Gustav Mahler News

Taking their successful and groundbreaking dance-music-theater work to new levels, award-winning choreographers Janice Garrett and Charles Moulton will present the world premiere of Speak, Angels, a new evening-length work for 36 dancers, singers and instrumentalists, July 28-31 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater. Following the sold-out success of their 2014-15 production of The Luminous Edge, Garrett and Moulton continue their work with large-scale, multi-genre performances, once again collaborating with Composer/Bass Clarinetist Jonathan Russell and contralto Karen Clark. Twenty-four dancers—including a “movement choir”—are joined by five singers and an ensemble of instrumental musicians in a work celebrating the providential voices that guide us through our lives.

The Orion Ensemble, winner of the prestigious Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, announces its 24th season, Miniatures and Masterworks, featuring a variety of familiar and rarely heard compositions.

The Harris Theater for Music and Dance has appointed Patricia Barretto as the new Executive Vice President, External Affairs effective immediately. After joining the Harris Theater executive team as Vice President of Marketing & Communications in 2015, Ms. Barretto's role will expand to oversee both the Marketing and Development departments.

May 26, 2016 (BOSTON, MA)—Mikko Nissinen, Artistic Director of Boston Ballet, has announced six promotions from within the company for the 2016–2017 season. Soloists Anaïs Chalendard and Seo Hye Han have been promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer, Second Soloist Junxiong Zhao to Soloist, and Corina Gill to Second Soloist. Samivel Evans and Desean Taber, two dancers from Boston Ballet II—Boston Ballet's second company—will join the Company as Corps de Ballet dancers. All promotions are effective August 15, 2016. The full 2016–2017 roster of dancers will be announced at a later date.

Choreographer Wayne McGregor. Obsidian Tear, inspired by renowned Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen's orchestral work Nyx, features an all-male cast. Salonen, who was recently named Composer in Residence with the New York Philharmonic, will make his Royal Ballet debut conducting the world premiere. The work will see its world premiere in London May 28, 2016, and its U.S. premiere in Boston Ballet's 2017–2018 season in Boston. In addition to the groundbreaking work Chroma—performed by Boston Ballet in 2013 and 2015 to critical acclaim with repeated standing ovations—Obsidian Tearwill be the second work of McGregor's in Boston Ballet's repertoire. After Boston Ballet's debut performance in Chroma, Thea Singer of the Boston Globe stated: “The Boston Ballet dancers astonish with their master of the choreography, contorting this way and that with remarkable intensity.” McGregor will reveal additional plans for the world premiere and co-production at The Royal Opera House's Insights event on May 11, 2016, 2:15 pm EDT / 7:15 pm BST. The event will be live-streamed for viewers around the world to enjoy on The Royal Opera House YouTube Channel.

The 2016 May Festival, which celebrates and concludes Music Director James Conlon's 37-year tenure, ends Friday and Saturday, May 27-28 with grand scale performances at Music Hall. These will be the final performances at Music Hall prior to its closing for renovation. On Friday, May 27 at 8 p.m., Mr. Conlon leads Dvo?ak's deeply personal cantata, Stabat Mater, a work was written during a time of deep grief for the composer following the death of his children. This rarely-performed work is full of symbolism, following a journey of mourning to hope of Paradise. At the invitation of James Levine, Mr. Conlon made his May Festival debut in 1978 conducting Stabat Mater (the following year he began his storied tenure as Music Director). Joining the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and May Festival Chorus will be soloists Julianna DiGiacomo (soprano), Elizabeth DeShong (mezzo-soprano), Anthony Dean Griffey (tenor) and Kristinn Sigmundsson (baritone).

The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) today unveiled The Student Movement, an initiative aimed at ensuring students* from across Australia have access to the world class performance of Ballet Preljocaj's Snow White exclusive to QPAC this September.

The Adelphi Orchestra presents 'Wagner Masterworks: Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod and Die Walkure : Act 1' on Sunday May 15 at 7:30 PM at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York City in collaboration with the Wagner Society of New York.

Mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung will replace The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence Eric Owens, who has withdrawn due to illness, on advisement from his doctor, in selections from Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn, led by John Storga?rds in his Philharmonic debut, Today, May 12, 2016, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, May 13 at 8:00 p.m.; and Saturday, May 14 at 8:00 p.m.

Mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung will replace The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence Eric Owens, who has withdrawn due to illness, on advisement from his doctor, in selections from Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn, led by John Storga?rds in his Philharmonic debut, Thursday, May 12, 2016, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, May 13 at 8:00 p.m.; and Saturday, May 14 at 8:00 p.m.

On May 5, at 17:00 Moscow time [14:00 GMT], the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra, conducted by People's Artist of Russia Valery Gergiev, held the 'Pray for Palmyra. Music Revives Ancient Ruins' concert on the stage of Palmyra's world-famous amphitheater.

May 4, 2016 (BOSTON, MA)—Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen is honored to announce a five-year partnership with internationally-renowned choreographer William Forsythe. The Company will add one new William Forsythe work to its repertoire each year, in addition to also presenting reprised works from the Company's current repertoire. Nissinen and Forsythe will work together to select the programming for Boston Ballet, and the legendary choreographer and his assistants and stagers will work directly with the Company. This partnership will result in Boston Ballet having the richest collection of William Forsythe ballets in the United States.

Music Director Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic on the CALIFORNIA 2016 tour, this week, May 3-7, 2016. The tour will feature four orchestral concerts with appearances in Costa Mesa, San Diego, and San Francisco.

Choreographer Wayne McGregor. Obsidian Tear, inspired by renowned Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen's orchestral work Nyx, features an all-male cast. Salonen, who was recently named Composer in Residence with the New York Philharmonic, will make his Royal Ballet debut conducting the world premiere. The work will see its world premiere in London May 28, 2016, and its U.S. premiere in Boston Ballet's 2017–2018 season in Boston. In addition to the groundbreaking work Chroma—performed by Boston Ballet in 2013 and 2015 to critical acclaim with repeated standing ovations—Obsidian Tearwill be the second work of McGregor's in Boston Ballet's repertoire. After Boston Ballet's debut performance in Chroma, Thea Singer of the Boston Globe stated: “The Boston Ballet dancers astonish with their master of the choreography, contorting this way and that with remarkable intensity.” McGregor will reveal additional plans for the world premiere and co-production at The Royal Opera House's Insights event on May 11, 2016, 2:15 pm EDT / 7:15 pm BST. The event will be live-streamed for viewers around the world to enjoy on The Royal Opera House YouTube Channel.

The Adelphi Orchestra, celebrating its 62nd season of 'Music for All'  presents a Grand Mother's Day concert Sunday May 8th in New Jersey. 'Wagner Masterworks: Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod and Die Walkure : Act 1.' The Wagner Masterworks Mother's Day concert will be the first of two performances, held on consecutive weekends, the second performance to take place in NYC at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music.  The Adelphi Orchestra's special  Mother's Day performance of Wagner Masterworks is free and open to the public -  the first 50 individuals to reserve their seats through Eventbrite will receive a complimentary long stem rose at the concert for their Mother.

Boston Ballet's spring season kicks off with Mikko Nissinen's Swan Lake, back by popular demand after a record-breaking world premiere in October 2014.

The Utah Symphony and music director Thierry Fischer perform at Carnegie Hall in April 2016-in a concert celebrating the orchestra's 75th anniversary.

Mesmerizing virtuoso, former child prodigy and so famous she goes by one name—Midori—joins Pacific Symphony to perform Erich Korngold's achingly beautiful Violin Concerto, which the composer reimagined from four of his acclaimed film scores. The exquisite program is led by Grammy and Juno award-winning music director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Bramwell Tovey, of whom Musical America has called: “One of the most versatile and charismatic musicians in the world.” Tovey also leads the orchestra in grand and thrilling music inspired by the galaxy—Gustav Holst's dramatic interpretation of the cosmos, “The Planets,” enhanced by the voices of the women of Pacific Chorale (John Alexander, artistic director); plus, Debussy's luminous piano piece, “Clair de Lune,” orchestrated by the legendary Leopold Stokowski. 

Boston Ballet presents Mirrors: a diverse selection of thought-provoking works that reflect the many facets of contemporary ballet, featuring two eagerly anticipated world premieres by Karole Armitage and Yury Yanowsky.

Alan Gilbert conducts the New York Philharmonic in Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, featuring baritone Thomas Hampson and tenor Stefan Vinke, in his Philharmonic debut, and Sibelius's Symphony No. 7, beginning today, April 20, 2016, at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, April 22 at 11:00 a.m.