N E W S R E L E A S E CONTACT: Katherine Blodgett Director of Public/Media Relations phone: 215.893.1939 e-mail: kblodgett@philorch.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: November 20, 2008 Philadelphia Orchestra Master Class Series brings together world-class artists and young musicians 2008-09 09 Master Classes led by pianist Stewart Goodyear, bass-baritone baritone Eric Owens, violinist Julia Fischer, and two musicians from The Philadelphia Orchestra Participating students and audiences in remote locations linked to Philadelphia master classes through Internet 2 (Philadelphia, November 20, 2008) The Philadelphia Orchestra kicks off its 2008-09 Master Class Series on Friday, November 21, with a session led by renowned pianist Stewart Goodyear. The master class, which takes place in the Rendell Room at the Kimmel Center, features four young musicians, two performing on-site and two performing live through two-way Internet2 videoconferencing from the University of Florida. The series continues with master classes led by Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Harp Elizabeth Hainen (Patricia and John Imbesi Chair) on Thursday, January 15; Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Horn Jennifer Montone (Gray Charitable Trust Chair) on Wednesday, March 4; Philadelphia-native bass-baritone baritone Eric Owens on Tuesday, April 24; and renowned violinist Julia Fischer on Tuesday, May 26. Remote locations for the remaining master classes will be announced at a later date. Master classes via Internet2 give students, educators, and donors in Philadelphia, and those at remote locations, the chance to experience teaching by world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra musicians and guest artists. The classes feature pre-selected student musicians of the highest level, and present helpful instruction on topics ranging from practice and performance skills to instrumental technique and artistic interpretation. - more-
PAGE 2 2008-09 Philadelphia Orchestra Master Class Series Philadelphia Orchestra master classes are an ongoing initiative of the Education and Community Partnerships Department. Tickets are available to students, educators, and donors by invitation only. If you are a student or educator interested in attending a free master class, please contact the Manager Donors may contact development@philorch.org. The master class program is permanently endowed through a generous gift from Mr. and Mrs. Tristram C. Colket, Jr. About the Artists Pianist Stewart Goodyear has performed with many of the major orchestras of the world including The Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the Montreal Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, and the Seattle Symphony, among others. Conductors with whom Mr. Goodyear has collaborated include Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Daniel Barenboim, Michael Tilson Thomas, Sir Andrew Davis, Andrew Litton, Osmo Vänskä, Pinchas Zukerman, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Mr. Goodyear has appeared in recitals in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; and he has performed at the Caramoor, Santa Fe, and Ravinia festivals. In addition to his talents as a pianist, Mr. Goodyear is a composer and frequently performs his own works. He has written by commission for the Toronto Youth Symphony for its 25th anniversary, as well as for the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. His first large-scale work for orchestra, Caribbiana, was commissioned by the New Jersey Symphony and received its premiere performances in March 2005. A new work for chorus was premiered by the Nathaniel Dette chorale of Canada in Toronto in June 2005. A native of Toronto, Mr. Goodyear holds a masters degree from the Juilliard School of Music, where he studied with Oxana Yablonskaya. He previously studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with Leon Fleisher, Gary Graffman, and Claude Frank. Elizabeth Hainen, principal harp of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1994, has won international acclaim as one of today s foremost harpists. She has charmed audiences as a recitalist and concerto soloist throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. Engagements include the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the John F. Kennedy Center Orchestra, the New World Symphony, and The Philadelphia Orchestra, in addition to performances with the Paris Opera Ballet and the Vienna Boys Choir. An active chamber musician, Ms. Hainen has performed at the festivals of Grand Teton, Kingston, Marlboro, and Saxony- - more -
2008-09 Philadelphia Orchestra Master Class Series PAGE 3 Bohemia. She has collaborated as soloist with such eminent conductors as Charles Dutoit, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Wolfgang Sawallisch. Ms. Hainen was a winner of the American String Teachers Association and the Chicago Symphony Civic Orchestra competitions, and a silver medalist at the first USA International Harp Competition, where she was awarded the Orrego-Salas Prize. Ms. Hainen s advocacy for contemporary music and the expansion of her instrument s repertoire has led to several world premiere performances and recordings including works by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Bernard Rands. Ms. Hainen serves on the faculties of the Curtis Institute of Music and Temple University. She has recently founded the Lyra Society, an organization to promote new works for the harp and educate young musicians. Ms. Hainen was born in Toledo, Ohio, where she made her concerto debut at the age of 13 with the Perrysburg Orchestra. She holds a bachelor s degree and an artist s diploma from Indiana University School of Music, where she studied with Susann McDonald. Jennifer Montone joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as principal horn in 2006. Previously she was principal horn at the Saint Louis Symphony where she began her tenure in 2003. She was the associate principal horn of the Dallas Symphony from 2000 to 2003, as well as an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University. Ms. Montone was formerly third horn of the New Jersey Symphony, and she performed regularly with the Metropolitan Opera, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic, and as a substitute musician on several Broadway shows. Ms. Montone performed as a soloist with the Dallas Symphony, the National Symphony, and was a featured artist at both the 1999 International Horn Society Workshop and the 2000 International Women s Brass Conference. As a chamber musician, Ms. Montone has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and at the 2005 La Jolla Chamber Music Festival, the 2002 and 2004 Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the 2003 Bellingham Music Festival, the 2001 Spoleto (Italy) Chamber Music Festival, and the Marlboro Music Festival in 1999, 2000, and 2001. She has also performed with the Bay Chamber Concerts, Boston Chamber Music Society, and BargeMusic. She was on the faculty of the Kendall Betts Horn Camp in 2003, and taught and performed at the Aspen Music Festival and School in 2004 and 2005. The recipient of a 2006 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Ms. Montone is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with Julie Landsman, principal horn of the Metropolitan Opera. A native of northern Virginia, Ms. Montone studied with Edwin Thayer, principal horn of the National Symphony, as a fellow in the Symphony s Youth Fellowship Program. more
PAGE 4 2008-09 Philadelphia Orchestra Master Class Series Acclaimed for his commanding stage presence and inventive artistry, American bassbaritone Eric Owens has carved a unique place in the contemporary opera world as both a troubadour of new music and a powerful interpreter of classic works. Mr. Owens is equally at home in concert, recital, and opera performances, bringing his powerful poise, expansive voice, and instinctive acting faculties to stages around the globe. The 2008-09 season sees Mr. Owens s Metropolitan Opera debut in John Adams s Doctor Atomic early this fall and a Carnegie Hall solo recital on April 24, 2009, one of three Carnegie Hall engagements throughout the season. He also returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles for two appearances, first in January 2009 with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and then in the spring performing Adams s A Flowering Tree with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His Carnegie Hall performances will include Mahler s Songs of a Wayfarer with The Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Charles Dutoit, and Berlioz s The Damnation of Faust with The Philadelphia Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle. Additionally, Mr. Owens will make a second appearance on the Metropolitan Opera stage in December 2008 as Sarastro in Julie Taymor s acclaimed production of The Magic Flute, and he will return to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, to sing opposite Anna Netrebko and Elīna Garanča in Bellini s I Capuleti e i Montecchi in the spring. In February 2009, Mr. Owens will sing scenes from Strauss s Elektra and Die Frau ohne Schatten with Christine Brewer and the Atlanta Symphony under Donald Runnicles in performances to be recorded by Telarc. He is featured on the September 2008 Nonesuch Records release of A Flowering Tree, continuing his long collaboration with American composer John Adams. Gramophone s 2007 Artist of the Year Julia Fischer is widely recognized as one of the most gifted violinists before the public today. At age 25, she appears regularly with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the National Symphony. She recently made debuts with the Cleveland Orchestra, and at Tanglewood and the BBC Proms in London. During the 2008-09 season, Ms. Fischer makes her debuts with the Chicago Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic and returns for appearances with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Bayerischer Rundfunk Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, the Boston Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony. She is also guest artist and leader for the 50th Anniversary tour of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. A prolific recitalist, Ms. Fischer will be heard in recital in Europe, North America and Asia. In 2009-10 Ms. Fischer will be Artist in Residence with the Tonhalle in Zurich and, similarly, in 2010-11 in Baden Baden. During 2009-10, she will tour Europe and the U.S. performing solo Bach sonatas and partitas. Her PentaTone discography has gained numerous nominations including the Diapason d Or, Choc de la Musique, and two ECHO awards. Ms. Fischer has recently been - more -
2008-09 Philadelphia Orchestra Master Class Series PAGE 5 signed to Decca Records where her first album, dedicated to Bach, will appear in January 2009. Ms. Fischer teaches violin in Frankfurt. The Philadelphia Orchestra s educational and outreach activities enrich the lives of over 35,000 youngsters and 140,000 adults in the Philadelphia region each year, through a variety of musical encounters, including subscription concerts, Sound All Around (for children ages 3 to 5), Family Concerts (for children ages 6 to 12), School Concerts, a School Partnership Program, Music Educator Workshops, Master Classes, Side-By-Side Rehearsals, Open Rehearsals, the Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition, free Neighborhood Concerts, and collaborations with conservatories and colleges. The Philadelphia Orchestra Founded in 1900, The Philadelphia Orchestra has distinguished itself as one of the leading orchestras in the world through a century of acclaimed performances, historic international tours, best-selling recordings, and its unprecedented record of innovation in recording technologies and outreach. The Orchestra has maintained an unparalleled unity in artistic leadership with only seven music directors throughout its history: Fritz Scheel (1900-07), Carl Pohlig (1907-12), Leopold Stokowski (1912-41), Eugene Ormandy (1936-80), Riccardo Muti (1980-92), Wolfgang Sawallisch (1993-2003), and Christoph Eschenbach (2003-08). This rich tradition is carried on by Charles Dutoit, who was appointed chief conductor and artistic adviser of The Philadelphia Orchestra from the 2008-09 season through the 2011-12 season. Mr. Dutoit has a long-standing relationship with the Orchestra, having made his debut with the ensemble in 1980. Highlights of his first season include the Opening Night Concert, featuring pianist Martha Argerich; performances of Berlioz s Romeo and Juliet and Requiem, part of Mr. Dutoit s four-year focus on the works of that composer; the U.S. premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki s Concerto grosso No. 1 for three cellos, part of the Orchestra s celebration of Mr. Penderecki s 75th birthday; and Honegger s Symphony No. 3 ( Liturgical ). During his tenure, Mr. Dutoit will also focus on the music of the Ballets Russes, beginning in the 2008-09 season with performances of Stravinsky s complete music to The Firebird. Recent Philadelphia Orchestra highlights include the opening of the Orchestra s Online Music Store, www.thephiladelphiaorchestra.com; regular broadcasts on NPR; a series of critically acclaimed recordings led by Mr. Eschenbach and released in partnership with Ondine Records; and a $125 million endowment campaign. The Philadelphia Orchestra annually touches the lives of more than one million music lovers worldwide through its performances, publications, recordings, and broadcasts. The Orchestra presents a subscription season in Philadelphia each year from September to May, in addition to education and community partnership programs, and appears annually at Carnegie Hall. Its summer schedule includes an outdoor series at Philadelphia s Mann Center for the Performing Arts, free Neighborhood Concerts, and residencies at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in upstate New York. For more information about The Philadelphia Orchestra please visit www.philorch.org. more
PAGE 6 2008-09 Philadelphia Orchestra Master Class Series MASTER CLASS PIANO November 21, 2008, at 4:30 PM Friday afternoon Stewart Goodyear Piano MASTER CLASS HARP January 15, 2009, at 2:00 PM Thursday afternoon Elizabeth Hainen Harp MASTER CLASS HORN March 4, 2009, at 4:30 PM Wednesday afternoon Jennifer Montone Horn MASTER CLASS BASS-BARITONE Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts April 28, 2009, at 4:30 PM Tuesday afternoon Eric Owens Bass-baritone - more -
2008-09 Philadelphia Orchestra Master Class Series PAGE 7 MASTER CLASS VIOLIN May 26, 2009, at 4:30 PM Tuesday afternoon Julia Fischer Violin # # #