"The featured soloist here was the PVSO's own harpist, TARA ALTERMAN, and she shone right from the opening work of the concert: Claude Debussy's Danses sacrée et profane, best translated, as the PVSO's principal oboist Zeke Hecker wrote in his fine program notes, as Sacred and Secular Danses. The work has become one of the greatest and most loved pieces of the harp-with-orchestra repertoire. Ms. Alterman and her colleagues played it beautifully, with perfect balance to create the diaphanous effect that this pinnacle of musical French Impressionism is; there was something magical about listening to it in this hall with its late-19th century French 2nd Empire architectural decor. Ms. Alterman had chances to shine in both of the succeeding works on the program as well; David Amram's, Symphonic Variations on a Song by Woody Guthrie and Cesar Franck's' Symphony in D, Op.48."

Classical Voice of New England
Pioneer Valley Symphony Lights 70 Candles
by Marvin J. Ward

Academy of Music
Northampton, MA
28 February 2009.

Orchestral Performances

As an orchestral performer, Tara has been principal player for an ever-increasing number of orchestras, including:

• The Springfield Symphony
• Pioneer Valley Symphony
• Waterbury Symphony
• Meriden Symphony
• The Northeast Philharmonic
• Peoria Symphony
• Milliken Symphony
• The Long Island Philharmonic

Theaters and Orchestral Performances

• Bushnell Theater, Hartford, CT
• Palace Theater, Waterbury, CT (Nutcracker Ballet)
• Warner Theater, Torrington, CT (Nutcracker Ballet)
• Academy of Music, Northampton, MA (Pioneer Valley Orchestra and Commonwealth Opera)
• Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville,CT (Irish Tenors and Johnny Mathis)
• Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY (Liza Minneli)
• Chautauqua Music Festival, Chautauqua, NY
• John M Greene Hall, Northampton, MA
• University of Massachusetts
• Amherst Fine Arts Center, Amherst, MA
• Smith College, Northampton, MA