Sharon Kam to Step in for Martin Frost for Australian Chamber Orchestra Performance at Carnegie Hall, 4/26

Carnegie Hall today announced that acclaimed clarinetist Sharon Kam has agreed to step in for Martin Fröst, performing on Sunday, April 26 at 3:00 p.m. in Zankel Hall with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Artistic Director Richard Tognetti. The program, which remains unchanged, features Ms. Kam performing Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A Major. The chamber orchestra will also perform the New York premiere of Water, a new work by Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood, along with Haydn's Symphony No. 83 in G Minor, "The Hen," and Prokofiev's witty piano miniatures, Visions fugitives, Op. 22, arranged for orchestra by Mr. Tognetti and Rudolf Barshai. Mr. Fröst has had to withdraw from Sunday's performance due to a shoulder injury. Complete event information is below.

Sharon Kam is one of the world's leading clarinet soloists, having appeared with renowned orchestras in the United States, Europe, and Japan for more than twenty years.

Mozart's clarinet masterpieces have been an object of artistic focus for Ms. Kam since the beginning of her career. At the age of 16, she performed the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in her orchestral debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Zubin Mehta. A short time later, she performed the Clarinet Quintet with the Guarneri String Quartet in Carnegie Hall, New York. As part of Mozart's 250th birthday celebrations at the National Theatre in Prague in 2006, her interpretation of the Mozart concerto was televised live in 33 countries and is available on DVD. In the same year, she was able to realize her longtime dream of recording the Concerto and the Clarinet Quintet using the basset clarinet. Contributing to the widely praised recording were eminent string players Isabelle van Keulen, Ulrike-Anima Mathé, Volker Jacobsen, and Gustav Rivinus, as well as the Haydn Philharmonie.

Ms. Kam's versatility in a variety of musical genres-from classical to modern music and jazz-is reflected in her diverse discography. She has twice received the ECHO "Instrumentalist of the Year" award: in 1998, for a recording of works by Weber with the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig and Kurt Masur, and in 2006, for her recording with the Leipzig Radio Orchestra featuring works by Spohr, Weber, Rossini, and Mendelssohn. Her "American Classics" disc with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by her husband Gregor Bühl, was awarded the Deutsche Schallplattenkritik Prize.

One of the world's most lauded chamber ensembles, the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) is renowned for its inspired programming and unrivalled virtuosity, energy, and individuality. Its unique programming extends across six centuries, spanning popular masterworks, adventurous cross-artform projects, and pieces specially commissioned for the ensemble. Founded in 1975, this string orchestra comprises leading Australian and international musicians and a growing company of dedicated young players. The Orchestra performs as a symphony orchestra, chamber music ensemble, and electro-acoustic collective, collaborating with an extraordinary range of artists from numerous artistic disciplines, including renowned soloists Emmanuel Pahud, Steven Isserlis, Martin Fröst, and Joseph Tawadros; singers Katie Noonan, Paul Capsis, Dawn Upshaw, and Teddy Tahu Rhodes; and such diverse artists as cinematographer Jon Frank, visual artist Shaun Tan, entertainer Barry Humphries, photographer Bill Henson, choreographer Rafael Bonachela, and cartoonist Michael Leunig.

Outstanding Australian violinist Richard Tognetti, who has been at the helm of the ACO since 1989, has expanded the Orchestra's national program, spearheaded regular, wide-ranging international tours, injected unprecedented creativity and unique artistic style into the programming and transformed the group into the energetic standing ensemble (except for the cellists) for which it is now internationally recognized. Through the ACO's extensive commissioning program, more than 60 chamber music works have been added to the repertoire, including pieces by Brett Dean, Jonny Greenwood, and Carl Vine. Committed to Australian composition, the ACO has given 1700 performances of over 250 works by 80 Australian composers.

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