Al Viola News

New York Philharmonic Assistant Conductor Daniel Boico will step in for Music Director Emeritus Kurt Masur in the Orchestra's performance of Sofia Gubaidulina's Two Paths: Music for Two Solo Violists and Symphony Orchestra, featuring Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps and Associate Principal Viola Rebecca Young, Wednesday, April 13, 2011, and Thursday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, April 16, at 8:00 p.m., as well as at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday, April 15, 2011, at 8:00 p.m.

New York Philharmonic Music Director Emeritus Kurt Masur will conduct the Philharmonic in Liszt's Les Préludes, Sofia Gubaidulina's Two Paths: Music for Two Solo Violists and Symphony Orchestra, performed by Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps and Associate Principal Viola Rebecca Young, and Brahms's Symphony No. 1, Wednesday, April 13, 2011, and Thursday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, April 16, at 8:00 p.m.

California Symphony unveils a World Premiere by internationally-recognized composer Cindy Cox in its upcoming concert, to be helmed by guest conductor George Cleve. The new work by Cox is an orchestral piece for the entire symphony with extra timpani, entitled En espiral. The program also includes the Flute Concertino, op. 107, D major by French composer Cécile Chaminade, Concerto for Clarinet and Viola, op. 88, E minor by Max Bruch, and Antonín Dvo?ák's Symphony No. 7, op. 70, D minor. This concert will be performed 4:00 pm, Sunday, March 6, 2011 at The Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Center Drive, Walnut Creek. For tickets and information the public can call (925) 943-7469 or visit www.californiasymphony.org.

The first Esprit Orchestra concert of 2011 features a wide variety of works, from a small gem to the humorous, to the broad and expansive.

In April 2011 The New York Philharmonic This Week - the two-hour, national, weekly radio program of concerts by the New York Philharmonic, hosted by actor Alec Baldwin - begins with the fourth and final program from Hungarian Echoes: A Philharmonic Festival conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. Mr. Salonen leads Haydn's Symphony No. 8, Le Soir; Bartok's Piano Concerto No. 1, with Olli Mustonen as soloist; Ligeti's Clocks and Clouds, featuring the Women of New York Choral Artists, Joseph Flummerfelt, director; and Bartok's Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin. The following week Michael Tilson Thomas conducts Prokofiev's American Overture for Orchestra, Op 42; the New York Premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina's In Tempus Praesens, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, with Anne-Sophie Mutter, The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence, as soloist; and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2, Little Russian.

California Symphony unveils a World Premiere by internationally-recognized composer Cindy Cox in its upcoming concert, to be helmed by guest conductor George Cleve. The new work by Cox is an orchestral piece for the entire symphony with extra timpani, entitled En espiral. The program also includes the Flute Concertino, op. 107, D major by French composer Cécile Chaminade, Concerto for Clarinet and Viola, op. 88, E minor by Max Bruch, and Antonín Dvo?ák's Symphony No. 7, op. 70, D minor. This concert will be performed 4:00 pm, Sunday, March 6, 2011 at The Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Center Drive, Walnut Creek. For tickets and information the public can call (925) 943-7469 or visit www.californiasymphony.org.

Today Toronto Symphony Orchestra Music Director Peter Oundjian announced the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's 2011.2012 concert season, which is also the orchestra's 90th consecutive season of performances. The TSO's 90th season programmes include: three extended residencies with pianist Lang Lang, conductor/violinist Itzhak Perlman, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma; Mahler's Symphony No. 8 'Symphony of a Thousand' with an all-Canadian cast of soloists led by TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian; season opening performances of Walton's Music for the film Henry V with Christopher Plummer; a 90th Season free concert presented by Luminato; and première performances of four TSO commissions including an orchestral interpretation of Roch Carrier's classic story, The Hockey Sweater. Many of the world's finest guest artists share a long history with the TSO and perform with the orchestra in concerts throughout the 90th season, including pianist Emanuel Ax, pianist Yefim Bronfman, Canadian violinist James Ehnes, conductor/pianist Leon Fleisher, Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin, and Canadian pianist Louis Lortie. Twenty-eight solo artists make their TSO débuts in the 2011.2012 season, including saxophonist Branford Marsalis, conductor John Storgaards, trumpeter Alison Balsom, and Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki.

The first Esprit Orchestra concert of 2011 features a wide variety of works, from a small gem to the humorous, to the broad and expansive. The first half of the concert features works all under 10 minutes each: José Evangelista's Symphonie minute; György Ligeti's Lux aeterna, sung by the Elmer Iseler Singers (this work is famous from the Kubrick film '2001: A Space Odyssey';) and Canadian composer Douglas Schmidt's Discouraged Passion, a humorous tale of a guy who's scared of his girlfriend's mother.

The first Esprit Orchestra concert of 2011 features a wide variety of works, from a small gem to the humorous, to the broad and expansive.

The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford. Hartt offers innovative degree programs in music, dance, and theatre.

The Hartt School welcomes world renowned artists who are sharing their talents with Hartt students and the community.

Musicians from the New York Philharmonic will perform chamber works by Mozart, Ravel, and Brahms at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sunday, January 17, 2010, at 2:30 p.m. They will be joined by guest pianist Yefim Bronfman.

The New York Philharmonic announces details about recordings being released from January-March 2010 as part of the Alan Gilbert: The Inaugural Season iTunes Pass - the new digital music series available exclusively from the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com and nyphil.org/itunes). Eight new releases comprising 21 works will become available over the three months.

Christoph von Dohnanyi will conduct the New York Philharmonic in Mozart's Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola, performed by Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow and Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps; and Bruckner's Symphony No. 4, Thursday, December 10, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, December 11, at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, December 12, 2009, at 8:00 p.m.

Christoph von Dohnanyi will conduct the New York Philharmonic in Mozart's Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola, performed by Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow and Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps; and Bruckner's Symphony No. 4, Thursday, December 10, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, December 11, at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, December 12, 2009, at 8:00 p.m.

Musicians from the New York Philharmonic will perform chamber works by Mozart, Ravel, and Brahms at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sunday, January 17, 2010, at 2:30 p.m. They will be joined by guest pianist Yefim Bronfman.

Christoph von Dohnanyi will conduct the New York Philharmonic in Mozart's Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola, performed by Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow and Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps; and Bruckner's Symphony No. 4, Thursday, December 10, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, December 11, at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, December 12, 2009, at 8:00 p.m.

Today the New York Philharmonic launches its 168th season and the tenure of Alan Gilbert as its new Music Director. The new era began with a crowd assembled at Avery Fisher Hall to attend the Free Dress Rehearsal, led by Mr. Gilbert and featuring opera star Renée Fleming, in preparation for the evening's Gala Opening Night Concert.

The New York Philharmonic?s final Very Young People?s Concerts of the season will introduce children ages 3 to 6 to ?Treble and Bass,? a program created to show how high and low sounds make music fun, Sunday, June 14, 2009, at 12:30 and 3:00 p.m., and Monday, June 15, at 10:30 a.m., at Merkin Concert Hall, 129 West 67th Street. The program will feature pieces by Dvo?ák, Bartók, and Smetana, along with hands-on music-making with musicians from the orchestra.

The Hartt School proudly announces the appointment of Rita Porfiris as Assistant Professor of Viola. She will assume her new post in September. Born in New York, Porfiris received both her BM and MM in Viola Performance from The Juilliard School.