.

“I always intended for it to be orchestrated, so during the pandemic, I finally had the time to turn it into an orchestral piece,” Segal said. “But I literally finished it just before the season began.”

Musical legacy

Guest artist Prokofiev, a London-based composer, producer and DJ, was born with a classical musical legacy. His grandfather, Sergei Prokofiev, was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who is regarded as one of the major classical composers of the 20th century.

“It can be quite intimidating to carry this name, but in a way, it has given me confidence to go my own ways as a musician,” Prokofiev said. “He lived in a different era, so it’s hard to compare what he did with what I do. I do something quite different.”

Prokofiev creates music that both embraces and challenges western music's classical traditions, emerging as a significant voice in new approaches to classical music that combines original traditional classical orchestral works with modern electronic music combining synthesizers, percussion effects and even record turntables.

“I got the bug when I fell in love with early electronic pop bands,” he said. “I got a feel for how you use synthesizers with classical music.”

Prokofiev, who completed musical studies at Birmingham and York Universities in England, became dissatisfied with the seemingly insular world of contemporary classical music, so he developed a parallel music career as a dance, grime, electro and hip hop producer.

His goal became to take his background in dance music and combine it with his classical roots to create a unique and contemporary sound.

“I wanted to write classical music that connected with contemporary life,” he said. “I’ve written pure orchestral music and pure electronic music. It took me a long time to combine both worlds.”

Electronic works

Prokofiev has created orchestral and chamber works, along with seven concertos (three featuring turntables), as well as an extensive body of electronic-inspired works

Titles of some of his works include: “Saxophone Concerto,” “Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra,” “Concerto for Trumpet, Percussion, Turntables & Orchestra,” “Techno Suite” and “Beethoven9 Symphonic Remix.”

Many of Prokofiev’s works have been performed internationally by orchestras that include the Seattle Symphony, Detroit Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Moscow State Symphony and the BBC Philharmonic.

More:Musical styles intersect as Salina Symphony hosts club night

Prokofiev said classical musicians initially were skeptical of combining strings with modern electronics and turntables, but “once we rehearse and they hear the results, they get rather excited.”

“For the audience, I hope what they hear touches them and makes them reflect on contemporary life,” he said. “I want to take them on a journey and also show them how classical music can evolve.”

Prokofiev is founder of the Nonclassical record label and club night, home to a host of artists whose creations defy conventions. Through Nonclassical, Prokofiev has been one of the leading proponents of presenting classical music in non-traditional venues such as nightclubs, warehouses and electronic music festivals.

While in Salina, Prokofiev said he will host a “Non-Classical Club Night” at a disused warehouse at 500 N. Fifth, beginning at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 4. Featured will be Prokofiev on electronics, Segal on violin and Melanie Mann on viola. Tickets are available at www.salinasymphony.org. Segal suggests audiences visit Prokofiev’s website at www.gabrielprokofiev.com to find out more about the composer.

“I advise people to listen to some of his music, if possible, to learn the language of the composer,” he said. “His work comments on the chaos we’re facing now in many parts of our lives, what climate change means for our children. He creates sounds you’re not used to listening to in a concert hall.”

Concert tickets

Tickets for the Salina Symphony concert are $29, $39 or $19 for students and may be purchased at the Stiefel Theatre box office, by calling 785-827-1998 or online at www.salinasymphony.org.

Season tickets are still available at the Salina Symphony office on the second floor of the Stiefel Theatre or by calling 785-823-8309.

For more information, contact Salina Symphony executive director Adrienne Allen at 785-823-8309 or visit www.salinasymphony.org.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina Symphony brings Tchaikovsky, and new works to Stiefel theatre