Michael Tilson Thomas News

The New York Choral Society (NYChoral) under the direction of its music director David Hayes will ring in the holiday season with a Christmas concert at Alice Tully Hall on Wednesday evening, December 21st, at 7:30 p.m. The program, featuring soloists Frederick Ballentine and Justin Hopkins, will present works by two musical giants of 20th Century American choral music, Robert Shaw, whose 100th birthday would have been this year, and Robert De Cormier, NYChoral Music Director Emeritus, who was awarded the 2016 Michael Korn Founders Award by Chorus America for his lifetime contribution to the choral arts. The concert will also include works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Elizabeth Poston, and James MacMillan, and will end with an audience sing-along of beloved Christmas carols. The complete program follows:

The 94th season of the New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts (YPCs) will continue on Saturday, December 3, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. with "Classical," the second program in this season's series, The Ages of Music - each program exploring the sound, composers, and culture of the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras, respectively. The all-Mozart program will feature the Overture to The Marriage of Figaro and selections from the Symphony No. 31, Paris; Flute Concerto No. 2, with Philharmonic flutist Yoobin Son in her Philharmonic solo debut; and Symphony No. 39. Assistant Conductor Joshua Gersen will conduct the program; Vice President, Education, Theodore Wiprud will host the event, which will also feature classical dancer Thomas Baird and hip-hop dancer Quilan Arnold. The scriptwriters and directors are Nell Benjamin and Laurence O'Keefe, whose collaborations include the Tony-nominated and Olivier Award-winning Legally Blonde, The Musical.

Music Director David Hayes will lead the New York Choral Society and Orchestra (NYChoral) in the United States premiere of Maltese composer Joseph Vella's The Hyland Mass: A Prayer for Unity in Diversity.

Carnegie Hall today announced that bass-baritone Eric Owens must regrettably withdraw from his upcoming duo-recital with soprano Susanna Phillips scheduled for this Sunday, November 6 at 3:00 p.m. in Zankel Hall due to illness. Ms. Phillips has agreed to instead offer a solo recital joined by pianist Myra Huang and clarinetist Alicia Lee.

Calgary-based Honens today announced details of its 2018 Piano Competition.  Pianists of all nationalities, aged 20 to 30 on August 30, 2018, with the exception of past Honens Laureates and professionally managed artists, may apply starting February 1, 2017.  The application deadline is October 31, 2017.  The Competition's Quarterfinals take place in Berlin and New York in March 2018.  Semifinals and Finals take place in Calgary from August 30 to September 8, 2018.

Drury Lane Theatre brings romance and warmth to Chicago this winter with the song-and-dance extravaganza Crazy for You, featuring music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and book by Ken Ludwig, directed and choreographed by the Jeff Award-nominated director/choreographer Matt Crowle.

Celebrating the themes of expression and unity amidst the dynamic diversity of South Florida and the United States just four days before the Presidential election, Pulse: Late Night at the New World Symphony will ask guests to dress to "express themselves" and come together at the iconic multimedia cultural event Friday, November 4, 2016, at the New World Center (500 17th Street).

 SoundBox, the San Francisco Symphony's experimental performance venue and late-night live music series, opens its third season on December 9­-10 with SFS Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas curating and conducting two concerts celebrating the life and work of visionary American composer, artist, writer, and activist Lou Harrison. This season marks the centennial of Lou Harrison's birth; Harrison was born in May 1917 and passed away in February 2003.

Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) and the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) will release an all-Debussy album featuring three works that illustrate the French composer's mastery of orchestration including Images pour orchestre, Jeux, and La plus que lente, on the Orchestra's Grammy Award-winning SFS Media label on Today, October 28, 2016. The recording will be available for pre-order on iTunes.com/SFSymphony and SFSymphony.org/Debussy on Tuesday, September 27, 2016. This recording is presented by SFS Media in premium audio hybrid SACD as well as studio master-quality download.

Florida Grand Opera (FGO) is pleased to announce the promotion and addition of new members to its music staff. Katherine Kozak, continuing in the position of Chorus Master at Florida Grand Opera and celebrating 20 years in the opera industry, will be promoted to also serve as Head Coach of the company's Young Artist Program. Howard Lubin will serve as Senior Coach, and Paul Schwartz and Paul Kovacovic will fill the roles of staff accompanists.

Soprano Heidi Grant Murphy, who sang major roles with the Metropolitan Opera for almost 25 years, returns to theChamber Music Society of Detroit series for a recital with pianist Kevin Murphy Sunday, November 13, 2016 at 3:00 PM.  The concert takes place at Oakland University's Varner Recital Hall, located on the Oakland University campus at 2200 N. Squirrel Road in Rochester.  The program includes songs and arias by Schumann, Debussy, Strauss, Puccini, Copland and Obradors.  Tickets are priced at $30 for adults and $15 for students, and may be purchased by phone at248-855-6070 or online at www.CMSDetroit.org.

Music Director David Hayes will lead the New York Choral Society and Orchestra (NYChoral) in the United States premiere of Maltese composer Joseph Vella's The Hyland Mass: A Prayer for Unity in Diversity.

New Philharmonic the professional orchestra in residence at the McAninch Arts Center, continues its 40th Anniversary Season with 'An Evening of Gershwin' at the MAC Today, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 23 at 3 p.m.

In collaboration with PBS' GREAT PERFORMANCES series, The Recording Academy will air 'GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends' - a special all-star concert honoring The Recording Academy's 2016 Special Merit Awards recipients

Drury Lane Theatre brings romance and warmth to Chicago this winter with the song-and-dance extravaganza Crazy for You, featuring music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and book by Ken Ludwig, directed and choreographed by the Jeff Award-nominated director/choreographer Matt Crowle.

New Philharmonic the professional orchestra in residence at the McAninch Arts Center, continues its 40th Anniversary Season with 'An Evening of Gershwin' at the MAC Saturday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 23 at 3 p.m.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents an evening with London Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Gianandrea Noseda, one of today's most acclaimed conductors, with pianist Yuja Wang as the soloist for Ravel's Piano Concerto in G. London Symphony Orchestra performs Shostakovich's rebellious Fifth Symphony.

Led by Co-Founder and Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT), the New World Symphony, America's Orchestral Academy (NWS), launches the fifth season of its WALLCAST concert series, presented by Citi, onOctober 15. The series features 11 concerts projected on the 7,000 square-foot eastern facade of the New World Center for audiences in adjacent SoundScape Park, which is equipped with over 160 Meyer Sound speakers for an immersive sound experience.

Following her summer role debut in Santa Fe as Clairon in Richard Strauss's Capriccio, Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Susan Graham - hailed by Gramophone as 'America's favorite mezzo' - launched the 2016-17 season with Renée Fleming and Michael Tilson Thomas performing Rossini songs in the San Francisco Symphony's opening night gala.