Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to Present Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra will present Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto from the opening theme to its grand finale on April 28 and 30 at Music Hall. The performances, led by guest conductor Carlo Montanaro are highlighted by Tchaikovsky's concerto, with soloist Sergej Krylov, along with Capriccio Italien, reminiscing postcards from Italy and a trip to Rome during Festival. Montanaro will also lead in Mendelssohn's Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream and Symphony No. 4.

Tickets for these concerts start at just $12 and are available by calling the CSO Box Office at (513) 381-3300 or visiting www.cincinnatisymphony.org. Thursday's performance also includes a pre- concert light dinner buffet, available for just $7 in the Music Hall Ballroom (free for subscribers).

Music Hall Renovation Update - Music Hall remains open through May 2016. Construction fencing is erected around portions of Music Hall, but walkways remain open. The bars and restrooms on the orchestra level are rearranged to accommodate changes as behind the scenes construction begins. The auditorium and most public spaces are unaffected.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES:

Carlo Montanaro, conductor

Former Music Director at the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw, Italian conductor Carlo Montanaro was discovered by Zubin Mehta who recommended him to the Hochschule fu?r Musik in Vienna, where he honed his skills under Leopold Hager, Erwin Ace?l and Yugi Yuasa for three years. He has conducted opera and concerts at major venues worldwide throughout his career and has recently debuted at Ope?ra Bastille in Paris, Ope?ra de Monte Carlo, and the Sydney Opera House.

Following those appearances in the late 14-15 season and beginning of 15-16 season, the remainder of the 15-16 season holds promise as he takes on Dallas, Frankfurt, Sidney, San Francisco, and Seattle, among performances with the Hungarian National Philharmonic and our very own Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Montanaro is no stranger to international performances, collecting festival appearances such as Macerata Summer Festival, Festival Verdi, and numerous concert series. Since 2001, Montanaro has conducted opera and concerts in major venues including Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Fondazione Arena in Verona, Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Teatro Comunale in Florence, Fondazione Arturo Toscanini in Parma and Teatro Verdi in Trieste (a collaboration which led to a Japanese tour with the Orchestra). Titles included Lucia di Lammermoor, Nabucco, Aida, Tosca, La Sonnambula, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Madama Butterfly and La Bohe?me.

Other highlights include Falstaff in Hamburg, Tosca and L'Elisir d'Amore in Munich, Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Tokyo, Don Carlo, Verdi's Requiem and Turandot in Warsaw, La Bohe?me in Seattle, Don Carlo in Frankfurt, Il Corsaro in Budapest, Norma at the Festival in Peralada, Madama Butterfly in Nagoya and Hamburg, La Traviata in Oviedo, La Bohe?me in Budapest, a concert version of Attila in Warsaw, Carmen, L'Elisir d'Amore and Tosca in Munich, Tosca and Il Trovatore at the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg, concerts with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra del Santa Cecilia in Rome, and The Consul in Seattle.

"The orchestral playing under Carlo Montanaro's baton was especially impressive: The strings were sumptuous in tone, and the young composer's brash cabalettas sprang into action with an e?lan calculated to set the listener's pulse racing." (Bernard Jacobson, Seattle Times, in reference to recent performance in Seattle).

Sergej Krylov, violin

Born into a family of musicians, Russian-Italian violinist Sergej Krylov began exploring the world of music at an early age, beginning violin lessons at the age of five. His father was a violin maker, while his mother was a famous piano player and teacher.

Krylov is no stranger to the international spotlight, as he has headlined on the stages of both the Berlin and Munich Philharmonic Music Halls in the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus in Vienna, in The?atre des Champs-Elyse?es and Salle Pleyel in Paris, in the Megaron in Athens, in Bozar in Brussels, in the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, in Teatro Colon in

Buenos Aires, in the China National Concert Hall in Beijing, in Teatrola Fenice in Venezia, in La Scala Theatre in Milan, in the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, in the Concert Hall named after Tchaikovsky (the Moscow Philharmonic Society), in the Grand Hall of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Society named after Shostakovich.

With rich culture and balance in his performances, his skill and caution behind every note resonates with his audiences. "Unlike the frequent flyer status of Abbado, violinist Sergej Krylov has performed with the ASO (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra) only once before, making his ASO debut in April 2011 to considerable acclaim with Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto." Stellar performances of Tchaikovsky, Paganini, Mompellino, and more add to his rich performance base as a contemporary violinist.

His list of performances with world-famous orchestras continues to grow, including performances with Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, the Chamber Orchestra "Moscow Soloists", the Dresden Staatskapelle Symphony Orchestra, the State symphony orchestra "Novaya Rossiya", the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Hessischer Rundfunk, the Deutsche Radio Philharmonic, the Giuseppe Verdi Orchestra in Milan, Filarmonica Toscanini, the Hamburg State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, and more.

Collaborations with conductors and musicians alike tailor to a wide variety of audiences across the globe. From conductors like Yuri Temirkanov, Valery Gergiev, Nicola Luizotti to fellow musicians such as Alexander Knyazev, Bruno Canino, Misha Maisky, Krylov has gained the respect of his chamber music partners since the beginning of his career in the late 1970s.

Currently, Krylov is the Chief Conductor of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra and a Professor of the University of Music and Arts in Lugano, Switzerland. With immense talent and skill as a musician, it is clear that his "Honorary Citizen of the Year" (2013), Golden Medal (2000), and award for musical arts and achievements (2003) are well-deserved.

Tickets start at $12 and are available by phone at (513) 381-3300, on the Internet at www.cincinnatisymphony.org, and in person at:

- CSO Box Office at Music Hall, 1241 Elm Street, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

- CSO Box Office at Music Hall 2 hours prior to the performance.

- CSO Ignite tickets for CSO concerts are $12. They are available for members of the program ages 18-30 beginning Monday of the performance week at the CSO Sales Office, over the phone at 513-381-3300, or online at www.cincinnatisymphony.org.

- Senior Tickets (age 62+) are 25% off and are available the week of the concert in person at the CSO Sales Office, over the phone at (513) 381-3300, or online.