California Symphony Announces 'The Romance of the Cello' Concert, 1/22

Contra Costa County's only professional orchestra, California Symphony, presents the second regular concert of its 25^th Anniversary Season, the Romance of the Cello, featuring world-renowned cellist and classical music "rock star" Joshua Roman.  Internationally renowned conductor Robert Moody will lead this performance, featuring Aaron Copland's Fanfare for The Common Man, Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto, and Sergei Rachmaninoff's towering Symphony No. 2. The Romance of the Cello will take place at 4 pm Sunday, January 22, 2012at the Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Center Drive, Walnut Creek). Tickets ($20-$69) can be purchased by calling the Lesher Center ticket office at 925-943-7469 or by visiting www.californiasymphony.org.

 

Robert Moody, CONDUCTOR

Robert Moody is a frequent guest conductor with orchestras across the United States, and he brings his professional experience to the stage in California Symphony's Romance of the Cello. Maestro Moody has conducted many of the world's top classical and pops artists in concert, including Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Renee Fleming, Van Cliburn, Midori and many more. Currently the Music Director for the Portland Symphony and Winston-Salem Symphony, his discography includes a collaboration with the Canadian Brass on their "Bach" and "Legends" CD's. Maestro Moody has guest-conducted the symphony orchestras of Houston, Indianapolis, Detroit, Seattle, Pacific, Louisville and other renowned orchestras. Currently the Artistic Director for Arizona Musicfest, his summer festival appearances include the Santa Fe Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Brevard Music Center, Eastern Music Festival, PORTopera, and the Oregon Bach Festival.

FEATURED PERFORMER

Cellist Joshua Roman has been dubbed a "Classical Rock Star" by the press, and has earned a national reputation for performing a wide range of repertoire with an absolute commitment to communicating the essence of music at its most organic level. The San Francisco Chronicle hailed Roman as "a cellist of extraordinary technical and musical gifts" following his 2010 debut with the San Francisco Symphony under Herbert Blomstedt. For his ongoing creative initiatives on behalf of classical music, Roman was named a 2011 TED Fellow, joining a select group of Next Generation innovators of unusual accomplishments with the potential to positively affect the world. Roman recently performed duos with Yo-Yo Ma at a State Department event hosted by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden for the president of China. Additional engagements this season include his Toronto Symphony debut, a performance at the U. S. Open Tennis Tournament, and concerto engagements with orchestras in Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey and Oregon. Before embarking on a solo career, Joshua Roman was for two seasons principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony, a position he won at the age of 22.

 

MUSICAL SELECTIONS

The evening's concert will open with Aaron Copland's Fanfare for The Common Man, and will continue with Edward Elgar's beautifully brooding Cello Concerto, featuring Joshua Roman. The concert will close with a performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2.

 

California Symphony's 25^th anniversary season continues Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 4pm with Novacek Plays Rach 3, a concert helmed by guest conductor Alastair Willis and featuring the pianist John Novacek.  The program will include Glinka's Ruslan und Ludmilla Overture, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, and Bela Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra.The season concludes with concerts May 4, 5 and 6. All concerts will be held at The Lesher Center for the Arts at 1601 Civic Center Drive, Walnut Creek.  Single tickets ($20 student to $69) are on sale now. For additional information call California Symphony at 925-280-2490 or visit www.californiasymphony.org.

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