The themes of love and obsession embody music from the Beatles, Berlioz and Leonard Bernstein for the upcoming Signature Symphony at TCC concert. The Beatles and Hector Berlioz wrote passionately about love, and one of Bernstein’s most famous works, Overture to Candide, represents an operetta based on a tale of love intertwined with an abundance of misadventures.

“Love and Obsession: The Beatles to Berlioz,” is Saturday, April 23, 2022 at the VanTrease Performing Arts Center for Education on the TCC Southeast Campus. Originally set for January 22, this concert was moved, and all tickets purchased for that date are valid for this rescheduled performance. No action is needed by the patron.

This concert welcomes Scott Seaton, one of the artistic director finalists, to the Signature Symphony stage and a week-long residency in Tulsa. The search process for a new artistic director was extended into the 2021-2022 season.

“There is so much happening this Spring as Signature Symphony returns to live, full-orchestra performances and our annual fundraiser, Overture, takes place. The search to hire a new artistic director started more than two years ago and the artistic director finalists have been preparing to share their talents and vision for more than a year,” says Kelly Clark, Dean of Visual and Performing Arts at TCC.

In creating this concert, Seaton says he couldn’t resist showcasing the Beatles, who wrote music for all the right reasons with a composer who wrote music out of an obsession and for all the wrong reasons.

“The Beatles are timeless musicians who knew how to connect with everyone and most of their early songs were about love. They created a message that resonated with millions of people around the world,” says Seaton. “Berlioz used his self-destructive passion to write about a woman who would never reciprocate the feelings he had. The result is a massive symphony that takes us deep inside a tormented artist, complete with vivid dreams, tantrums, moments of tenderness, and gut-wrenching despair.”

In addition to the concert, Seaton will talk to TCC classes and visit area schools during the week-long residency. Community members are invited to be part of the selection process by attending the concert at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 23 and the Free Open Rehearsal with a pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 21. The Free Open Rehearsal is your pass to go behind the scenes into the life of a conductor or a professional musician and experience live music in the rehearsal leading up to the concert date. A survey will be given to audience members at the concert to get feedback that will be incorporated into the selection process and the naming of a new artistic director for Signature Symphony.

“Our search for a new artistic director is a collaborative one and the community’s input is invaluable to this process,” says Clark.