ARIZONA MUSICFEST 2014

Transcription

1 Media contact: Vickilyn Hussey / trendlab@cox.net / / Allan Naplan, Executive Director Robert Moody, Artistic Director ARIZONA MUSICFEST 2014 January 30 February 3 February 7 February 9 February 11 February 13 February 15 February 16 February 18 February 20 February 21 February 23 February 27 March 1 The Music of ABBA Judy Collins The Legend LIVE! A Celebration of Dave Brubeck with the Brubeck Brothers Quartet Bryant Park Quartet: Beethoven, Mozart & de Lassus Pianist Jonathan Biss in concert: Beethoven, Chopin & Brahms The Jeff Hamilton Trio: Paragon of Groove Bob Moody & Friends Organ Masterworks & More A British Orchestral Odyssey featuring Holst s The Planets Symphonic Russian Sketches featuring Mussorgsky s Pictures at an Exhibition Ukulele Phenom Jake Shimabukuro with the Arizona Musicfest Orchestra Brahms Requiem: A Monumental Choral Masterpiece The Very Best of John Denver starring Mike Eldred 50s Dance Party: A Tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper Arizona Musicfest 2014, (January 30 March 1), presents top artists of Classical, Chamber, Jazz, Rock n Roll and Pop in fourteen extraordinary concerts at venues in Scottsdale, Carefree and Phoenix. Opening night is The Festival Fanfare with The Music of ABBA with ARRIVAL From Sweden, the best ABBA since ABBA! An exciting Festival lineup of artists follows, beginning with legendary Judy Collins performing live. Jazz aficionados will be in heaven when The Jeff Hamilton Trio grooves and the Brubeck Brothers Quartet shares the love of the great Dave Brubeck. Highlighting the Brubeck Brothers performance will be stories, archival videos and musical remembrances in a celebration of their father s life and legacy. Chamber music is well represented by the vibrant young Bryant Park Quartet, piano virtuoso Jonathan Biss, and an organ concert by Spoleto Festival favorite James Jones and 2012 National Competition for Organ Improvisation Audience Favorite Patrick Scott. 1

2 A combination of chamber and popular music, Bob Moody & Friends, is a cabaret-style showcase of the many musical talents of Artistic Director Robert Moody, his musician friends and guest artists. At the heart of the festival is the Arizona Musicfest Orchestra conducted by Robert Moody, performing in four blockbuster concerts of Festival Orchestra Week (February 18 through 23). Highlights are thrilling works of orchestral grandeur, including Sir Peter Maxwell Davies An Orkney Wedding with Sunrise; Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending with violin soloist Steven Moeckel; Holst s The Planets; Mussorgsky s Pictures at an Exhibition; Prokofiev s Symphony No. 1; and Rachmaninoff s Piano Concerto No. 2, with charismatic piano soloist Conrad Tao. Continuing the Orchestra s successful collaborations with renowned artists (the Brubeck Brothers Quartet at Arizona Musicfest 2012, and Keb Mo at Arizona Musicfest 2013), ukulele phenom Jake Shimabukuro joins the Arizona Musicfest Orchestra at Arizona Musicfest 2014 with an electrifying crossover concert. Festival Orchestra Week closes with Brahms Requiem, a monumental choral masterwork featuring the Arizona Musicfest Chorus and guest soloists, the highly acclaimed Twyla Robinson (soprano) and Troy Cook (baritone). For centuries, this inspiring work has brought individuals and communities together, celebrating inner strength and courage. Wrapping up the Festival are the great pop hits! Broadway star Mike Eldred recreates the songs cherished by a nation in The Very Best of John Denver. Denver s music serves as an anthem for our country and its wide-open spaces. The Festival Finale is a 50s Dance Party with the rock n roll hits of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper in an authentic recreation of their final concert tour, complete with dance floor. The show stars John Mueller as Buddy Holly, Jay P. Richardson, Jr. as his dad, The Big Bopper, and Las Vegas Legends star Ray Anthony as Ritchie Valens. Ticket prices for Arizona Musicfest 2014 concerts range from $23 to $65. Maximize the music experience with a Fanfare to Finale Festival Pass (Premium $615 or General Admission $486; a savings of $210 for Premium and $163 for General Admission). That s three free concerts if you purchase the Fanfare to Finale Festival Pass! A 5-Pack offering a 20% discount (Premium $260 or General Admission $196) is a buy four, get one free deal (a savings of $65 for Premium and $49 for General Admission). The 3-Pack offers a 15% discount (Premium $165 or General Admission $124) option (a savings of $30 for Premium, and $23 for General Admission). A limited number of student tickets are available (K 12) $5 for selected guest artists and FREE for Arizona Musicfest Orchestra concerts. A ticketed adult must accompany students under the age of 16. Tickets for college students (current school ID required) are $10 for selected guest artists and Arizona Musicfest Orchestra concerts. NEW this year: Individual reserved seating at ALL venues! For tickets and information call the Box Office at (480) or visit Media contact: Vickilyn Hussey, Public Relations (602) or trendlab@cox.net. Next: Arizona Musicfest 2014 Concert details 2

3 The Music of ABBA with ARRIVAL From Sweden Thursday, January 30, at 7:30pm ARRIVAL From Sweden stars in the ultimate tribute to an iconic group that set the gold standard for pop music around the world. This is the best ABBA since ABBA! (Even the costumes are exact copies of the originals provided by the original designer.) The world s most popular ABBA show band, talented performers with millions of international fans, brings the full fabulous ABBA experience to Arizona Musicfest. Your favorite dance tunes and ballads will rock the house! All the hits, including Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, Take a Chance on Me, Waterloo, The Winner Takes It All, S.O.S., and more! You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life at The Music of ABBA! Tickets: $23; $33, $49, $65; Student (K-12) $5; College with ID $10 Judy Collins The Legend LIVE! Monday, February 3 at 7:30pm From the 1960s to today, legendary artist Judy Collins has inspired and entertained audiences worldwide with sublime vocals and boldly vulnerable songwriting. Esteemed for her imaginative interpretations of traditional and contemporary folk standards, as well as her own poetically poignant original compositions, Judy Collins has garnered Top-Ten hits, Gold and Platinum recordings, and prestigious Grammy Award recognition for her versions of Stephen Sondheim s Send in the Clowns (1975 Song of the Year) and Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now (Grammy Hall of Fame). Her voice, songwriting and prose all belong to the same stream whose distinctive quality is a diamondlike clarity. (The New York Times) Don t miss this very special concert event with one of the music industry s all-time greatest artists! A Celebration of Dave Brubeck with the Brubeck Brothers Quartet Friday, February 7 at 7:30pm Time to Take Five! What better way to celebrate the life and music of jazz titan, pianist and composer Dave Brubeck, than with his family! The Brubeck brothers, Chris (trombone, bass), Dan (drums) and honorary brothers Mike DeMicco (guitar) and Chuck Lamb (piano), celebrate their father with an exciting performance of all the great Brubeck hits, as well as musical memories, family stories, archival videos and personal insights into Dave s most famous works. The Brubeck Brothers Quartet s style is rooted in straight-ahead jazz while naturally integrating the influences of funk, blues and world music. They produced a terrific performance, one that Dave Brubeck would surely have been proud of Playboy Jazz Festival, Hollywood Bowl Bryant Park Quartet: Beethoven, Mozart & de Lassus Sunday, February 9 at 3pm Maestro Moody calls them Electrifying! Riveting proclaims The New York Times. The imaginative and spirited young Bryant Park Quartet has burst onto the classical scene with concerts of remarkable richness and vitality. This charismatic quartet, rigorously trained at the prestigious Juilliard School and Carnegie Hall s Academy program, is recognized as one of the most talented and expressive young string quartets performing today. Discover them for yourself in a program of exquisite masterpieces by Mozart, de Lassus, and Beethoven. Venue: Desert Hills Presbyterian Church, N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale Tickets: $34, $50; Student (K-12) $5; College with ID $10 3

4 Pianist Jonathan Biss in Concert: Beethoven, Chopin & Brahms Tuesday, February 11 at 7:30pm Straight from his Carnegie Hall recital, Jonathan Biss, one of the most thoughtful and technically accomplished pianists of the younger generation (BBC Music Magazine), makes his Arizona Musicfest debut with a breathtaking concert of works that have won him international recognition: Beethoven s Piano Sonata in C Major (the heroic Waldstein), Brahms Klavierstücke, Chopin s Nocturnes and Polonaise-Fantaisie and others. Hear why Biss is widely praised for his artistry, musical intelligence, and deeply felt interpretations. A formidable musician! (The New Yorker) Venue: Temple Chai, 4645 East Marilyn Road, Phoenix (south of Greenway, west of Tatum) Tickets: $34, $50; Student (K-12) $5 College with ID $10 The Jeff Hamilton Trio: Paragon of Groove Thursday, February 13 at 7:30pm Enjoy an intimate jazz club vibe at Arizona Musicfest 2014! The Jeff Hamilton Trio has forged a deep connection performing and recording creative arrangements of standards and original compositions yielding ensemble artistry that seems to deepen over time and age like fine wine. (allaboutjazz.com) Named Best Jazz Drummer (Modern Drummer Magazine) Jeff Hamilton, a paragon of class and groove, has recorded with everyone from Diana Krall to Rosemary Clooney. When it comes to touch, taste, and a deep understanding of what makes a band swing, drummer Jeff Hamilton has no peers. (allaboutjazz.com) Renowned bassist Christoph Luty and an Arizona Musicfest favorite who wowed audiences at the 2012 Festival, pianist Tamir Hendelman, join Hamilton on stage. Make no mistake; this band swings. Venue: Fairway House at Grayhawk, 8620 E. Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale Cocktails: A cash bar is available Tickets: $49; No Student tickets. Bob Moody & Friends Saturday, February 15 at 5:00pm & 8:00pm Multi-talented Robert Moody, Arizona Musicfest Artistic Director, hosts and performs in this unique cabaret-style evening featuring a variety of outstanding guest artists. This much-loved annual concert will once again offer a wide range of musical styles, showcasing the entertaining diversity, artistry and accessibility of Maestro Moody and his talented friends. Featured guest artists include the cello and bass duo, Low & Lower (Brooks Whitehouse and Paul Sharpe), who have a growing following for their renditions of classical staples mixed with comic relief. A Festival favorite that is sure to sell out! Venue: Pinnacle Peak Country Club, 8701 East Pinnacle Peak Road, Scottsdale, AZ Cocktails: A cash bar is available Tickets: $49; No Student tickets Organ Masterworks & More Sunday, February 16 at 3:00pm James Jones is quickly establishing a much-deserved reputation as one of America's premier young organists. Mr. Jones has appeared at the prestigious Piccolo Spoleto Festival and with the Memphis Symphony, Arizona Musicfest Orchestra, Winston-Salem Symphony and Portland Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Patrick Scott, awarded Audience Favorite at the 2012 National Competition in Organ Improvisation, started playing the organ at age 8, and has been garnering honors and plaudits ever since. In a duo program featuring accomplished virtuosity combined with artistic spontaneity, Jones and Scott will perform great masterworks (and more!) on the magnificent Richards, Fowkes, Inc. pipe organ of Pinnacle Presbyterian Church. You ll feel the power of the masters resonating in your bones! Tickets: $34; Student (K-12) $5; College with ID $10 4

5 A British Orchestral Odyssey featuring Holst s The Planets Robert Moody conducts the Arizona Musicfest Orchestra Tuesday, February 18 at 7:30pm Sir Peter Maxwell Davies An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise takes you along as an honored guest to a Scottish island wedding ceremony, celebrated with the flavor of authentic folk music, substantial whiskey drinking and exuberant dancing until dawn. Be immediately transported to the lush meadows and rolling hills of a utopian countryside with the quintessential pastoral theme of Ralph Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending. Repeatedly voted Britain s all-time classical favorite, this beloved work is pure England with a hint of heaven! Featured violin soloist for the Vaughan Williams is Steven Moeckel, Concertmaster of the Phoenix Symphony, who has performed as soloist with distinguished orchestras throughout Europe and the U.S. Critics such as "The Arizona Republic" have said, "His astonishing music making comes through It was a close to perfect as this life allows It is music making like this that makes the best argument for classical music. English composer Gustav Holst s fascination with the astrological aspects of the planets drove him to create a monumental masterpiece, The Planets. Each of the movements provides a distinctive and breathtaking experience, from languid melodies to sinister martial rhythms, truly a vivid and emotional orchestral odyssey! Tickets: $49, $65; Student (K-12) FREE; College with ID $10 Symphonic Russian Sketches featuring Mussorgsky s Pictures at an Exhibition Robert Moody conducts the Arizona Musicfest Orchestra Thursday, February 20 at 7:30pm Travel to Russia with an evening of beloved symphonic sketches: Prokofiev s Symphony No. 1, the Classical; Rachmaninoff s sublime Piano Concerto No. 2; and Mussorgsky s Pictures at an Exhibition. Sergei Prokofiev s Classical Symphony is both playful and brilliant, calling for remarkable feats of agility and ensemble precision. This tribute to Haydn by Russia s 20 th Century enfant terrible is a revelation of great beauty. Conrad Tao, piano soloist for the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, continues to impress the music world. The New York Times enthusiastically lauds his probing intellect and openhearted vision. Praised as a performer of astonishing talent, technical ability and charisma, Tao recently found himself next to Lady Gaga, Adele and Taylor Swift on the Forbes list of the 30 most influential people under 30. This is Tao s second appearance at Arizona Musicfest, following a highly acclaimed recital in The program concludes with the most famous gallery stroll of all time, Mussorgsky s Pictures at an Exhibition, achieving mystery, excitement, humor and grandeur with a glorious Kiev-worthy finale. "After the final gigantic chords of the Great Gate of Kiev, Moody and the orchestra received a long, foot-stamping standing ovation." (Portland Press Herald) Tickets: $49, $65; Student (K-12) FREE; College with ID $10 Ukulele Phenom Jake Shimabukuro with the Arizona Musicfest Orchestra Conducted by Robert Moody Friday, February 21 at 7:30pm Jake Shimabukuro, globe-touring ukulele virtuoso and subject of the new PBS documentary Life on Four Strings, is hailed by Rolling Stone as a hero for redefining a heretofore under-the-radar instrument. Launched into international stardom after a 2006 YouTube clip of his playing While My Guitar Gently Weeps went viral, Shimabukuro now enjoys an acclaimed recording and performance career. His concert appearances take him around the world, performing before royalty (the Queen of England) and on TV (The Today Show). Shimabukuro effortlessly mixes jazz, rock, classical, traditional Hawaiian music and folk, creating a sound that is technically masterful, emotionally powerful and utterly unique. 5

6 Along with the evening s repertoire featuring Shimabukuro and the Arizona Musicfest Orchestra, the concert will also showcase Mason Bates Mothership and Michael Gandolfi s Night Train to Perugia. As an additional highlight, the Musicfest Strummers will accompany Shimabukuro on a number of very special selections. An innovative youth education program developed and provided by Arizona Musicfest, the acclaimed Musicfest Strummers program uses ukuleles to teach music fundamentals to students in elementary schools. Tickets: $23, $33, $49, $65; Student (K-12) FREE; College with ID $10 Brahms Requiem: A Monumental Choral Masterpiece Robert Moody conducts the Arizona Musicfest Orchestra, Chorus and Soloists Twyla Robinson, Soprano, and Troy Cook, Baritone Dr. Rebecca Lord, Chorus Master Sunday, February 23 at 3pm The tremendous beauty of this orchestral and choral masterwork has immense power, lifting the human spirit and reminding us of the exquisite joy of life. Brahms Requiem launched the composer into fame for brilliantly melding classical structure and romantic harmony. The libretto is unusual for a requiem in that it was not intended as a religious mass for the dead, but rather as a secular work of comfort and consolation for the living. For this monumental work, the Festival Orchestra joins forces with the 100-voiced Arizona Musicfest Chorus, one of the finest choral ensembles of the Valley. Soprano Twyla Robinson regularly graces leading concert and opera stages of Europe and North America, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and New York Philharmonic. Robinson is a major catch. Bliss. (The Atlanta Journal- Constitution) Baritone Troy Cook, who last appeared at Arizona Musicfest 2011 for Beethoven s Symphony No. 9, recently sang Marcello in Hamburgische Staatsoper s La Boheme, Guglielmo in the Royal Opera Convent Garden s Cosi fan tutte, and numerous principal roles in major opera houses throughout the United States. His resplendent baritone is always a pleasure. (The Kansas City Star) The program includes In Paradisum by lauded young choral composer Dan Forrest. Tickets: $49, $65; Student (K-12) FREE; College with ID $10 The Very Best of John Denver featuring Mike Eldred Thursday, February 27 at 7:30pm Take Me Home Country Roads, Annie s Song, Rocky Mountain High, Sunshine on My Shoulders, Thank God I m a Country Boy, Leaving on a Jet Plane, and more of the hits you love, in a dynamic evening of music and memories! One of Broadway s favorite tenors, Mike Eldred (Jean Valjean in Les Miserables) and his band have created an evening of music that captures the timeless songs of John Denver and all the majesty of America s wide-open spaces and natural beauty. Somewhere up in heaven, John Denver is smiling every time he hears Mike Eldred sing one of his songs. (Maestro Albert-George Schram, Nashville Symphony) 6

7 50s Dance Party: A Tribute to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper Saturday, March 1 at 7:30pm All the high voltage hits of the era, including That ll Be the Day, Peggy Sue, Oh Boy, La Bamba and Chantilly Lace, will get you up on the dance floor installed just for this concert! Featuring a first-rate rock n roll band, the show stars John Mueller as Buddy Holly; Jay P. Richardson, Jr. as The Big Bopper (who was Jay s dad); Las Vegas Legends star Ray Anthony as Ritchie Valens; and Grammy Award winner Mike Acosta on saxophone. A flawless (Chicago Tribune) and stunning portrayal (Chicago Sun Times) that rocks with the charismatic John Mueller in the title role (L.A. Times)! Come celebrate the Finale of the 2014 Festival with a rock n rollin good time! <end> Please note: Prices and event details are subject to change without notice. High-resolution images are available for all artists. Video and audio clips available by request. Media contact: Vickilyn Hussey / trendlab@cox.net / <123113> 7