Rhode Island Philharmonic to Perform THE FOUR SEASONS, 11/14

October 30, 2014 - E. Providence - The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra's 70th Anniversary seasoncontinues Saturday November 15 at The Vets, 1 Avenue of the Arts in Providence. The Philharmonic welcomes music director LARRY RACHLEFF back to the podium for a program including the overture to Rossini's Semiramide, Beethoven's Eighth Symphony and Vivaldi's immortal Four Seasons, featuring violinist JENNIFER KOH. Resident Conductor FRANCISCO NOYA presents an informal talk about the program in the auditorium before the concert from 7:00?7:25 p.m. Tickets (starting at $15) are available at tickets.riphil.org, and the RIPO box office at 401.248.7000. The Amica Rush Hour Concert takes place Friday November 14 at 6:30 p.m.

Music Director LARRY RACHLEFF said: "What are the most familiar works in the orchestral canon? TheFour Seasons is always on the list, and the great violinist Jennifer Koh is back to show her wares in this centerpiece of our chamber-orchestra program. We begin with Rossini's Semiramide Overture, a high-spirited voyage of Italian pyrotechnics and aggressive, wonderful tunes - it will sound familiar to Bugs Bunny fans! After this bubbly overture and The Four Seasons, we'll end with Beethoven's Eighth Symphony, a wonderful, vibrant work Beethoven ranked among his favorites."

This is a return engagement with the Philharmonic for violinist Jennifer Koh, whose 2009 performance of Brahms' Violin Concerto was "the high point of the evening... an intense, commanding performance that could be sweet one moment and searing the next," wrote Channing Gray in the Providence Journal. "Koh brought the kind of sweep and grandeur the piece deserves." She is recognized for her intense, commanding performances, delivered with dazzling virtuosity and technical assurance. With an impassioned musical curiosity, she is forging an artistic path of her own devising, choosing works that both inspire and challenge. She is dedicated to performing the violin repertoire of all eras from traditional to contemporary. She is also committed to exploring connections in the works she performs, searching for similarities of voice among diverse composers and associations within the works of a single composer. Born in Chicago to Korean parents, Ms. Koh began playing the violin by chance, choosing the instrument in a Suzuki-method program only because spaces for cello and piano had been filled. She made her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 11. In a shift of disciplines, Ms. Koh earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Oberlin College before studying at the Curtis Institute, where she worked extensively with Jaime Laredo and Felix Galimir. Ms. Koh is on the string faculty of New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.

Season 70 offers symphonies by Beethoven, Prokofiev and Sibelius; concerti by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Saint-Sa?ns and Tchaikovsky; and popular favorites Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Ravel's Boléro and Orff's Carmina Burana. Twentieth-century highlights include works by Adams, Orff, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Sibelius, Strauss, Stravinsky, and Weill. The season's final concert features the world premiere of a commissioned work by the New England native composer Pierre Jalbert in honor of the Orchestra's 70thAnniversary. Several well-known guest artists will perform with the orchestra, including returning violinistsAugustin Hadelich and Jennifer Koh, cellist Alban Gerhardt, mezzo-soprano Susan Lorette Dunn, and pianists Ilya Yakushev and Joyce Yang. Pianist Jon Nakamatsu will be making his debut with the Rhode Island Philharmonic. The Providence Singers, Christine Noel, artistic director, will share two performances with the Philharmonic: Handel's Messiah in December and Carmina Burana in May, which also features theRhode Island Children's Chorus (also directed by Ms. Noel).

The Philharmonic's season features eight Classical concerts on Saturday nights at The Vets. Four are preceded by Amica Rush Hour concerts on Friday, and four have Friday Open Rehearsals. The Amica Rush Hour Series offers an early start time - 6:30pm - on Fridays October 17, November 14, April 10 and May 8. These shorter, informal, accessible concerts feature full performances of select repertoire from the SaturdayClassical concerts. Open Rehearsals, on Fridays January 16, February 20 and March 20 at 5:30pm, offer insight into the collaboration between the conductor, guest artists and orchestra musicians as they prepare for the upcoming classical concert. Subscriptions and individual concert tickets are on sale now. Call the Philharmonic box office at 401.248.7000, or visit tickets.riphil.org.

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