KITCHENER – Valentine’s Day is upon us and what better way to celebrate than with some of the world’s most romantic music. Renowned violinist Soovin Kim joins guest conductor Stefan Sanderling and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (KWS) for a concert that will move you with the beloved works of Delius, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. Performance takes place at 8PM on February 13 & 14, 2009 at the Centre In The Square (CITS) and again at 2PM on February 15, 2009 at River Run Centre (RRC), Guelph.

A fitting start to the romantic theme of the concert is The Walk to the Paradise Garden, a moving interlude from the 1901 opera A Village Romeo and Juliet, written by English composer Frederick Delius (1862-1934). The romance continues with German composer Felix Mendelssohn’s (1809-1847) Violin Concerto in E minor, which was one of the first violin concertos of the Romantic period and remains one of the most popular today. "The Germans have four violin concertos…But the most inward, the heart's jewel, is Mendelssohn's." - Joseph Joachim (1831-1907)

To round out the perfect Valentine’s evening, the ever popular 4th Symphony, by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), also of the Romantic era, is sure to tug on the heart strings.

Guest conductor Stefan Sanderling currently the Music Director for the Florida Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the Toledo Symphony, leads the KWS and the astounding violinist Soovin Kim in this passion-filled concert.

Since 1945 the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony has enhanced the quality of life in the communities it serves and is one of the most valued cultural gems for our region. With 75 concerts each season, 52 professional musicians and a nationally recognized Youth Orchestra program, Canada’s largest regional Symphony plays a vital role of presenting great music to diverse audiences across the region and beyond.