Antonio Pappano & Orchestra di Santa Cecilia to Embark on Fall 2017 Tour to New York, Boston, D.C. & Rochester

Led by Music Director Sir Antonio Pappano, the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia tours to the United States this October for the first time in nearly 50 years, performing at Carnegie Hall in New York (October 20 & 21), The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (October 25), Symphony Hall in Boston (October 22), and Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre in Rochester (October 23).

In all four cities, the Orchestra performs Respighi's Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome, Verdi's Sinfonia from Aida, and Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto, featuring Martha Argerich in New York (October 20), Boston, and Washington, D.C., and Beatrice Rana in Rochester. An additional program in New York (October 21) comprises Mahler's Sixth Symphony and The New York premiere of the Orchestra's 2015 commission from Salvatore Sciarrino, La nuova Euridice secondo Rilke, featuring soprano Barbara Hannigan. The Orchestra last performed in the U.S. at Carnegie Hall on October 8, 1969.

Tracing its origins to the founding of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in 1585, the Orchestra is recognized for its history of collaboration with major composers and conductors, including former Accademia professor Ottorino Respighi, whose music headlines the tour. Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome, the first two works in Respighi's "Roman Trilogy," were given their world premieres by the Orchestra in 1917 and 1924 respectively. The composer had been a professor of composition at the Accademia from 1913 to the end of his life in 1936. More recently, as part of a commissioning project conceived by Mr. Pappano to help bolster the Italian symphonic tradition, the Orchestra has worked with Sicilian composer and Accademia alumnus Salvatore Sciarrino, premiering his La nuova Euridice secondo Rilke in March 2015 with Barbara Hannigan and bringing the work to New York with her on this tour.

Performing Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto, Martha Argerich returns to Carnegie Hall for the first time in eight years and also appears with the Orchestra in Boston and Washington, D.C. In Rochester, the concerto is performed by Italian pianist Beatrice Rana.

The Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia is one of Italy's few independent orchestras of international stature, known both for its artistic excellence and rich history. The Orchestra's origins can be traced back to 1585, when the Accademia, now one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, was founded in Rome by Pope Sixtus V and presided over by composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina as a confraternity of local musicians. Over the centuries, the Accademia has evolved into a modern academy, including a conservatory, museum, and-since 1908-a permanent symphony orchestra, the first in Italy to make symphonic music the focus of its repertoire. Presently, the Orchestra performs more than 200 symphonic performances each season in the Sala Santa Cecilia at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, tours to major festivals and venues around the world, and appears frequently on recordings. In addition to its U.S. tour this season, the Orchestra tours to Germany and-for its first time-the United Arab Emirates. In Germany, the Orchestra performs with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter at the Elbphilharmonie, among other venues, and on its U.A.E. tour, the Orchestra performs in Abu Dhabi with violinist Kyung-Wha Chung and Ms. Rana. For more information, visit santacecilia.it.

Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano has been Music Director of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia since October 2005 and Music Director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, since September 2002. In his role with the Accademia, Mr. Pappano has made a mission of gaining wider, international recognition for the Orchestra beyond its Roman subscription series, principally through touring and recording. His past tour engagements with the Orchestra include performances in Austria, Germany, Great Britain, France, Holland, Japan, Russia, Spain, and Switzerland. Awards and honors include Gramophone's "Artist of the Year" in 2000 and his naming in 2012 as a Cavaliere di Gran Croce of the Republic of Italy and a Knight of the British Empire. For more information, visit santacecilia.it.

Pianist Martha Argerich was born in Buenos Aires (Argentina). She began her first piano lessons at the age of five with Vincenzo Scaramuzza. Considered a child prodigy, she soon performed in public. In 1955, she moved to Europe and continued her studies in London, Vienna, and in Switzerland with Bruno Seidlhofer, Friedrich Gulda, Nikita Magaloff, Madeleine Lipatti, and Stefan Askenase. In 1957, she won the Bolzano and Geneva Piano Competitions, and in 1965 the Warsaw International Chopin Competition. Since then, she has been one of the most prominent pianists in the world both in popularity and ability. For more information, visit jacquesthelen.com/martha-argerich.

Barbara Hannigan divides her time between singing on the world's major stages and conducting leading orchestras. The Berlin Philharmonic, Münchner Philharmoniker, Gothenburg Symphony, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony are among the orchestras with whom she holds close relationships. Ms. Hannigan has worked with the most prominent conductors, including Simon Rattle, Kent Nagano, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Kirill Petrenko, David Zinman, Vladimir Jurowski, Antonio Pappano, Alan Gilbert, and Reinbert de Leeuw. For more information, visit barbarahannigan.com.

Pianist Beatrice Rana, born in 1993,?is increasingly gaining the admiration of conductors, critics, and audiences around the world. She has performed with such conductors as James Conlon, Fabio Luisi, Susanna Mälkki, Zubin Mehta, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and with orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Philadelphia Orchestra, and RAI Symphony, among many others. Past collaborations with Mr. Pappano and the Orchestra include a 2015 album of Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky concertos. In 2013, she won the Silver Medal and Audience Award at the 14th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. For more information, visit beatriceranapiano.com.

Born in Palermo in 1947, Salvatore Sciarrino began his musical studies at age 12 and went on to attend the Accademia. His music was first performed in 1962, and he has written works for the London Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, RAI Symphony, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Teatro alla Scala, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, among others, with premieres led by such conductors as Pierre Boulez, Riccardo Chailly, and Susanna Mälkki. His music appears on over 100 recordings and is published by Rai Trade. For more information, visit salvatoresciarrino.eu.

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OCTOBER 2017 EASTERN U.S. TOUR:

ORCHESTRA DELL'ACCADEMIA NAZIONALE DI SANTA CECILIA
Sir Antonio Pappano, Music Director

Friday, October 20 at 8:00 p.m.
New York, NY - Carnegie Hall

Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor
Martha Argerich, piano
Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

VERDI Sinfonia from Aida
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3
RESPIGHI Fountains of Rome
RESPIGHI Pines of Rome

For ticketing information, visit carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2017/10/20/0800/PM/Orchestra-dellAccademia-Nazionale-di-Santa-Cecilia.

Saturday, October 21 at 8:00 p.m.
New York, NY - Carnegie Hall

Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor
Barbara Hannigan, soprano
Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

SALVATORE SCIARRINO La nuova Euridice secondo Rilke (New York Premiere)*
MAHLER Symphony No. 6

*Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia commission

For ticketing information, visit carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2017/10/21/0800/PM/Orchestra-dellAccademia-Nazionale-di-Santa-Cecilia.

Sunday, October 22 at 5:00 p.m.
Boston, MA - Symphony Hall

Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor
Martha Argerich, piano
Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

VERDI Sinfonia from Aida
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3
RESPIGHI Fountains of Rome
RESPIGHI Pines of Rome

For ticketing information, visit celebrityseries.org/argerich/index.htm.

Monday, October 23 at 8:00 p.m.
Rochester, NY - Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre

Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor
Beatrice Rana, piano
Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

VERDI Sinfonia from Aida
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3
RESPIGHI Fountains of Rome
RESPIGHI Pines of Rome

For ticketing information, visit eastmantheatre.org/events/santa-cecilia/.

Wednesday, October 25 at 8:00 p.m.
Washington, D.C. - John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor
Martha Argerich, piano
Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

VERDI Sinfonia from Aida
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3
RESPIGHI Fountains of Rome
RESPIGHI Pines of Rome

For ticketing information, visit kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/MSNMN.