LV Philharmonic Performs CARMINA BURANA

The Las Vegas Philharmonic performs its Carmina Burana concert on Saturday, April 14, 2018 at 7:30 PM in Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts featuring guest soprano Jeni Houser, guest tenor Nicholas Phan and guest baritone Hugh Russell. Other ensembles to join the stage with the orchestra include Chorus-In-Residence, the Las Vegas Master Singers, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Concert Singers and Chamber Chorale plus members of the UNLV Department of Dance. Starting at 6:00 PM, fifth grade students from Shirley and Bill Wallin Elementary School, under the direction of Rhonda Greeson, will perform in Reynolds Hall lobby showcasing highlights of Carl Orff's music. Then, at 6:30 PM, Music Director Donato Cabrera will host his pre-concert conversation in Reynolds Hall for patrons interested in learning more about the music in the evening program.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic opens its Spring performance with Paul Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber (1943). As the title suggests, Hindemith based his orchestral suite on music written by the German composer, Carl Maria von Weber, including Weber's piano duets and his incidental music for the opera Turandot. Hindemith's suite begins and ends as a march with emphasis on the woodwinds, particularly the flute in the second and third movements.

The orchestra concludes the second half of the evening with Orff's beloved 1936 cantata Carmina Burana. Orff based his cantata on a collection of secular lyrics from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, exploring the common themes of humanity including fortune, fate, lust and love. The music places an emphasis on rhythm with simple repetitive melodies and basic harmonies, indicative of Orff's approach to music education. The magnificent piece combines a large orchestra with choral and dance ensembles to deliver an exuberant presentation that is still widely performed today.

Guest soprano, Jeni Houser, was a district winner and regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (2013, 2011), and 2nd place winner at the Nicholas Loren Vocal Competition in 2014. She has performed with the Minnesota Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Glimmerglass Festival, and Cincinnati Opera to name a few.

Named NPR's "Favorite New Artists of 2011" guest tenor, Nicholas Phan, has performed with the world's leading orchestras and opera companies including the San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera and Chicago Opera Theater. He is a recipient of the Paul C. Boylan Distinguished Alumni Award, Sullivan Foundation Award and Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation.

Guest baritone, Hugh Russell, is widely acclaimed for his performances in the operas of Mozart and Rossini, and is regularly invited to perform with symphony orchestras throughout North America. At the center of his orchestral repertoire is Orff's Carmina Burana, which Russell has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic to name a few. Russell was an Adler Fellow and member of the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera.

Ticket Prices and Shuttle Bus Services

Single tickets include five price levels in Reynolds Hall:

PT Box = $109, A Seating = $105, B Seating = $70, C Seating = $50 and D Seating = $30

Tickets can be purchased online through lvphil.org or The Smith Center Box Office at 702.749.2000. The Las Vegas Philharmonic will offer a shuttle bus service to the 7:30 PM concert from the Anthem Center at Independence Center in Henderson and the Starbright Theater in Summerlin, departing at 5:45 PM. A roundtrip bus ticket costs $20 per concert and can be purchased in conjunction with the patron's concert tickets through the box office or online.

STORYTELLING THROUGH DYNAMIC MUSIC FOR ORCHESTRA and choir complemented by dance comes to the fore in this vivid program beginning with Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber, written by German composer Paul Hindemith in America in 1943 with the virtuosity of American symphony orchestras in mind. The second half of the evening welcomes the Las Vegas Master Singers, our Chorus-In-Residence, as well as the UNLV Concert Singers and Chamber Chorale to the stage for Carl Orff's towering and beloved cantata Carmina Burana. Members of the UNLV Department of Dance will perform original choreography. The piece, composed in the early 20th Century and based on 24 poems from the original medieval collection of the same name, explores a wide range of topics, as familiar in the 13th Century as they are today: the fickleness of fortune and wealth, the ephemeral nature of life, the joy of the return of Spring, and the pleasures and perils of drinking, gluttony, gambling and lust.

Listen to Donato's Spotify Playlist: http://tinyurl.com/lvphilapr14

About the Las Vegas Philharmonic
The Las Vegas Philharmonic, led by Music Director, Donato Cabrera, established its presence in Southern Nevada in 1998. The mission of the organization is to perform music that enriches and educates, helping to build a vibrant, culturally rich community. The resident symphony orchestra of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, the Las Vegas Philharmonic brings a valued and vibrant cultural dimension to the city, providing more than 23,000 children this year with vital access to a music education program and showcasing local talents alongside stellar nationally and internationally known guest artists on the magnificent Reynolds Hall stage. At the orchestra's core are 76 contracted professional musicians, many of whom are esteemed educators who also perform in other professional productions in Las Vegas, bringing depth and variety to the organization.

As a 501(c)(3) organization, the Philharmonic's community, education and artistic programs are made possible by the generous donations and support of individuals and corporations. To join us in our mission or learn more, visit lvphil.org or call 702.258.5438.

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