Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Peter Oundjian Perform at Carnegie Hall

By: Feb. 08, 2011
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The Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Peter Oundjian, who have garnered attention for their remarkable resurgence since Mr. Oundjian was appointed Music Director in 2004, will perform at Carnegie Hall's Isaac Stern Auditorium on Saturday, March 26 at 8:00 p.m. One of Canada's major cultural institutions, the TSO will perform Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 4, a stormy work that diverges from the composer's usual folk-inspired musical language. Following a recent performance of the work in Toronto, The Star wrote, "under the direction of Peter Oundjian, the virtuoso players of the TSO rose to the sonic challenges of the work, fashioning each moment for all its dramatic power." The Carnegie Hall program will also include a performance of Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman, Four Sea Interludes from Britten's opera Peter Grimes, and the Carnegie Hall debut of John Estacio's brisk concert piece, Frenergy.

The TSO last performed at Carnegie Hall in October 2008 to a sold-out audience. Following the performance The New York Times critic Allan Kozinn wrote, "...when Mr. Oundjian led [the orchestra] in a wrenching, full-throttle account of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11 on Saturday evening at Carnegie Hall, the orchestra proved to be in superb shape...his dramatic shaping of the work illuminated its searing passions, and the orchestra responded with a remarkable fluidity and power. Under Mr. Oundjian the orchestra has maintained its shine, but now it packs a firm punch as well."

The TSO's Carnegie Hall performance is presented with the support of Official New York Tour sponsor, RBC Wealth Management. "RBC Wealth Management is thrilled to extend our long-standing support of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as Official Sponsor of its New York Tour and performance at Carnegie Hall," says John Taft, CEO of RBC Wealth Management - U.S. "As a firm, RBC is proud to contribute to important arts and cultural organizations like the TSO which serve to enrich lives and enhance the communities in which we live and work."

Tickets, priced from $17.50 to $104, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, www.carnegiehall.org.

Toronto-born conductor Peter Oundjian, noted for his probing musicality, collaborative spirit, and engaging personality, has been an instrumental figure in the rebirth of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra throughout his seven seasons as Music Director. In addition to conducting the orchestra in dynamic performances which have achieved significant artistic acclaim, he has been greatly involved in a variety of new initiatives which have strengthened the ensemble's presence in the community and attracted a young and diverse audience. In 2004, he helped to establish an annual celebration of new music, showcasing new and premièring commissioned works. Now an audience favorite, the New Creations Festival celebrates the best in contemporary orchestral music and attracts celebrated contemporary composers. In his tenure with the TSO, Mr. Oundjian has also released four recordings on the orchestra's self produced record label, tsoLIVE.

In addition to his post in Toronto, Peter Oundjian will become the Music Director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in the 2012-2013 season and has served as Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and played a major role at the Caramoor International Music Festival in New York for over a decade. He was also the first violinist of the renowned Tokyo String Quartet, a position he held for fourteen years.

Mr. Oundjian studied violin at The Juilliard School with Ivan Galamian, Dorothy DeLay, and Itzhak Perlman, with whom he formed a long-lasting musical relationship. After having met in London in 1975 when Mr. Oundjian was 19 years old, Mr. Perlman served as a mentor for the young musician, and the two have since collaborated in numerous performances with the orchestra, including a concert celebrating Mr. Oundjian's announcement as Music Director of the TSO. Since Mr. Perlman's debut with the TSO in 1970, the violinist has appeared each season with the orchestra as either solosist or conductor. In April 2012, during the TSO's 90th anniversary season, Mr. Oundjian will play violin with Mr. Perlman in a performance J.S. Bach's Concerto for Two Violins.

Founded in 1922, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is one of Canada's major cultural institutions. Under the leadership of Music Director Peter Oundjian, the orchestra has increased recording and touring projects to include a self-produced record label and performances throughout the United States and Canada. The Orchestra continues to develop its international presence by being an active commissioning body for new Canadian and international works, as well as attracting distinguished guest artists and conductors to performances at Roy Thomson Hall. In addition to providing over 100 concert performances each season, the TSO serves the community with one of the largest educational programs in Canada, connecting students throughout Ontario with curriculum-based outreach.

The TSO is committed to innovative programming and showcases a roster of distinguished guest artists and conductors. Throughout its history, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra has welcomed some of the greatest International Artists, including Martha Argerich, Maxim Vengerov, Yo-Yo Ma, Evgeny Kissin, Kathleen Battle, Jessye Norman, Karen Kain, Maureen Forrester, Lang Lang, and actor Christopher Plummer. News of Mr. Oundjian and the TSO continues to spread worldwide through the documentary Five Days In September: The Rebirth of An Orchestra, which has won numerous awards at major international film festivals and has been released on DVD.
Itzhak Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. In fall 2010, Mr. Perlman traveled to Chile and Brazil for both orchestral and recital performances and to six cities in Japan and South Korea with pianist Rohan De Silva. He joined the New York Philharmonic for their opening subscription week under Music Director Alan Gilbert. Mr. Perlman also appears with students and alumni from the Perlman Music Program in New York, Washington, D.C., and Princeton.

In 2009, Mr. Perlman was honored to take part in the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. In 2007, he performed at the State Dinner for Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, hosted by President George W. Bush and Mrs. Bush at the White House. Mr. Perlman devotes considerable time to education, both in his participation each summer in the Perlman Music Program and his teaching at the Juilliard School, where he holds the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation Chair. Mr. Perlman is the recipient of four Emmy Awards and fifteen Grammy awards and was awarded an honorary doctorate and a centennial medal on the occasion of Julliard's 100th commencement ceremony in 2005.

Saturday, March 26 at 8:00 p.m.
Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage

Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Peter Oundjian, Music Director and Conductor
Itzhak Perlman, Violin

BRITTEN Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1
JOHN ESTACIO Frenergy
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Symphony No. 4

Tickets, priced from $17.50 to $104, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, www.carnegiehall.org .



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