Orpheus Chamber Orchestra & Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii to Play Carnegie Hall, 1/25

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra continues its four-concert series at Carnegie Hall with its first-ever all-Beethoven program, focusing on the composer's middle period when hearing loss and difficult personal issues were beginning to affect his work. Orpheus will be joined by joint Gold Medal winner of the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Nobuyuki Tsujii, making his Carnegie Hall orchestral debut in a performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Emperor. The concert will take place at Stern Auditorium's Perelman Stage in Carnegie Hall on Saturday, January 25 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at www.carnegiehall.org.

25-year-old Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii made his New York debut when he played a solo recital in Carnegie Hall in 2011. The pianist, who has been blind since birth, has performed with major orchestras across Europe and the United States, as well as his native Japan. Recent engagements have included his BBC Proms/Royal Albert Hall debut, debuts with the Baltimore and Seattle symphonies, and a major tour of Japan with the BBC Philharmonic. He has also given recitals in recent seasons at the Aspen and Ravinia Festivals, and in Washington D.C, Boston, Berlin, and Munich. In his home country he has appeared with all the major Japanese orchestras including NHK Symphony, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, Tokyo Symphony, Japan Philharmonic, and Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa. Orpheus will embark on a five-concert domestic tour with Mr. Tsujii in January followed by a major ten-concert tour to Japan with the pianist in February. Orpheus' performance with Mr. Tsujii on February 10 at Suntory Hall in Tokyo will mark the ensemble's 100th concert in Japan.

Orpheus will be joined by violinist Christian Tetzlaff for the last Carnegie concert of the season on Saturday, March 29. The ensemble will be in residency at the Cartagena Festival Internacional de Música in Colombia in January and during a five-concert domestic tour, Orpheus will perform with Japanese-American violinist Ryu Goto. The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts will present Orpheus at its annual concert series for the next three seasons, beginning this summer with a performance on Tuesday, July 15 in Central Park. The ensemble will then tour to Minnesota for a performance on Sunday, July 20 with pianist Ned Kirk during the 2014 Minnesota Beethoven Festival.

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has over its 41-year history revolutionized how audiences think about classical music and orchestral leadership. By abandoning traditional hierarchies, Orpheus conforms to a democratic model holding rehearsals that encourage artistic discussion, rotating seating assignments for each piece, and performing works from the classical to contemporary repertoire without a conductor. The orchestra has recorded over 70 albums including the Grammy Award-winning Shadow Dances: Stravinsky Miniatures, and to date has commissioned and premiered more than 40 original works. In addition to its annual concert series at Carnegie Hall, Orpheus has established an international reputation with tours to Europe, Asia, and South America. The ensemble has trademarked its signature mode of operation with the Orpheus Institute, founded in 2003 to educate the next generation of musical entrepreneurs with recent residencies at the University of Maryland, University of Connecticut, Dartmouth College, and the Interlochen Arts Academy.

Orpheus' educational outreach Access Orpheus program provides free learning opportunities for thousands of New York City public school students each year. Schools in each of the five boroughs receive free classroom visits from Orpheus musicians, as well as free tickets and educational material for each of Orpheus' Carnegie Hall concerts. Students are also invited to attend Orpheus' open forum rehearsals. For more information, visit www.orpheusnyc.com.