[cid:image001.jpg@01CEC686.40277C90]<http://www.tacomasymphony.org/index.php/Concerts/TSOBruchRachmaninoff/> 2013-2014 Season opens with third finalist for music director position Concertmaster Svend Ronning soloist in Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 TACOMA, WA-Called "a highly accomplished conductor" by Opernwelt, American conductor Kevin Rhodes is the third of four finalists for music director to appear in concert with the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Rhodes will conduct the opening concert of the 2013-2014 Season, taking place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 26 in the Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway. The concert will open with William Schuman's American Festival Overture, followed by Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1, featuring Svend Rønning as soloist. Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 will conclude the program. Gordon Thomas Honeywell and The Roberson are the concert sponsors. For tickets, $19 to $62, call 591-5894, toll free at 800-291-7593, or visit www.tacomasymphony.org<http://www.tacomasymphony.org>. Kevin Rhodes's career has spanned several continents and more than two decades, extending from the major opera houses of Europe to the concert stages of the U.S. He currently serves as music director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MA), where he has been lauded for "heart-on-the-sleeve musical integrity" and "sure-footed, elegant and exciting performances." (Springfield Union-Times) He also serves as music director of Boston's Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra and the Traverse Symphony Orchestra (MI), which he has transformed into one of the state's finest professional per service orchestras. During all this he has remained a regular guest conductor of the Teatro Alla Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, and Paris Opera. A trained pianist who often conducts from the keyboard bench, Mr. Rhodes will lead the pre-concert talk an hour before the performance start. After the concert, the audience is invited to participate in a question-and-answer session in the Pantages lobby. Like Sarah Ioannides and Paul Haas last season, Mr. Rhodes will spend a week in Tacoma rehearsing the orchestra and meeting with board members, subscribers, donors, musicians and community stakeholders. The weeklong residency is designed to give both sides a feel for one another. The early process of a music director search takes place mostly via correspondence, telephone, and online media; the physical residency is the first extended personal encounter. In preparation for such a "baptism by fire," the conductors have been in close contact with TSO board and administrative leadership, as well as consulting extensively with Maestro Felder on the program and musical selections. Tickets and information.<http://www.tacomasymphony.org/index.php/Concerts/TSOBruchRachmaninoff/>