Revolutions Old & New Featuring Xander McRae, Bass-Baritone
NEWS CONTACT:
Jennifer Brink, Executive Director
Phone: (518) 793-1348
E-mail: exdir@gfso.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 16, 2026
Glens Falls Symphony presents: Revolutions Old & New
Join the GFS on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 4 pm as Music Director Charles Peltz, leads the orchestra as they celebrate “Revolutions Old & New,” music that revolutionized cultures and the arts. There is Beethoven’s Eroica, written in the passions of post-Revolution Europe, along with Mozart and his Figaro, the opera that tweaked and challenged the aristocracy, featuring Seagle Festival bass-baritone Xander McRae. The musicians will shake the strings as they oscillate between notes in John Adams ‘ Shaker Loops.” The performance will conclude with music that revolutionized American Ballet – with Aaron Copland’s famed Appalachian Spring, which will be performed in honor of Dennis J. Phillips, as his loving family dedicates this suite to his memory.
Join Music Director Charles Peltz in the Glens Falls High School Auditorium starting at 3 pm for his pre-concert talk. This talk is included in the price of admission. The doors at Glens Falls High School open at 2:30 pm. Tickets will be sold in the lobby entrance (Door A) on the day of the performance based on availability.
Program:
The Glens Falls Symphony
Charles Peltz, Music Director/Conductor
Ludwig Van Beethoven, Symphony No.3, “Eroica” I. Allegro con brio (1803)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro (1786)
Featuring Opera Singer Xander McRae, Bass-Baritone
“Se vuol ballare” “Non più andrai”
Intermission
John Adams, Shaker Loops (b.1947) (1982)
IV. Final Shaking
Aaron Copland, Appalachian Spring Suite (1943; 1945) (1900-1990)
About Xander McRae, Bass Baritone
Xander McRae is a rising bass-baritone and singing actor from the Dallas, TX region. Xander completed his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Music Education at the University of Oklahoma in 2024. Xander has experience on both the concert and operatic stage. He has participated in several of OU Opera Theatre’s productions along with participating in the Seagle Music Festival’s 2023 and 2024 seasons with the principal roles of Count Capulet in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette and Leporello in Don Giovanni. Xander has solidified himself as a strong baritone voice in the Oklahoma City area along with making his debut with Painted Sky Opera in 2024 as Captain Jason MacFarland in Jack Beeson’s Lizza Border and winning an encouragement award from the Tulsa district of the Metropolitan Laffont Competition.
In 2025, he made his title role debut as Don Giovanni with Opera Arlington and was selected as a young artist at the Manetti Sherm Opera Program at the Napa Valley Festival. Xander is currently continuing his education and training with a Master’s in Opera Performance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
The 2026-27 “Rev Up” season is sponsored by: Arrow Bank, The Table Rock Group at Morgan Stanley, The Queensbury Hotel, The Glens Falls Chronicle, The Lake George Area, Dan & Jan Hazewski, and Finch Paper.
Glens Falls Symphony performances are made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature
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Revolutions Old & New
The Glens Falls Symphony
Led by Music Director Charles Peltz
Sunday, November 8, 2026, 4 pm
Pre-concert talk at 3 pm – Hosted by Music Director Charles Peltz
Glens Falls High School Auditorium
Tickets:
Tier 1: $45
Tier 2: $39
Tier 3: $29
Students: $12 (Any Tier)
Click here to purchase tickets
Visit or call (518) 793-1348 to Purchase Tickets. - (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX)
For more information, contact Jennifer Brink at (518) 793-1348 or exdir@gfso.org
Glens Falls Symphony Office (518) 793-1348
Located upstairs in the LARAC Gallery building: 7 Lapham Place in Glens Falls
(No Elevator)
Office hours: Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
About Glens Falls Symphony
The Glens Falls Symphony, begun as a community amateur orchestra in 1977, now moves into its fifth decade of music-making as a professional orchestra. Since Maestro Charles Peltz arrived in 2000, the fully professional Glens Falls Symphony has performed a dynamic repertoire, regularly including musical premieres and world-renowned guest artists.
The orchestra continues to expand its musical and educational offerings to include Children’s Concerts for up to 3,000 students in the 7-county region in Warren and Washington counties, plus in the southeastern Adirondacks. The orchestra served over 14,000 people in 2025, and the 41st season welcomed some of the largest concert audiences in its history. The musicians offer master classes, as well as family concerts, summer pops programs, and more. Cited as “one of the great orchestras of our country” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Joseph Schwantner, the orchestra comprises professional musicians who come from all over the Northeast and beyond to perform.