Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Announces 2013 Summer Season at Oregon Ridge Park, the Meyerhoff and Strathmore

Transcription

1 PRESS CONTACTS: Laura Farmer, Alyssa Porambo, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Announces 2013 Summer Season at Oregon Ridge Park, the Meyerhoff and Strathmore BSO s Summer season includes Baroque, Gershwin, annual Star-Spangled Spectacular, The Matrix Live in Concert and music from The Legend of Zelda Baltimore, Md. (April 9, 2013) The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra today announced its programming for the Summer 2013 concert season including selections from Baroque masters, The Matrix Live in Concert, a celebration of Gershwin s Greatest Hits, music from the classic video game The Legend of Zelda and the opportunity for young singers to share the stage with the BSO. See page 3 for a complete calendar of events, including venue and ticketing information. Artist biographies begin on page 5. The summer season begins with Baltimore s favorite Fourth of July tradition: the Star-Spangled Spectacular at Oregon Ridge Park (Cockeysville, Md.) on July 3 & 4, featuring patriotic favorites that culminate in a brilliant fireworks display. Maestro Robert Bernhardt leads the BSO in selections such as Tchaikovsky s 1812 Overture, Sousa s Stars and Stripes Forever and more. The program also features soprano Katie Van Kooten, singing songs from America s soundtrack. Each concert begins with the National Anthem, sung by the winner(s) of the BSO s sixth annual O, Say Can You Sing? singing competition. (Full details about the competition, including audition information, will be announced at a later date.) On July 11 at the Music Center at Strathmore and July 12 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, BSO Concertmaster Jonathan Carney will lead the orchestra in a concert featuring the Masters of Baroque, Page 1 BSO Summer Season 2013

2 celebrating music that expanded the size, range and complexity of musical performance. Highlights from late Baroque music include Winter and Summer from Vivaldi s Four Seasons, Bach s Orchestral Suite No. 3 and Handel s Royal Fireworks Suite and Water Music. On July 13 at the Meyerhoff, the BSO presents The Matrix Live in Concert. Composer Don Davis will lead the orchestra as it performs the soundtrack to a live screening of the 1999 science fiction action film starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss. The Academy Award-winning movie has been praised by film critics and audiences alike for its innovative visual effects and cinematography. Maestro Case Scaglione joins pianist Jon Nakamatsu and the BSO in Gershwin s Greatest Hits on July 25 at the Music Center at Strathmore and July 26 at the Meyerhoff. Mr. Nakamatsu s 2007 all-gershwin recording with Jeff Tyzik and the Rochester Philharmonic featuring Rhapsody in Blue rose to number three on Billboard's classical music charts and earned extraordinary critical acclaim. The BSO will perform Rhapsody and more in this concert of his best-known works. The BSO s summer season closes with a presentation of The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses, July 27 at the Meyerhoff. While the Orchestra performs melodies from Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and more, fan-favorite scenes from the games will flash on a jumbo screen above the stage. Patrons are encouraged to attend the concert dressed as their favorite Hyrule characters. Page 2 BSO Summer Season 2013

3 Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Summer 2013 Events Calendar Star-Spangled Spectacular Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at 8 p.m. Oregon Ridge Park Thursday, July 4, 2013 at 8 p.m. Oregon Ridge Park Robert Bernhardt, conductor Katie Van Kooten, soprano Join the BSO for an all-american holiday celebration featuring Tchaikovsky s 1812 Overture, Sousa s Stars and Stripes Forever and more, choreographed to an amazing fireworks display! Plus hear the BSO s O, Say Can You Sing? contest winner perform the National Anthem. Tickets are general admission lawn seating and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, BSOmusic.org or or at the park gate. Advanced tickets are $18 for adults and $9 for children under 12. If purchased at the gate, tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12. Free parking is available at the Verizon lot on Shawan Road with shuttle to the park. Permits for onsite parking can be purchased for $12 in advance from the BSO Ticket Office or for $15 at the gate. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m. and local vendors will be onsite with food and beverages available for purchase. Concertgoers are invited to bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnics for a full evening of entertainment with the BSO. Masters of Baroque Thursday, July 11, 2013 at 8 p.m. The Music Center at Strathmore Friday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (JMSH) Jonathan Carney, leader and violin Handel: La Rejouissance from Music for The Royal Fireworks Suite Handel: Largo from Xerxes Handel: The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba Vivaldi: The Four Seasons Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major Handel: Alla Hornpipe from Water Music Suite in D major Handel: Air and Hornpipe and Andante from Water Music Suite in F Major Revel in the simplicity and beauty of music from the Baroque period in this summer program featuring select works from the grand trio of Baroque masters. Jonathan Carney leads the BSO in Winter and Summer from Vivaldi s Four Seasons, Bach s festive Orchestral Suite No. 3, and Handel s glorious music from The Royal Fireworks Suite and his famous Water Music. Page 3 BSO Summer Season 2013

4 The Matrix Live in Concert Saturday, July 13, 2013 at 8 p.m. JMSH Don Davis, conductor and composer No one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. Do you dare take the red pill? Join the BSO and experience this action-packed, ground-breaking modern cult classic in stunning HD as the Orchestra performs the sci-fi futuristic soundtrack live. Gershwin s Greatest Hits Thursday, July 25, 2013 at 8 p.m. The Music Center at Strathmore Friday, July 26, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. JMSH Case Scaglione, conductor Jon Nakamatsu, pianist Bernstein: On the Town Three Dance Episodes Gershwin: Promenade "Walking the Dog" Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue Gershwin: Catfish Row, Symphonic Suite from "Porgy and Bess" Gershwin: An American in Paris George Gershwin's fascinating rhythms will fill the concert hall as all of your favorite tunes take their turn on the stage. From the jazz-filled melodies of Rhapsody in Blue to the timeless sounds of An American in Paris, relax into summer with this program of classic Americana. The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Saturday, July 27, 2013 at 8 p.m. JMSH Zelda is one of the most enchanting franchises in gaming history, and you won t want to miss this musical gaming event of a lifetime. The Legend of Zelda continues as the BSO performs the epic melodies from Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, A Link to the Past and more while your favorite scenes flash on a jumbo screen above the Orchestra. Come dressed as your favorite Hyrule character! Page 4 BSO Summer Season 2013

5 Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Summer 2013 Artist Biographies Baltimore Symphony Orchestra The Grammy Award-winning Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is internationally recognized as having achieved a preeminent place among the world's most important orchestras. Acclaimed for its enduring pursuit of artistic excellence, the BSO has attracted a devoted national and international following while maintaining deep bonds throughout Maryland with innovative education and community outreach initiatives. The BSO made musical history in September 2007, when Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra s 12 th music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra. With her highly praised artistic vision, her dynamic musicianship and her commitment to accessibility in classical music, Maestra Alsop s leadership has ushered in a new era for the BSO and its audiences. In addition to the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where the orchestra has performed for 30 years, the BSO is a founding partner and the resident orchestra at the state-of-the-art Music Center at Strathmore, just outside of Washington, D.C. With the opening of Strathmore in February 2005, the BSO became the nation s only major orchestra with year-round venues in two metropolitan areas. Robert Bernhardt, conductor Star-Spangled Spectacular Conductor Robert Bernhardt brings a unique combination of infectious enthusiasm, a style of ease and a depth of musicianship to the podium. Equally at home with symphonic masterworks, opera and popular music in a variety of genres, Mr. Bernhardt s conducting activity reflects his versatility and broad musical taste. He is music director emeritus of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, having recently completed tenure of 19 years as that orchestra s music director. Mr. Bernhardt also holds the title of principal pops conductor of the Louisville Orchestra, where he celebrated 30 years during the season. He has previously served as artistic director and principal conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic ( ), music director and conductor of the Tucson Symphony ( ), and principal guest conductor of Kentucky Opera ( ). Mr. Bernhardt enjoys a special relationship with the Edmonton Symphony; he appears several times each season conducting Light Classics, Pops and holiday programs and hosts a four-day Symphony Under The Sky Festival over Labor Day weekend. He is also a frequent and regular guest conductor with the Boston Pops. Other guest conducting engagements include appearances with the symphony orchestras of Colorado, Detroit, Houston, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, St. Louis, Seattle, Tucson, the Pacific Symphony and the Iceland Symphony, among others. Mr. Bernhardt made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1978 in a series of concerts with PDQ Bach. During his tenure with the Kentucky and Chattanooga Opera companies, he conducted fully staged productions of more than 40 operas, including Don Giovanni, La Traviata, Rigoletto, La Bohème, Il Trovatore, The Flying Dutchman, The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, Carmen, Tosca, The Barber of Seville, Susannah, Don Pasquale, Lucia di Lammermoor, Die Fledermaus, Madama Butterfly, Cavalleria Rusticana, Faust, Fidelio, Turandot, Pagliacci, Cosi Fan Tutte, Hansel and Gretel, Elixir of Love, Albert Herring, The Turn of the Screw, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Orfeo ed Euridice. He has also conducted numerous Gilbert & Sullivan operettas and the musical My Fair Lady. His conducting for staged productions has also led him to the opera Page 5 BSO Summer Season 2013

6 companies of Nashville and Birmingham, and the ballet companies of Louisville, North Carolina, Chattanooga and Jacksonville. Mr. Bernhardt s recordings of the standard symphonic canon and works of contemporary composers are available on the Vanguard, First Edition, RPO and Carlton Classics labels. Jonathan Carney, leader and violin Masters of Baroque BSO Concertmaster Jonathan Carney concludes his 11th season with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra after 12 seasons in the same position with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Born in New Jersey, Mr. Carney hails from a musical family with all six members having graduated from The Juilliard School in New York. After completing his studies with Ivan Galamian and Christine Dethier, he was awarded a Leverhulme Fellowship to continue his studies at the Royal College of Music in London. After enjoying critically acclaimed international tours as both concertmaster and soloist with numerous ensembles, Mr. Carney was invited by Vladimir Ashkenazy to become concertmaster of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in He was also appointed concertmaster of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 1994 and the Basque National Orchestra in Mr. Carney has performed with many of the world s great conductors including Maestri Haitink, Abbado, Solti, Tennstadt, Maazel, Gergiev, Previn Gatti, Muti, Sawallisch, Menuhin and Kurt Sandeling just to name a few. Recent solo performances have included concertos by KurtWeill, Bruch s first and second concerti as well as The Scottish Fantasy, Korngold, Khatchaturian, Sibelius, Nielsen, Rodrigo, both Brahm s concerti and Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending, which was featured as a live BBC broadcast from London's Barbican Hall. He has made a number of recordings, including concertos by Mozart, Vivaldi and Nielsen, sonatas by Brahms, Beethoven and Franck, and a disc of virtuoso works of by Sarasate and Kreisler with his mother Gloria Carney as pianist. New releases include Beethoven s Archduke and Ghost trios, the cello quintet of Schubert and a Dvořák disc with the Terzetto and four Romantic pieces for violin. Mr. Carney is an avid music educator and currently serves on the Board of the Baltimore School for the Arts, one of the country s premier arts high schools, as well as being the schools Artist in Residence. He is also the Artistic Director of the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra at Strathmore. Mr. Carney s violin is a 1687 Stradivarius, the Mercur-Avery on which he uses "Vision" strings by Thomastik-Infeld. Mr. Carney's string sponsor is Connolly & Co., exclusive U.S. importer of Thomastik- Infeld strings. Don Davis, conductor The Matrix Live in Concert Don Davis has enjoyed a successful and widely varied musical career, not only as a seminal and prolific composer of contemporary orchestral and chamber works for the concert stage but also as a versatile dramatic composer and conductor of film and television music. He began the study of instrumental music at the age of nine and composition at the age of 12. Serious musical education followed at the University of California at Los Angeles, in addition to individual study with numerous composers including Henri Lazarof and Albert Harris. His compositions have been performed at the Monday Evening Concerts at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, as well as at numerous contemporary music concerts and festivals by ensembles such as The California E.A.R. Unit, The Los Angeles Master Chorale, XTET, the Arditti Quartet, the New Hollywood String Quartet, the Debussy Page 6 BSO Summer Season 2013

7 Trio, the Rundfunk Kammer Orchester of Amsterdam, and at recitals of individual instrumental and vocal artists from whom he regularly receives commissions. His Afterimages for violin and piano was a finalist in the Dutilleux International Composition Competition and was later performed at an IRCAM Artist Series concert at the Pompidou Center in Paris by Maryvonne Le Dizès and Dimitri Vassilakis of the Ensemble Intercontemporain. His full-length opera Río de Sangre was premiered in October 2010 by the Florentine Opera Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra conducted by Joseph Rescigno. Excerpts from Río de Sangre were premiered as a concert suite by the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Orchestra under the direction of Grant Gershon in November of 2005 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and Albany Records released a CD of Río de Sangre s world premiere recording in September His string quartet Bleeding Particles has been released on an Albany Records CD of West Coast composers performed by the Arditti Quartet, and his piano piece, Illicit Felicity was released on Gloria Cheng s Piano Dance: A 20th Century Portrait on Telarc Records. Mr. Davis has earned a great deal of recognition of achievement including a first prize in the ICA/Taper Foundation Commission Competition, a prize in the 1983 International Gaudeamus Musicweek, a second prize in the 1983 Valentino Bucchi Composition Competition for String Quartet, three B.M.I. Awards to Student Composers, two A.S.C.A.P. Foundation Grants to Young Composers, a second prize in the Symposium V for New Band Music and two Emmy Awards. He has composed numerous film and television scores, including the Warner Bros. feature film trilogy The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Case Scaglione, conductor Gershwin s Greatest Hits American conductor Case Scaglione inspires orchestras and audiences across North America with his natural ease of conducting, musical depth and infectious joy on the podium. In September 2011, Mr. Scaglione began his tenure as Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic and made his subscription debut in November 2012, stepping in for Kurt Masur. During the season, Mr. Scaglione goes to the Lyric Opera of Chicago to work with Sir Andrew Davis on a production of Strauss Elektra before appearing as a guest conductor with orchestras throughout North America including the St. Louis Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony and Palm Beach Opera, where he conducts a production of La Traviata. He finishes his season in China, where he will make his Asian debut with the Guangzhou Symphony and China Philharmonic at the personal invitation of Maestro Long Yu. During summer 2013, Mr. Scaglione will return to the Sinfonia por el Peru and conduct a production of Britten s Turn of the Screw at the Siena Music Festival in Siena, Italy. From , Mr. Scaglione was Music Director of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra of Los Angeles where he was the driving force behind the continued artistic growth and diversification of the organization in addition to founding 360 Music, an educational outreach program which brought the orchestra to inner city schools. His eclectic programming spanned works from Beethoven to Wagner to the Los Angeles premiere of John Adams Doctor Atomic Symphony, which was supported by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts. Mr. Scaglione was a student of David Zinman at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen where he won the James Conlon Prize and the esteemed Aspen Conducting Prize, which led to his Cleveland Orchestra debut in July Following his studies in Aspen, Mr. Scaglione was invited back to serve as assistant conductor of the entire Aspen Music Festival and School, where he conducted a wide range of performances and served as cover conductor for all orchestral performances. A frequent guest assistant and Page 7 BSO Summer Season 2013

8 cover conductor with the St. Louis Symphony and David Robertson, he has also assisted at the Baltimore Symphony, Baltimore Opera, and conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl alongside Bramwell Tovey. In summer 2011, Mr. Scaglione was one of three conducting fellows at Tanglewood chosen by James Levine and Stefan Asbury. Mr. Scaglione was the recipient of the 2011 Conductor s Prize, the top award given by the Solti Foundation U.S. a prestigious honor only awarded three times in the foundation s history. A native of Texas, Mr. Scaglione received his bachelor s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. His postgraduate studies were spent at the Peabody Institute where he studied with Gustav Meier. Mr. Scaglione currently lives in New York City with his wife Toni. Jon Nakamatsu, piano Gershwin s Greatest Hits Since his dramatic 1997 Van Cliburn Gold Medal triumph, Jon Nakamatsu's brilliant but unassuming musicianship and eclectic repertoire have made him a clear favorite throughout the world both on the concert circuit and in the recording studio. He has performed widely in North America, Europe, and the Far East and has collaborated with such conductors as James Conlon, Philippe Entremont, Marek Janowski, Raymond Leppard, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Michael Tilson Thomas and Osmo Vänskä. His extensive recital tours throughout the United States and Europe have featured appearances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and in cities such as Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Paris, London, and Milan. Mr. Nakamatsu maintains a very active touring schedule with orchestra performances, chamber collaborations and solo recitals. In April 2011 Mr. Nakamatsu made his debut at the prestigious Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Mr. Nakamatsu records exclusively for Harmonia Mundi USA, which has released nine CDs to date. His 2007 all-gershwin recording with Jeff Tyzik and the Rochester Philharmonic featuring Rhapsody in Blue and the Concerto in F rose to number three on Billboard's classical music charts, earning extraordinary critical acclaim. Jon Nakamatsu studied privately with the late Marina Derryberry from the age of six, and has worked with Karl Ulrich Schnabel, son of the great pianist Artur Schnabel. He has also studied composition and orchestration with Dr. Leonard Stein of the Schoenberg Institute at the University of Southern California, and pursued extensive studies in chamber music and musicology. Mr. Nakamatsu is a graduate of Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in German studies and a master's degree in education. Page 8 BSO Summer Season 2013

9 While current at the time of publication, this calendar is subject to change. Updated calendars are issued regularly. For the most recent version, please contact the BSO Public Relations Office. VENUES Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall is located at 1212 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Md. The Music Center at Strathmore is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda, Md. Oregon Ridge Park is located at Beaver Dam Road, Cockeysville, Md. TICKETS Tickets for concerts at Oregon Ridge Park, the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and The Music Center at Strathmore can be purchased through the BSO Ticket Office, , 877.BSO.1444 or BSOmusic.org. THE BSO PR DEPARTMENT Media inquiries may be directed to the BSO Public Relations department: Laura Farmer, Public Relations Manager Alyssa Porambo, PR and Publications Coordinator For high-res images, please contact: Alyssa Porambo, PR and Publications Coordinator ### Page 9 BSO Summer Season 2013