Today, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra (TSO) announced its upcoming collaboration Science & Symphony with KV 265, a non-profit organization whose mission is to communicate science through art to communities worldwide. KV 265 joins the TSO for a multimedia experience pairing high-definition imagery from NASA and astronomer-photographer Dr. José Francisco Salgado of KV 265 with the sounds of the orchestra. Two performances will take place at the Toledo Museum of Art’s Peristyle Theater on Thursday, November 11, 2021 at 9:45AM as part of the TSO’s Young People’s Concert Series and later in the evening at 7:00PM, open to the general public.
“We are excited to welcome back our school-aged audiences for this presentation with Dr. Salgado,” says Rachel Schultz, Director of Education & Community Outreach for the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts. “I hope everyone can join us for stunning photographs and incredible music for a multi-sensory experience combining arts, science, and technology. What a way to return to the Peristyle!”
KV 265 seeks to heighten appreciation and understanding of art, music, science, and technology and to inspire further exploration of these disciplines among its audience members through multimedia concerts, lectures, and educational workshops.
“I hope this production will inspire audiences to learn more about our dynamic Sun, the space weather it produces, and the awe-inspiring displays of light we call the Northern Lights—all while enjoying the beautiful music by Christopher Theofanidis,” says Dr. José Francisco Salgado of KV 265. “I invite audiences of all ages to join us for this multimedia concert combining storytelling and high-def photography.”
KV 265’s flagship project is its acclaimed Science & Symphony films for orchestra. These works have been presented in 235 concerts and 185 talks reaching over 460,000 people in concert halls and educational institutions spanning more than 85 cities in 19 countries. Some of the orchestras that have presented these works include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Boston Pops, New World Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, and more.
“I am really excited that we are bringing Dr. José Francisco Salgado and KV 265 to Toledo,” says TAPA Director of Marketing & Communications Vanessa Gardner. “Having worked with them in the past, I know audience members will be awestruck by the stunning visuals and amazing sounds of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra.“
HOW TO ATTEND:
What: Science & Symphony
When: Thursday, November 11, 2021, 7:00 PM
Where: Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle
Cost: $25, child and student pricing available
More info: Visit toledosymphony.com, visit the TAPA Box Office at 1838 Parkwood Avenue, or call 419.246.8000
The TSO’s Science & Symphony, an Andersons Inc. Charitable Foundation Family Event, is presented by Directions Credit Union. For tickets, call the TAPA Box Office at 419.246.8000 or visit toledosymphony.com. For questions about the evening performance, please contact Vanessa Gardner, Director of Marketing & Communications for the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts. For more information about the Young People’s concert, please contact Rachel Schultz, Director of Education & Community Engagement for the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts.
ABOUT KV 265
In 2000 Dr. José Francisco Salgado (then an astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and an adjunct professor at Benedictine University) began to apply his skills in scientific illustration and photography to create astronomy-themed artwork that would "provoke curiosity and a sense of wonder about the Earth and the Universe". This evolved into a series of multidisciplinary projects where art is used as a vehicle to communicate science and to inspire people to learn about science on their own. The flagship project of this series has been the Science & Symphony films. This project began in 2006 as a collaboration with the Chicago Sinfonietta. It consists of live performances of classical music works accompanied by high-definition science films produced specifically for these works.
Building on the overwhelming success of the first two films, Dr. Salgado, Anne Barlow, and Dr. Geza Gyuk, formed KV 265 in 2010. This non-profit organization, whose mission is the communication of science through art, has taken up the mantle and continued to expand on these performance and educational experiences. Through partnerships with symphony orchestras, chamber musicians, composers, artists, scientists, and educational institutions, KV 265 presents multidisciplinary works connecting disciplines including astronomy, photography, music, film, and storytelling.
These multimedia performances, lectures, and workshops pair engaging visuals of science with great music, to enhance the audience experience and to educate the public about the world and the Universe.
ABOUTE DR. JOSÉ FRANCISCO SALGADO
José Francisco Salgado is an Emmy-nominated astronomer (BS in Physics, Univ. of Puerto Rico; PhD in Astronomy, Univ. of Michigan), experimental photographer, visual artist, and public speaker who creates multimedia works that communicate science in engaging ways. As the Executive Director and co-founder of KV 265, a non-profit science and arts education organization, Dr. Salgado collaborates with orchestras, composers, and musicians to present films that provoke curiosity and a sense of wonder about the Earth and the Universe. His Science & Symphony films have been presented in 235 concerts and 185 lectures reaching a combined audience of more than 460,000 people in 19 countries. Orchestras that have presented these works include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, the San Francisco Symphony, New World Symphony, and the Orchestra Teatro Regio Torino. His first two films were named by the International Astronomical Union and UNESCO as Special Projects for the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009). In 2012 his film "Gustav Holst's The Planets" was chosen for Ravinia Festival's One Score, One Chicago initiative. In 2014, his collaboration with composer Christopher Theofanidis, "The Legend of the Northern Lights" was premiered with Grant Park Orchestra to critical acclaim in front of 32,000 people. In 2016, his short film "Carol of the Lights" was commissioned by Keith Lockhart and Boston Pops and presented 33 times to almost 75,000 people.
Dr. Salgado also produces and presents short science films with musician/composer Tom Bailey (formerly of British pop group Thompson Twins) as part of the audiovisual ensemble Bailey-Salgado Project. From 2006 until 2008 Salgado hosted "Nuestra Galaxia", a weekly astronomy news segment on Univision Chicago (WGBO) for which he received an Emmy nomination. KV 265 and Dr. Salgado are a two-time recipient of NEA's Art Works grant.
As an experimental photographer, Salgado has visited more than 30 scientific sites in remote places including the Atacama desert, the French Pyrenees, and the South African Karoo, and has contributed visuals to documentaries produced for the History, Discovery, BBC, and National Geographic channels. He is also a contributing writer for Digital Photography Review (DPReview.com). As a public speaker, he has given lectures in all seven continents, including a presentation at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
ABOUT TOLEDO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Toledo Symphony Orchestra is a community-supported organization of professional musicians and teachers who deliver quality performance and music education for all.
Formed in 1943 as The Friends of Music and incorporated in 1951 as the Toledo Orchestra Association, Inc., the Toledo Symphony Orchestra (TSO) has grown from a core group of twenty-two part-time musicians to a regional orchestra that employs sixty-nine professional musicians who consider the Toledo Symphony their primary employer, as well as numerous extra players annually as repertoire demands.
On January 1, 2019, the Toledo Symphony and Toledo Ballet officially merged to form the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), a new non-profit organization dedicated to providing exceptional live music and dance performances and education for the region. This partnership promises to create new and invigorating programs, provide cost and revenue synergies in operations, and integrate the arts through shared educational missions.
The Toledo Symphony reaches more than 260,000 individuals annually through performances and education programs. The series concerts (Masterworks, Pops, Chamber, Mozart in the Afternoon, and Family Series) are the critical underpinning of the orchestra’s artistic mission and regularly draw people from 135 postal zip codes. Education programs, student performances, and community concerts are held in schools, neighborhood churches, performing arts centers, and community facilities throughout the region; many are offered at no charge or provided at a reduced fee to help expand participation.
