Celebrate Mother's Day With The Hawaii Symphony, 5/13-14

Love is in the air on Mother's Day weekend as the Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra (HSO) presents concerts fit for a queen, showcasing popular works by Vaughan Williams, Respighi and Prokofiev. An annual tradition, Mother's Day weekend concerts offer the perfect activity for families who want to treat mom to the very best. Celebrated Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji makes her HSO debut in these concerts on Saturday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 14 at 4:00 p.m. in performance of Respighi's rapturous Concerto Gregoriano. Almost certainly a first hearing for Honolulu audiences, the Concerto derives some of its melodies from Gregorian chant, reflecting both intense beauty and quiet dignity. Many music lovers know Respighi from his Roman Trilogy (Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome and Roman Festivals), and will be dazzled by the Concerto's movie-like sweeping themes that recall the panoramas of the Swiss Alps and great American West. To preview this masterwork, watch an excerpt from a live performance here.

Audiences will also enjoy the cornerstones of this concert program under the direction of Maestro Kenneth Lam: Vaughan Williams's Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus" and Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet Suite. Many operas and orchestral works have been based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but Prokofiev was the first to set the story as a ballet. Today, Prokofiev's score is recognized as one of the most popular and cherished masterworks of both the ballet stage and orchestra-a guaranteed favorite for classical music newcomers and aficionados alike. Tickets for "Mother's Day Weekend: Romeo and Juliet" are on sale now and range from $34 to $92. For more information, call the Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra Box Office (808) 94-MUSIC - (808) 946-8742 from Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Sayaka Shoji is described by Gramophone magazine as "a formidable musician, able to draw on huge reserves of stamina and the unflinching equal of anything thrown at her." Tim Smith of The Baltimore Sun writes, "Her performance here revealed impeccable intonation and an ability to sculpt phrases with considerable eloquence," and Tim Homfray of The Strad writes, "She has a gorgeous tone, is passionate and expressive, and she takes risks, playing with a rubato that is never excessive and constantly aids the shaping of the music and its direction."

Sayaka Shoji regularly performs with the world's leading conductors, including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Charles Dutoit, Mariss Jansons, Zubin Mehta, Semyon Bychkov, Paavo Järvi, Myung-Whun Chung, Sir Antonio Pappano and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Highlights of the 2016-17 season include her debut with Singapore Symphony Orchestra; returns to Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (Osmo Vänskä), Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (Kazushi Ono) and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (Shiyeon Sung); and tours of Japan with The Mariinsky Orchestra (Valery Gergiev) and NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester (Krzysztof Urba?ski). Further ahead, she will work with Krzysztof Penderecki to perform his Violin Concerto No. 2 (Metamorphosen) for the first time. She will also work with Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Gianandrea Noseda) and Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

Sayaka Shoji took First Prize at the 1999 Paganini Competition - the first Japanese and youngest artist ever to do so. She plays the 1729 Recamier Stradivarius. Learn more at www.sayakashoji.com.

About Kenneth Lam
Music Director of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and Resident Conductor of the Brevard Music Center, Kenneth Lam is also Artistic Director of Hong Kong Voices and Conductor Laureate of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras. In 2011, he won the Memphis Symphony Orchestra International Conducting Competition and was a featured conductor in the League of American Orchestra's 2009 Bruno Walter National Conductors Preview with the Nashville Symphony. He made his U.S. professional debut with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in 2008 as one of four conductors selected by Leonard Slatkin. In recent seasons he led performances with the symphony orchestras of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Pops, Baltimore, Detroit, Memphis, Illinois and Meridian, as well as the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Guiyang Symphony and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra.

Maestro Lam studied conducting with Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar at Peabody Conservatory; David Zinman and Murry Sidlin at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen; and Leonard Slatkin at the National Conducting Institute. He read economics at St. John's College, Cambridge University and was an attorney specializing in international finance for ten years before becoming a conductor.

Active-duty military ($20) and student rush ($13) discounts will be available for this concert beginning, Monday, May 8. Tickets must be purchased at either the Blaisdell Box Office or at the HSO Box Office in-person. Appropriate ID must be presented at the time of purchase. For more information, call the Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra Box Office (808) 94-MUSIC - (808) 946-8742 from Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

About the Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra
The Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra was founded in 2011 and made its debut in 2012. The new HSO carries on the legacy of the Honolulu Symphony, which was founded in 1900 and performed for more than a century. The orchestra employs 84 professional musicians and presents classical masterworks, pops, educational and community programs.

The mission of the Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra is to present the highest-quality performances of great music, bringing national and international distinction to the orchestra and its community; to delight and educate audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and enhance the cultural vitality and quality of life in these Islands; and to operate in a financially sound manner.

For more information or to make a donation, please visit www.HawaiiSymphonyOrchestra.org. Share your Hawai'i Symphony Orchestra experience with the #HiSymphony hashtag on Twitter and Instagram @HawaiiSymphonyOrchestra and on Facebook: facebook.com/HawaiiSymphony.