Mostly Mozart 2016 Artist Update: Thierry Fischer Replaces Andrés Orozco-Estrada

Lincoln Center announces an artist update for the August 2 and 3 Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra concerts at David Geffen Hall. Conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada, who was to make his New York debut and first Festival appearance, has reluctantly withdrawn due to a back problem. For these performances, he will be replaced by Thierry Fischer, who makes his own Festival debut. The program remains the same: Haydn's Symphony No. 59 in A major ("Fire"), and Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K.550, in addition to Mozart's exuberant Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K.503, performed by the gifted German pianist Martin Helmchen, who makes his Mostly Mozart Festival debut.

Thierry Fischer is Music Director of the Utah Symphony, a post he has held since 2009 and which was recently extended through 2019. He has attracted leading young musicians to join the orchestra and top soloists to come to Utah, has refreshed the programming, drawn consistently full houses, and galvanized community support. During the 2015-16 season, the Utah Symphony celebrated its 75th anniversary with the complete Mahler symphonies in concert, including Symphony No. 8 with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and released a recording of Symphony No. 1. As part of the Utah Symphony's extensive ongoing commission program, Fischer led new works by Nico Muhly and Andrew Norman, the latter of which was performed at Carnegie Hall. Fischer was Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales from 2006 to 2012, undertaking many tours and appearing every season with them at the BBC Proms, returning in 2014. He also has a busy guest conducting career-past highlights have included his Boston Symphony Orchestra debut, and appearances with the Oslo Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, London Sinfonietta, Salzburg Mozarteumorchester, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Detroit Symphony and Atlanta Symphony. In 2015-16 he conducted his first concerts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Royal Festival Hall. Fischer started out as Principal Flute in Hamburg and at the Zurich Opera. His conducting career began in his 30s when he replaced an ailing colleague, subsequently directing his first few concerts with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe where he was Principal Flute under Claudio Abbado. He spent his apprentice years in Holland and became Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Ulster Orchestra in 2001, a post held until- 2006. He was Chief Conductor of the Nagoya Philharmonic from 2008 to 2011, making his Suntory Hall debut in Tokyo in May 2010, and is now Honorary Guest Conductor, returning every season.

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