Make a whole weekend out of Valentine’s Day by adding to your festivities “Romance at the Symphony” on Saturday, February 15, at 7:30 p.m. in The Etherredge Center. The Symphony will be joined by husband-and-wife duo Dominic Armstrong, tenor, and Ashley Emerson, soprano. In partnership with local restaurants, the Aiken

Symphony is offering a memorable evening of music and dining, perfect for celebrating with loved ones. This evening’s program features passionate arias and songs from operas such as Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, Verdi’s La Traviata, Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snow Maiden, Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, and Weill’s Street Scene; musicals such as Bernstein’s West Side Story, Loewe’s Camelot and My Fair Lady, Kismet (music by Borodin), and Rodgers’ Carousel; and songs by Richard Strauss, Verdi, and Duparc.

With her sparkling voice and effervescent stage presence, soprano Ashley Emerson has been described as a “vocal and dramatic delight” (St. Louis Post Dispatch). Ms. Emerson is a graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera and subsequently has appeared in over 200 Metropolitan Opera performances. This March/April, she will perform as Papagena in the Met’s production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, a role which she has reprised with them seven times over the last fifteen years.

Having recently been appointed Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of South Carolina, tenor Dominic Armstrong has been celebrated for his musicality, characterization, and beauty of tone on stages both nationally and internationally. Mr. Armstrong has been hailed by Opera News for presenting ‘truly a classic, memorable performance on all levels’ and by Parterre Box for being ‘an absolute star...able to pull from a wide expressive palette in his utterly unflappable, fluid tenor...”

Exclusive pre-concert dining experiences are available with custom menus at five Aiken restaurants: Green Boundary Club, Park Avenue Oyster Bar & Grill, The Reserve Club, The Willcox, and Woodside Country Club. Any existing membership requirements at these restaurants are being waived for this special event. More information about menus and reservations can be found here.

Tickets: Single tickets are either $45 or $60 depending on seat selection. Active military members can receive $10 off per ticket by calling the office. Tickets are available via the website (AikenSymphony.com) or by contacting the office at 803.295.0313 and can be printed at home, presented from a mobile device as an e- ticket, or picked up at the venue an hour and a half before the start of the concert.

Parking: Free parking is available in parking lots “C” and “D” adjacent to the Etherredge Center.