N.C. Symphony to Perform with Jeffrey and Gabriel Kahane This October

Raleigh, N.C. - The North Carolina Symphony's Raleigh and Chapel Hill Classical seasons continue on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m., in Meymandi Concert Hall in downtown Raleigh, and in Memorial Hall on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m., in "An Evening with Jeffrey & Gabriel Kahane," a program that features father and son, pianist and conductor Jeffrey Kahane, and songwriter/composer/vocalist Gabriel Kahane.

The program will include Jeffrey Kahane's performance of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major, musical selections from the Gershwin Songbook, plus "Gabriel's Guide to the 48 States," created from the Federal Writers' Program guidebooks. Gabriel Kahane will also perform the world premiere of a North Carolina Symphony-commissioned song titled "Hard-Circus Road." The title of the piece refers to a conversation that long-time Symphony Music Director Benjamin Swalin had with a young girl while on tour in the North Carolina mountains in the 1940s. When he asked her if she lived around there, she pointed across the asphalt and concrete highway and replied, "Yessir, right over yonder 'side the hard-circus road." The phrase later became the title of Swalin's memoir of his work with the North Carolina Symphony.

Equally at home at the keyboard or on the podium, Jeffrey Kahane is recognized by audiences around the world for his mastery of a diverse repertoire ranging from Bach, Mozart and Beethoven to Gershwin, Golijov and John Adams. Since making his Carnegie Hall debut in 1983, Mr. Kahane has given recitals in many of the nation's major music centers including New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Atlanta. He appears as soloist with major orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony and is also a popular figure at all of the major U.S. summer festivals. Mr. Kahane is equally well-known for his collaborations with artists and chamber ensembles such as Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Joshua Bell, Thomas Quasthoff and the Emerson and Takacs Quartets. Mr. Kahane's recent and upcoming European engagements include play/conduct programs with the Camerata Salzburg, Hamburg Symphony and the Real Philharmonic de Galicia in Spain as well as appearances at the Meck-Pomm Chamber Music Festival in Germany.

Gabriel Kahane's major label debut, "The Ambassador," was hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as "one of the year's very best albums." Last season, Mr. Kahane performed at BAM's Harvey Theater in the New York premiere of the stage production of "The Ambassador." The production was also presented by Carolina Performing Arts at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he is involved in a multi-year academic and artistic residency. The 2015/16 season finds Mr. Kahane involved in many touring projects with friends and collaborators. In addition to solo dates with the North Carolina and Colorado symphonies and Boston-based string orchestra A Far Cry, Mr. Kahane will appear on separate tours with the string quartet Brooklyn Rider and with pianist/composer Timo Andres. In March 2016, Mr. Kahane makes his European solo debut at the recently opened Paris Philharmonie. Mr. Kahane's recent studio credits include a track on last year's Beck Song Reader, appearances on Blake Mills' Heigh Ho alongside Fiona Apple and Jon Brion, several projects with Sufjan Stevens and collaborations with Chris Thile of Punch Brothers, for whom Mr. Kahane opens on the U.S. tour in 2015.

In addition to stellar performances, North Carolina Symphony concertgoers can enjoy pre-concert talks, post-concert discussions, and "Meet the Artists," which feature interactive conversations with guest artists and select orchestra members, at many Symphony events. Before the Saturday, Oct. 24, performance in Raleigh, Catherine Brand of WUNC 91.5 FM will host a Meet the Artist session in the Swalin Lobby of Meymandi Concert Hall at 6:30 p.m. Before the Chapel Hill performance on Oct. 26, Evening Overtures will take place in Gerrard Hall at 6:30 p.m. Evening Overtures feature occasional chamber music performances and discussions allow for a deeper exploration of the music. Generous support for Evening Overtures has been provided by The Hulka Fund for Chamber Music.

Tickets to the Raleigh Classical Series performance on Saturday, Oct. 24, and to the Chapel Hill Classical Series performance on Monday, Oct. 26, range from $18 to $66. Student tickets are $10. Concert tickets at all performances are also available at the door one hour prior to concert start time.

Other 2015-16 season highlights include A Baroque Christmas featuring music from Bach, and Handel, including the Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah, and "Cirque Musica Holiday Spectacular" in December, the beautiful Firebird on Valentine's weekend, and Beethoven's Triple and Brahms Double in April, featuring Grant Llewellyn conducting cellist Zuill Bailey, violinist Philippe Quint, and pianist Awadagin Pratt.

Subscriptions to all of the Symphony's concert series are available online at www.ncsymphony.org/subscriptions or by calling the North Carolina Symphony Box Office at 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.

Meymandi Concert Hall is located in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., in Raleigh. Memorial Hall is located at 114 East Cameron Ave., on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony gives more than 200 performances annually to adults and school children in more than 50 North Carolina counties. An entity of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, the orchestra employs 66 professional musicians, under the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn, Resident Conductor William Henry Curry, and Associate Conductor David Glover.

Based in downtown Raleigh's spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue at Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60 concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary metropolitan area. It holds regular concert series in Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines and Wilmington -- as well as individual concerts in many other North Carolina communities throughout the year -- and conducts one of the most extensive education programs of any U.S. orchestra.