Eckart Preu to step in for James Lowe in Spokane Symphony NYE concert; Nick Mason postpones tour

Eckart Preu, former Spokane Symphony music director and conductor laureate, will lead the symphony in its New Year’s Eve performance as James Lowe, the symphony’s current music director, is unable to fly to Spokane this week due to international flight cancellations because of COVID-19, it was announced Monday.

“I’m extremely disappointed that another year will pass without being able to personally share the joy of Beethoven’s Ninth with Spokane,” Lowe said in a news release. “Unfortunately, having visited my family for Christmas, the current travel disruptions have made it impossible for me to get back to Spokane in time.

“I’m delighted, however, that my friend, colleague and predecessor Eckart Preu will kindly step in to conduct, and I look forward to continuing our Beethoven tradition next year.”

The symphony’s tradition of performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on NYE continues at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox. It was started by Preu in 2009, and the last time Preu conducted it in Spokane was his 10th performance in 2018 before he left to take a new job as music director of the Portland Symphony Orchestra in Maine.

Preu is also music director of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra in Southern California and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. He was the Spokane Symphony’s music director from 2004-2019.

Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is one of the milestones of classical music. It features the beloved “Ode to Joy” and is dedicated to freedom, joy and brotherhood. At only about an hour long, it’s perfect for NYE when many people have plans to celebrate late into the evening. Tickets, at $18-$62, are available at spokanesymphony.org and (509) 624-1200.

Check back for interviews with Preu and Lowe in Friday’s Features section 7.

Nick Mason postpones tour

Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets – the Echoes Tour in North America has been postponed due to the surge of coronavirus cases in U.S. and Canadian cities, it was announced Monday. The tour was set to stop at First Interstate Center for the Arts on Feb. 27.

Rescheduled dates for fall 2022 will be announced soon, and ticketholders are advised to hold onto their original tickets and await further information from the tour. For up-to-date information on the tour and COVID-19 guidelines, go to safeandsoundspokane.com.