Joshua Bell News

This July 4th, America's national Independence Day celebration kicks off our country's 242nd birthday, as A CAPITOL FOURTH on PBS welcomes back Emmy Award-nominated actor and producer John Stamos (FULLER HOUSE, SCREAM QUEENS) to host the festivities.  Broadcast live on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, this time-honored 38 year-tradition puts viewers front and center for America's biggest birthday party with the greatest display of fireworks anywhere in the nation lighting up the iconic D.C. skyline.  The country's longest-running live national July 4TV tradition will feature all-star musical performances by: multi-platinum selling music legend Jimmy Buffett with the Broadway cast of the new musical ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE, making their first stop after Broadway at the U.S. Capitol as they launch a national tour; 'America's Band," the iconic multi-platinum selling music legendsThe Beach Boys; three-time Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum selling artistPentatonix; legendary Motown stars The Temptations; acclaimed multi-platinum country music singer-songwriter and winner of the iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New Country Artist Luke Combs; country music star and AMERICAN IDOL alum Lauren Alaina; 12-time Grammy Award-winner and gospel legend CeCe Winans; and internationally acclaimed Grammy award winning violinist Joshua Bell; with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly (additional performers to be announced).

The Santa Barbara Symphony, under the baton of guest conductor Carolyn Kuan, will perform John Corigliano's Academy Award-winning score for The Red Violin, accompanied by Francois Girard's engrossing film in its entirety, at the Granada Theatre on Saturday, June 16, and Sunday, June 17. Also featuring Canadian violinist Lara St. John as soloist, the concerts will take place at 8 pm on June 16 and at 3 pm on June 17. Originally scheduled for January 20 and 21, these concerts were postponed on account of the catastrophic debris flows in Montecito earlier that month. Tickets purchased for the originally scheduled concerts will be honored at these performances. Tickets can be purchased at www.granadasb.org or by calling 805-899-2222. Prices start at $29.

A chorus of some 800 experienced and amateur singers will premiere John Luther Adams's In the Name of the Earth in Central Park's Harlem Meer. The performance builds on two highly acclaimed outdoor world premieres commissioned previously for the Mostly Mozart Festival: 2014's Sila: The Breath of the World, also by John Luther Adams, and David Lang's the public domain, which marked the 50th anniversary of the Mostly Mozart Festival in 2016. Simon Halsey, who led the performance of the public domain, returns to the festival to conduct In the Name of the Earth.

From June 5-24, 2018, Orchestra of St. Luke's will present Facets of Brahms, the second iteration of the Ensemble's chamber music festival. The three programs, featuring the Orchestra's core 23-member St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, are curated to highlight different perspectives on the musical life of the composer and include Seasons of Brahms, June 5, 6, and 10; Brahms & The Schumanns, with pianist Pedja Muzijevic, June 12, 13, and 17; and Brahms & the Search for a Symphony, June 19, 20, and 24. Discussions led by noted scholars, and musicians will take place prior to each Brahms program. 

Grand Band, a New York-based "supergroup" (New York Times) formed by pianists Erika Dohi, David Friend, Paul Kerekes, Blair McMillen, Lisa Moore and Isabelle O'Connell, makes its Midwest debut at the Ordway Concert Hall today, May 16. Their performance features the world premiere of Three Fragile Systems by Missy Mazzoli alongside music by Julius Eastman, Michael Gordon, Paul Kerekes and Kate Moore.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association announced today the four musicians selected for the LA Phil Resident Fellows program. The program, announced in November 2017, launched this year as a centerpiece initiative of the LA Phil's Centennial with the purpose of creating a pathway towards a more diverse and inclusive orchestra of tomorrow.  

New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the country's most diverse arts presenter, announced a sensational opening lineup for the 2018-2019 season, an adventurous range of more than 150 attractions - Bollywood to ballet, hip-hop to K-pop - for every kind of audience.

The spotlight will shine bright at the Laguna Playhouse' annual gala, May 12, with special performances by 'Phantom of the Opera Star' Davis Gaines, a tribute to the Moulton Theatre's 50th anniversary, and a host of highlights celebrated throughout the much-anticipated, elegant affair.

This August, New York City will host the first ever Classical Bridge, an international music festival, academy and conference designed to build bridges through the music. Presented by New York Concert Artists & Associates (NYCA), the inaugural event runs August 4 - 11 at Merkin Concert Hall atKaufman Music Center (129 West 67th Street, between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave), Symphony Space (2537 Broadway, at 96th Street), and Steinway Hall (1133 Avenue of the Americas at 44th Street). For tickets. reservations and more information visit www.ClassicalBridge.org.

Continuing the momentum created with the current season launch of its Music Knows No Borders series, Executive Director Thor Steingraber unveils the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts' 2018-19 Season, which features four world premieres, two American premieres, several of the world's greatest orchestras, innovative jazz programs, two tributes to Hollywood legends, Broadway classics plus artists from 18 different nations who will appear on stage at The Soraya next season.  New Subscription Series tickets will go on sale May 1, 2018.

The spotlight will shine bright at the Laguna Playhouse' annual gala, May 12, with special performances by 'Phantom of the Opera Star' Davis Gaines, a tribute to the Moulton Theatre's 50th anniversary, and a host of highlights celebrated throughout the much-anticipated, elegant affair.

On Wednesday, April 18, 2018, the National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts), along with honorary co-chairs Agnes Gund, Naeem Khan and Anna Deavere Smith, and gala co-chairs Sarah Arison, Diana DiMenna and Sandra Tamer, welcomed more than 220 of New York's top cultural and community leaders, philanthropists, celebrities and art aficionados to the third annual YoungArts New York Gala.

Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI)-one of North America's premiere summer training programs for young musicians-announces its 2018 programs and events today. The 2018 BUTI summer season, which will take place at Tanglewood and on the BUTI campus in Lenox, MA, June 17-August 11, features concert and recital programming throughout the Berkshires; workshops led by distinguished performers and teachers from Boston University College of Fine Arts and the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO); Visiting Artists conductor Teddy Abrams (BUTI '03) and bassist Joseph Conyers (BUTI '98); Artist-in-Residence Nico Muhly (BUTI '96, '97); and rich programs of learning and performance for students ages 10-20. Led by Executive Director Hilary Field Respass, BUTI is the only program of its kind associated with one of the world's great symphony orchestras, the Boston Symphony Orchestra. BUTI's 2018 Summer Concert Series is generously sponsored by M&T Bank.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica presents the final performance in The Calder Quartet's three-year residency at The Broad Stage on Sunday, April 29 at 4:00pm.  This inventive and passionate quartet explores the profound beauty of Beethoven's String Quartets paired with classical and contemporary works.

Grand Band, a New York-based "supergroup" (New York Times) formed by pianists Erika Dohi, David Friend, Paul Kerekes, Blair McMillen, Lisa Moore and Isabelle O'Connell, makes its Midwest debut at the Ordway Concert Hall on Wednesday, May 16. Their performance features the world premiere of Three Fragile Systems by Missy Mazzoli alongside music by Julius Eastman, Michael Gordon, Paul Kerekes and Kate Moore.

The Celebrity Series of Boston announced its 2018-2019 season today, marking 80 years of bringing the world's greatest performing artists to Boston. In total, the 2018-2019 season will include 50 music, dance, and entertainment mainstage engagements, including a new artistic initiative to present three dance ensembles in their Boston debuts with live music at NEC's Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre. The season will open on September 23 with Jazz Along the Charles, A Walkable Concert along the Charles River Esplanade featuring 25 jazz ensembles along a 2-mile loop. Neighborhood Arts will feature more than 150 workshops, classes, and concerts in schools and community venues performances across Boston.

San Diego Symphony Announces 2018-2019 Season Featuring First Concerts Conducted by Rafael Payare as Music Director Designate, 14 Works New to San Diego Symphony Repertoire,

Rafael Payare's highly anticipated inaugural concerts as San Diego Symphony's Music Director Designate take place as part of the annual January Festival. It will mark his only Jacobs Masterworks appearance this season and will feature acclaimed cellist Alisa Weilerstein and the orchestra's first-ever performance of Benjamin Britten's Symphony for Cello and Orchestra. He will also perform in a special Discovery Night concert on January 10, with all funds from this concert going to support the San Diego Symphony's Learning and Community Engagement programs.

Orchestra of St. Luke's continues its 2018 Baroque Music Series with The Musical Offering & Frederick the Great, in two concerts: April 23 at The Church of St. Luke in the Fields, and April 29 at Brooklyn Museum. Music created in collaboration and rivalry within the court of the 18th century Prussian King, Frederick the Great, makes up the program featuring the trio sonata from Bach's beloved Musical Offering. Based on a complex 21-note theme Frederick himself is thought to have written in an effort to stump the composer, the heart of Bach's masterwork is heard here alongside works by Frederick's court composers of choice: Quantz, Graun, and Bach's son, C.P.E., rumored to be the real author of the Musical Offering theme.

The McCallum Theatre announced today its new lineup as it begins its fourth decade of presenting world-class artists and entertainers for Coachella Valley audiences.  The new season includes McCallum debuts, iconic superstars, family-friendly entertainment, holiday sensations, with some mariachi, Bollywood, ballet, comedy and entertaining geography lessons all part of a very full and exciting season that also presents an outstanding roster of  Broadway favorites.