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BEETHOVEN FOR ALL
GERMANY'S LARGEST VIRTUAL CHOIR WITH DANIEL BARENBOIM AND THE WEST-EASTERN
DIVAN ORCHESTRA AND YOU!
Classical Radio is in cooperation with Germany's largest KlassikAkzente
Beethoven choral and needs your help! Send us your personal videos with
the "Ode to Joy", no matter whether you sing by yourself, with your
family, your employees or club members. From your submissions, we put
together this unique choir and present the results live on radio and
classical music on this site. With a little luck you will meet with Daniel
Barenboim and the West Eastern Divan Orchestra at the Berlin forest stage
at the big "All Beethoven" concert on 29.07.2012.
How it Works:
Check out the trailer for the Sample "Ode to Joy" at the top right.
Fill the form out, then you get to sing along with text and video and MP3
of the entire fourth Movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony as a thank you!
Films in to the singing and send us your video on the upload function .
We look forward to your contributions! Deadline is the 09.03.2012 [March
9, 2012]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Marc Apter,
301-904-3690
marca1030@gmail.com
Pianist Brian Ganz Continues His Chopin Project
February 11th at the Music Center at Strathmore
Pianist continues his “Extreme Chopin” Quest
To Be First to Perform All of the Composer’s Works
At Eleven Years of Age Ganz “Wounded “ by Chopin
North Bethesda, MD, (January 14, 2012) –About a year ago, Pianist Brian
Ganz began his “Extreme Chopin” quest to perform all of Frédéric
Chopin’s works. The sold out recital at the Music Center of Strathmore
launched Ganz’s ambitious endeavor to perform the approximately 250
works of Chopin over the next decade. The next concert in the series will
take place at Strathmore on February 11 at 8 pm. To purchase tickets visit
nationalphilharmonic.org or call 301-581-5100.
Ganz will explore the theme of “Dances and Fantasies” in his second
Chopin recital at Strathmore. “The program will include such beloved
Chopin favorites as the Fantaisie-Impromptu and the ever popular Polonaise
in A major,” Ganz said, “The Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61, Chopin’s
last large-scale masterworks for solo piano, will form the centerpiece of
the program. It’s one of Chopin’s very personal statements, and
relatively rarely heard.”
The February 2012 program will include Two Polonaises, Op. 40; Fantaisie
("Fantasy") in F minor, Op. 49; Impromptu No. 2 in F-sharp Major, Op. 36;
Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 (Posthumous); Waltz in A-flat
Major, Op.42; Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61; Four Mazurkas, Op. 6; Andante
Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22.
An audience of almost 2,000 attended the January 2011 concert, after which
The Washington Post wrote: “Brian Ganz was masterly in his first
installment of the complete works.”
“Chopin’s music is the language of my soul, and I have dreamed since
childhood of someday performing all of his works,” said Ganz, widely
regarded as one of the leading pianists of his generation. In an article
about the project, the Baltimore Sun wrote: “The boy was 11, already
well along in his process of discovering music, when he found himself
alone at home one day listening to Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G Minor,
Opus 23. Something in the piece struck Brian Ganz like a bolt from stormy
skies.” Ganz recounted that moment, saying, “How can it be so
beautiful that it hurts? That was the moment that I like to say Chopin
wounded me.”
Since his January 2011 Chopin recital, Ganz has performed the Grieg piano
concerto with the National Philharmonic under the direction of Music
Director and Conductor Piotr Gajewski and Beethoven’s first concerto
with the National Symphony of Costa Rica under the baton of Mykola
Diadiura. He has toured northern California with the Palomarin Chamber
Music Foundation and played in Italy with the Alba Music Festival. In
January, he will make his first appearances in South America as he takes
part in the Cartagena Music Festival in Colombia.
In his inaugural Chopin recital, Ganz played several early pieces to
showcase Chopin’s initial promise and then played more mature works in
the same genres to demonstrate the promise fulfilled. “I like to call
this ‘musical gardening,’” Ganz has said, “First the seed of his
genius, then the full flowering.” Future recitals will include all the
chamber music and songs as well as the complete solo works, including each
version of every mazurka and waltz. Ganz will also play such obscure
overlooked works as the little Fugue in A minor, the two bourrées and the
variation Chopin wrote for Hexameron, a rarely heard work initiated by
Chopin's friend, composer and pianist Franz Liszt, and carried out
completed by multiple composers.
Ganz is researching the question of whether every work has ever been
performed before by a single pianist in a series. He may be the first to
perform all Chopin’s works, but says, “Of course, the important thing
is not whether I’m the first to do this. I’m excited to share works
with Chopin lovers that they may never have heard before,” Ganz said.
“There are so many beloved works of great beauty and emotional power,
but there are also quite a few buried treasures that deserve to be heard.
It’s fascinating to hear, for example, the different authentic versions
that exist of some very well-known works. There are marvelous surprises in
store for Chopin lovers.”
Ganz will perform Chopin’s orchestral works with the National
Philharmonic, led by Maestro Gajewski, who has embraced the pianist’s
ambitious endeavor wholeheartedly. “Brian is likely the first to
undertake to perform all the works of Chopin. He is the perfect pianist to
play all of Chopin’s works--not only because of his great love for the
composer, but also because of his intense connection with his audience,”
Gajewski said. “Brian’s playing exudes incredible warmth and openness.
He demonstrates an uncommon eagerness to bridge the distance between
artist and audience.”
Ganz’s recordings have been released on the Accord label in Paris. He
has begun a project with Maestoso Records to record the complete works of
Chopin and has also recorded on the Gailly label in Belgium. In addition,
he has been named an artist/editor for the Schirmer Performance Editions,
which has already published his Chopin Preludes.
“There isn’t much about Chopin that Brian Ganz doesn’t know,” The
Washington Post has written. “The pianist has explored the nocturnes,
the etudes, the sonatas and concertos and the rest in concerts, master
classes and recordings for years now. His delight and wonder in this music
seems to grow, apparently without bounds, as time goes on.”
In January 2010, Ganz visited Poland, invited by the renowned conductor
Miroslaw Blaszczyk to play with the Filharmonia Slaska and Filharmonia
Pomorska. Visiting Chopin’s home country affected Ganz profoundly.
“Chopin is Poland’s national treasure. His face was pictured
everywhere, sometimes with no name under it and no caption of any kind. It
is almost as if he is the air people breathe. This was profoundly
satisfying to me, because he has always been the air I breathe,” Ganz
said. “I visited the church where his heart lies in Warsaw. I visited
the monument where outside concerts take place under a graceful, sweeping
statue of him. I took a taxi to his birthplace in Zelazowa Wola. The
whole experience was a pilgrimage for me.”
Ganz sometimes brings his entire collection of Chopin’s music to a
performance so that he can accept requests from the audience. "One of my
lifelong goals has been to study every single note Chopin composed," Ganz
said. "This project gives me a lovely framework within which to reach that
goal." In an exuberant review of a Ganz performance, The Washington Post
wrote, “One comes away from a recital by pianist Brian Ganz not only
exhilarated by the power of the performance but also moved by his search
for artistic truth.”
Ganz has shared First Grand Prize in the Marguerite Long Jacques Thibaud
International Piano Competition and won a silver medal (third prize) in
the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium International Competition. He has performed
as a soloist with such orchestras as the St. Louis Symphony, the St.
Petersburg Philharmonic, the City of London Sinfonia and Paris’s
L’Orchestre Lamoureux and under the direction of conductors such as
Leonard Slatkin and Mstislav Rostropovich.
He is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he studied
with Leon Fleisher. Earlier teachers include Yyda Novik and Claire Deene. Gifted as
a teacher himself, Ganz is a member of the piano faculty and Artist-in-Residence at
St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He also serves on the piano faculty of the Peabody
Conservatory. He has served on the jury of the Long Thibaud Competition in
Paris.
To purchase tickets to Brian Ganz’s all-Chopin concert on February 11,
2012 at 8pm at the Music Center at Strathmore, please visit
nationalphilharmonic.org or call the Strathmore ticket office at (301)
581-5100. Tickets are $24 - $46; kids 7-17 are FREE through the ALL KIDS,
ALL FREE, ALL THE TIME program (sponsored by The Gazette). ALL KIDS
tickets must be purchased in person or by phone. Parking is free.
David Lang's 'death speaks'
Premieres at Stanford and Carnegie
Hall January 25 and 27
with Bryce Dessner (The National), Shara Worden
(My Brightest Diamond), Owen Pallet, and Nico Muhly
plus the little match girl passion, sung by Theatre of Voices,
Paul Hillier, Director
" With his winning of the Pulitzer Prize for the little match
girl passion (one of the most original and moving scores of
recent years), Lang, once a postminimalist enfant terrible, has
solidified his standing as an American master." — The New Yorker
Photos:
Dessner by Rene Cervantes/MTV | Muhly by Samantha West |
Pallett by Ryan Pfluger | Worden by Matt Wignall
In October 2007 Paul Hillier and Theatre of Voices premiered
David Lang's the little match girl passion at Carnegie Hall.
People in the audience that night knew they had heard something
special. But this special? Only a few months later the piece won
the Pulitzer Prize, then the recording on Harmonia Mundi won a
Grammy, and the piece has gone on to become a hit around the
world.
death speaks was commissioned by Carnegie Hall and Stanford
Lively Arts, specifically to go on a program with the little
match girl passion. The opportunity came without many other
parameters, so there were a lot of questions I had to answer.
Would the new piece be for an existing ensemble or some group I
would assemble for these performances only? Would it relate to
little match girl, musically or emotionally, or would it start
from its own place?
Something that has always interested me about the little match
girl story is that the place where we are left emotionally at
the end is so far away from where the match girl is. We are all
weeping at the end and yet she is happily transfigured, in the
welcoming arms of her grandmother in heaven. The original story
switches starkly back and forth at the end, between her state
and ours, perhaps in order to show us just how far away from
redemption we are; it is Andersen's way of making us feel left
behind.
This reminded me of certain other stark comparisons between the
living and the dead. I remembered the structure of Schubert's
beautiful song "Death and the Maiden" in which the text is
divided in half; the first half of the song is in the voice of
the young girl, begging Death to pass her by, and the second
half of the song is Death's calming answer. This seemed to be
the same division as in the Andersen story — the fear of the
living opposed against the restfulness of death.
What makes the Schubert interesting is that Death is personified.
It isn't a state of being or a place or a metaphor, but a person
, a character in a drama who can tell us in our own language what
to expect in the World to Come. Schubert has a lot of songs with
texts like these — I wondered if I assembled all of the
instances of Death speaking directly to us then maybe a fuller
portrait of his character might emerge. Most of these texts are
melodramatic, hyper-romantic and over-emotional; one of the
knocks on Schubert is that he often saved his best music for the
worst poetry. Nevertheless, I felt that taking these overwrought
comments by Death at face value just might lead me someplace
worth going.
I went alphabetically in the German through every single Schubert
song text (thank you, internet!) and compiled every instance of
when the dead send a message to the living. Some of these are
obvious and some are more speculative — Death is a named
character in "Der Erlkönig," the brook at the end of Die Schöne
Müllerin speaks in Death's name when it talks the miller into
killing himself, the hurdy gurdy player at the end of
Winterreise has long been interpreted as a stand-in for Death.
All told, I have used excerpts from 32 songs, translating them
very roughly and trimming them, in the same way that I adjusted
the Bach texts in the little match girl passion.
Art songs have been moving out of classical music in the last
many years — indie rock seems to be the place where Schubert's
sensibilities now lie, a better match for direct storytelling
and intimate emotionality.
I started thinking that many of the most interesting musicians in
that scene made the same journey themselves, beginning as
classical musicians and drifting over to indie rock when they
bumped up against the limits of where classical music was most
comfortable. What would it be like to put together an ensemble
of successful indie composer-performers and invite them back
into classical music, the world from which they sprang?
I asked rock musicians Bryce Dessner, Owen Pallett, and Shara
Worden to join me, and we added Nico Muhly, who, although not
someone who left classical music, is certainly known and welcome
in many musical environments. All of these musicians are
composers who can write all the music they need themselves, so
it is a tremendous honor for me to ask them to spend some of
their musicality on my music.
For Immediate
Release
Orchestra Nova San Diego Reaches for the Stars
Orchestra Nova San Diego Reaches for the Stars
Orchestra Nova Continues to Demonstrate Solid Success and Trajectory
in Its 2011-2012 Season
Media Release
Contact: Matt Shoaf
Marketing Outreach Manager
January 20, 2012 858-350-0290, ext. 8
matt.shoaf@orchestranova.org
San Diego, CA
Orchestra Nova announces it has achieved unprecedented fundraising
heights in its recent 2011-2012 fundraising drive conducted in December.
This follows on the heels of ending its 2010-2011 season in the black, a
rarity in the arts these days. The December drive yielded several key
metrics which underscore the organization's solid and growing success:
Orchestra Nova quadrupled the total amount of donations received this
season over last season. Over 30 percent of donations came from
first-time donors, indicating that Orchestra Nova is clearly reaching new
audiences, while nurturing its loyal donation base. The average
donation amount this season was $237, double the average gift of last
season. Orchestra Nova received a generous corporate challenge from
locally-headquartered HME, which inspired nearly twice as many donors to
give this season. "We are proud to be one of the sponsors of Orchestra
Nova," said Harry Miyahira, founder of HME. "Leadership at the top
reflects the innovations of the Orchestra Nova product."
Orchestra Nova has doubled its staff over the last year to manage its
growing success, and it has increased its budget this year by 25
percent. In addition, Orchestra Nova has sold out every Nova Classics
concert to date this season, and current sales are on track for the
remainder of the performances to sell out as well.
Behind all of this success is an organization with a vision and mission
that is quite different from those of most orchestras. Under the
leadership of the dynamic artistic director Jung-Ho Pak, Orchestra Nova
is focused on delivering an extraordinary music experience, one that
better connects today's audiences to beautifully and artfully played
classical music by engaging all of the senses in a unique and theatrical
lobby and concert hall experience. Immersing the orchestra's guests in
sights, sounds and tastes in the theme of a performance brings
relevance, emotion and enthusiasm to guests in a way not found in
traditional orchestral performances.
"It was Jung-Ho's vision that started us – and has kept us – on the
path to the success we're seeing today," says Beverly Lambert, chief
executive officer. "We're wrapping an experience around classical music
that I don't believe any other orchestra in the country is doing today,
and our guests are responding with gusto."
As a result, not only has Orchestra Nova seen unprecedented financial
success but also it has begun to garner national attention and engage
more high-profile music entities. In December, it was asked to perform
with Celtic Woman at their opening performance of a national tour. Most
recently, Orchestra Nova was proud to share the stage with
internationally renowned rock fusion guitarist Billy McLaughlin in a
unique performance paring an orchestra and acoustic guitar to be
broadcast nationally later this year.
Others in the industry are recognizing the Orchestra Nova difference.
"It seems to me that orchestras currently sit somewhere between two
positions: those who see the challenges of the future and are flexible
enough to move to meet and embrace them and those who are wed to the
traditional 'us and them' model that has led to so many problems for
orchestras globally," said John Page, artistic director and conductor
for Celtic Woman. "I have to say, of all the groups, Orchestra Nova
clearly aligns itself very much to the first position. The willingness
to collaborate and get involved, the clear sighted vision that there's
no room for complacency and musicians have to embrace all and the
wonderful attitude of the players stands out for me as one of the
healthiest and most fun groups we had."
About Orchestra Nova
Under the dynamic leadership of artistic director Jung-Ho Pak, chief
executive officer Beverly Lambert and board president, Dr. Samuel
Dychter, Orchestra Nova is on an exciting mission to provide a dramatic
music experience that is extraordinary in every way. Unlike many
classical music organizations, Orchestra Nova is enjoying unprecedented
financial and artistic success as it continues to demonstrate its fresh
and open approach to making classical music entertaining, emotional and
relevant to today's audiences. The Nova Experience begins once you enter
the door and are immersed in the lobby experience that sets the stage for
the evening's concert which includes creative programming, multimedia
presentations, unique interaction with artistic director Pak and
unsurpassed musicianship.
Orchestra Nova is deeply committed to music education and has one of the
most extensive programs in San Diego County, engaging thousands of
students through programs that are low-cost, self-sustainable and
long-lasting.
For more information, visit orchestranova.org.
11772 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite 212, San Diego, CA 92121
• 858-350-0290 • 858-350-0297 (Fax) • orchestranova.org
January 4, 2012
John Chamberlain (502) 852-6171
j.chamberlain@louisville.edu
UofL awards noted composer Karel Husa with honorary degree
LOUISVILLE, Ky. –University of Louisville officials will present renowned music composer
Karel Husa with an honorary degree. He will receive a Doctor of Fine Arts honoris causa at a special
ceremony on Jan. 16 in Raleigh, NC.
A winner of the 1969 Pulitzer Prize in Music and the 1993 UofL Grawemeyer Award for Music
Composition, Husa has had a longstanding relationship with the university.
Christopher Doane, dean of the School of Music, will present the award at a noon luncheon in
Husa’s honor at the 18 Seaboard restaurant, 18 Seaboard Avenue.
“Husa’s music, teaching and conducting has been imprinted on generations of musicians
throughout the United States and the world,” Doane said. “He is an international music treasure.”
A native of Czechoslovakia, Husa immigrated to the U.S. in 1954 and has been active as an
orchestral conductor, composer and academic with Cornell University and Ithaca College in New York.
Husa’s works have included commissions to write for many of the world’s major orchestras and are
among the most performed music compositions of the late 20th-century.
“Our celebration honors the close relationship between Husa and the university,” Doane said.
Husa’s ballet “The Trojan Women” was commissioned for the 1980 opening of the School of
Music building on the university’s Belknap Campus and, more recently, he wrote “Cheetah,” which was
performed by the University of Louisville Wind Symphony at Carnegie Hall in honor of the school’s 75th
anniversary in 2007.
The school has also released “Music of Life – Orchestral Masterworks of Karel Husa,” a CD of
Husa’s music featuring the works of faculty and students that include the only commercial recording of
the “Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra,” a composition for which he was awarded the Grawemeyer
Award.
The UofL honor adds to the numerous honorary degrees and recognition for Husa which include
a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation; awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters,
UNESCO, and the National Endowment for the Arts; Koussevitzky Foundation commissions; the Czech
Academy for the Arts and Sciences Prize; the Czech Medal of Merit, First Class, from President Vaclav
Havel; and the Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund Award.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 3, 2012
Media Contact:
Karen Wing
919-608-8997
NORTH CAROLINA OPERA TO PRESENT LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES, A PHILIP GLASS OPERA
RALEIGH, N.C.-- North Carolina Opera will present Les Enfants Terribles
(Children of the Game), a dance opera by Philip Glass Jan. 19, 20 and 22, 2012
at the Fletcher Opera Theater at the Progress Energy Center in Raleigh, N.C.
Robert Weiss, Artistic Director of Carolina Ballet, will serve as director
and
choreographer, and the production will feature dancers from Carolina Ballet.
The opera will be sung in French with English supertitles.
Les Enfants Terribles wascreated by Philip Glass and Susan Marshall in
1996. It
is based on the 1929 novel of the same title by Jean Cocteau and the 1950
film
from Jean-Pierre Melville. It is the third of a trilogy of operas that Glass
composed based on works of Cocteau. Jan. 31, 2012 marks the 75th birthday
celebration of Philip Glass, one of America’s most popular composers, whose
work includes opera, symphony, ballet and film (The Hours, No
Reservations, The
Thin Blue Line, Kundun, among others).
In Les Enfants Terribles, a brother and sister live in a fantasy world, a
“game” of their own imagining. Friends from the outside world try to
enter, but
the harmless “game” turns into a fierce and tragic struggle. Wilson
Southerland conducts and Robert Weiss directs and choreographs. Jessica
Cates,
soprano and a native of Greensboro, NC, will play the role of Lise.
Mezzo-soprano Nicole Rodin is Dargelos/Agathe, tenor Philippe Pierce is
Gérard
and baritone Timothy McDevitt will play Paul. Dancers from the Carolina
Ballet
include Lara O’Brien, Lindsay Purrington, Yevgeny Shlapko and Gabor Kapin.
Jeff A.R. Jones is the scenic designer, Ross Kolman the lighting designer,
Kerri Martinsen the costume designer, and Roz Fulton the video designer.
This is a beautiful and haunting opera,” said Eric Mitchko, General
Director of
North Carolina Opera. “It’s a piece we have long wanted to do.
Philip Glass
appeals to a much broader music public than many other composers do, and the
performance will be a rare treat for Triangle opera enthusiasts.”
After making his Kennedy Center debut accompanying esteemed
conductor-violinist
Lorin Maazel, Wilson Southerland later joined Maestro Maazel at Cal
Performances in Berkeley, CA, as principal coach and pianist for his Britten
Project. His New York debut at Merkin Hall led to subsequent appearances at
Alice Tully Hall, Steinway Hall, and the Apollo Theater. In Europe, Mr.
Southerland’s engagements have included concerts at London’s Wigmore
Hall and
the Villa D’Ephrussi Palace near Nice, France. He was also invited to
perform
at the Spoleto USA Festival (where he premiered works of composer David Lang)
and served as pianist for choreographer Mark Morris. A former faculty
member of
Vanderbilt University and former guest faculty at the Eastman School of
Music,
he has appeared in recital with Metropolitan Opera soprano Emily Pulley,
Naumburg Vocal Competition winner Stephen Salters, and Broadway star Brian
Stokes Mitchell. Recently, he made his theatrical debut as the
Accompanist in
Terrence McNally’s Tony-winning play Master Class. Mr. Southerland holds a
Master of Music from The Juilliard School.
Robert Weiss began his career as a professional dancer at the age of 17, when
he joined the New York City Ballet at the request of George Balanchine. He
remained with the company for 17 years, rising to the rank of principal
dancer.
During this time he performed principal roles in over 40 ballets, some of
which
were created for him by both Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. His career took
him next to Pennsylvania Ballet in Philadelphia, where he served as Artistic
Director for eight years. As a choreographer, Mr. Weiss has created over 40
ballets, including commissions by Pennsylvania Ballet, American Ballet
Theatre
(for Kirkland and Baryshnikov), the New York City Ballet, Bejart’s
Ballet of
the 20th Century, The Caramoor Festival, and Philadanco Dance Company, among
others. In May 1997, Mr. Weiss was invited to become the founding Artistic
Director of Carolina Ballet. Mr. Weiss has received great critical and
audience
response for his Carolina Ballet world premieres including Romeo and Juliet,
Messiah, Stravinsky’s Clowns (Jeu de Cartes, Petruschka and Pulchinella),
Carmen, Nutcracker, The Kreutzer Sonata, Firebird (which has been
presented by
Washington Ballet at the Kennedy Center in the nation’s capital), Swan
Lake,
Cinderella and Peter and the Wolf, and a new Sleeping Beauty after Petipa to
end the tenth anniversary season in 2008. In 2009 Mr. Weiss created a new
Beauty and the Beast to a commissioned score from Karl Moraski. Robert Weiss
received the Medal of the Arts from the City of Raleigh Arts Commission in
May
2005, and in fall 2009 he was honored by the Phi Beta Kappa Society of North
Carolina. In May 2011, Mr. Weiss received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts
Degree from North Carolina State University.
A native of Greensboro, NC, emerging soprano Jessica Cates recently debuted
with Fort Worth Opera as Yum-Yum in The Mikado. Upon completing her first
summer as a Young American Artist with Glimmerglass Opera, she performed
in The
Tender Land, and covered Elisa in Tolomeo. Cates performed the role of Ann
Putnam in The Crucible with Knoxville Opera Studio, as well as Edith in The
Pirates of Penzance and Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto for Knoxville Opera.
Mezzo-soprano Nicole Rodin has performed with the Boston Lyric Opera as
Hansel
in Hansel and Gretel and Rosina in The Barber of Seville, both a part of the
company’s Opera for Young Audiences. She was an Apprentice Artist with
Central
City Opera in 2011, singing the title role in the family performance of
Handel’s Amadigi di Gaula. Rodin will serve as an Emerging Artist with
Boston
Lyric Opera in Spring 2012, performing the role of Bobachino in John
Musto’s
The Inspector. While attending the New England Conservatory of Music, Ms.
Rodin
performed the role of Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos.
Philippe Pierce has earned critical acclaim in such roles as Don Basilio and
Don Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Cleveland. He was awarded that
Opera’s “Belle O. Morse Young Artist Award” for Exceptional Promise and
Outstanding Vocal Performance. In the current season and beyond, he will
perform Gastone in La Traviata with the Nashville Opera, and Beppe in
Pagliacci
with Michigan Opera Theatre and Austin Lyric Opera.
Baritone Timothy J. McDevitt has appeared as Le Gendarmein Les Mamelles de
Tirésias and Marcoin Gianni Schicchi with the Central City Opera and
Testoin Il
Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda at Alice Tully Hall. He was the 2011
winner of Central City Opera's esteemed John Moriarty Award and a 2010 winner
of the Lys Symonette Prize in the Kurt Weill Foundation's Lotte Lenya
Competition.
Lara O'Brien is an accomplished Principal with the Carolina Ballet. She began
dancing at the age of eight and trained with the School of Ballet Chicago and
the School of American Ballet in New York City. She joined Carolina Ballet in
2001 as a member of the corps de ballet, was made a soloist in 2004 and
promoted to the rank of Principal in April of 2011. Ms. O'Brien has performed
many featured roles in Carolina Ballet's repertory including The Swan
Queen in
Swan Lake, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty,
Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The
Nutcracker.
Lindsay Purrington received her early ballet training from The Raleigh School
of Ballet, followed by St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH, and The Julliard
School in New York City. She joined Carolina Ballet as a founding member in
1998 and achieved Soloist ranking in 2003. From 2004-2006, Ms. Purrington
danced with Ballet New York in New York City, performing principal roles in
George Balanchine’s “Who Cares?”, Stanton Welch’s “Orange”,
and “The
Nutcracker”. She joined the Pennsylvania Ballet in 2007, dancing
featured roles
in works by Paul Taylor, Robert Weiss, Mauro Bigonzetti and Matthew Neenan.
Since returning to Carolina Ballet in 2009, Ms. Purrington has performed
featured roles in Robert Weiss’ “A Dancerly Response”, “Time
Gallery”, “Adagio
for Strings”, and “Song of the Dead.”
Yevgeny Shlapko was born in Odessa, Ukraine and raised in Brooklyn, New York.
He began his ballet training at age eight, at The School of American
Ballet in
New York City. He spent the next ten years under the direction of many
teachers
such as Peter Boal, Jock Soto, and Andrei Kramarevsky. In 2007, Yevgeny began
his professional career with a Corps de Ballet position with the Carolina
Ballet. Since joining the company, he has been featured in such roles as The
Raven in Robert Weiss' Sleeping Beauty, first theme of George Balanchine's
Four
Temperaments as well as the principal couple in George Balachine's Valse
Fantaisie. In 2011, Yevgeny was promoted to the rank of Soloist dancer.
Gabor Kapin began his ballet training at the Hungarian Dance Acadamy in
Budapest. As a student he performed feature roles with the Hungarian National
Ballet in their productions of Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Coppelia and
Balanchine's La Sonnambula. In 1999, he joined Carolina Ballet, where he
quickly rose to the rank of soloist. In 2005, Mr.Kapin joined Boston Ballet
under the direction of Mikko Nissinen. In Boston he worked with numerous
contemporary and modern choreographers such as Mark Morris, Jorma Elo,
Sabrina
Matthews and Helen Pickett. He rejoined Carolina Ballet as a principal in
2008.
His repertoire includes the lead in Robert Weiss's Messiah, Swan Lake,
Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty (after Petipa), Carmen (Don Jose), Jerome Robins's
Fancy Free (Rhumba Boy), and some of Balanchine's well known ballets: The
Prodigal Son, Rubies, Four Temperaments and A Midsummer Nights Dream.
Tickets are $25 to $83, and are on sale now by calling the North Carolina
Opera
Box Office at 919-792-3850, filling out the form available at
[1]www.ncopera.org or going to www.ticketmaster.com. Performances will be on
Jan. 19 at 8 p.m., Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 22 at 3 p.m.
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA OPERA
North Carolina Opera was formed in 2010 from the merger of Capital Opera
Raleigh and The Opera Company of North Carolina. It is dedicated to
presenting
operatic performances at the highest level throughout the Triangle. We also
have a robust education program that brings opera to schools across Wake
County
and surrounding counties. North Carolina Opera brings international level
artists to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, and also engages the best in
local
Triangle talent.
Media Release
Contact: Ellen James
Communications and Marketing Manager
(919) 843-0516
Ellen_James@unc.edu
Brooklyn Rider String Quartet and The Knights Chamber Orchestra Perform at UNC’s Memorial Hall on January 11, 2012
Chapel Hill, NC… Brooklyn Rider, a dynamic string quartet that has been called the future of classic music return to Memorial Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 11, for a one-night performance. They are joined by The Knights, a Brooklyn-based orchestra known for their gutsy and unrestrained performances and making their first appearance outside of New York City venues.
The adventurous, genre-defying string quartet Brooklyn Rider combines a wildly eclectic repertoire with a gripping performance style that attracts legions of fans and draws acclaim from critics of classical, world and rock music. NPR credits Brooklyn Rider with “recreating the 300-year-old form of string quartet as a vital and creative 21st-century ensemble.”
Brooklyn Rider (whose name is derived from the German artistic collective Der Blau Reiter—The Blue Rider) features Johnny Gandelsman, violin; Colin Jacobsen, violin; Nicholas Cords, viola; and Eric Jacobsen, cello. They perform in venues as varied as Joe’s Pub and Alice Tully Hall in New York City to the Todai-ji Temple in Japan, from the Library of Congress to the South By Southwest Festival. Through creative programming and global collaborations, Brooklyn Rider illuminates music for its audiences in ways that are “stunningly imaginative,” according to LucidCulture.com.
This is the third time Brooklyn Rider has appeared at UNC’s Memorial Hall following their 2008 appearance with Yo-Yo Ma and their 2010 appearance with the trio 2 Foot Yard. For the Jan. 11 program, Brooklyn Rider will be performing Mozart’s “String Quartet No. 8 in F Major,” an original composition “Seven Steps,” Joao Gilberto’s “Undiú” and traditional Roma music.
Born out of a desire to use the rich medium of the string quartet as a vehicle for communication across a large cross-section of history and geography, Brooklyn Rider is equally devoted to the interpretation of existing quartet literature and to the creation of new works. Much of Brooklyn Rider's desire to extend the borders of conventional string quartet programming has come from their longstanding participation in Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble. As individual members of the ensemble, they have performed throughout the world, recorded three albums for Sony Classical, and taken part in educational initiatives, family concerts and media broadcasts.
Brothers Colin and Eric Jacobsen are also the co-founders of The Knights, a chamber orchestra in which all the members of Brooklyn Rider participate. The 37-member orchestra will be performing Beethoven’s iconic “Symphony No. 5 in C minor” on Jan. 11.
The Knights is an orchestra of friends from a broad spectrum of the New York music world who cultivate collaborative music-making and creatively engage audiences in the shared joy of musical performance. Led by an open-minded spirit of solidarity and exploration, they expand the orchestral concert experience with programs that encompass their roots in the classical tradition and their passion for musical discovery. For their inspired programming and innovative formats, The Knights have been hailed as “the future of classical music in America” by the Los Angeles Times.
The formation of The Knights evolved from late night chamber music reading parties with friends at the home of violinist Colin Jacobsen and cellist Eric Jacobsen. The Jacobsen brothers serve as co-artistic directors for The Knights, with Eric Jacobsen as music director and conductor. The unique camaraderie within the orchestra continues to create an intimacy and immediacy of chamber music in performance. Each opportunity for these busy, versatile musicians to perform together as The Knights is a special occasion that they consider, quite literally, playtime.
The Knights boasts an unprecedented diversity of talents. There are composers, arrangers, singer-songwriters and improvisers who bring a range of cultural influences to the group from jazz and klezmer genres to pop and indie rock music. The musicians are graduates of such elite music schools as Juilliard, Curtis, Eastman, Manhattan and Mannes, and members have performed as soloists with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago and San Francisco symphony orchestras, as well as the Israel Philharmonic and Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart orchestra. Equally successful as chamber and orchestral musicians, they participate in the world's most prestigious music festivals, including Marlboro, Tanglewood, Verbier, Lucerne and Salzburg, and perform with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Toronto Symphony and New York Philharmonic.
The Knights have been touring through the U.S. and Germany and were recently a focus of documentary produced by WNET/Thirteen, entitled We Are The Knights, it premiered in September 2011. The Knight’s just released the album A Second in Silence featuring music by Erik Satie and Morton Feldman with Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony. The ensemble records an all-Beethoven disc for Sony Classical, their third project with the label.
The orchestra's extensive repertoire features traditional and contemporary masterworks of classical, popular, and world music in collaboration with such leading artists as soprano Dawn Upshaw and violinist Gil Shaham, flutist Paula Robison, singer-songwriter (and Knights violinist) Christina Courtin, Iranian ney (Persian bamboo flute) virtuoso Siamak Jahangiri, pianist Steven Beck, fiddler Mark O'Connor, and Syrian clarinetist/composer Kinan Azmeh.
Tickets for the Jan.11 performance are $19–$39 for general admission and $10 for UNC-Chapel Hill students. More information about The Knights and Brooklyn Rider can be found at www.carolinaperformingarts.org/resources/brooklyn. To purchase tickets, please call Memorial Hall Box Office at 919.843.3333 or go to www.carolinaperformingarts.org
About Carolina Performing Arts
Carolina Performing Arts’ mission is to enrich lives by creating and presenting exceptional arts experiences. The organization nurtures artistic innovation and the development of new works on and off campus; challenges and inspires audiences with powerful and transformative performances; and integrates the arts into the life of the University, embracing its mission of teaching, research and public service. www.carolinaperformingarts.org
Press contact (Dinnerstein): Christina Jensen PR, 646.536.7864
Christina Jensen, christina@christinajensenpr.com
Canelle Boughton, canelle@christinajensenpr.com
Pianist Simone Dinnerstein
Presented by Duke Performances
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 8pm
Reynolds Industries Theater, Duke University
Bryan University Center | 125 Science Drive | Durham, NC
Tickets: General Admission $30; Duke Students $5 at 919.684.4444 or www.dukeperformances.duke.edu
Durham, NC—Chart-topping pianist Simone Dinnerstein will perform on Friday, January 20, 2012 at 8pm presented by Duke Performances at Reynolds Industries Theater (Bryan University Center, 125 Science Drive, Durham, NC). Ms. Dinnerstein will perform Chopin’s Nocturne No. 8 in D-flat Major, Op. 27; New York-based composer Daniel Felsenfeld’s The Cohen Variations (inspired by the music of Leonard Cohen and commissioned by Ms. Dinnerstein); and Brahms’ Intermezzo, Op. 118, No. 2 in A. The program also includes selections from Ms. Dinnerstein’s upcoming Sony Classical album, Something Almost Being Said: The Music of Bach and Schubert, which will be released on January 31, 2012. The album and Ms. Dinnerstein’s concert in Durham include Bach’s Partita No. 2 in C Minor; Schubert’s Four Impromptus, Op. 90; Bach’s Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major. (Promotional CDs are available upon request.
Ms. Dinnerstein is appearing as part of Duke Performances’ Piano Recital Series, now in its fourth year, which consistently features world-class musicians performing the best of the classical repertoire. This year’s season features — in addition to Dinnerstein — Garrick Ohlsson (March 16) and Richard Goode (April 19). Ms. Dinnerstein last appeared at Duke in January 2011 in NIGHT, a collaboration with singer-songwriter Tift Merritt which was commissioned by Duke Performances.
Ms. Dinnerstein’s new album, Something Almost Being Said, was recorded at the Academy of Arts and Letters in New York by Grammy-winning producer Adam Abeshouse. The album's title is taken from English poet Philip Larkin's poem, The Trees. Ms. Dinnerstein says of the new album, and its title, “Bach and Schubert, to my ears, share a distinctive quality. Their non-vocal music has a powerful narrative, a vocal element. The effect is that of wordless voices singing textless melodies. Bach and Schubert's melodic lines are so fluent, so expressive, and so minutely inflected that they sound as though they might at any moment burst suddenly into speech. They sound like something almost being said.”
Something Almost Being Said follows the release of Ms. Dinnerstein’s 2011 album, Bach: A Strange Beauty, which topped the Billboard Classical Chart and is one of the few classical albums to make the Billboard Top 200 (best sellers in all music genres). The San Francisco Chronicle called Bach: A Strange Beauty “unadorned but profound bliss,” and The Washington Post raved, “Dinnerstein's readings may be said to plumb these works' genuine depths . . . poised, elegant, wonderfully played.” In conjunction with the album's release, Ms.Dinnerstein was featured on national television by CBS Sunday Morning.
American pianist Simone Dinnerstein has been called "a throwback to such high priestesses of music as Wanda Landowska and Myra Hess," by Slate magazine, and praised by TIME for her "arresting freshness and subtlety." The New York-based pianist gained an international following because of the remarkable success of her recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, which she raised the funds to record. Released in 2007 on Telarc, it ranked No. 1 on the US Billboard Classical Chart in its first week of sales and was named to many "Best of 2007" lists including those of The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The New Yorker. Her follow-up album, The Berlin Concert, also gained the No. 1 spot on the Chart.
More about Simone Dinnerstein: Ms. Dinnerstein's performance schedule has taken her around the world since her triumphant New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in 2005, performing Bach's Goldberg Variations. Recent and upcoming performances include her recital debuts at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Vienna Konzerthaus, and London's Wigmore Hall, the Lincoln Center Mostly Mozart Festival, the Aspen and Ravinia festivals, in Cologne, Paris, London, Copenhagen, Vilnius, Bremen, Rome, and Lisbon, and at the Stuttgart Bach Festival; as well as debut performances with the Vienna Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Kristjan Järvi's Absolute Ensemble, and the Tokyo Symphony. In New York she has performed on Lincoln Center's Great Performers series, and in three sold-out recitals at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is also a frequent performer at New York's (Le) Poisson Rouge, a club presenting all genres of music.
Ms. Dinnerstein has played concerts throughout the United States for the Piatigorsky Foundation, an organization dedicated to bringing classical music to non-traditional venues. Amongst the places she has played are nursing homes, schools and community centers. Most notably, she gave the first classical music performance in the Louisiana state prison system when she played at the Avoyelles Correctional Center. She also performed at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women, in a concert organized by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra to coincide with her BSO debut.
In addition, Ms. Dinnerstein has founded Neighborhood Classics, a concert series open to the public and hosted by New York City public schools. The concerts, which feature musicians Ms. Dinnerstein has admired and collaborated with during her career, raise funds for the schools' Parent Teacher Associations. The musicians performing donate their time and talent to the program. Neighborhood Classics began at PS 321, the Brooklyn public elementary school that her son attends and where her husband teaches fifth grade, and expanded in 2010 to PS 142 on New York's Lower East Side.
Over the past few years, Ms. Dinnerstein has been featured in Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, Classic FM Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, “O” The Oprah Magazine, TIME, Slate, Stern, Cicero, The Sunday (London) Times Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, among others, and has appeared on radio programs including BBC Radio 3's In Tune, BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, NPR's Morning Edition, Public Radio International's Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, American Public Media's Performance Today, Minnesota Public Radio, XM Radio's Classical Confidential, as part of the news on SIRIUS Satellite Radio's The Howard Stern Show, and on national television in Germany.
Ms. Dinnerstein is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she was a student of Peter Serkin. She was a winner of the Astral Artist National Auditions, and has twice received the Classical Recording Foundation Award. She also studied with Solomon Mikowsky at the Manhattan School of Music and in London with Maria Curcio. Simone Dinnerstein (pronounced See-MOHN-uh DIN-ner-steen) lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and son. She is managed by Tanja Dorn at IMG Artists and is a Sony Classical artist. For more information, please visit www.simonedinnerstein.com.
Celebrate the Season With the PA's Holiday Concert!
The Philharmonic Association has in store for you a wonderful evening
celebrating youth artists and the holiday season on December 7, 7:00
pm, in Meymandi Concert Hall. Showcased will be the Triangle Youth
Philharmonic and the International Ballet Company of Cary. Members of
the Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble will also provide musical enjoyment
in the lobby prior to the concert.
A featured soloist will be TYP Concertmaster Katherine Gilger, in
Vivaldi’s Winter.You’ll hear what a shivery winter evening in
baroque Italy evokes. The concert will include several Leroy Anderson
favorites, including Sleigh Ride, but also Bugler’s Holiday with
the TYP trumpet section, Dain Clare, Samuel Jasper, and Stockton Ray
as our soloists.
Partly inspired by his children’s appreciation of the festival of
lights, Terry Mizesko’s well-loved Chanukah Suite will delight you.
It is a three movement work that portrays both the celebratory and
the poignant side of this holiday.
Young artists come from many disciplines and we are pleased to
premier the Carol Fantasia composed and arranged by a Yorkshire lad
of 14 as a Christmas present for his Mother. Christopher Baczkowski
has played the violin and piano since he was five, but has only
recently shown an interest in composition. It is amazing what he has
accomplished!
What would the holidays be without The Nutcracker? There is abundant
artistry in the members of the International Ballet Company who will
perform five dances from the ballet. After the introductory Marche,
you will experience the pas de deux of the Snow King and Queen, the
Arabian, Spanish and Chinese dances, and the dramatic Grande Pas de
Deux with the Sugar Plum Fairy and her consort.
Bring your friends and family to support and enjoy these impressive
young artists! Tickets are only $10 for adults and $5 for senior
citizens and school age children.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 3, 2011
CONTACT: Val Jaskiewicz
734.665.3978
val@sharmusic.com
LOCAL (North Carolina) SCHOOL WINS CONCERT DATE WITH LEGENDARY VIOLINIST MARK O’CONNOR
Raleigh, NC, November 3, 2011 - On Wednesday, December 7th at 7:00 PM, legendary New York City-based violinist/fiddler, composer, and multi-Grammy winning recording artist Mark O’Connor will join the Powell Gifted and Talented Magnet Elementary School Orchestras, led by Orchestra Director Tara Culbreth, for “An American Festival” concert. Sponsored by internationally famous violin company, SHAR Music, and Mr. O’Connor, the concert will be held at the Powell Gifted and Talented Magnet Elementary School, located at 1130 Marlborough Rd. in Raleigh. The program will feature favorite tunes from the popular new O’Connor Orchestra Method, in addition to solo works played by Mr. O’Connor. The public is invited to attend this major event. (Free Admission)
When music educator Tara Culbreth discovered that her school had a chance to win a performance with Mr. O’Connor, valued at tens of thousands of dollars, she immediately envisioned the positive effect that such a concert would have on her students and her school. Encouraging her students’ involvement in writing essays to be submitted to SHAR Music, Ms. Culbreth says she was ecstatic when the winners were announced, and that Powell Elementary School emerged as one of the four national winners, out of the hundreds of schools that entered. The other winning schools are in Florida, Michigan and Texas.
Currently in the fourth decade of a remarkable career, O’Connor has witnessed countless “Aha” moments on the faces of the young participants at his popular nationwide fiddle camps, discovering the pleasures of learning to play familiar songs, performing with others and expressing themselves through improvisation. With an emphasis on improvisation and collaborative engagement, unique among teaching methods, the O’Connor Method aims to put creativity at the center of teaching music. Using familiar American tunes, with their roots in African, Latino, as well as European music, the goal is to equip the 21st Century Musician with the skills and motivation required to succeed and, more importantly, to contribute to America’s rich and broad musical heritage.
Today, the O’Connor Method, although still less than two years in print, has been embraced by countless violin teachers, a testament to its efficacy. “Creative training is essential . . . and getting kids to fall in love with playing music” is the mantra behind the method, says Mr. O’Connor.
Salonen’s “Violin Concerto” wins Grawemeyer music award
Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Violin Concerto has won the 2012 University of
Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition.
“I'm deeply, humbly grateful for the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition
to be given to my Violin Concerto. With great pride I join the illustrious
list of previous recipients, many of whom have been important influences in
my life both musically and personally,” says Esa-Pekka Salonen.
The four-movement, half-hour concerto begins with a solitary violin, moves
on to embrace a series of themes ranging from a quiet heartbeat to urban pop
music and ends on a chord unlike any other in the work, said award director
Marc Satterwhite. “The piece is eclectic in its influences but has a
distinct personality all its own,” he said.
Salonen conducted the first performance of the Violin Concerto himself at
one of his final concerts with the Los Angeles orchestra in 2009. Violinist
Leila Josefowicz, who inspired Salonen’s work, played at its premiere.
Josefowicz and the Finnish National Radio Symphony will record the piece for
commercial release in May.
Salonen’s Violin Concerto was selected for the Grawemeyer Award from among
165 entries. The University of Louisville presents four, $100,000 Grawemeyer
Awards each year for outstanding works in music composition, world order,
psychology and education.
Click here to listen to the Violin Concerto
– Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France at Festival Présences Paris in
February 2011 / Leila Josefowicz, Violin.
Statement from Esa-Pekka Salonen:
“The initial impulse for writing a concerto for violin was a very inspiring
and enjoyable collaboration with Leila Josefowicz on a number of
contemporary works in Los Angeles and Chicago. She plays new music with the
same kind of dedication and panache others reserve for Brahms, Beethoven and
the rest of the gang.
My long and very happy tenure as music director of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic was coming to an end. After 17 years I had decided it was time
to move on and try to devote more time for composing. It felt like a seismic
shift in my life, and during the composing process of “Violin Concerto” I
felt that I was somehow trying to sum up everything I had learned and
experienced up to that point in my life as a musician. This sense of having
reached a watershed was heightened by the fact that I turned 50, the kind of
number that brutally wipes out any hallucinations of still being young.
There is a strong internal, private narrative in my concerto, and it is not
a coincidence that the last movement is called "Adieu.” For myself, the
strongest symbol of what I was going through is the very last chord of the
piece; a new harmonic idea never heard before in the concerto. I saw it as a
door to the next part of my life of which I didn't know so much yet, a
departure with all the thrills and fears of the unknown.”
For more information on the award please go to
www.grawemeyer.org or contact Marc Satterwhite,
marc.satterwhite@louisville.edu,
Tel: 001-502-634-0939
Esa-Pekka Salonen is currently in Los Angeles where he conducts the Los
Angeles Philharmonic in two concert series on 25/26/27 November and 2/3/4
December with the world premiere of “Sirens”, a piece by Anders Hillborg
dedicated to Esa-Pekka Salonen, as well as the world premiere of the
prologue to Dmitri Shostakovich’s unfinished and long-lost opera “Orango”.
On 8, 9 and 10 December Esa-Pekka Salonen will lead the San Francisco
Symphony and violinist Leila Josefowicz in performances of his Violin
Concerto. The performances also include Sibelius’ tone poem Pohjola’s
Daughter and appearances by soprano Christine Brewer singing Brünnhilde’s
Immolation from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung.
In Chicago Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on
15/16/17 December with a world premiere of Matheson’s Violin Concerto.
25/26/27 November
Los Angeles, Walt Disney Concert Hall
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 2
Beethoven: Piano concerto No. 2
Hillborg: Sirens — world premiere
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano
Hila Plitmann, soprano
Emmanuel Ax, piano
Los Angeles Master Chorale, Grant Gershon
2/3/4 December
Los Angeles, Walt Disney Concert Hall
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Schostakowitsch: Orango — world premiere
Schostakowitsch: Symphony No. 4
Peter Sellars, director
8/9/10 December
San Francisco, Davies Symphony Hall
San Francisco Symphony
Sibelius: Pohjola’s Daughter
Salonen: Violin concerto
Wagner: Excerpts from Der Ring des Nibelungen
Leila Josefowicz, violin
Christine Brewer, soprano
15/16/17 December
Chicago, Symphony Center
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Matheson: Violin concerto — world premiere
Mahler: Sinfonie Nr. 6
Baird Dodge, violin
Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information on Esa-Pekka
Salonen, interview enquiries or photos.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: NMR 202-297-3833
info@newmusicraleigh.org
NMR Part of Winning National Grant to Record
November 18, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) - New Music Raleigh has been awarded the Composer Assistance Program -
Recording (CAP Recording) grant to record the chamber music of composer D. J. Sparr for Centaur Records. New
Music USA, formerly Meet The Composer and the American Music Center, administers the CAP - Recording program
that supports first recordings of new music by living American Composers. NMR was one of 15 applicants awarded
grants.
President and CEO of New Music USA, Ed Harsh, says of this second-year initiative - Recordings are the vital pipeline for new music to reach the people who love it. We are thrilled to support the realization of these fifteen outstanding projects as they make their way out into the listening world.
New Music Raleigh, Curator, Shawn Galvin, says - We're grateful for the support of New Music USA and honored to be
among the projects selected. D. J. Sparr is a close friend of NMR, and we look forward to collaborating on the premiere recording of his chamber works.
CAP Recordings intends to enhance composers' careers by supporting debut recordings of their work. Composers may
apply for funds regarding any stage of the recording or post-productions process. CAP Recording was created in 2010 to parallel New Music USA's Composer Assistance Program (CAP). CAP has awarded project-based grants to composers
for costs associated with premiere performances of their work since 1962. New Music USA will award a third round of
CAP Recording grants in 2012 - deadline July 16. www.newmusicusa.org
D. J. Sparr is an American composer and guitarist fluent in both classical and vernacular musical styles. He has been
named the next Young American Composer-in-Residence with the California Symphony where he will write new
orchestral works over a two-year period. Sparr’s music has been commissioned and performed by groups such as the
Albany Symphony, the Berkshire Symphony, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army
Band, the League of Composers’ Orchestra, the Los Angeles “Debut” Orchestra, New Music Detroit, the Pittsburgh New
Music Ensemble, the University of Washington, the Verge Ensemble, Wet Ink and Yale University. He was awarded the
$10,000 grand prize in the orchestra category of the BMG/Williams College National Young Composers Competition. He
received BMI Student Composer Awards in 1995 and 2000. Sparr is the composer-in-residence for the Richmond
Symphony’s Education and Community Engagement Department (2010-11); and in the summers, he is a faculty member
at the Walden School for Musicians.
New Music Raleigh is a collective of dynamic musicians dedicated to presenting outstanding performances of music by living composers. NMR fills a gap in Raleigh’s vibrant music scene, serving as a catalyst for creation and presentation of new music. Whether its through offering works of well established composers, up-and-coming composers, or cross-genre collaborations, NMR creates concert experiences that challenge tradition, engage and inspire diverse audiences, and give voice to today’s most innovative and relevant modern music. Since its founding, NMR has presented music by Steve Reich, John Luther Adams, Missy Mazzoli, Paul Lansky, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Judith Shatin, Belinda Reynolds, and has collaborated with the celebrated indie rock artists, Lost in the Trees and Shara Worden. NMR's Curators are Karen Strittmatter Galvin and Shawn Galvin.
Itzhak Perlman Performs with North Carolina Symphony, May 15, 2012
Tickets Available Now as
Part of Four-Concert Passport Series
RALEIGH, N.C.—The North Carolina Symphony announced today that
incomparable violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman will return to the orchestra
to perform Tchaikovsky’s scintillating Violin Concerto, capping off a
program of Italian-flavored masterworks.
The special event concert, led by Symphony Resident Conductor William
Henry Curry, takes place at Meymandi Concert Hall, in downtown Raleigh’s
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, on Tuesday, May 15, at
7:30 p.m.
Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. In
recent years, he took part in the inauguration of President Barack Obama,
earned a Kennedy Center Honor for his distinguished achievements and
contributions to the cultural and educational life of the United States
and performed at a state dinner for the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh,
hosted by President George W. Bush at the White House, among many other
accomplishments.
He joins the Symphony on an evening of masterworks based on Italian
themes, including Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture and Tchaikovsky’s
Capriccio Italien. Perlman then launches into Tchaikovsky’s Violin
Concerto in D Major, a composition once deemed unplayable that has since
become one of the most cherished and popular solos in the violin
literature.
Tickets to the performance are available now by phone only as part of the
Symphony’s four-concert Passport Series. Made up of programs from the
Duke Medicine Classical Series Raleigh, this miniseries takes concertgoers
around the world from the comfort of Meymandi Concert Hall by offering
rare performances of dramatic works from four world music cultures, with
featured performers offering audience members a taste of unique national
instruments.
In “Passport to Hungary,” folk song-inspired masterpieces by Kodály
and Bartók, as well as Kamilló Lendvay’s Concertino semplice for
cimbalom, headline an exploration of a national tradition that has fueled
hundreds of composers, at home and abroad, Jan. 13-14, 2012.
“Tango Nuevo” brings all the passion of tango to the concert hall for
a showcase of Argentine composers Ástor Piazzolla, Osvaldo Golijov and
Alberto Ginastera and a 21st-century piece by Australian composer Elena
Kats-Chernin, Jan. 27-28, 2012. The concert features performances by
bandoneón master Coco Trivisonno.
Symphony Music Director Grant Llewellyn, joined by harpist Catrin Finch,
takes orchestra audience members to his home—musically at least—with a
concert of masterpieces from his native soil, Wales, in “Grant’s
Postcards from Home,” April 20-21, 2012.
Tickets for the four-concert Passport Series, including the performance by
Itzhak Perlman, are $155 and available now by phone at 919.733.2750 or
toll free 877.627.6724. The Passport Series is presented in partnership
with American Airlines.
Any remaining individual seats to the Itzhak Perlman concerts will go on
sale online and by phone on Friday, March 30, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. Prices
range from $75 to $140. Purchase the Passport Series today before it sells
out, and take advantage of huge savings on world-class entertainment.
For complete information on the Passport Series, visit
www.ncsymphony.org/passport.
The May 15 concert will be Perlman’s fifth performance with the North
Carolina Symphony. He previously performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto
with the orchestra under the baton of Music Director Gerhardt Zimmermann
in 1990. He helped launch the Symphony’s 2001 season with a searing
rendition of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor and joined Grant
Llewellyn for a 2005 concert of works by Dvorák and Saint-Saëns.
Perlman was last with the Symphony in September 2005, when he joined
conductor Leonard Slatkin and viola/violin Pinchas Zukerman for Mozart’s
Sinfonia concertante in E-flat Major and Bach’s Concerto in D minor for
Two Violins.
About the North Carolina Symphony
Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performs over 175 concerts
annually to adults and school children. The orchestra travels extensively
throughout the state to venues in over 50 North Carolina counties. The
orchestra employs 67 professional musicians under the artistic leadership
of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn, Resident Conductor
William Henry Curry and Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks.
Based in downtown Raleigh’s spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue
at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60
concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary
metropolitan area. It also holds regular concert series in Fayetteville,
New Bern, Southern Pines and Wilmington and individual concerts in many
other North Carolina communities throughout the year.
For tickets, program notes, podcasts, musician profiles, the Symphony blog
and more, visit the North Carolina Symphony Web site at
www.ncsymphony.org. Call North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at
919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.
Series Listing:
North Carolina Symphony
Passport Series
Passport to Hungary
Sarah Hicks, Associate Conductor
Dovid Friedlander, violin
Petra Berényi, cimbalom
Kodály: Dances of Galánta
Kamilló Lendvay: Concertino semplice for cimbalom and orchestra
Ravel: Tzigane
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra
Fri/Sat, Jan 13-14, 2012, 8pm
Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts,
Raleigh
Tango Nuevo
Grant Llewellyn, Music Director
Coco Trivisonno, bandoneón
Osvaldo Golijov: Last Round for Strings
Piazzolla: Concerto for Bandoneón, String Orchestra and Percussion,
“Aconcagua”
Elena Kats-Chernin: Re-collecting ASTORoids
Piazzolla: Adiós Nonino
Ginastera: Four Dances from Estancia
Fri/Sat, Jan 27-28, 2012, 8pm
Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts,
Raleigh
Grant’s Postcards from Home
Grant Llewellyn, Music Director
Catrin Finch, harp
Ceiri Torjussen: Momentum
Karl Jenkins: Over the Stone
Pwyll ap Siôn: Gwales
Mathias: Symphony No. 3
Fri/Sat, Apr 20-21, 2012, 8pm
Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts,
Raleigh
Itzhak Perlman
William Henry Curry, Resident Conductor
Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Wagner: Prelude to Act III from Lohengrin
Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien, Op. 45
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35
Buy tickets now: 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724
For Immediate Release
Oct. 24, 2011
Media Contact: Marla Carpenter
336-770-3337
carpem@uncsa.edu
FORMER SCHOOL OF THE ARTS PRESIDENT ROBERT WARD TO RECEIVE "NEA OPERA HONORS"
Current Chancellor John Mauceri Will Present Award
WINSTON-SALEM - Composer and Durham resident Robert Ward, who served as
President (and later, Chancellor) of the then-North Carolina School of the
Arts from 1967-74, will receive one of four National Endowment for the
Arts (NEA) Opera Honors on Thursday, Oct. 27.
Current University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) Chancellor
John Mauceri will present the award to Ward during an awards ceremony and
concert at the Sidney Harman Center for the Performing Arts in Washington,
D.C.
The event, which kicks off National Opera Week (Oct. 28-Nov. 6), will
include performances by tenor Lawrence Brownlee and mezzo-soprano Heather
Johnson, video tributes to the honorees, and an onstage conversation
moderated by a guest host. It will be webcast live at http://www.arts.gov.
"Robert Ward's contributions to the arts go way beyond the awards he has
appropriately received and the music he has left to all of us," said
Chancellor Mauceri. "More than anyone, Robert Ward took the great idea of
a publicly funded, stand-alone arts university and made it a reality,
forging essential relationships and creating the mechanisms by which
UNCSA, and schools that have emulated UNCSA, function.
"His decade of service to a great school and the inspiration it has
engendered are powerful reminders of how a great artist serves the public
in many ways and leaves a lasting gift to society," Mauceri concluded.
The NEA Opera Honors is the nation's highest award in opera, recognizing
outstanding artists for their lifetime achievements and contributions to
opera in America. Recipients are nominated by the public and are chosen by
an NEA-convened panel of opera experts. Past NEA Opera honorees include
John Adams, Carlisle Floyd, Marilyn Horne, James Levine, and Leontyne
Price.
Being honored along with Ward are stage designer John Conklin of Boston,
general director Speight Jenkins of Seattle, and mezzo-soprano Rise
Stevens of New York City. The honorees were announced in June by NEA
Chairman Rocco Landesman. Each will receive a one-time award of $25,000.
The 2011 NEA Opera Honors are presented in partnership with Opera America.
Robert Ward, composer, conductor, administrator, educator, and publishing
executive, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 13, 1917. He studied
theory, orchestration, and piano as a youth and began composing in high
school where his early musical influences include Debussy, Ravel,
Hindemith, Stravinsky, and jazz. Ward studied composition with Bernard
Rogers and Howard Hanson at the Eastman School of Music from 1935 through
1939. He then studied composition with Frederick Jacobi and conducting
with Albert Stoessel and Edgar Schenkman at The Juilliard School from 1939
through 1941. Additional studies in composition occurred with Aaron
Copland at the Tanglewood Music Festival in 1940 before entering the
military as a bandleader in the US Army from 1942 through 1946. While
serving in the Pacific theater of operations, Ward met Mary Benedict, his
wife of 62 years with whom he had five children.
After the war he returned
to The Juilliard School and received his Artist Certificate in 1946. Ward
taught at Juilliard from 1947 to 1956 where he also headed its development
office, and at Columbia University from 1946 to 1958. He received three
Guggenheim Fellowships (1950, 1951, 1966), and was director of the Third
Street Music Settlement from 1952 to 1955. The composer of music in a wide
variety of musical genres, Ward's most enduring and well-known work, The
Crucible, (1961) won the Pulitzer Prize for Music and the New York Music
Critics' Circle Citation Award in 1962 and was composed during his tenure
as Executive Vice President/Managing Editor of Galaxy Music Corporation, a
position he held from 1956 to 1966. Ward served on numerous boards of
directors, and was a member of various organizations such as the American
Symphony Orchestra League, the National Opera Institute, the Rockefeller
Fund for Music, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National
Endowment for the Arts, and the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
Ward was
president of the then-North Carolina School of the Arts from 1967 to 1974
and was the Mary Duke Biddle Professor of Music at Duke University from
1979 to 1989. His achievements in composition have garnered four honorary
doctorates: from the Peabody Conservatory, the University of North
Carolina at Greensboro, Duke University, and North Carolina State
University. To date, Ward's catalog of compositions includes eight operas,
seven symphonies, three concertos, numerous shorter works for orchestra,
music for wind ensemble, compositions for a variety of instrumental
chamber groups, two cantatas, various genres for vocal ensembles, and
songs for solo voice with accompaniment, among others. His eclectic
compositional methods facilitate musical comprehension and reflect various
styles used throughout the history of Western art music and, especially in
his vocal works, Ward derives both melodic and rhythmic constructions by
adapting the syntactic properties of the texts. In this way he achieves a
synthesis or internal union of the various expressive elements, thus
creating a singular artistic voice within a unified musical structure.
Ward's music is consciously nationalistic and expresses concerns for
social and political issues and his interpretation of American idealism.
John Mauceri is an internationally acclaimed conductor and Founding
Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra who was named Chancellor of UNCSA
in 2006. His distinguished and extraordinary career has taken him not only
to more than 25 of the world's greatest opera companies and more than 50
symphony orchestras, but also to the musical stages of Broadway and
Hollywood, as well as the most prestigious halls of academia. Maestro
Mauceri has served as music director of four opera companies: Washington
(National), Scottish (Glasgow), the Teatro Regio (Turin, Italy), and
Pittsburgh. He is the first American to have held the post of music
director of an opera house in either Great Britain or Italy. He was the
first music director of the American Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall
after its founding director, Leopold Stokowski, with whom he studied. He
was Consultant for Music Theater at Washington's Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts for more than a decade, and, for 15 years, he served on
the faculty of Yale University. For 18 years, Mauceri worked closely with
Leonard Bernstein and conducted many of the composer's premieres at
Bernstein's request.
On Broadway, he was co-producer of On Your Toes, and
served as musical supervisor for Hal Prince's production of Candide as
well as Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance. He also conducted the
orchestra for the film version of Evita. Among his many awards and honors
are a Tony, Grammy, Billboard, Olivier, and two Emmys. Last year, his
recording of Erich Korngold's Between Two Worlds was selected by
Gramophone magazine as one of the 250 Greatest Recordings of All Time. In
April, Gramophone named two of his recordings with the Hollywood Bowl
Orchestra among the "10 great studio re-creations" of classic movie
soundtracks. Chancellor Mauceri holds the lifetime title of Founding
Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, which was created for him in
1991 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and with whom he led over 300
concerts to a total audience of over 4 million people. He has written for
and appeared on radio and television and has delivered keynote speeches
and papers for major artistic and educational institutions, such as
Harvard University, the American Academy in Berlin, the Chamber Music
Society of Lincoln Center, the American Musicological Society, and the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
He recently published
articles for Cambridge University Press and Gramophone magazine.
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is the first
state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established
as the North Carolina School of the Arts by the N.C. General Assembly in
1963, UNCSA opened in Winston-Salem ("The City of Arts and Innovation") in
1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972.
More than 1,100 students from high school through graduate school train
for careers in the arts in five professional schools: Dance, Design and
Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and
Music. UNCSA is the state's only public arts conservatory, dedicated
entirely to the professional training of talented students in the
performing, visual and moving image arts. For more information, visit
www.uncsa.edu.
RALEIGH, N.C.—The theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey launches a concert to
remember later this month when the North Carolina Symphony, led by Maestro
William Henry Curry and joined by renowned pianist Ignat Solzhenitsyn,
presents works by three of classical music’s leading lights.
“Zarathustra,” featuring blockbuster music by Strauss, Beethoven and
Wagner, takes place in Memorial Hall on the campus of the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Thursday, Oct. 27. The performances
continue at Meymandi Concert Hall, in downtown Raleigh’s Progress Energy
Center for the Performing Arts, on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28-29. All
three concerts begin at 8:00 p.m.
The evenings begin with some of the most famous opening notes in all of
music, Richard Strauss’s deep and commanding tone poem Also sprach
Zarathustra, most famously used in the opening scenes of Kubrick’s 2001:
A Space Odyssey.
“Strauss’s tone poems are all unique,” says Symphony Music Director
Grant Llewellyn. “They’re all wonderful. This one is a very
interesting blend of the intellectual and the visceral, and it’s
intriguing to me to see Also sprach Zarathustra, with all of the
philosophical implications behind the literature that inspired Strauss,
with Solzhenitsyn’s name on the same program.”
The Solzhenitsyn in question is celebrated pianist Ignat Solzhenitsyn, son
of Nobel Prize-winning novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and recognized as
one of today’s most gifted artists, enjoying an active career as both
pianist and conductor. His extensive touring schedule has recently
included concerto performances with major orchestras across the world,
from Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington to London, Zurich, Tokyo
and Sydney.
He is particularly well-known for his interpretations of Beethoven.
“Great Beethoven performances don't come along all that often,” wrote
the Philadelphia Inquirer following a 2008 concert by the Chamber
Orchestra of Philadelphia, which Solzhenitsyn led as principal conductor
for six years. “Under Ignat Solzhenitsyn, the group has been a
revitalizing force with Beethoven, but now more than ever.”
Good thing for Triangle concertgoers, as Solzhenitsyn joins the North
Carolina Symphony to perform one of Beethoven’s most beloved
compositions, the tender and lovely Fourth Piano Concerto.
“[Here] the piano concerto once and for all shakes itself loose from the
18th century,” wrote American musicologist Milton Cross about the
Fourth. “Virtuosity no longer concerns Beethoven at all; his artistic
aim here, as in his symphonies and quartets, is the expression of deeply
poetic and introspective thoughts.”
The tender piece is a perfect balance to the evening’s rousing finish:
Wagner’s stately Overture to Tannhäuser. “Pure unadulterated
orchestral power,” says Llewellyn of the Overture, a bold finish to any
concert from the first of Wagner’s operas to be staged in the United
States.
“Zarathustra” is part of the Symphony’s four-concert miniseries
“Piano Icons.” The miniseries, made up of programs from the larger
Duke Medicine Classical Series Raleigh, showcases five world-class
soloists as they perform the breakthrough works of music’s most
accomplished pianist-composers.
Solzhenitsyn is followed in the miniseries by the incredible Louis Lortie
playing dark and luscious masterworks by Liszt and Rachmaninoff on Nov.
11-12. Visit www.ncsymphony.org for this exciting opportunity
to save. “Piano Icons” is presented in partnership with Fidelity
Investments.
Regular tickets to the Duke Medicine Classical Series Raleigh performances
of “Zarathustra” on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28-29 range from $40 to
$70, with $40 tickets for seniors.
Tickets to the Chapel Hill Series performance on Thursday, Oct. 27 range
from $40 to $60, with $40 tickets for seniors.
Students receive $10 tickets at both venues.
Meymandi Concert Hall is located in the Progress Energy Center for the
Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., in Raleigh. Memorial Hall is located on
the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, at 208 E. Cameron Ave.
Beyond the Stage
Pre-concert talks are held before Symphony concerts across the state.
These engaging conversations offer a unique perspective on the evening’s
featured composers, the chance to ask questions and hear the inside story
on what to listen for.
For “Zarathustra,” Dr. Letita Glozer of UNC-Chapel Hill will present a
pre-concert talk at UNC’s Gerard Hall on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7:00 p.m.
In Raleigh, Dr. Jonathan Kramer of North Carolina State University will
present pre-concert talks in the Meymandi Concert Hall lobby on Friday and
Saturday, Oct. 28-29, at 7:00 p.m.
About the North Carolina Symphony
Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performs over 175 concerts
annually to adults and school children. The orchestra travels extensively
throughout the state to venues in over 50 North Carolina counties. The
orchestra employs 67 professional musicians under the artistic leadership
of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn, Resident Conductor
William Henry Curry and Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks.
Based in downtown Raleigh’s spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue
at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60
concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary
metropolitan area. It also holds regular concert series in Fayetteville,
New Bern, Southern Pines and Wilmington and individual concerts in many
other North Carolina communities throughout the year.
For tickets, program notes, podcasts, musician profiles, the Symphony blog
and more, visit the North Carolina Symphony Web site at
www.ncsymphony.org. Call North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at
919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.
Concert/Event Listing:
North Carolina Symphony
Zarathustra
William Henry Curry, Resident Conductor
Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano
Thur, Oct 27, 2011, 8pm
Memorial Hall, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Fri/Sat, Oct 28-29, 2011, 8pm
Meymandi Concert Hall
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts
Raleigh, NC
Program Listing:
North Carolina Symphony
Zarathustra
William Henry Curry, Resident Conductor
Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano
October 27-29, 2011
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Prologue: Sunrise — Of the Inhabitants of the Unseen World — Of the
Great Longing —
Of Joys and Passions — The Dirge — Of Science — The Convalescent
— The Dance-Song —
The Night Wanderer’s Song
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
I. Allegro moderato
II. Andante con moto —
III. Rondo: Vivace
Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano
For Immediate Release
Sept. 27, 2011
Media Contacts: Marla Carpenter
336-770-3337
carpem@uncsa.edu
Steve Volstad
919-549-7173
svolstad@unctv.org
UNCSA’S ACCLAIMED, ALL-SCHOOL PRODUCTION
OF RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S OKLAHOMA!
TO AIR WEDNESDAY, OCT. 12, ON UNC-TV
WINSTON-SALEM – Citizens from Murphy to Manteo will soon get their
chance to see what Winston-Salem audiences fell in love with last spring:
the University of North Carolina School of the Arts’ all-school
production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
The popularly and critically acclaimed production was filmed in HD and
will be aired on UNC-TV on Wednesday, Oct. 12, from 8-11 p.m. The TV
production will be hosted by UNCSA Chancellor John Mauceri, who served as
musical director and artistic supervisor of the stage production.
The TV production is made possible by a half-a-million-dollar grant from
the A.J. Fletcher Foundation of Raleigh. The gift, $100,000 a year for
five years, will expose statewide audiences to UNCSA’s talented students
by broadcasting their performances over UNC-TV. Oklahoma! is the first
UNCSA production to be filmed and aired over UNC-TV with the grant.
“The UNC system is unique in many ways,” Chancellor Mauceri said.
“Two of them are in having a system-wide arts conservatory, UNCSA, and
another is in having a system-wide television network, UNC-TV. It seemed
only natural to me that we find a way for these two institutions to work
together. The Fletcher Foundation has shared in that vision, making this
fantastic dream a reality.
“Surely this will be a tremendous way for UNCSA to say ‘thank you’
to the people of North Carolina,” Mauceri added, “and for our citizens
throughout the state to share in the astonishing achievements of our
student artists.”
UNC-TV Director and General Manager Tom Howe said: “We appreciate the
opportunity to be able to use this ground-breaking grant to enrich the
unique services to the state provided by UNC-TV and UNCSA, and to enhance
North Carolina's cultural experience. UNC-TV has a rich tradition of
bringing performance and cultural programming to a statewide audience, so
this joint effort is a perfect fit for us.”
Additional support was provided by the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the
Arts and the William R. Kenan, Jr. Fund for the Arts, which facilitated
the hiring of accomplished television director David Stern to helm the
cameras and UNCSA School of Filmmaking alumnus Andrew Young to serve as
associate director and editor of the project.
“The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts is excited about leveraging
the artistic resources of the state of North Carolina with this unique
project,” said Margaret S. Mertz, executive director of the Kenan
Institute for the Arts. “Putting the technical resources of public
television together with the state's professional training program for
emerging artists, directed by professionals experienced in filming live
performances is truly a one-of-a-kind public-private partnership. This
broadcast will be the first of many that will benefit all the citizens of
North Carolina.”
Emmy Award-winner David Stern is a prolific TV director, producer and
writer. In addition to Oklahoma!, his recent projects include 9/11
Memorial from Ground Zero / Tenth Anniversary, Restoring Courage:
Jerusalem 2011, Transcendent Man: Live with Ray Kurzweil, The Importance
of Being Ernest (all 2011); A Prairie Home Companion Live in HD! Again!
(2010); This American Life Live! (2009); A Christmas Celtic Sojourn Live
(2007); Broadway Under the Stars (2006); and many more. He also was
recently nominated for a Tony Award as a producer of The Scottsboro Boys
on Broadway.
More than 10,000 people saw UNCSA’s faithful restoration of the original
1943 Broadway production, which played April 28-May 8 at the school’s
Roger L. Stevens Center in Winston-Salem. Among the acclaim:
·
“Oklahoma! is a hit from start to end. … This Oklahoma! is
no ‘student’ performance but one worthy of the best professional
theater in any major city in the country – first-rate acting, singing,
dancing, and playing made this event the major entertainment event of the
season, bar none! – Classical Voice North Carolina
·
“From the first note, the sheer energy of the show comes at
you at once, like . . . well, like wind sweepin’ down a plain. –
savorNC
·
“To say the show was awesome would be the understatement of
the century. From the actors to the costumes, Oklahoma! wowed me the whole
way through.” – Life in Forsyth
·
“The color and
energy on stage dazzle and delight the eye. The voices and orchestra tantalize
the ear. You'll be humming for days and maybe even kicking up your
heels… .” – Winston-Salem Journal
The show and accompanying gala generated more than $330,000 for student
scholarships at UNCSA.
When Oklahoma! opened on Broadway in 1943, it transformed musical theatre
with its innovative integration of words, music, dance and design.
UNCSA’s restoration includes the original Agnes de Mille choreography.
In addition, UNCSA extensively researched all aspects of the original
production and painstakingly recreated the original costumes and stage
designs.
Theodore Chapin, President and Executive Director of The Rodgers &
Hammerstein Organization, said, “For John Mauceri to conceive the idea
of an Oklahoma! as close to exactly how it was when it opened may seem
like a simple idea, but no one has had it before. It is sure to add an
invaluable piece to both the historic and performance history of a musical
that has long been acknowledged as the one that galvanized an
entertainment genre into an American art form.”
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is the first
state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established
as the North Carolina School of the Arts by the N.C. General Assembly in
1963, UNCSA opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of Arts and
Innovation”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina
system in 1972. More than 1,100 students from high school through graduate
school train for careers in the arts in five professional schools: Dance,
Design and Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama,
Filmmaking, and Music. UNCSA is the state’s only public arts
conservatory, dedicated entirely to the professional training of talented
students in the performing, visual and moving image arts. For more
information, visit www.uncsa.edu.
UNC-TV is North Carolina's statewide public television network, made
possible by a unique combination of public funding and private support.
UNC-TV's unique programs and services provide people of all ages with
enriching, life-changing television. For more information, visit
www.unctv.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 20, 2011
Contact: Jerome Davis coalartisticdir@ncrrbiz.com
Website: http://www.burningcoal.org/
BURNING COAL THEATRE COMPANY SM
Shakespeare on Stage and in Class this October
This October, Burning Coal Theatre Company continues its education outreach
programs to Triangle area schools, with performances, productions and
classes.
On the performance side, Burning Coal will tour SHAKESCENES to Carroll
Middle School. Combining scenes from Shakespeare's plays with interactive
exercises and discussion, SHAKESCENES is a fast, fun introduction to the
Bard for elementary and middle school audiences.
Burning Coal will get more in depth with Shakespeare in a special
partnership with Mallarme Chamber Players and Durham Nativity School.
Starting in October, Burning Coal will visit the school each week to explore
Shakespeare's HENRY V. The residency will culminate in December, when
students visit Burning Coal to see our high flying aerial gymnastics fueled
production of the play.
Also this month, Raleigh Charter High School will perform KALIDESCOPE, a
musical and dramatic revue, at Burning Coal's home theatre, The Murphey
School Auditorium (224 Polk St., Raleigh). The performance will feature
musical direction by Burning Coal Director of Education Ian Finley and will
run October 20 - 22.
For further information on Burning Coal's ongoing education programming,
contact us at (919) 834-4001 or coalartisticdir@ncrrbiz.com.
Burning Coal Theatre Company is one of Raleigh's professional theatre
companies. Burning Coal is an incorporated, non-profit [501 (c) (3)]
organization. Burning Coal's mission is to produce literate, visceral,
affecting theatre that is experienced, not simply seen. Burning Coal
produces overlooked classic and modern plays, as well as new plays, whose
themes and issues are of immediate concern to our audience, using the best
local, national and international artists available. We work toward a
theatre of high-energy performances and minimalist production values. The
emphasis is on literate works that are felt and experienced viscerally,
unlike more traditional linear plays, at which audiences are most often
asked to observe without participating. Race and gender non-specific casting
is an integral component of our perspective, as well as an international
viewpoint. Burning Coal and its education programming are supported by
grants from several agencies, including the North Carolina Arts Council, the
United Arts Council of Wake County, and the City of Raleigh Arts Commission.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 16, 2011
Media Contact: Marla Carpenter
336-770-3337
carpem@uncsa.edu
UNCSA FILM ALUMNUS WINS EMMY AWARD
Multiple Alumni Have Ties to Emmys
WINSTON-SALEM - Several alumni of the University of North Carolina School
of the Arts (UNCSA) have ties to the Emmy Awards, including one graduate
who won in a category announced on
Sept. 10.
Zach Seivers (School of Filmmaking, Class of 2006, Editing & Sound) won
the award for Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming for his
work on Gettysburg (History Channel).
Seivers' Emmy is a source of pride and affirmation for the School of
Filmmaking, according to Dean Jordan Kerner, producer of such hit feature
films as THE SMURFS, CHARLOTTE'S WEB, THE THREE MUSKETEERS, and FRIED
GREEN TOMATOES. "At this skyrocketing School of Filmmaking, we aspire to
the highest caliber of teaching and film experience for every filmmaker in
each of our disciplines," Kerner said. "Zach is an artist at the top of
his game at a very young age.
"This award is further evidence that the film and television industry
leaders recognize and appreciate the astonishing skills of our alumni,"
Kerner added.
The Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony will be broadcast live from Los Angeles
beginning at 8 p.m. ET Sunday on the Fox Television Network. Some awards
for creative and technical categories are announced early, during the
Creative Arts Emmy ceremony, which was held last Saturday in Los Angeles.
The Creative Arts ceremony will be televised on the Reelz Channel this
Saturday, Sept. 17, at 8 p.m. ET.
Also announced last week was the award for Outstanding Directing in a
Variety, Music or Comedy Special, which went to the director of Sondheim!
The Birthday Concert (PBS). Matt Cowart (School of Drama, Class of 2004,
Directing) was co-producer and assistant director for that show.
Two UNCSA alumni have ties to DirecTV's Friday Night Lights, which is
nominated for four Emmys to be presented Sunday. Adam Christopher Banks
(School of Filmmaking, Class of 2006, Producing) served as post-production
supervisor, and Matt Lauria (School of Drama, Class of 2007, Acting)
played Luke Cafferty on the series. Friday Night Lights is nominated for
Outstanding Lead Actor (Kyle Chandler), Outstanding Lead Actress (Connie
Britton), Outstanding Writing, and Outstanding Drama Series.
Zach Seivers is originally from Mount Airy. This was his first Emmy Award
nomination. He was sound designer on Gettysburg, and shares his award with
sound editors Charles Maynes, who was a guest artist in the School of
Filmmaking in January 2006, and Brent Kiser. Seivers is chief operating
officer of SNAPSOUND, a post-production sound company located in Los
Angeles.
Many other UNCSA film alumni worked on Gettysburg, which was nominated for
seven awards, and won four. Matt Goldberg (Class of 2004, Producing) was
line producer, and is head of production at Herzog-Cowen Entertainment,
which co-produced the film along with Scott Free Productions. John Maynard
(Class of 2009, Editing & Sound) was assistant sound editor, and Justin
Davey (Class of 2008, Editing and Sound) was additional sound re-recording
mixer.
In addition to Seivers' win for sound editing, Gettysburg won for
Outstanding Nonfiction Special, Outstanding Costumes and Outstanding
Visual Effects.
UNCSA alumni have won numerous other Emmy Awards in the past.
Additionally, UNCSA Chancellor John Mauceri has won two Emmys: one for
writing, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra broadcast (1994); and one for on-camera
performance, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra broadcast (1998).
The Emmy Awards are administered by three sister organizations that focus
on various sectors of television programming: The Academy of Television
Arts & Sciences (prime time), the National Academy of Television Arts &
Sciences (daytime, sports, news and documentary), and the International
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (international). The awards
recognize excellence within various areas of the television industry, and
are a symbol of peer recognition from more than 15,000 members of the
Academy. Each member casts a ballot for the category of competition in
their field of expertise.
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is the first
state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established
as the North Carolina School of the Arts by the N.C. General Assembly in
1963, UNCSA opened in Winston-Salem ("The City of Arts and Innovation") in
1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972.
More than 1,100 students from high school through graduate school train
for careers in the arts in five professional schools: Dance, Design and
Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and
Music. UNCSA is the state's only public arts conservatory, dedicated
entirely to the professional training of talented students in the
performing, visual and moving image arts. For more information, visit
www.uncsa.edu.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2011
Contact: Katie Wyatt
Executive Director, KidZNotes
919.451.0077
wyatt.kidznotes@gmail.com
Jeannie Mellinger, Director of Communications
North Carolina Symphony
919.789.5484
jmellinger@ncsymphony.org
KidZNotes and North Carolina Symphony Announce New Partnership
DURHAM, N.C.—KidZNotes marks its first year by announcing an exciting new
partnership with the North Carolina Symphony. The two organizations will
celebrate together at KidZNotes’ launch ceremony this Saturday, Sept. 17
at 10:30 a.m., at the Holton Career and Resource Center at 401 N. Driver
St. in Durham, N.C.
KidZNotes, which is modeled after Venezuela’s highly successful El Sistema
program, uses the transformational power of classical music to help build
new futures for children, targeting those who would otherwise be blocked
by economic and social barriers. Established last year in East Durham,
KidZNotes enriches the lives elementary school students and their families
through music. Participants in the program learn to play violin and
receive free orchestra training in a safe environment that emphasizes fun,
joy and teamwork in learning as well as musical accomplishment.
Presenting and supporting an extensive education program for North
Carolina schoolchildren has always been a major priority of the North
Carolina Symphony. Through this collaboration the organization will offer
its education and community engagement concerts and programs free of
charge to KidZNotes students and their families.
Scott Lindroth, Vice Provost of the Arts for Duke University, and David
Reese, head of the East Durham Children’s Initiative, will join North
Carolina Symphony President and CEO Sandi M.A. Macdonald; Director of
Education Jessica Nalbone; and principal cello Bonnie Thron as special
guests. KidZNotes students will receive their new instruments and the
kick-off will conclude with an informal reception.
“We’re thrilled about this important opportunity for our students,” says
KidZNotes Executive Director Katie Wyatt. “In Venezuela’s El Sistema, the
youth orchestras there have a deep relationship with some of the best
orchestras and conductors in the world. The North Carolina Symphony is
home to the best musicians and conductors in our state, and attracts
world-class artists from the international community. Through an intense
practice of classical music, we’re teaching them they can do and be
anything.”
Symphony Director of Education Jessica Nalbone adds, “The North Carolina
Symphony is proud to partner with KidZNotes and support this new
initiative in Durham. Through this partnership, we intend to offer access
to the span of our educational programming, ensuring opportunities for
underserved populations that will foster a lifelong love for and
involvement in classical music. This is the start of an exciting venture,
and one which aligns wholly with our orchestra’s mission to serve North
Carolina’s students through music.”
About KidZNotes
KidZNotes is expanding in its second year to enroll 100 students in need
at four low-income schools in East Durham: Eastway Elementary, Y.E. Smith
Elementary, E.K. Powe Elementary and Club Boulevard Humanities Magnet
Elementary. KidZNotes provides instruments and nearly ten hours a week of
free music instruction for their 100 students. KidZNotes is sponsored by
Duke University, Durham Public Schools, Durham Parks and Recreation, the
Durham Arts Council and the East Durham Children’s Initiative.
KidZNotes is inspired by El Sistema, the social-reform orchestra program
for children and families in poverty in Venezuela. Information about
KidZNotes’ calendar and opportunities for support will be available at the
event, and are listed at www.kidznotes.org. Donations of financial support
and musical instruments will be gratefully received.
About the North Carolina Symphony
Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performs over 175 concerts
annually to adults and school children. The orchestra travels extensively
throughout the state to venues in over 50 North Carolina counties. The
orchestra employs 67 professional musicians under the artistic leadership
of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn, Resident Conductor
William Henry Curry and Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks.
Based in downtown Raleigh’s spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue
at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60
concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary
metropolitan area. It also holds regular concert series in Fayetteville,
New Bern, Southern Pines and Wilmington and individual concerts in many
other North Carolina communities throughout the year.
For tickets, program notes, podcasts, musician profiles, the Symphony blog
and more, visit the North Carolina Symphony Web site at
www.ncsymphony.org. Call North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at
919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.
CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL TO LAUNCH IN SOUTH KOREA
Artistic Directors: David Finckel and Wu Han
CHAMBER MUSIC TODAY
December 10-13, 2011
Seoul Arts Center
Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han are thrilled to announce the
launch of Chamber Music Today, a new chamber music festival that will take place
annually in Seoul, South Korea. The inaugural festival will run December 10-13,
2011 at the IBK Chamber Hall of the new Seoul Arts Center. One of the first
festivals of its kind established in the Far East, Chamber Music Today will play a
vital role in Korea's burgeoning chamber music scene, presenting the world's most
esteemed artists. In its inaugural season, Chamber Music Today will welcome two
world-class string quartets, each representing the pinnacle of their generation. The
nine-time Grammy-award winning Emerson String Quartetwill begin the festival with
two performances followed by the Jupiter String Quartet, recent recipients of the
prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, who will perform a concert with Chamber Music
TodayArtistic DirectorWu Han. The festival will close with a performance featuring
Artistic DirectorsDavid Finckel and Wu Han, joined by Emerson String Quartet violinist Philip Setzer.
About the inaugural festival, David Finckel and Wu Han commented:
"Chamber music is the music of friends. It is an international language that brings
people together, and is, at the same time, one of the richest art forms on
earth.
Chamber Music Today will bring the greatest chamber music repertoire and
performers to S. Korea. In every concert, we will hear why chamber music has become
an exciting, personal and essential experience for audiences around the world. We look
forward not only to performing for S. Korea's audience, but also to watching our
music form unbreakable bonds of friendship between musicians and listeners. It will
be a delight to witness this extraordinary project blossom, as we share in the magical
power of chamber music - truly the greatest music of today."
Chamber Music Today is sponsored by LG Uplus Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of LG Corp.
ABOUT THE ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
The Festival's Artistic Directors David Finckel and Wu Han are two of
today's most esteemed and influential classical musicians. Their appearances currently
take them to the world's most prestigious concert series and festivals as soloists,
as a duo, and, in David Finckel's case, as a member of the Grammy Award-winning
Emerson String Quartet. In addition, they are the creators of classical music's first
musician-directed and Internet-based recording label, ArtistLed, a trendsetting industry
innovation that will soon release its 13th recording. Together, David Finckel and Wu
Han have a unique ability to envision and realize innovative projects, be it in the
recording arena with ArtistLed, on the world's great concert stages, or as directors
of esteemed arts institutions.
In recent years, David Finckel and Wu Han have become
widely recognized for their initiatives in expanding audiences for classical
music and for guiding the careers of countless young musicians. In 2003, they
founded Music@Menlo, the internationally acclaimed chamber music festival and institute that is
held each summer in the San Francisco Bay area. In recognition of their
widespread contributions to the field of chamber music and their artistic excellence both on and
off the stage, David Finckel and Wu Han were also appointed Artistic Directors of
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in 2004. Recent international initiatives
have included the establishment of residencies in Mecklenburg, Germany; Taipei, Taiwan;
Wigmore Hall in London; and an innovative teaching and performing residency with
the LG-Lincoln Center Chamber Music School in Seoul, South Korea.
Durham, NC – August 9, 2011 – Zenph Sound Innovations and Raleigh
Little Theatre announce dates for their newest live production, Zenph Presents Jazz Legends:
Gershwin At The Piano.
The show provides the thrill of actually being in the room to hear and
watch George Gershwin play. The Wall Street Journal described Zenph’s work as “a
technological miracle,” and The Newport Daily News reviewed the Gershwin show’s recent world premiere
at the 2011 Newport Music Festival as, “Gershwin, as it was meant to be.” The
groundbreaking technology that drives the show was developed by Zenph Sound Innovations, a company
headquartered in the Triangle.
The show will run September 15th through October 2nd at the Raleigh
Little Theatre's Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre. The production looks at George Gershwin’s
piano legacy in a way not possible before Zenph, comparing how he played with what he
published. It incorporates rare film footage of Gershwin, imagery from the Gershwin estate
(including his artwork), and the pièce de résistance—the composer playing all his solo performances
on a concert grand piano onstage.
“I was familiar with what Gershwin published my whole life, but it didn’t prepare me for hearing
what he didn’t publish: unheard of jokes, runs, quotes, riffs – his publications aren’t the last
word, they’re the tip of the iceberg,” noted Dr. John Q. Walker, Zenph
co-founder and often the show’s enthusiastic host. “The ability to sit in the room, and see and
hear George Gershwin himself play is amazing. On that night, that experience isn’t possible
anywhere else on Earth, and it’s happening right here in the Triangle.” Walker said.
These piano performances, called Re-performances®, are the result of
Zenph’s high-resolution process which precisely extracts every note, pedal movement, and
nuance from Gershwin’s original playing, resulting in breathtaking and often never-before-
heard renditions of Gershwin’s piano mastery.
“This show is great fun for the audience and for me as a pianist,” said Philip Amalong, one of the
show’s concert pianists who is a Zenph performance analyst and noted touring pianist in his own
right. “I play the Gershwin music just as it was published, and then we get to hear the man
himself play the compositions. The differences are dramatic, and everyone – whether they’re a
Gershwin fan or have never heard of him – walks away humming his irresistible tunes with a
new insight into his music.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Brian Van Norman
919.232.5008
brian@articulon.com
The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle Hosts Annual Gala September 18
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (September 9, 2011) – The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle (www.thecot.org), a performance-based organization in Durham County, is hosting its 14th annual fundraising gala on September 18, 2011. Proceeds from the event will benefit the orchestra and help underwrite its 2011-2012 season concerts.
The gala will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Whitehall at the Villa, 1213 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, N.C. Ticket and additional information may be found by calling 919.360.3382.
“We are thrilled to once again host our spectacular gala,” says David Lindquist, board chairman for The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. “Each year friends of the orchestra gather for a delightful evening, and enjoy the light-hearted competition bidding on auction items.”
Titled “A Little Night Music XIV,” the event will feature an evening filled with chamber music, food, wine and a silent auction. Members of the orchestra will perform two delightful programs for guests. These include:
Franz Schubert’s “String Trio in B flat Major, D. 471”
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Souvenire de Florence first movement Opus 70 Allegro con spirito”
Ludwig van Beethoven’s “String Trio in E flat Major op. 3”
Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans is serving as honorary chair for “A Little Night Music XIV.” She has served the Triangle community in a myriad of ways and is a longtime supporter of The COT and the performing arts scene.
“I am so pleased to support the Chamber Orchestra as it has been dear to my heart for nearly 30 years—a true treasure for our state,” says Semans. “My late husband and I were instrumental in bringing Maestro Muti to North Carolina and to the orchestra—their joint success is a matter of great happiness to me.”
For a 23rd year, Lorenzo Muti will lead The COT as artistic director and conductor. He has been instrumental in developing the orchestra’s elite corps of musicians into one of the top professional ensembles in North Carolina and the Southeast.
The 2011-2012 season will feature five concerts:
October 16, 2011 – “ The Classical Style”
November 13, 2011 – “Basically Bach”
January 15, 2012 – “ Masters of Orchestration”
March 18, 2012 – “The Titan and Sacred Music”
May 20, 2012 – “A Journey Through Spain”
About the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle:
Since 1982, The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle has been received with genuine respect and enthusiasm by music critics and the community. Today, it is considered one of the finest professional ensembles in North Carolina and the Southeast. With its elite corps of musicians, the orchestra continues to present a well-chosen and unusual repertoire that delights audiences and evokes high praise from critics. That standard of excellence has become the hallmark of the orchestra and has distinguished each succeeding season. The 2011-2012 series marks its 29th concert season. For more information, visit www.thecot.org or call 919.360.3382.
Renowned Guest Artists Join North Carolina Symphony
for “Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony”
Concerts in Raleigh and Southern Pines Highlight
Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Soro, Oct. 13-15
RALEIGH, N.C.—The North Carolina Symphony brings a musical tour-de-force to Raleigh and Southern Pines when two internationally renowned guest artists, conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya and violin Augustin Hadelich, join forces with the orchestra for a pair of powerhouse masterworks: Sibelius’s Violin Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.
The concerts, titled “Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony,” begin at Lee Auditorium at Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines on Thursday, Oct. 13, followed by weekend performances at Meymandi Concert Hall in downtown Raleigh’s Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14-15. All three concerts begin at 8:00 p.m.
Described by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as “one of the most exciting young conductors on the international scene,” Harth-Bedoya has been the music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra since 2000. The artistic growth of that up-and-coming organization has turned its young maestro into one of the most sought-after conductors in the world. Harth-Bedoya has appeared with orchestras and operas from New York, Chicago and Boston to London, Berlin, Paris and Sydney.
He is joined on stage by Augustin Hadelich, a soloist who has “easily confirmed his place on the shortlist of today’s top violin virtuosos,” according to the Denver Post, and himself has earned unstinted praise for appearances with many of the world’s most celebrated orchestras.
Harth-Bedoya and Hadelich made their Carnegie Hall debuts together in 2008 in a performance of the Brahms Double Concerto with cellist Alban Gerhardt and the Fort Worth Symphony. The evening’s program also included a certain symphony by Tchaikovsky. “The dynamic young conductor…and his players lived up to expectations,” wrote The New York Times following that concert, “especially with their assured, rich-hued and impassioned account of Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony.”
Harth-Bedoya brings this noteworthy declaration to the North Carolina Symphony for its own reading of Tchaikovsky’s symphonic masterpiece.
“The Fifth Symphony is splendid music, grand and dignified,” wrote Tchaikovsky biographers Lawrence and Elisabeth Hanson, “and its form expresses the content more satisfactorily than in any other of Tchaikovsky’s large works for orchestra…[I]t is from first note to last noble. Never querulous, never playing to the gallery, it exposes the soul of a man which all must feel the better for knowing.”
Hadelich is featured in the program on Sibelius’s provocative and challenging Violin Concerto. Written at the peak of the composer’s early success, the Concerto displays Sibelius’s own proclivity for the violin, the instrument on which he specialized and only reluctantly gave up. It is a dark and emotional piece, brilliantly evoking “the sonorous halflights of autumn and winter,” according to biographer Eric Tawaststjerna, through music that remains an absolute favorite among violin solos.
“It is one of the most complete concertos for violin,” says North Carolina Symphony Music Director Grant Llewellyn. “It’s very thorny, rugged, but brilliant as well. It’s everything that is so great about Sibelius. It explores aspects of the violin that were unprecedented at the time.”
The concert is completed by a feisty work from Harth-Bedoya’s home continent of South America. Enrique Soro’s Danza fantástica is an exuberant blend of Soro’s Chilean heritage with his Italian training – one brilliant and propulsive, the other lyrical and rhapsodic.
“It’s a sort of dash for orchestra,” adds Llewellyn, “which makes a nice contrast to the Sibelius.”
Regular tickets to the Duke Medicine Classical Series Raleigh performances of “Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony” on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14-15 range from $33 to $63, with $30 tickets for seniors. Regular tickets to the Southern Pines Series performance on Thursday, Oct. 13 range from $27 to $42.
Students receive $10 tickets in both venues.
Meymandi Concert Hall is located in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., in Raleigh. Lee Auditorium is located at Pinecrest High School, 100 Pinecrest School Road, in Southern Pines.
Beyond the Stage
Pre-concert talks and “Meet the Artist” events are held before Symphony concerts across the state. These engaging conversations offer a unique perspective on the evening’s featured composers, the chance to ask questions and hear the inside story on what to listen for.
For “Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony,” Josiah Stevenson will host “Meet the Artists” in the Pinecrest High School band room on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 6:45 p.m.
In Raleigh, Dr. Randolph Foy of North Carolina State University will present a pre-concert talk in the Meymandi Concert Hall lobby on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14-15 at 7:00 p.m.
About the North Carolina Symphony
Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performs over 175 concerts annually to adults and school children. The orchestra travels extensively throughout the state to venues in over 50 North Carolina counties. The orchestra employs 67 professional musicians under the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn, Resident Conductor William Henry Curry and Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks.
Based in downtown Raleigh’s spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60 concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary metropolitan area. It also holds regular concert series in Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines and Wilmington and individual concerts in many other North Carolina communities throughout the year.
For tickets, program notes, podcasts, musician profiles, the Symphony blog and more, visit the North Carolina Symphony Web site at www.ncsymphony.org. Call North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.
Concert/Event Listing:
North Carolina Symphony
Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Thur, Oct 13, 2011, 8pm
Lee Auditorium, Pinecrest High School, Southern Pines
Fri/Sat, Oct 14-15, 2011, 8pm
Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh
Program Listing:
North Carolina Symphony
Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
October 13-15, 2011
Danza fantástica
Enrique Soro (1884-1954)
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
I. Allegro moderato
II. Adagio di molto
III. Allegro ma non tanto
Augustin Hadelich, violin
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
I. Andante — Allegro con anima
II. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza
III. Allegro moderato
IV. Finale: Andante maestoso — Allegro vivace
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 2, 2011
Media Contact: Marla Carpenter
336-770-3337 carpem@uncsa.edu
UNCSA CHANCELLOR JOHN MAUCERI TO CONDUCT
THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AT THE KENNEDY CENTER
Event on Sept. 8 To Commemorate 10th Anniversary of Sept. 11
WINSTON-SALEM - Chancellor John Mauceri of the University of North
Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) will conduct the National Symphony
Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during a
private concert to commemorate, in words and music, the 10th anniversary
of the tragedies that took place on Sept. 11, 2001. The concert is
co-presented with The New Republic.
More than 2,000 people are expected to attend "9/11: 10 Years Later: An
Evening of Remembrance and Reflection," which begins at 7:30 pm on
Thursday, Sept. 8. The by-invitation-only audience at the Kennedy Center
will include members of the 9/11 community and other special guests.
Christiane Amanpour, moderator of ABC News' This Week, will host the
event. At press time, confirmed featured performers and soloists include
Tony Award-nominated actor Raúl Esparza, mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, folk
and country singer Emmylou Harris, and Grammy Award-winning jazz musician
Wynton Marsalis. Commemorative remarks and readings will be delivered by
speakers including former secretaries of state Colin Powell, Condoleeza
Rice and Madeleine Albright.
A world-renowned conductor, Maestro Mauceri will lead the National
Symphony Orchestra as it performs the National Anthem, Samuel Barber's
"Adagio for Strings," Stephen C. Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More,"
"A City Called Heaven," and more.
Mauceri conducted the first public concerts in Los Angeles after Sept. 11,
2001. His three commemorative concerts at the Hollywood Bowl included the
world premiere of a work by Jerry Goldsmith ("September 11, 2001"),
composed for those concerts, which brought 54,000 people to the
amphitheater. One year later, Mauceri led the first anniversary concert in
New York City at the invitation of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in which
orchestras in each of the city's five boroughs performed in the city
parks. Mauceri conducted the Brooklyn Philharmonic that night, Sept. 11,
2002.
Both Maestro Mauceri and the School of the Arts have extensive connections
with both Washington and the Kennedy Center. Mauceri served as Music
Director of the Washington Opera, Music Director of Orchestras at the
Kennedy Center, and Consultant for Music Theater at the Kennedy Center for
more than a decade. Among the many UNCSA alumni who live and work in
Washington are UNCSA School of Music alumnus Robert Oppelt, principal
double bass for the National Symphony, and UNCSA Board of Trustees member
Dan DeVany, vice president and FM general manager WETA, Washington.
John Mauceri is the Chancellor of the University of North Carolina School
of the Arts (UNCSA) and the Founding Director of the Hollywood Bowl
Orchestra. His distinguished and extraordinary career has taken him not
only to over 25 of the world's greatest opera companies and more than 50
symphony orchestras, but also the musical stages of Broadway and
Hollywood, as well as the most prestigious halls of academia.
Maestro Mauceri has served as music director of four opera companies:
Washington (National), Scottish (Glasgow), the Teatro Regio (Turin,
Italy), and Pittsburgh. He is the first American to have held the post of
music director of an opera house in either Great Britain or Italy. He was
the first music director of the American Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie
Hall after its founding director, Leopold Stokowski, with whom he studied.
He was Consultant for Music Theater at Washington's Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts for more than a decade, and, for 15 years, he served on
the faculty of Yale University. For 18 years, Mauceri worked closely with
Leonard Bernstein and conducted many of the composer's premieres at
Bernstein's request.
On Broadway, he was co-producer of On Your Toes, and served as musical
supervisor for Hal Prince's production of Candide as well as Andrew Lloyd
Webber's Song and Dance. He also conducted the orchestra for the film
version of Evita. Among his many awards and honors are a Tony, Grammy,
Billboard, Olivier, and two Emmys. Last year, his recording of Erich
Korngold's Between Two Worlds was selected by Gramophone magazine as one
of the 250 Greatest Recordings of All Time. In April, Gramophone named two
of his recordings with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra among the "10 great
studio re-creations" of classic movie soundtracks.
Chancellor Mauceri holds the lifetime title of Founding Director of the
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, which was created for him in 1991 by the Los
Angeles Philharmonic, and with whom he led over 300 concerts to a total
audience of over 4 million people. He has written for and appeared on
radio and television and has delivered keynote speeches and papers for
major artistic and educational institutions, such as Harvard University,
the American Academy in Berlin, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln
Center, the American Musicological Society, and the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences. He recently published articles for Cambridge
University Press and Gramophone magazine.
Mauceri has taken the lead in the preservation and performance of many
genres of music and has supervised/conducted important premieres by
composers as diverse as Debussy, Stockhausen, Korngold, Hindemith,
Bernstein, Ives, Elfman, and Shore. He is a leading performer of music
banned by the Third Reich and especially music of Hollywood's émigré
composers, and can be seen and heard on many recent DVD releases of
classic films.
Recent performances include an October 2010 debut in Spain at the Bilbao
Opera as musical director of Susannah, with composer Carlisle Floyd
present; and a November 2010 debut in Denmark with The Danish National
Orchestra, conducting "Emigrés and Protégés - The Hollywood Diaspora." He
has just completed a critically acclaimed run as musical director and
artistic supervisor of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, an all-UNCSA
production and restoration of the original 1943 Broadway production which
has been videotaped for broadcast on UNC-TV on Oct. 12.
One of the world's preeminent experts on film music, Chancellor Mauceri
appeared on June 29 at an event celebrating the life of film composer
Bernard Herrmann, at WQXR in New York City, which can be heard online at
WNYC's The Greene Space. In addition, a studio recording of George and Ira
Gershwin's 1930 hit Broadway musical, Strike Up the Band, conducted by
John Mauceri, has just been released (June 21) by PS Classics. Maestro
Mauceri recently made his debut at the Aspen Music Festival conducting his
edition of Dmitri Shostakovich's score to Hamlet, adapted from the 1964
Soviet film score for six actors and symphony orchestra.
In August 2011, Chancellor Mauceri returned to the Hollywood Bowl, where
he led the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra in Walt Disney's Fantasia. He returns
to Los Angeles in October to conduct a benefit performance for the Motion
Picture & Television Fund. The annual event, "A Fine Romance," features a
breathtaking array of singers from film and stage musicals performing the
songs that have tied New York and Hollywood together for decades.
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Hugh Jackman will host.
And in January 2012, Maestro Mauceri travels to Denmark for a live,
televised performance with the Royal Danish National Orchestra, honoring
Queen Margrethe on her 40th anniversary as monarch.
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is the first
state-supported, residential school of its kind in the nation. Established
as the North Carolina School of the Arts by the N.C. General Assembly in
1963, UNCSA opened in Winston-Salem ("The City of Arts and Innovation") in
1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972.
More than 1,100 students from high school through graduate school train
for careers in the arts in five professional schools: Dance, Design and
Production (including a Visual Arts Program), Drama, Filmmaking, and
Music. UNCSA is the state's only public arts conservatory, dedicated
entirely to the professional training of talented students in the
performing, visual and moving image arts. For more information, visit
www.uncsa.edu
UNC-TV to Feature Ruggero Piano's 4th Friday Concert Series on North Carolina
Weekend
This month's 4th Friday concert will include a few extra mics and video
cameras
as UNC-TV's North Carolina Weekend crew will be featuring our 4th Friday
Concert Series, as well as a few other other events that happen at Ruggero
Piano. North Carolina Weekend spotlights great and unique weekend events
across our state and we are excited that they have included us on their list.
4th Friday coordinator and emcee Eric Hale has put together an amazing group
of performers for this very special edition of our 4th Friday series, most
whom have already performed on 4th Friday concerts. They include Dr. John
Pittman, piano; Dr. James Longmire, baritone with Sue Timmons accompanying;
Michael Danchi, violin with Jonathan Levin, piano; Bill Stevens Jazz Trio;
and pianist Mendel Nguyen. The program will be coming to you shortly,
but mark your calendars now and plan to arrive early for the best seating.
The 4th Friday Concert Series came about to offer a free monthly event where
area musicians could share their talents and Raleigh music lovers could come
with family and friends to enjoy a diverse selection of great music in a
relaxed and intimate setting. For the past eight years, Eric Hale has
scheduled the performers, emceed the concerts, and even performed most
nights.
House accompanist Sue Timmons has also been with the series from the
beginning
graciously accompanying anyone who has needed her. There are rules of the
hall
including the primary one that the piano must be used in every piece, (with
rare exceptions) and that performers be well rehearsed. There is no
restriction on musical style. A reception follows each performance with a
chance to chat with the musicians. The concerts are free and open to the
public and take place nine months each year. We take off July, November and
December due to holidays and vacations.
We look forward to a great turnout this month and to seeing many
familiar, and
some new faces. Thanks to all the performers and our enthusiastic audience!
Richard & Deborah Ruggero
Bosendorer Hall is located in Ruggero Piano at 4720-120 Hargrove Rd.
Raleigh,
NC 27616. Visit our website at http://www.ruggeropiano.com/ or call our
office at 919-839-2040 for more information.
Other Events at Bosendorfer Hall
There are many other events that take place at Bosnedorfer Hall. By the way,
Bosendorfer Hall was named for the historic Bosendorfer Hall in Vienna
where renouned Bosendorfer artists and others have performed for many years.
Our own intimate hall has seen many performances including student recitals,
fundraisers for non-profit groups, master classes, special concerts like the
recent Chopin project, world premiers, private events, and a montly jazz
hour
which is our most recent addition. Recording is also offered with a
reduced
rate for students who are applying for auditions to music schools or
other related organizations.
About Ruggero Piano
Ruggero PIano is a three generation family business of piano technicians
established in 1958. We offer a collection of fine new and used pianos,
total
restoration, comprehensive technical service and concert rental pianos for
area
performances. We have a no pressure educational approach to piano
selection in
an effort to help each customer make an informed selection that will provide
many years of enjoyment. Our followup service insures the highest level of
performance.
Ruggero Piano
4720-120 Hargrove Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27616
(919) 839-2040
NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeannie Mellinger
919.789.5484
jmellinger@ncsymphony.org
North Carolina Symphony Launches 2011/12 Season with Free Concert in
Raleigh Amphitheater
“Pops in the City,” Sept. 4
RALEIGH, N.C.—Maestro William Henry Curry and the North Carolina
Symphony wave goodbye to the summer heat wave and kick off a bold new
concert season with “Pops in the City,” a free concert in Raleigh
Amphitheater, Sunday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m.
Families, friends and music lovers can grab a seat in the heart of
downtown Raleigh for a unique sampling of their state’s premier
orchestra. The concert program features something for every taste, from
classical masterworks including Beethoven’s Consecration of the House
Overture and music from Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake to traditional,
all-American marches by W.C. Handy and John Philip Sousa.
In between, the orchestra offers a few selections by contemporary leading
lights John Williams and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Concertgoers will get a
taste of adventure—as well as a live performance of one of Hollywood’s
most popular movie themes—with the march from Raiders of the Lost Ark,
before the orchestra, with special emphasis on the brass section, performs
Williams’s powerful anthem for the 2006 Atlanta Olympics, Summon the
Heroes. A medley of themes from Webber’s smash-hit musical Phantom of
the Opera completes this unforgettable night out in downtown Raleigh.
The concert helps to launch the Symphony’s 2011/12 concert season,
opening in Raleigh’s Meymandi Concert Hall with a powerhouse program
headlined by Mozart’s Requiem on Thursday, Sept. 8. Other season
highlights include the return of pianist Yuja Wang, one of the music
world’s most celebrated young talents and a performer who causes
listeners to “re-examine whatever assumptions you may have had about how
well the piano can actually be played,” according to the San Francisco
Chronicle.
The Symphony’s Duke Medicine Classical Series Raleigh and Pops seasons
feature standout performances of Carmina Burana, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth
Symphony, three explorations of national music, celebrations of Leonard
Bernstein and Billy Joel, a visit from Art Garfunkel and more. The
orchestra will also welcome world-renowned piano soloists Pascal Rogé,
Ignat Solzhenitsyn, Louis Lortie, Stephen Hough and Christina and Michelle
Naughton to North Carolina as part of the five-concert “Piano Icons”
series, presented in partnership with Fidelity Investments.
Subscriptions to the Symphony’s Classical and Pops series in Raleigh and
concert series in Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines and
Wilmington are currently available.
Individual concert tickets for all 2011/12 Symphony performances go on
sale Monday, August 8, at 10:00 a.m. For tickets, visit the Symphony
online at www.ncsymphony.org or call Symphony Audience Services at
919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.
Raleigh Amphitheater is located downtown, across the street from the
Raleigh Convention Center, at the corner of Lenoir and McDowell streets.
Meymandi Concert Hall is located in the Progress Energy Center for the
Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., in Raleigh.
About the North Carolina Symphony
Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performs over 175 concerts
annually to adults and school children. The orchestra travels extensively
throughout the state to venues in over 50 North Carolina counties. Under
the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn,
Resident Conductor William Henry Curry and Associate Conductor Sarah
Hicks, the orchestra employs 67 professional musicians.
Based in downtown Raleigh’s spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue
at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60
concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary
metropolitan area. It also holds concerts in Fayetteville, New Bern,
Southern Pines, Wilmington and many other North Carolina communities
throughout the year.
For tickets, program notes, podcasts—or just to get to know your
Symphony’s musicians—visit the North Carolina Symphony Web site at
www.ncsymphony.org. Call North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at
919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.
Concert/Event Listing:
North Carolina Symphony
Pops in the City
William Henry Curry, Resident Conductor
Sept. 4, 2011, 7:30pm
Raleigh Amphitheater
Program Listing:
North Carolina Symphony Pops in the City
William Henry Curry, Resident Conductor
Radetzky March
Johann Strauss, Sr.
Overture to The Consecration of the House, Op. 124
Ludwig van Beethoven
Music from Swan Lake
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Savannah River Holiday
Ron Nelson
Raider’s March from Raiders of the Lost Ark
John Williams
Summon the Heroes
John Williams/arr. Custer
Music from Phantom of the Opera
Andrew Lloyd Webber, arr. Custer
Prepared by: Public Affairs Department
For more information:
Doug Grissom, Assistant Director
Raleigh Convention
Center, 996-8500
Symphony Invites Raleigh to Sept. 4
Free Concert in Downtown Amphitheater
Sandi Macdonald introduced herself today to Mayor Charles Meeker
and the City Council by inviting them and all of Raleigh to a
free concert to kick-off the North Carolina Symphony's 2011-12
concert season.
The new president and CEO of the state's premier orchestra issued the
invitation at today's City Council meeting. The free Labor Day weekend
treat will be held Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Raleigh Amphitheater and
Festival Site in Downtown Raleigh.
"Sample Your Symphony" will feature the works of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky,
John Williams and Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as a few moving marches.
William Henry Curry will be conducting.
"Sample Your Symphony" is one of four free concerts that the symphony is
contracted with the City of Raleigh to provide each year. In turn, the
City allocates $200,000 annually in funding to the symphony and provides
the use of City-owned Meymandi Concert Hall rent free.
Jazz students have been enjoying a summer mini-session with TYJE
Director, Gregg Gelb. You can hear them perform this Sunday, August
14, at 3:00 pm at Marsh Woodwinds Upstairs, 707 N. Person Street,
Raleigh.
TYP First Rehearal September 6
Due to the Athens Drive High School Open House on September 13, TYP
will begin one week earlier on September 6. There will be no TYP
rehearsal on the 13th.
Giving Back
In the true spirit of “giving back” the Philharmonic Association
is thrilled that next season’s Artistic Staff for our Triangle
Youth Orchestra will be comprised of two former members of our youth
orchestra program. Coming full circle, with enthusiasm to give
service to the program that helped instill their lifelong love of
great music, Jake Wenger will join fellow alumni Tim Kohring as a
conductor for the Triangle Youth Orchestra. Both played in the
Triangle Youth Philharmonic in high school, went to college to get
undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, and have returned to the
area as teachers and performers. The Philharmonic Association will be
celebrating 25 years in 2013 and a number of our alumni are now local
teachers who send their students to our program. Kind of like having
grandchildren! Jake also teaches at Ravenscroft School and for the
Community Music School of Raleigh, a non-profit offering low-cost
music lessons to low-income students.
Last Day for Audition Cancellation
August 8 is the last day to cancel your audition without forfeiting
the audition deposit.
Send in your deposit to be scheduled for an audition, after
submitting an online registration.
The Philharmonic Association is supported in part by the City of
Raleigh, with funding recommended by the City of the Raleigh Arts
Commission; United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, with
funds from the United Arts campaign as well as the North Carolina
Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes
a great nation deserves great art; the North Carolina Symphony; the
Town of Cary; and the Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival - a Cary
based festival supporting local arts and non-profit organizations and
activities.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: NMR 202-297-3833
info@newmusicraleigh.org
NMR Curator Invited to International Percussion Festival
August 2, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) – New Music Raleigh Curator, Shawn Galvin
has been invited to perform at the Percussive Arts Society International
Convention on November 10, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Mr. Galvin will
perform the 2006 work entitled Volume which was written by the Brooklyn
based composer Missy Mazzoli.
Shawn M. Galvin is known for his versatility as a percussionist, his
commitment to creative performances, and his dedication to new music and
improvisation. In a very young career, Shawn has garnered a richly varied
performance background due to the ease he demonstrates within many genres
of percussion performance.
Shawn is the Curator of New Music Raleigh, a collective of dynamic
musicians dedicated to presenting outstanding performances of music by
living composers. NMR creates concert experiences that challenge
tradition, engage and inspire diverse audiences, and give voice to
today’s most innovative and relevant modern music.
Shawn has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under leading
conductors including Lorin Maazel, Mariss Jansons, Chales Dutoit, Manfred
Honneck, Leonard Slatkin, David Zinman, Rafeal Fruahbeck de Burgos,
Gianandrea Noseda, and Stéphane Denève. Shawn has also performed with
the Washington Bach Consort, the National Philharmonic, Washington Concert
Opera, and the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Project. Currently, Shawn performs
with the North Carolina Symphony, and the Colorado Music Festival
Orchestra.
The Percussive Arts Society (PAS) is a music service organization
promoting percussion education, research, performance and appreciation
throughout the world.
The Percussive Arts Society is the world's largest percussion organization
and is considered the central source for information and networking for
percussionists and drummers of all ages. Established in 1961 as a
non-profit, music service organization, our mission is to promote
percussion education, research, performance and appreciation throughout
the world.
Today, we are 8,500-members strong with 50 chapters located across the
United States, and an additional 28 chapters outside the United States.
PAS publishes two bi-monthly publications, Percussive Notes and Percussion
News, and a website that contains publication archives, research
databases, a conference center, museum tour and other features.
Each year PAS hosts the largest percussion convention in the world, the
Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), featuring the
top names in drumming and percussion.Now in its 35th year, PASIC
features more than 115 concerts, clinics, master classes, labs, workshops,
panels and presentations. The top percussion artists from all over the
world present and perform in areas that include, drumset, marching,
keyboard, symphonic, timpani, world, recreational, education, music
technology, new music, and health and wellness. Attendance is over 6,000
annually.
CELEBRATION CONCERT TO FEATURE THE MUSIC OF DAN FORREST, CARL NYGARD,
JOHN RUTTER AND OTHERS AT EDENTON STREET UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
The Bel Canto Company, directed by Welborn Young, will present a special
evening of choral music, featuring works by the above-named composers and
others, at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh on Friday,
August 5 at 8:00 p.m. Hilary Apfelstadt and Carl Nygard will be guest
conductors.
Admission is free, but seating is limited.
The Concert is presented in conjunction with Hinshaw Music's 37th annual
Celebration choral workshop, to be held at the Sheraton Imperial in the
Research Triangle on August
5 and 6, 2011.
For additional information about either the Concert or the Celebration
workshop, please call Hinshaw Music at 919-933-1691 or visit
hinshawmusic.com.
If you are a lover of opera and theatre you won’t want to miss this performance. Karen Dear announces her professional debut at Progress Energy Center’s Fletcher Opera Theatre on August 27th, 2011 @ 7pm. ‘Karen Dear & Friends, A Night in Opera & Sacred Classical’, accompanied by David Heid, led by Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Thomas Keefe will not disappoint. From vocals and acting to staging and lighting, Ms. Dear ‘s presentation will keep you engaged .
Karen has sung in productions with North Carolina Opera and in a recital performance with Triangle Opera Studios. She also performed as Sister Berthe in the 2009 production of NC Theatre’s ‘Sound of Music’ where acclaimed broadway director, Richard Stafford writes:
"I had the great pleasure of recently directing Karen in the Sound of Music at North Carolina Theatre. She was a wonderful, funny, tuneful Sister Berthe. She has a great deal of talent and the artistry to portray many different roles. I very much hope to work with her again in the future."
Richard Stafford
director/choreographer
Her vocal coach and accompanist, David Heid comes to North Carolina after a successful career in New York City. As a composer, arranger & conductor he made his Lincoln Center debut in Alice Tully Hall in 1994. His coaching clients include past Grammy and Tony Award winners. He is currently on the music staff at Duke University teaching piano and residing as staff accompanist. He has worked with many of the area’s leading organizations including Durham Choral Society, The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, The Fletcher Foundation, Opera Company of North Carolina, Theater in the Park, Thompson Theater Summerfest and Long Leaf Opera. He was previously on staff of the renowned Juilliard School in New York City.
Karen has her Voice Performance degree from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, where she attended on scholarship for leadership and academic abilities and her sophomore year she won the Marie Grisard Music award of excellence. She studied with Dr. Tamara Fudge. Dr. Fudge obtained her master’s degree from Indiana University where she studied with American Baritone, Walter Cassel, then received her doctorate from Florida State University. Ms. Dear has a wide range of musical experience from roles in musical theatre, choral conducting, song writing, church soloist & flutist. Performing as Sarah Brown in ‘Guys and Dolls’ to singing her original composition ‘He’s Everything’ at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California to playing her flute in an orchestra for a performance at Meymandi Concert Hall. Not to mention as well writing a performance of original prose followed traditional Methodist hymn such as, ‘Precious Lord Take My Hand’, ‘In the Garden’, ‘Softly and Tenderly’, ‘Are Ye Able’ and traditional appalachian song, ‘Down to the River’, expressing an intimate spiritual journey where she performed at First United Methodist Church in Cary and then was invited to Glenaire Retirement community. She was accompanied on guitar by Francine Martin.
During the past 2 years Karen has sought vocal instruction from 4 local opera teachers. In seeking such a wide range of guidance she has been intent on discovering what it truly means to sing opera, striving to learn the most faithful interpretations of Verdi , Mozart and Floyd while holding true to the classical tradition & art of singing bel canto. As a spinto soprano, she will be performing semi-staged scenes as The Countess from Mozart’s ‘The Marriage of Figaro’, Desdemona from Verdi’s ‘Otello’, Amelia from Verdi’s ‘Un Ballo In Maschera’, and Susannah from Floyd’s ‘Susannah’. She is thrilled to be joined by Thomas Keefe and Emily Haas, both of whom are current members of North Carolina Opera and Ms. Sarah Ittoop, who is a current member of Triangle Opera Studios. They will all play a role in specified scenes. She has also welcomed Ms. Patricia Cook, singing in duet Mendelssohn’s ‘Thy Secret Place’. Ms. Cook has her music degree from University of North Carolina, Greensboro and is currently Assistant Music Director at First United Methodist Church in Cary, North Carolina. Other sacred songs to be performed include traditional spirituals such as ‘Give Me Jesus’, ‘Aint’a that Good
News’ as well as traditional hymn, ‘Be Thou My Vision’.
Ms. Dear is hoping to gain support from her community and surrounding areas to come out and be a part of this effort. In creating her own opportunity she hopes to encourage other local artists to do the same. She is grateful to all whom have guided her in this most remarkable journey.
Fantasy and Ambiguity in Musical Form and Style, in conjunction with the
Anthony Goicolea exhibition at the NC Museum of Art
Igor Stravinsky - Suite Italienne for cello and piano
Georg Phillipe Telemann - Fantasie No. 1 for solo viola
Frédéric Chopin - Fantaisie in F Minor, Op. 49 for solo piano
Arnold Schoenberg – Phantasy, Op. 47 for violin and piano
Gustav Mahler - Piano Quartet in A Minor
1:45 pm: PRE-CONCERT DOCENT-LED TOUR of the Goicolea exhibition
For reservations, contact Christine Molesky at (919) 664-6785 or
christine.molesky@ncdcr.gov
SINGLE TICKETS: $10, $8 students and NCMA members
SEASON TICKETS (6 concerts): $50; $45 students and NCMA members
In advance: (919) 715-5923 or www.ncartmuseum.org; At the door
The Sights & Sounds on Sundays chamber music concert series is presented
by the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild and the NC Museum of Art.
Nancy Lambert, Executive Director
Raleigh Chamber Music Guild
PO Box 2059, Raleigh NC 27602
(919) 821-2030; (919) 833-8937 fax; www.rcmg.org
William Henry Curry Spotlight in N&O
In case you missed it, our own Resident Conductor and Summerfest Artistic
Director William Henry
Curry was profiled in the Sunday edition of Raleigh's News & Observer.
View the online N&O image
gallery of William Henry Curry at this link!
Plenty More in Store
Don't forget there's plenty of great music to hear (and fun to have!) from
the NCS this summer.
July 9, 2011
Pirates!
Koka Booth Amphitheatre, Cary
Hit the high seas with music from Pirates of the Caribbean, The Pirates of
Penzance, Hook, Peter
Pan, Captain Blood, The Flying Dutchman and more. But at this
swashbuckling concert spectacular, the
music's the beginning of the fun. We have treasure hunts, authentic
artifacts, prizes for the best
pirate costumes and more. THIS SATURDAY it's family fun at Summerfest.
July 14, 2011
The Music of Queen
Meymandi Concert Hall, Raleigh
"Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Are The Champions," "Another One Bites The Dust"
and all the essential
rarities. Your North Carolina Symphony presents the summer concert event
sure to rock you. Enjoy
this concert at our indoor concert home at Raleigh's Meymandi Concert Hall
and avoid the summer
heat!
July 16, 2011
Time for Three
Koka Booth Amphitheatre, Cary
They're back! Violins Zachary De Pue and Nicolas Kendall and bassist
Ranaan Meyer wowed our audience
with their blazing skills on New Year's Eve 2008. Now self-described
"classically trained garage
band" Time for Three returns to your Symphony for all the jazz, blues and
bluegrass-infused musical
mayhem you can handle.
BOSTON POPS ANNOUNCES FIRST-EVER SUMMER TOUR OF MINOR LEAGUE
BALLPARKS BEGINNING
AT THE DURHAM BULLS ATHLETIC PARK
TUESDAY, AUGUST 16TH
Raleigh based tour promoter ESI Concerts and the Durham Bulls have
agreed to make GENESIS HOME the sole recipient of the charitable gift
from this concert.
UNDER THE DIRECTION OF KEITH LOCKHART, WITH SPECIAL GUEST KENNY
LOGGINS
THE BOSTON POPS WILL PERFORM GREAT MUSIC INSPIRED BY OUR NATIONAL
PASTIME AND HOLLYWOOD HITS FROM THE ICONIC FILM SCORES OF OUR TIME
DURHAM, NC-- The Durham Bulls present The Boston Pops with special
guest Kenny Loggins for one night only on Tuesday, August 16th at
7:30 p.m. at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Genesis Home will be the
sole recipient of the charitable gift for this concert.
Conductor Keith Lockhart and America's Orchestra, the famed Boston
Pops, and iconic singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins will join Mr.
Lockhart and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra for a tour program
that features music inspired by three of this country's favorite
pastimes--baseball, movies, and rock 'n' roll. The common thread
throughout the program, entitled the Hollywood Hits Tour, will be
legendary film music themes, featuring music from one of the most
memorable baseball films of our time, The Natural, a tribute to
renowned film composer JohnWilliams, and Kenny Loggins singing
"Footloose", from the ever-popular film of the same name.
Genesis Home will receive a portion of the proceeds from each ticket
sold. Tickets are available online at www.durhambulls.com , by
phone at 919.956.BULL or at The Durham Bulls Athletic Park Box
Office.
For online sales use the ticket code GENESIS (in caps) or mention
Genesis Home when you purchase tickets by phone or in person.
About Genesis Home:
Genesis Home is a nonprofit organization based in the heart of
Durham, NC. Genesis Home works to end homelessness for families with
children by providing housing and supportive services to foster
independence.
For more information contact Mary McGuigan at Genesis Home
919.683.5878 x 22 or email development@genesishome.org
NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeannie Mellinger, 919.789.5484, jmellinger@ncsymphony.org
Legislators Praise North Carolina Symphony’s Benefit Tour
Red Cross Joins Symphony to Raise Money for Tornado Victims
Concerts in Tarboro, New Bern, Chapel Hill, Cary and Jacksonville, May
31-June 5
RALEIGH, N.C.—Wednesday, May 24, 2011—North Carolina Symphony Interim
President and CEO Don K. Davis appeared before the North Carolina General
Assembly’s Joint Select Committee on Tornado Damage Response yesterday
to outline the Symphony’s plans to aid victims of North Carolina’s
April tornados and storms.
“We will be joined by volunteers from local chapters of the American Red
Cross, whom we are very pleased to be working with,” he told the
assembled members of the committee, chaired by Rep. Michael Stone of
Sanford and Sen. Louis Pate of Mount Olive, in a meeting in the
Legislative Office Building in Raleigh.
Red Cross personnel will be on-site at all five concerts in the
Symphony’s upcoming statewide tour, May 31-June 5, said Davis. They will
accept cash or check donations to Red Cross Disaster Relief at tables and
through roaming volunteers in red vests.
The effort met with unanimous praise from the committee, with Rep. Stone
noting that the group “really appreciates what the North Carolina
Symphony is stepping up to do.” He included the orchestra in a growing
list of non-profits and businesses across the state that have gone out of
the way to support North Carolinians in need.
The sentiment was seconded by committee members including Sen. Bob Atwater
of Chapel Hill and Rep. Phil R. Shepard of Jacksonville, both representing
areas near where the Symphony will perform as part of the tour.
The concerts, conducted by Symphony Music Director Grant Llewellyn and
titled “Around the World in Eighty Minutes,” take place at Town Common
in Tarboro, Tuesday, May 31; Tryon Palace in New Bern, Thursday, June 2;
Market Square at Southern Village in Chapel Hill, Friday, June 3; Koka
Booth Amphitheatre, Regency Park in Cary, Saturday, June 4; and Riverwalk
Crossing Park in Jacksonville, Sunday, June 5.
All five concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. All performances are free except for
the Saturday, June 4, concert, part of the Rex Healthcare Summerfest
Series in Cary.
“This is a wonderful thing that the Symphony is doing,” added
committee co-chair Sen. Pate, who went on to encourage community service
outlets in the state to promote this unique opportunity to raise funds for
North Carolina disaster victims.
Davis stressed the point in his remarks. He thanked North Carolina
Department of Cultural Resources Secretary Linda Carlisle for challenging
the Symphony to create an opportunity for state residents to offer their
support.
“We feel the special nature of the North Carolina Symphony, along with
the wonderful support we receive throughout North Carolina, gives us a
unique capability to help,” he said.
“Around the World in Eighty Minutes” features guest vocalist Rhiannon
Giddens Laffan, lead singer of the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate
Drops, in a musical tour of the U.K., Austria, Italy, Russia, the Far East
and the United States.
The Saturday, June 4, concert is part of the Rex Healthcare Summerfest
Series in Cary. General admission lawn seating in Cary is $25 in advance,
$30 at the door. Covered table seating is also available for $30 in
advance, $35 at the door. Children 12 and under are admitted free to all
Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series concerts.
About the North Carolina Symphony
Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performs over 175 concerts
annually to adults and school children. The orchestra travels extensively
throughout the state to venues in over 50 North Carolina counties. Under
the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn,
Resident Conductor William Henry Curry and Associate Conductor Sarah
Hicks, the orchestra employs 67 professional musicians.
Based in downtown Raleigh’s spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the
Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue
at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60
concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary
metropolitan area. It also regularly holds concerts in Fayetteville, New
Bern, Southern Pines, Wilmington and many other North Carolina
communities.
For more, visit the North Carolina Symphony Web site at www.ncsymphony.org.
Concert/Event Listing:
North Carolina Symphony
“Around the World in Eighty Minutes”
Benefitting Tornado Victims
The Symphony is partnering with the American Red Cross to aid victims of
the state’s April storms. Volunteers will be on-site to accept donations
to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Join us in helping victims of disaster in
North Carolina and around the country.
Grant Llewellyn, Music Director
Rhiannon Giddens Laffan, vocalist
May 31, 2011, 7:30pm
Town Common, Tarboro
June 2, 2011, 7:30pm
Tryon Palace, New Bern
June 3, 2011, 7:30pm
Market Square at Southern Village, Chapel Hill
June 4, 2011, 7:30pm
Koka Booth Amphitheatre, Regency Park, Cary
June 5, 2011, 7:30pm
Riverwalk Crossing Park, Jacksonville
THE WCPE LOCAL ARTS SERIES in collaboration with Quail Ridge Books & Music
North Carolina Symphony: May 11, 2011
The Classical Station thanks The North Carolina Symphony for partnering with us in the Local Arts Series - a collaboration with the community-minded staff at Quail Ridge Books & Music. Our goal for this 2011 series is to bring music lovers to an intimate space where they can connect with, learn about, and build relationships with classical music performers. We were delighted by the great show of support for our own North Carolina Symphony this week! What’s more, Grant Llewellyn kindly took all of us into his world and shared a side of himself that was every bit as discerning and insightful as we had hoped.
Listening to Grant Llewellyn speak about Mahler’s 9th, you feel his connection is so real that it is nearly palpable. As Llewellyn waxes poetic about his dynamic relationship with Mahler’s music you understand why he chose to conduct it at this time in his life. Could it be as simple as the music choosing him? Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 resonates with Llewellyn in a vibrant and fresh way and yet his peace with the artistic space in which the work was created is something uniquely mature. With Mahler, Llewellyn seems to have arrived at a place of cultivation of empathy. We are so grateful to have given an audience to his reflections of a profound musical journey.
— Tara Lynn
WCPE Community & Arts Liaison
NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Jeannie Mellinger
919.789.5484
jmellinger@ncsymphony.org
Chamber Music the Way it Was Meant to be Heard:
North Carolina Symphony’s Pub Series Concludes with Dinner at bu•ku, May 16
Couple Offers Taste of Cutting Edge Music with
Works by Reich, Arvo Pärt and Joel Hoffman
RALEIGH, N.C.—Two musicians offer a unique sampling of 20th century music in the intimate setting of downtown Raleigh hotspot bu•ku, Monday, May 16, in the final concert in the North Carolina Symphony’s 2010/11 Pub Series. Symphony violinist Karen Strittmatter Galvin takes the stage with her husband, percussionist Shawn Galvin, for program from the cutting edge of composition. Dinner service at bu•ku begins at 6:00 p.m., with the concert starting at 8:00 p.m.
Shawn opens the concert by performing both parts of Nagoya Marimbas, a duet by pioneering American composer Steve Reich. “The second part will play via the computer,” he explains, “and I will play the other part live.”
He then aims to create “a backdrop with interesting sound for Karen to interact with” on Arvo Pärt’s evocative Fratres, originally written for violin and piano but adapted by the composer for multiple unlikely pairings. Karen is featured on solo violin in that piece before joining with Shawn for the concert’s closer, Joel Hoffman’s Three Oranges. Premiered in 2006, the duet, subtitled “a concise work in three movements for violin and marimba,” nicely rounds out the evening’s theme.
“There’s a lineage,” says Shawn. “Reich is the classic minimalist and so is Arvo Pärt, and the Hoffman music is a post-minimalist reaction.”
Combining musical selections rarely heard in any setting, played to perfection by professional musicians and combined with great atmosphere and even better food, the Symphony’s Pub Series has become a staple for many music lovers in the Triangle area. This edition highlights a menu inspired by food from the pushcarts of vendors in cities across the globe. Locally owned and operated, bu•ku strives to convey the immediate thrill a traveler feels when first encountering foods within a new culture.
An all-inclusive ticket price of $60 covers both dinner and the performance. Pub Series events frequently sell out; audience members are encouraged to purchase tickets now.
Bu•ku is located in downtown Raleigh at110 E. Davie St. For more, visit www.ncsymphony.org/pub.
About the North Carolina Symphony
Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony performs over 175 concerts annually to adults and school children. The orchestra travels extensively throughout the state to communities in over 50 North Carolina counties. Under the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn, Resident Conductor William Henry Curry and Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks, the orchestra employs 67 professional musicians.
Based in downtown Raleigh’s spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60 concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary metropolitan area. It also holds concerts in Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines, Wilmington and many other North Carolina communities throughout the year.
For tickets, program notes, podcasts—or just to get to know your Symphony’s musicians—visit the North Carolina Symphony Web site at www.ncsymphony.org. Call North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724. The State of North Carolina has issued your Symphony an $8 million challenge; learn more at www.ncsymphony.org/challenge.
Program Listing:
North Carolina Symphony
2010/11 Pub Series: bu•ku
May 16, 2011, 6pm
Nagoya Marimbas
Steve Reich (b. 1936)
Shawn Galvin, marimba
Fratres
Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)
Karen Strittmatter Galvin, violin
Three Oranges
Joel Hoffman (b. 1953)
Karen Strittmatter Galvin, violin
Shawn Galvin, marimba
NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeannie Mellinger, 919.789.5484, jmellinger@ncsymphony.org
AUDITION ANNOUNCMENT:
North Carolina Symphony Holds Auditions for Second Young All-Stars Orchestra
Two High School Chamber Orchestras to be Formed
in Partnership with Triangle Philharmonic Association
RALEIGH, N.C.—The North Carolina Symphony is now taking applications to
audition for the 2010/11 Young All-Stars Orchestras. The exclusive chamber
orchestras for advanced high school musicians are led by Music Director
Grant Llewellyn in partnership with the Triangle’s Philharmonic
Association. Accepted students will participate in a week of intensive
rehearsals with Maestro Llewellyn and intimate sectional rehearsals with
North Carolina Symphony musicians before a final public performance.
Two orchestras will be formed this concert season, the first offering a
winter performance in Meymandi Concert Hall on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011, at
2:00 p.m. The final program will feature Pulitzer Prize-winning composer
Robert Ward’s Symphony No. 3 and close with Mozart’s “Haffner”
Symphony, No. 35.
The spring orchestra will perform in Edenton Street United Methodist
Church on Sunday, May 15, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. The church’s organist, Josh
Dumbleton, will perform Poulenc’s Organ Concerto with the Young
All-Stars. The spring program will also include the music of Haydn and
Mozart.
“The rehearsal schedule and concert repertoire is intended to emulate
that of the North Carolina Symphony,” says Education Manager Jessica
Nalbone. “The musicians who are selected will be challenged to hold
themselves to the same expectations as professionals. This is a truly
unique opportunity for talented young instrumentalists to work at the
highest level.”
Young All-Stars concert programs are carefully designed to offer young
talent the opportunity to perform in new settings, debut compositions,
work with distinguished composers or soloists and learn musical works
outside of the standard youth orchestra repertoire. The program follows on
the success of the 2009-10 Young All-Stars Orchestra, which performed
twice last season.
Audition Information
North Carolina high school students between the ages of 14 and 19 are
invited to participate in the auditions at Meymandi Concert Hall in
downtown Raleigh’s Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts.
Auditions for the winter orchestra will be held on Saturday, Oct. 9.
Auditions for the spring orchestra will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 8, and
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011.
If accepted, a participation fee of $50 is required for each orchestra;
scholarships may be available. The audition application, full schedule and
a detailed description of requirements can be found at
www.ncsymphony.org/education.
Questions about the Young All-Stars Orchestra can be directed to North
Carolina Symphony Education Manager Jessica Nalbone at 919.789.5461 or
jnalbone@ncsymphony.org. For more information on the North Carolina
Symphony, visit www.ncsymphony.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Brian Van Norman
919.232.5008
brian@articulon.com
Award-Winning Clarinetist Opens Orchestra’s 28th Season
Alexander Fiterstein Performs at October 3 Concert
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (September 28, 2010) — The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle (www.thecot.org) announces today that award-winning clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein will be the featured soloist during its 2010-2011 season-opening concert on October 3, 2010. The 3 p.m. concert will be held at the Carolina Theatre in Durham. This is Fiterstein’s fourth time performing with the orchestra.
Alexander Fiterstein
“Alexander combines a warm tone with exceptional technical skill; he’s extremely soulful,” says Lorenzo Muti, COT artistic director and conductor. “I am delighted to have him back to perform with us once again.”
The concert, titled A Trove of Miniature Treasures, will consist of Fiterstein as soloist in performances of Gioacchino Rossini’s “Variations for Clarinet and Small Orchestra” and Richard Strauss’ “Duet-Concertino,” where he will be joined by Christopher Ulfers on Bassoon. In addition, the orchestra will perform Maurice Ravel’s “Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte,” Arthur Honegger’s “Pastorale d’ete,” and Claude Debussy’s “Petite Suite.”
A native of Belarus, Fiterstein immigrated with his family to Israel at the age of two. He is the winner of the 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant Award, and is a first-prize winner of the Carl Nielson International Clarinet Competition and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. He has performed with The Vienna Chamber Orchestra, The Israel Chamber Orchestra and the China National Symphony Orchestra, among others. Fiterstein was recently appointed as the artist/professor of clarinet at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and has been on the faculty of Kean University in New Jersey since 2005.
In addition to Fiterstein, the COT season includes featured performances by soprano Andrea Moore, pianist Andrew Tyson, violinist Timothy Fain and the Cary Concert Singers. A complete listing of concerts is available at www.thecot.org
Season tickets may be purchased at www.thecot.org or by calling 919.360.3382. All concerts are held at 3 p.m. at the Carolina Theatre of Durham, 309 West Morgan Street, Durham, N.C. 27701. To emphasize its commitment to engaging young people with great classical music, the orchestra provides free seating at every concert to students of all ages.
Muti and The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle will be dedicating this concert in memory of Shirley Weiss who, with her husband Charles, established the Charles and Shirley Weiss Endowment for Young Performers. Funding from the endowment makes the COT’s soloist performances possible.
About the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle:
Since 1982, The Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle has been received with genuine respect and enthusiasm by music critics and the community. Today, it is considered one of the finest professional ensembles in North Carolina and the Southeast. With its elite corps of musicians, the orchestra continues to present a well-chosen and unusual repertoire that delights audiences and evokes high praise from critics. That standard of excellence has become the hallmark of the orchestra and has distinguished each succeeding season. The 2010-2011 series marks its 28th concert season. For more information, visit www.thecot.org or call 919.360.3382.
OPENING NIGHT OF THE MANNING CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
Join pianist Milton Rubén Laufer and North Carolina Symphony musicians
Mary Boone, Karen Galvin, Maria Evola, David Marschall, Peng Li, and
Leonid Finkelshteyn, for opening night of the Manning Chamber music series
in Kenan recital hall at Peace College.
Featured will be Spanish chamber music including works by Xavier
Montsalvatge, Joaquin Turina, and Leonardo Balada.
The concert will be held Monday, Ocotober 6 in Kenan Recital Hall at 7:30
and admission is free.
Reception to follow in Main Parlor.
Please call 919-508-2290 for more information.
On Friday, October 1 the Duke Jazz Ensemble, directed by John Brown,
will present "Celebrating the Music of Frank Foster," a concert
focusing on the works of the Grammy Award-winning composer and saxophonist who has recently
donated his compositions, arrangements, and personal papers to the
Jazz Archive at Duke University Libraries. Alumni of the Duke Jazz
Ensemble, including New York City saxophonist Todd Bashore, will
return to perform Foster's arrangements of works by John Coltrane,
Thelonious Monk and others. Duke Jazz Ensemble director John Brown
hopes that in addition to celebrating Foster's many achievements, the
concert will call attention to the Jazz Archive, a significant
historical resource available to scholars, performers and jazz
enthusiasts.
Frank Foster was a member of the Count Basie Orchestra for many
years, eventually leading the group from 1986-1995. In 2002, he was
presented with a Jazz Master Award from the National Endowment for
the Arts.
"Celebrating the Music of Frank Foster" will take place on Friday,
Oct. 1 at 8 pm in Baldwin Auditorium on Duke's East Campus. Tickets
are $10 general/$5 students and senior citizens. Call 919-684-4444
or visit www.tickets.duke.edu.
More information about the Jazz Archive may be found at this link.
Winston-Salem Symphony
For Immediate Release
August 10, 2010
For More Information:
Camille Jones
336.725.1035, x 214
cjones@wssymphony.org
METROPOLITAN OPERA STAR RENÉE FLEMING OPENS
THE WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY’S 64TH SEASON
Winston-Salem, NC – Internationally-acclaimed soprano and Metropolitan Opera star Renée Fleming will
open the Winston-Salem Symphony’s 2010 – 2011 season with a gala concert of opera arias, art songs and
musical theatre favorites. The concert will be presented at Reynolds Auditorium, 301 N. Hawthorne Road, on
Monday, September 27, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for “The Beautiful Voice of Renée Fleming” are $30 - $125
and may be purchased at the Symphony Box Office (201 N. Broad Street), by calling 336.464.0145, or online at
www.wssymphony.org.
Ms. Fleming’s program with the Winston-Salem Symphony will include selections from Gustav Mahler’s Rückert
Lieder, Antonín Dvorák’s “Song to the Moon,” and arias from Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, John Kander, and
more. In addition to accompanying Ms. Fleming, the Winston-Salem Symphony will perform works by Richard
Strauss, Puccini, Richard Wagner, and Morton Gould.
Often called “the people’s diva” for her down-to-earth, remarkably unaffected personality, Ms. Fleming has also
been called “the Grace Kelly of Opera” for her beauty and style, and “La Regina del Metropolitan” (Opera Chic)
a nod to her position as the undisputed reigning soprano in America today. With a voice described as “luscious
cream and coloratura diamonds” (New York Post), she has charmed audiences around the globe in operatic
performances, recital appearances, and on recordings ranging from opera to rock. Of a 2009 recital given by
Ms. Fleming The Seattle Times noted, “If you weren't already in love with [Fleming] when you arrived…then you
definitely left wrapped around her finger…”
The Winston-Salem Symphony’s 64th season includes Classics and Kicked-Back Classics, Plugged-In Pops, and
Discovery Concerts for Kids series. In addition, the Ms. Fleming’s gala concert, the Symphony will also present
Handel’s Messiah in December and the annual Side by Side concert with the Youth Symphony in March. For
more information on the Winston-Salem Symphony and its 2010 – 2011 season, visit www.wssymphony.org.
Renee Fleming
One of the most beloved and celebrated musical ambassadors of our time, soprano Renée Fleming captivates audiences with
her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry, and compelling stage presence. Known as “the people’s diva,” she continues to
grace the world’s greatest opera stages and concert halls, now extending her reach to include other musical forms and media.
Over the past few seasons, Ms. Fleming has been hosting a wide variety of television and radio broadcasts, including the
Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series for movie theaters and television, and Live From Lincoln Center on PBS.
As a musical statesman, Renée Fleming has been sought after on numerous distinguished occasions, from the 2006 Nobel
Peace Prize ceremony to performances in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games. On January 18, 2009, was featured on the
televised We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial concert for President Obama. She has
performed for the United States Supreme Court, HRH The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace, and, in November 2009,
celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s “Velvet Revolution” at the invitation of Václav Havel. An additional
distinction was bestowed in 2008, when breaking a precedent, Ms. Fleming became the first woman in the 125-year history of
the Metropolitan Opera to solo headline an opening night gala.
Renée Fleming’s 2010-11 season at the Metropolitan Opera includes performances of Rossini’s Armida, and Strauss’s
Capriccio. Her 2010-11 concert season begins with the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s Last Night of the Proms performance in
September, followed by appearances with the Pittsburgh Symphony conducted by Manfred Honeck, the National Symphony
under Christoph Eschenbach, and the Saint Louis Symphony with David Robertson. In October, Ms. Fleming travels to
Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium with the Munich Philharmonic and conductor Christian Thielemann, and in November,
she embarks on a Scandinavian tour, performing with the Danish National Symphony, Aarhus Symphony, Royal Stockholm
Philharmonic, Norwegian Radio and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestras. Further concert highlights include performances
with the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony, as well as the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Berliner
Philharmoniker. A dedicated and masterful recitalist, Ms. Fleming appears in Saint Paul, Minnesota and Kansas City, and in
January, 2011, she embarks on a recital tour to Quebec, Washington, D.C., New York’s Carnegie Hall, Ann Arbor, Montreal
and San Juan.
A three-time Grammy winner, Ms. Fleming won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for Verismo
(Decca/September 2009), a CD featuring a collection of rarely heard Italian arias. In June 2010, Decca and Mercury records
released the CD Dark Hope, which features Ms. Fleming performing songs by artists such as Leonard Cohen, Peter Gabriel,
Arcade Fire and Death Cab for Cutie, among others. Ms. Fleming’s most recent DVD is of Massenet’s Thaïs (Decca/January
2010) from the Metropolitan Opera. These releases follow the critically acclaimed 2008 CD of Strauss: Four Last Songs and
a DVD of the complete Der Rosenkavalier, both featuring the Munich Philharmonic conducted by Christian Thielemann. In
recent years, this 12-time Grammy nominated artist has recorded everything from Strauss’s complete Daphne to the jazz
album Haunted Heart, to the movie soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Her recording honors range
from the 2009 Echo Award for Strauss’s Four Last Songs to the Prix Maria Callas Orphée d’Or by the Académie du Disque
Lyric for TDK’s DVD production of Capriccio.
Among Ms. Fleming’s numerous awards are Sweden’s Polar Prize (2008); the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur from the
French government (2005); Honorary Membership in the Royal Academy of Music (2003); and a 2003 Honorary Doctorate
from The Juilliard School, where she was also commencement speaker.
An advocate for literacy, Renée Fleming has been featured in promotional campaigns for the Association of American
Publishers (Get Caught Reading), and the Magazine Publishers of America’s READ poster campaign for the American Library
Association. She was honored by The New York Public Library as a “Library Lion.” Her book, The Inner Voice, was published
by Viking Penguin in 2004, and released in paperback by Penguin the following year. An intimate account of her career
and creative process, the book is also published in France by Fayard Editions, in the United Kingdom by Virgin Books, by
Henschel Verlag in Germany, Shunjusha in Japan, and by Fantom Press in Russia.
Ms. Fleming is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Hall Corporation, the Board of Sing for Hope, and
the Advisory Board of the White Nights Foundation of America. Additional information about Ms. Fleming can be found at her
website: www.reneefleming.com. (Management: IMG Artists; Public Relations: M.L. FALCONE, Public Relations)
NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeannie Mellinger
919.789.5484
jmellinger@ncsymphony.org
Cirque de la Symphonie Returns for a High-Flying Indoor Performance with
the North Carolina Symphony
RALEIGH, N.C.—Back by popular demand, Cirque de la Symphonie joins the
North Carolina Symphony for a high-flying musical spectacle for the whole
family, Oct. 1-3. The aerialists, acrobats, trapeze artists,
contortionists, dancers, jugglers and strongmen who make up the group,
which last performed with the Symphony before a sold-out crowd during
Summerfest 2009, bring their dynamic show indoors for a concert showcasing
some of the finest music ever written.
Resident Conductor William Henry Curry leads this gravity-defying Pops
performance at Meymandi Concert Hall in downtown Raleigh’s Progress
Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 1-2, at
8:00 p.m. A special matinee performance takes place Sunday, Oct. 3, at
3:00 p.m.
Formed to bring the magic of cirque to the music hall, Cirque de la
Symphonie’s exciting performances are specifically choreographed for
every new space to classical masterpieces and popular contemporary music
in collaboration with the conductor. October’s concerts feature
award-winning aerialist Alexander Streltsov, seven-time acrobatic
gymnastics national champion Christine Van Loo, Cirque du Soleil veteran
Shana Lord and the captivating “Duo Design” balancing act by Jaroslaw
Marciniak and Dariusz Wronski, among many other artists.
Symphony regulars won’t be wanting for great music, as the Symphony
provides a perfect counterpoint to all the visual thrills with works
ranging from the passionate Danse Bohème from Bizet’s Carmen to
Saint-Saëns’s spooky Danse macabre and Wagner’s thunderous Ride of
the Valkyries. Younger members of the audience will also enjoy familiar
melodies such as the Waltz from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty
(reinvented as the song “Once Upon a Dream” for Disney’s animated
version of the fairy tale) or a selection from John Williams’s score to
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Regular tickets to this Fidelity Investments Pops Series performance
featuring Cirque de la Symphonie range from $40 to $60, with a senior rate
of $30. Meymandi Concert Hall is located in the Progress Energy Center for
the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., in Raleigh.
For tickets and more information, visit the North Carolina Symphony Web
site at www.ncsymphony.org or call 919.733.2750. See photos and a video by
WUNC-TV on Cirque de la Symphonie’s 2009 performance in the Symphony’s
online Media Center, www.ncsymphony.org/media/.
Concert/Event Listing:
North Carolina Symphony
Cirque de la Symphonie
William Henry Curry, Resident Conductor
October 1-2, 2010, 8pm
October 3, 2010, 3pm
Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts,
Raleigh
Program Listing:
North Carolina Symphony
Cirque de la Symphonie
William Henry Curry, Resident Conductor
October 1-3, 2010
Prélude et les chasseresses from Sylvia
Léo Delibes
Harry's Wondrous World from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
John Williams
Danse Bohème from Carmen
Georges Bizet/arr. Hoffman
Danse cosaque from La boutique fantasque
Ottorino Respighi
Waltz from Sleeping Beauty
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
España
Emmanuel Chabrier
Bacchanale from Samson et Delilah
Camille Saint-Saëns
Danse des cygnes from Swan Lake, Op. 20
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Cortège de Bacchus from Sylvia
Léo Delibes
Danse macabre, Op. 40
Camille Saint-Saëns
Polonaise from Eugene Onegin
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Can-can from La boutique fantasque
Ottorino Respighi
The Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre
Richard Wagner/ arr. Hutschenruyter
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
Johann Sebastian Bach/arr. Stokowski
NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeannie Mellinger
919.789.5484
jmellinger@ncsymphony.org
North Carolina Symphony Music Director Grant Llewellyn Signs Contract
Extension
RALEIGH, N.C.—Grant Llewellyn and the North Carolina Symphony signed an
agreement that will extend Llewellyn’s contract through 2015, the
orchestra announced today.
“Over the last six years, Grant Llewellyn has captured the hearts and
minds of audiences throughout the state of North Carolina,” says
Symphony Board Chair William Cavanaugh III. “We are indeed fortunate to
have Grant continue to provide his dynamic artistic direction for our
great orchestra.”
Llewellyn is enthusiastic as well. “I have come to realize that this is
truly a unique orchestra in a very special place. The North Carolina
Symphony entertains and serves the people of this state as no other
orchestra in the country, and I am proud and honored to be able to lead
these fine musicians on our statewide mission into the future.”
Orchestra Committee Chair and Principal Trombone John Ilika adds, “The
musicians of the North Carolina Symphony are thrilled that Grant will
continue as music director. This continued artistic partnership is sure to
create a lasting legacy of great music for the people of North
Carolina.”
Llewellyn is renowned for his exceptional charisma, energy and brilliant
leadership on the podium. During his six years as North Carolina Symphony
Music Director, both he and the orchestra have garnered fresh praise from
audiences and critics alike. “He shows wonderful rapport with both the
audience and the orchestra,” says one concertgoer. “He is obviously a
conductor of great finesse and subtlety, and it is a joy to watch him and
listen to an ensemble under his baton.”
Critics point to his “transcendent performances,” his “graceful,
expressive direction,” his energy and sparkle” and his
“international glamour.” Roy Dicks of the Raleigh News and Observer
said, “…although the orchestra had covered itself with glory under
Llewellyn’s guidance...with dedication and insight [he] is proving a
wise tutor, whom audiences should trust for entertainment and
enlightenment.”
Under his direction, the North Carolina Symphony has released three
compact discs. The first recording was published in 2005 at the request of
North Carolina Symphony audience members who contributed funds to cover
expenses. The two most recent recordings were published to international
acclaim in 2008 and 2009 on the Scandinavian classical music label BIS.
Llewellyn became the Symphony’s fifth music director on July 1, 2004,
signing a four-year contract. His appointment followed a 32-month
international search which invited audience comment and sought input from
many different constituencies. In 2006, the contract was extended to 2012.
KidZNotes is launching in September! Please join us for two important events:
September 1: Benefit concert/presentation for KidZNotes and El Sistema in NC!
Wednesday, September 1, 7:30 Quail Ridge Books and Music
3522 Wade Ave, Raleigh NC
Starting this fall in Durham, NC, KidZNotes is providing free instruments
and instruction in classical music and orchestras for children in need.
KidZNotes is modeled on El Sistema, a program that started in Venezuela 35
years ago for children and families in poverty. Executive Director Katie
Wyatt will share stories, photos and videos from her time in Venezuela as
an Abreu Fellow, and describe how El Sistema is taking root in NC through
KidZNotes. She'll be joined in performance by KidZNotes' community
partners Ari Picker of Lost in the Trees, Bonnie Thron, Principal Cello of
the North Carolina Symphony, and Scott Laird from the North Carolina
School for Science and Math.
Quail Ridge will donate 20% of non-discounted sales in store and online
that day to KidZNotes. Please mention KidZNotes when you make your
purchase, or enter "kidznotes" into the Comments field when making your
purchases online.
September 18: Launch at our nucleo site, the Holton Career and Resource
Center
Saturday, September 18, 1:00 pm
Holton Career and Resource Center
401 North Driver St, Durham NC
Please join us for our launch party! Our first class of KidZNotes children
will be presented with their VIOLINS, a gift from Duke University. Meet
our kids, parents, teachers, board members and community partners,
including:
Celebrate Katie's birthday with her by supporting KidZNotes! Katie will be
31 on August 31st, and would be honored by your gift of $31, or whatever
you would like to give.
Click here to send Katie a gift and make her
day.
4 Hartford Court
Durham, NC 27707 US
Cellist Lynn Harrell and Violinist Helen Nightengale Join Save the
Children as Artist Ambassadors
WESTPORT, Conn. (August 16, 2010) – Save the Children announced today
that world-renowned cellist Lynn Harrell and his wife, violinist Helen
Nightengale, have joined the charity's Artist Ambassador program in
support of the agency's Healing and Education through Art (HEART) program.
The couple joined Save the Children's Artist Ambassador program to help
raise money for the innovative program targeting children living in
countries and communities affected by conflict, violence, HIV/AIDS and
extreme poverty. HEART uses the arts to promote children's development
and well-being by providing them with a creative means of expression.
As part of their commitment to supporting the cause, the couple has
recruited some of the most celebrated names in classical and contemporary
music for a CD, They are Why We Sing, to be released later this year.
They have formed HEARTbeats, a 501 (c) charity to produce the album. The
majority of the proceeds from the CD, after production costs are covered,
will go to Save the Children’s HEART program.
Consisting primarily of
original songs about peace written specifically for the HEARTbeats
project, They Are Why We Sing will feature legendary names in music
including Harrell, Christine Brewer, Rod Gilfry, Jessye Norman, and John
Williams, as well as up-and-coming artists Neil Comess-Daniels and
Deborah Pardes. The songwriting team of Tom Rizzo and Bonnie MacBird
contributed the title track. Other artists contributing to the project
will be named later. Save the Children’s HEART program gives
children the chance to express and work through their feelings and
experiences so they are better able to cope and to recover. HEART also
encourages young children to explore and play, and thus learn and develop
to their full potential which are essential for their future learning and
growth. The project was initially piloted in El Salvador, Mozambique
and the West Bank over the past few years. Through corporate, foundation
and private support, Save the Children will continue to support the work
in the pilot countries and will expand HEART to Haiti, Malawi and Nepal
in 2010. A new $5.9 million HEART endowment will allow Save the Children
to expand the program globally in the future.
Save the
Children is the leading, independent organization that creates lasting
change for children in need in the United States and around the world.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. The HEARTbeats Foundation is a
501(c) charity founded in June 2010 by renowned cellist Lynn Harrell and
his wife, violinist Helen Nightengale. Based in Los Angeles, the
HEARTbeats Foundation strives to help children in need harness the power
of music to better cope with, and recover from, the extreme challenges of
poverty and conflict, in hope of creating a more peaceful, sustainable
world for generations to come.
TRIANGLE PERFORMING ARTS COMPANY ANNOUNCES AUDITIONS FOR 2010 HOLIDAY
SPECTACULAR
DURHAM, NC August 15, 2010 – On September 11 and 12, the Triangle
Performing Arts Company (TPAC) will be holding auditions for their second
annual Holiday Spectacular. The performance will consist of two acts, the
first being the much-loved second act of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, and
the second, a Broadway extravaganza echoing the story line of The
Nutcracker in a modern day setting.
Dancers, actors and singers from ages six to adult are encouraged to
audition. Performers can audition for only the Nutcracker, or Broadway
Holiday, or they can audition for both.
Auditions for The Nutcracker, Act II will be held on Saturday, September
11, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. About 30 performers, ages six through adult
will be cast for this act. The Broadway Holiday audition will be September
12 from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm with about 30 performers, ages eight through
adult, cast. Performers are asked to arrive 30 minutes prior to the
audition to register. Auditions will be held at the Barriskill Dance
Studio on Shannon Road in Durham. For complete details of rehearsal
schedules and cost, visit www.barriskilldance.com or call 919-489-5100
The Holiday Spectacular will consist of three performances on December 17
through 19 at Duke’s Reynolds Industries Theater. Local studio owner and
Broadway veteran, Michael Barriskill, is thrilled to be directing and
producing the Holiday Spectacular. “The show is so much more than the
final performance,” says Barriskill, “It is more about the bond the
performers forge, the excitement of the process and the commitment of
teamwork to produce an excellent final product.”
The newly formed Triangle Performing Arts Company (TPAC) is a non-profit
organization committed to providing professional training and performance
opportunities to passionate youth of all ages. For more information,
please call (919) 489-5100.
EASTERN MUSIC FESTIVAL AWARDED $73,490 FROM the N.C. ARTS COUNCIL
Greensboro, NC - August 16, 2010 - The Eastern Music Festival in
Guilford County was awarded $71,250 from the N.C. Arts Council to help
support the 2010 festival, during which the Eastern Music Festival
celebrated its 49th season.
Stephanie Cordick, executive director of the Eastern Music
Festival, is appreciative of the N.C. Arts Council and its generous
support. "Eastern Music Festival & School (EMF) is grateful to the North
Carolina Arts Council whose generous support nourishes countless arts
organizations throughout our state every year. This most recent
investment represents a strong commitment to the arts by our state
leaders who recognize that the work of cultural organizations, like EMF,
is vital to the state's economy and recovery. EMF will use this
significant funding wisely to bring great music to the diverse
populations of Guilford County and beyond."
During the 2010 Festival Season, EMF hosted 100 plus concerts and
music-related events during June 26 - July 31; roughly 60,000 citizens
from the Piedmont and across the country attended at least one event
during the festival. Additionally, EMF had 162 young artists from
around the world, ages 14 to 22, attend the five-week program where they
were able to study with some of the best classical musicians in the
world.
The 49th Season brought many of the highest caliber of musical
artists to Greensboro, including EMF Music Director Gerard Schwarz,
whose credits include over 265 acclaimed recordings, thirteen Grammy
nominations (most recently in 2009) and two Emmy awards. Guests artists
included Barry Douglas, piano, Lynn Harrell, cello, Gil Shaham, violin,
William Wolfram, piano, and Tianwa Yang, violin. Along with the
Saturday evening Festival Orchestra Series, Eastern Music Festival
offered two chamber series, the Friends and Great Performers series, the
Young Artists Series featuring performances by the EMF young artist
students, and the popular EMFfringe series.
"The support of our grants program by the General Assembly
during these economically challenging times demonstrates the role the
arts play in our economy and our quality of life," said Mary B. Regan,
executive director of the N.C. Arts Council. "Nonprofit arts
organizations employ workers, stimulate commerce, generate tax revenues
and help communities retain their vibrancy."
More than 13.6 million people participated in N.C. Arts
Council-funded projects last year in schools, senior centers, museums,
concert halls and community centers. Nearly 4.3 million of these were
children and youth.
The N.C. Arts Council awards grant money each year to
provide diverse arts experiences for citizens in all 100 counties of
North Carolina. In fiscal year 2010-11, the Arts Council is expected to
distribute $7.4 million in state and federal grant funds to arts
organizations, schools and other nonprofit organizations that sponsor
arts programs.
The N.C. Arts Council is a division of the N.C. Department of Cultural
Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and
communities and the vision to harness the state's cultural resources to
build North Carolina's social, cultural and economic future.
Information on Cultural Resources is available at www.ncculture.com.
About Eastern Music Festival
The Eastern Music Festival's mission is to promote musical enrichment,
excellence, professional collaboration, innovation, and diversity
through a nationally-recognized teaching program, music festival,
concerts, and other programs which will enhance the quality of life,
health, and vitality of our region.
The Eastern Music Festival and School, founded in 1961 in Greensboro,
North Carolina by Sheldon Morgenstern, is an internationally-renowned
classical music festival and institute for young musicians that runs for
five weeks each summer. The institute accepts students ages 14 through
22 from around the country and the world. The EMF faculty consists of
world-class performing artists selected from top orchestras and music
schools nationally and internationally. Gerard Schwarz serves as the
music director and principal conductor for the Festival, and also serves
as music director of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. The upcoming 2011
season will mark Eastern Music Festival's 50th anniversary in the
Piedmont.
For more information about EMF or its programs, please visit
www.EasternMusicFestival.org, or call toll-free: 1-877-833-6753.
[PLEASE CONTACT CARRIE MILLER, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, FOR ADDITIONAL
QUESTIONS AND INFORMATION.]
EMF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
All contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
Burning Coal Announces its 2010/2011 Season
Burning Coal is excited to announce details of its 2010/2011 season of plays
in Raleigh, NC. All performances will be held at Burning Coal Theatre at
the Murphey School (NOTE VENUE NAME CHANGE), 224 Polk Street, Raleigh, NC.
All tickets are $20 or $15 for students, seniors and active military.
Further details can be obtained by calling 919-834-4001 or visiting our
website at www.burningcoal.org.
Burning Coal's 2010/2011 season will include: To Kill a Mockingbird by
Christopher Sergel from the novel by Harper Lee directed by Randolph Curtis
Rand (September 9 - 26, 2010),, St. Nicholas by Conor McPherson, directed by
Randolph Curtis Rand (November 4 - 21, 2010), Crowns by Regina Taylor,
directed by Rebecca Holderness (December 2 - 19, 2010), Blue by Kelly Doyle,
directed by Mark Sutch (January 13 - 30, 2011) and The Shape of the Table by
David Edgar, directed by Jerome Davis (April 7 - 24, 2011).
ABOUT TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
2010 is the 50th anniversary of the
publication of Harper Lee's essential Southern novel about a small town
lawyer, Atticus Finch, and his decision to stand and fight bigotry and
injustice. It is told from the viewpoint of the widower Atticus' young
daughter, Scout. Mr. Sergel's stage adaptation is the only authorized stage
adaptation of Ms. Lee's novel. As with a previous American novel, Harriet
Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (who many credit with leading to the Civil
War and the Emancipation Proclamation), Miss Lee's novel is widely regarded
as a significant inspiration for the civil rights movement that took root
during the 1960s.
Randolph Curtis Rand will direct a cast of nine, including Los Angeles based
actor Liz Beckham, who has appeared at Burning Coal in Tartuffe and The
Taming of the Shrew, and New York City-based actor Roger Rathburn, who has
appeared on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country, including
the Broadway revival of No No, Nanette directed by Busby Berkley. Mr. Rand
has directed for Burning Coal The Historie of King Henrie the Fourth and
Uncle Tom's Cabin and written an adaptation of Ibsen's A Doll House. He has
acted at Burning Coal in Love's Labours Lost, Pentecost, and recently in The
Seafarer. Mr. Rand founded The Drama Dept. in New York City with Douglas
Carter Beane. He is currently a member of the performance collective
Elevator Repair Service.
ABOUT ST. NICHOLAS.
Conor McPherson's haunting and funny one-man show deals
with a besotted Dublin theatre critic who falls in love with a young actress
and follows her to London, and straight into a coven of vampires. Mr.
McPherson is also the author of The Weir and The Seafarer, both presented by
Burning Coal in past seasons.
Randolph Curtis Rand (see above) will direct. The production will feature
Burning Coal's Artistic Director, Jerome Davis, as the Critic. Davis has
acted at New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, People's Light and Theatre
Company, Trinity Repertory Company, Phoenix Theatre, W.H.A.T., and others.
In New York, he studied with Julie Bovasso, Nikos Psacharapolous and, for
seven years, Uta Hagen. He has worked or studied with Ellen Burstyn, Horton
Foote, Ben Gazzarra, Richard Jenkins, Adrian Hall, David Wheeler, Hope
Davis, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt and Steve Harris.
ABOUT CROWNS
Regina Taylor's rollicking gospel musical is based loosely on a book of
photography: Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats by Michael
Cunningham and Craig Marberry. It details the tribulations of a young
African American girl from New York City whose family send her to live with
her grandmother in South Carolina after an act of violence shatters their
family.
Crowns will be directed by Rebecca Holderness, who teaches theatre at the
University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Ms. Holderness has directed for
Burning Coal Love's Labours Lost, A Doll House, Travesties, James Joyce's
'the Dead', Twelfth Night and Romeo & Juliet. In New York City, her
production of The Life of Spiders at HERE was hailed by the New York Times
as "beautiful". The production will star the original cast from the
production Burning Coal mounted in 2008, including Yolanda Rabun, Emelia
Cowans and Naima Adedapo. The production is a collaboration between Burning
Coal Theatre Company and the Temple Theatre in Sanford, NC, where the
production will play in February, 2011.
ABOUT BLUE
Raleigh native Kelly Doyle's play Blue will receive its world premiere at
Burning Coal Theatre Company. It is about a charismatic, morally bankrupt
blue worm, William, and the women who love him.
Kelly Doyle holds an MFA in playwriting from Brown University in Providence,
RI. Her undergraduate degree is from CalArts. Her plays Hole and Dirt each
received readings at Burning Coal's New Works program in past seasons.
The production will be directed by Davidson College associate professor of
theatre, Mark Sutch, who directed last season's Hair. Mr. Sutch is a
graduate of the Trinity Repertory Conservatory in Providence, Rhode Island.
Jenn Suchanec, who has appeared at Burning Coal in Pentecost, Inherit the
Wind, Twelfth Night, The Prisoner's Dilemma and Much Ado About Nothing, will
star.
ABOUT THE SHAPE OF THE TABLE
David Edgar's Eastern Europe trilogy concludes at Burning Coal with his 1990
play, The Shape of the Table, in its American Premiere. The play examines
the fall of the Iron Curtain, as observed from inside the politburo of an
unnamed Soviet satellite country. Edgar's trilogy includes The Prisoner's
Dilemma, about negotiations between cultures and Pentecost, about the spread
of multiple cultures throughout Europe immediately following the collapse of
communism there.
Artistic Director Jerome Davis will helm the production. For Burning Coal,
Davis has directed Rat in the Skull, Pentecost, Winding the Ball, The
Steward of Christendom, Company, Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, Inherit the
Wind, 1960, The Seafarer and others. The play will feature Rob Jenkins,
John Allore, Tom McLeister, James Anderson and Tamara Farias Kraus. Scenery
and lighting will be provided by Rob Andrusko and Matthew Adelson,
respectively.
For further information, please contact Burning Coal's managing director,
Simmie Kastner, at 919.834.4001 or visit our website at www.burningcoal.org.
Burning Coal Theatre Company is Raleigh's small, professional theatre.
Burning Coal is an incorporated, non-profit [501 (c) (3)] organization.
Burning Coal's mission is to produce literate, visceral, affecting theatre
that is experienced, not simply seen. Burning Coal produces explosive
reexaminations of overlooked classic and modern plays, as well as new plays,
whose themes and issues are of immediate concern to our audience, using the
best local, national and international artists available. We work toward a
theatre of high-energy performances and minimalist production values. The
emphasis is on literate works that are felt and experienced viscerally,
unlike more traditional linear plays, at which audiences are most often
asked to observe without participating. Race and gender non-specific casting
is an integral component of our perspective, as well as an international
viewpoint.
CALL FOR MUSICIANS:
North Carolina Symphony Launches Triangle Talent Search;
Winners to Perform with the Symphony on New Year’s Eve
RALEIGH, N.C.—Triangle, have you got talent? The North Carolina Symphony
is holding its first Triangle Talent Search in Raleigh on Saturday, Sept.
25, with the winner or winners earning a chance to perform live with the
Symphony as a featured soloist on New Year’s Eve.
“People who never thought they could perform with the North Carolina
Symphony now have that opportunity,” says Scott Freck, North Carolina
Symphony Vice President for Artistic Operations and General Manager and
one of the judges of the competition.
The Search is open to vocalists and instrumentalists either as individuals
or in performing groups, from any genre of music, be it classical, rock,
gospel, bluegrass, jazz, Broadway, opera, hip hop or something else.
“The trick is that it has to work with the Symphony somehow,” says
Freck, noting that the Symphony has collaborated with artists as
wide-ranging as Yo-Yo Ma and Ben Folds. It recently held a successful
benefit featuring jazz great Branford Marsalis onstage with headliners
from throughout the bluegrass, gospel, folk, classical and jazz worlds.
“The more the better,” he says, “and we’ll make a great show out
of it.”
Winners will be invited to perform live with the North Carolina Symphony
during its New Year’s Eve Celebration in downtown Raleigh’s Meymandi
Concert Hall, under the baton of Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks. The
Triangle Talent Search will be judged by Freck, Hicks and Raleigh News and
Observer music critic David Menconi.
“It’s all about finding someone who is compelling,” says Freck,
“who has a distinct talent or voice and can connect with an audience.
Someone who creates a spark.”
Reservations are required to audition. Media support is provided by the
Raleigh News and Observer.
We are proud to present the 2010 Cross Currents
Chamber Music Arts Festival that is once again
anchored by the Brussels Chamber Orchestra and
continues to be dedicated to bringing a wide range of
exciting and creative collaborations with international
and local musicians. Full details for all five concerts,
the not to be missed Gala hosted by North Hills at the
beautiful new CAPTRUST Building, the two CD
signings at Quail Ridge, two open rehearsals, and
master class presented by Gavriel Lipkind are on the
website as well as ticketing information. We are using
etix this year for your convenience. We suggest you
buy tickets early: seating is limited. This past
March we had a sellout crowd in Cary for the
collaborative performance of the Brahms Sextets by
members of the Brussels Chamber Orchestra and the
NC Symphony.
Tell your friends, make reservations, and prepare
to fall in love with chamber music once again.
Carrie Knowles, Festival DirectorThis year's festival will bring the
Brussels Chamber Orchestra back to Raleigh along with Gavriel Lipkind, the
Pierre Anckaert Jazz Quintet from Europe and the Will Scruggs Jazz
Fellowship from Atlanta, and a performance by the Mallarme Chamber
Players.
* Five concerts, a not to be missed Gala, two open rehearsals, a master
class, two special CD signings at Quail Ridge Books and one big beautiful
Music Day at Marbles.
* Five concerts, a not to be missed Gala, two open rehearsals, a master
class, two special CD signings at Quail Ridge Books and one big beautiful
Music Day at Marbles.
Friends of the Brussels Chamber Orchestra
410 Morson Street, Raleigh, NC 27601
919-821-3478
cjknowles@earthlink.net http://www.crosscurrentsfestival.com
Greensboro, NC - The 49th season of the critically-acclaimed Eastern Music Festival
& School will open June 26 and run through July 31, 2010. During the five-week run,
renowned Music Director Gerard Schwarz has planned more than 100 concerts and music-related
events with many taking place on the campus of Guilford College in Greensboro, NC.
Other venues will include UNCG School of Music, Triad Stage, First Presbyterian
Church, Temple Emanuel, Carolina Theatre, Elon University (Elon, NC), High
Point University (High Point, NC), Farthing Auditorium (Boone, NC), and the
Kennedy Center for Performing Arts (Washington, DC).
The Festival's forty-ninth season will bring the highest caliber of musical artists
to Greensboro, beginning with Schwarz himself, whose credits include over 265 acclaimed
recordings, thirteen Grammy nominations (most recently in 2009), two Emmy awards,
Gerard Schwarz Day (Sept. 2009) in Seattle, WA, and the key to the City of
Greensboro (July 2009).
The cornerstone of the EMF season is the popular Saturday FestivalOrchestra series
with the Eastern Festival Orchestra, named one of the best on the East Coast. The
series opens on July 3 in a performance featuring Maestro Schwarz with cellist Lynn
Harrell playing Shostakovich's aggressive yet lyrical Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat
major, op.107. The Baltimore Sun said of Harrell's performance, "Harrell unlocked
those secrets [Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1] with playing that was extraordinarily
incisive and gripping." The remainder of the evening's program will
feature Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande Suite and Dvořák's Symphony No. 7 in D minor, op.70.
The second week showcases pianist Barry Douglas performing one of
Rachmaninoff's most enduring and popular pieces - Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, op.18
on Saturday, July 10. The Los Angeles Times says of Douglas, "the sensitivity of a poet
and the fingers of a magician." Also on the evening's program is the world
premiere of Bright Sheng's Just Dance.
Sheng served as EMF's first composer-in-residence during the 2009 season.
Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major, op.92 will round out the repertoire.
On Saturday, July 17, EMF will introduce 22-year-old violinist Tianwa Yang
making her Greensboro debut performing one of Tchaikovsky's best known and most
difficult works - Violin Concerto in D major, op.35. The Seattle Times said of
Yang's playing "this young woman could outplay the devil...(she) played with fire."
Mahler's Symphony No. 6 in A minor ("Tragic") will complete the program.
The fourth week brings guest conductor Christopher Seaman and pianist
William Wolfram performing Mendelssohn's improvisational Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor,
op.25 on Saturday, July 24. Wolfram returns to EMF where he last performed in
2008. During that 2008 performance, Classical Voice of North Carolina's review stated
"Wolfram played...with authority and aplomb...more impressive than the pianist's
virtuosity was his lyric playing." Seaman will also lead the orchestra in Elgar's In
the South (Alassio), op.50 and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F minor, op.36.
The season finale on Saturday, July 31 concludes with the incomparable
violinist Gil Shaham performing Brahms' only violin concerto - Violin Concerto in D
major, op.77. According to The Buffalo News, "[Shaham's] glee and virtuosity were
such that...people burst into spontaneous applause...That is what this guy
does." Schwarz will conduct the final piece of the season - Richard Strauss' epic
symphonic poem, Eine Alpensinfonie (Alpine Symphony).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shawn Galvin 202-297-3833
shawn@newmusicraleigh.org
New Music Raleigh to Present Steve Reich’s Different
Trains
April, 2010 (Raleigh, NC) -- On April 27th, New Music Raleigh, a brand new performing arts
group, will return to Meymandi Theater at the Murphey School for a performance of Pulitzer
Prize winning composer Steve Reich’s Different Trains. The program will also feature the world
premiere of Lick by Brett William Dietz and Trilogy by Dave Maric. The concert begins at
7:30pm and tickets will be available at the door for $10.00.
New Music Raleigh is a collective of the area’s most dynamic classical musicians, dedicated to
performing the works of living composers. By presenting this living music in unique venues and
through collaboration with other artists, NMR offers a fresh musical perspective to Raleigh by
providing captiviating yet casual concerts in which the audience and performers are connected. In
its first year of existence, NMR has proven to be one of Raleigh's most forward-thinking arts
organizations, performing with indy rock band Lost in the Trees in addition to giving modern
edgy composition a voice in the city. New Music Raleigh's upcoming projects will feature more
cross-genre collaboration, intimate audience experiences, and exceptional musical performances.
Steve Reich was recently called "our greatest living composer" (The New York Times),
"America’s greatest living composer." (The Village VOICE), “...the most original musical thinker
of our time” (The NewYorker) and “...among the great composers of the century” (The New
York Times).. From his early taped speech pieces It's Gonna Rain (1965) and Come Out (1966)
to his and video artist Beryl Korot’s digital video opera Three Tales (2002), Mr. Reich's path has
embraced not only aspects of Western Classical music, but the structures, harmonies, and
rhythms of non-Western and American vernacular music, particularly jazz. "There's just a
handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical
history and Steve Reich is one of them," states The Guardian (London).
In April 2009 Steve Reich was awarded the Pulitzer prize in Music for his composition 'Double
Sextet'.
For more information contact Shawn Galvin at 202-297-3833
Hickory Choral Society
With a “Serenade to Music” for thirty-three years, the Hickory Choral Society presents their spring concert with guest composer and conductor, Donald McCullough, Conductor of Master Chorale of Washington, D.C. The annual Spring Concert will be presented on Sunday March 28, 2010, at First Baptist Church, 339 2nd Avenue NW in Hickory, North Carolina. The 3:00 PM concert is free and open to the public.
From the spring of 1978 to the spring of 2010, the Hickory Choral Society continues to delight audiences with excellent choral music literature. The group includes over 110 singers from Catawba and surrounding counties. The spring concert repertoire is varied and exciting and features Haydn’s well-known MISSA IN TEMPORE BELLI (Mass in Time of War) also known as PAUKENMESSE (Kettledrum Mass) as well as several pieces composed by our guest conductor, Donald McCullough.
For more information or directions to the church call 828-322-2210.
The Hickory Choral Society is a funded affiliate of the Catawba County Council for the Arts.
Hickory Choral Society
243 3rd Avenue NE, Suite 2-N
Hickory, NC 28601
Aliénor, an international harpsichord organization, is presenting a
three concert series, Back to Bach and Beyond: Redefining the
Harpsichord, in:
Durham – Nov. 12 at School of Science and Math, 7:30pm
Chapel Hill – Nov. 13 at University United Methodist Church, 8pm
Raleigh – Nov. 14 at Meredith College, 8pm
Donations will be accepted at the door.
Harpsichordists Elaine Funaro and Beverly Biggs, of Durham, along with
Rebecca Pechefsky of NYC will play Bach selections with the accompaniment of a quintet of
baroque string players. Showcased will be the sonata for two and three harpsichords
by Aliénor winning composer Edwin McLean of Chapel Hill. The concerts will also
be the unveiling of master harpsichord builder Richard Kingston's final career
instrument, Opus 333. The details of this unique instrument, commissioned by
Funaro, have come from throughout NC. Durham artist Lisa Creed painted
the case and lid in her dynamic abstract style and craftsmen in Mooresboro, Marshall, and
Asheville created the stand/cradle, hinges, and handstop pulls.
NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeannie Mellinger
919.789.5484
jmellinger@ncsymphony.org
North Carolina Symphony Resident Conductor William Henry Curry to Perform
“An Evening of American Music” in Taiwan
(Raleigh, November 3) -- William Henry Curry, the North Carolina
Symphony’s Resident Conductor, has been invited by the American
Institute in Kaohsiung, Taiwan to participate in a landmark program which
aims to convey the joy of American music to the people of that city.
Curry will conduct the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra, considered one of
Taiwan’s most accomplished music ensembles.
“In the absence of official diplomatic relations between the US and
Taiwan, our office functions as the de facto US Consulate in Kaohsiung,”
says Institute Branch Chief Chris Castro, “and is therefore actively
involved in promoting a wide range of US cultural programs in southern
Taiwan.”
The concert, which is scheduled for November 15 at the Kaohsiung Cultural
Center, will be free of charge. “This will allow a diverse array of
citizens, particularly those who do not often have a chance to hear a live
symphony, to enjoy this unique opportunity,” says Castro.
The program will include Broadway selections and music by Gershwin and
John Williams, as well as Dvorák’s New World Symphony. A highlight of
the evening will be the performance of Curry’s own composition,
“Eulogy for a Dream,” a work which pays tribute to the memory and
legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.
In addition to leading the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra, Maestro Curry
will participate in master classes and lectures at local community
schools. “Guiding music professionals and teaching music students has
been the center of my professional life for almost 35 years,” says
Curry. “I am pleased to have this opportunity to share my love for
American music with the musicians and music-lovers of Taiwan.”
Symphony president and CEO David Chambless Worters said, “We’re
enormously pleased that our very own William Henry Curry has been invited
to represent our Symphony and our State to citizens of Taiwan. We’re
honored to have him represent us, our fine orchestra, and our wonderful
state and are confident his work will be, as it always is, outstanding.”
Says, Curry, “I am thrilled to be involved in such a meaningful project
with music that means so much to me. This will be my second time to work
in Taiwan. Some 15 years ago, I conducted the National Orchestra of Taiwan
in Taipei in a traditional New Year’s Eve concert. The experience was a
wholly positive one. I am looking forward to my return!”
Burning Coal Theatre: The Laramie Project - Ten Years Later (An Epilogue)
Burning Coal Theatre Company of Raleigh, NC will join 99 other theatres
nationwide to simultaneously present the world premiere staged reading of
The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later by Moises Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski,
Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris and Stephen Belber of the Tectonic Theatre Project
of New York City. The reading, a fundraiser for Equality North Carolina
Foundation, will take place on Monday, October 12th at 7:30 pm at Meymandi
Theatre at the Murphey School, 224 Polk Street, Raleigh. Only 140 tickets
will be sold. For reservations, please call 919-834-4001. Tickets: $10.
All ticket revenue will go to Equality North Carolina Foundation.
On October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming. He
was a 21 year old gay man. Shortly after the killing, playwright Moises
Kaufman and members of his Tectonic Theatre Project travelled to Laramie to
interview many of its citizens. The resulting play, The Laramie Project,
has been produced in New York and around the world. To commemorate the
anniversary of Mr. Shepard’s murder, Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre have
again sought comments and insight from the citizens of Laramie and
surrounding areas.
The new play, The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, will be presented at 100
theatres from coast to coast on the same night. Winston-Salem’s Paper
Lantern Theatre is also presenting a reading of the play here in North
Carolina. Tectonic has been working on this epilogue for more than a year,
interviewing residents of Laramie about the fallout from the killing and its
impact on their community. Included among the interviews are Matthew’s
mother Judy Shepard and Mathew’s murderer Aaron McKinney, who’s serving dual
life sentences, as well as follow-up interviews with many of the individuals
from the original piece.
WHO
Burning Coal Theatre Company, a small professional theatre based in Raleigh,
just completed its 12th season, and first full season at Meymandi Theatre at
the Murphey School. The cast will include Raleigh actors James Anderson,
Tamara Farias Kraus, Julie Oliver, Jenn Suchanec, along with Jerome Davis
(Burning Coal’s Artistic Director). Preston Lane, Artistic Director of
Greensboro’s Triad Stage will also be in the cast. Ian Finley of Raleigh
will direct the reading.
Equality North Carolina Foundation works to secure equal rights and justice
for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender North Carolinians.
The Tectonic Theatre Project (Moisés Kaufman, Artistic Director, Greg
Reiner, Executive Director, Jeffrey LaHoste, Managing Director, Dominick
Balletta, General Manager) is the company behind such plays as Gross
Indecency, The Laramie Project, and I Am My Own Wife. Awards including the
Humanitas Prize, the Obie, the Lucille Lortel Award, The Outer Critics
Circle Award, the GLAAD Media Award, the Artistic Integrity Award from HRC,
and the Making a Difference Award/Matthew Shepard Foundation. Tectonic works
in Universities around the country and hosts a NY based lab for theater
artists. Thanks to the NEA, Greenwall Foundation, Arcus Foundation, Small
Change Foundation and Educational Foundation of America. Tectonic Theater
Project would like to acknowledge the extraordinary leadership of The
Rockefeller Foundation in supporting the development of the original Laramie
Project and The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. For more information,
visit www.tectonictheaterproject.org
.
Reservations strongly recommended. For further information, please contact
Burning at 919.834.4001.
***
Burning Coal Theatre Company is one of Raleigh's professional Equity theatre
companies. Burning Coal is an incorporated, non-profit [501 (c) (3)]
organization. Burning Coal's mission is to produce literate, visceral,
affecting theatre that is experienced, not simply seen. Burning Coal
produces explosive reexaminations of overlooked classic and modern plays, as
well as new plays, whose themes and issues are of immediate concern to our
audience, using the best local, national and international artists
available. We work toward a theatre of high-energy performances and
minimalist production values. The emphasis is on literate works that are
felt and experienced viscerally, unlike more traditional linear plays, at
which audiences are most often asked to observe without participating. Race
and gender non-specific casting is an integral component of our perspective,
as well as an international viewpoint. For more information, visit
www.burningcoal.org
“Alexander combines a warm tone with exceptional technical skill; he’s extremely soulful,” says Lorenzo Muti, COT artistic director and conductor. “I am delighted to have him back to perform with us once again.”
Rachmaninoff's most enduring and popular pieces - Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, op.18
on Saturday, July 10. The Los Angeles Times says of Douglas, "the sensitivity of a poet
and the fingers of a magician." Also on the evening's program is the world
premiere of Bright Sheng's Just Dance.