RI Philharmonic Youth Symphony to Perform Schubert, Strauss & More at Fall Concert, 11/15
by BWW News Desk - November 05, 2015
The Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestras (RIPYO) presents their first concert of the season on Sunday November 15 at 3pm at The VETS in Providence. The concert features the top-level Symphony Orchestra conducted by Music Director Alexey Shabalin, Repertory Orchestra under the direction of Vincent Mattera, and String Orchestra under the direction of Irina Naryshkova. Tickets are $11 adult, $6 student and senior citizen, and are available at the door on the day of the performance.
by BWW News Desk - November 05, 2015
The Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestras (RIPYO) presents their first concert of the season on Sunday November 15 at 3pm at The VETS in Providence. The concert features the top-level Symphony Orchestra conducted by Music Director Alexey Shabalin, Repertory Orchestra under the direction of Vincent Mattera, and String Orchestra under the direction of Irina Naryshkova. Tickets are $11 adult, $6 student and senior citizen, and are available at the door on the day of the performance.
Harlem Quartet Makes VPAC Debut Tonight
by BWW News Desk - November 05, 2015
The HARLEM QUARTET, praised for its 'panache' by The New York Times, is 'bringing a new attitude to classical music, one that is fresh, bracing and intelligent,' says the Cincinnati Enquirer. This unique Salon experience will be found on the VPAC stage tonight, November 5, as the ensemble invites 200 audience members to join them onstage for a rare, intimate performance of their classical and jazz program.
by BWW News Desk - November 05, 2015
The HARLEM QUARTET, praised for its 'panache' by The New York Times, is 'bringing a new attitude to classical music, one that is fresh, bracing and intelligent,' says the Cincinnati Enquirer. This unique Salon experience will be found on the VPAC stage tonight, November 5, as the ensemble invites 200 audience members to join them onstage for a rare, intimate performance of their classical and jazz program.
Husband/Wife Duo, Mika and Richard Stoltzman, Return to Carnegie Hall Tonight
by BWW News Desk - November 05, 2015
World-renowned artists Mika (marimba) and Richard Stoltzman (clarinet) return to Carnegie Hall tonight, November 5, 2015, to showcase their amazing versatility and crossover ability in a one-night only concert event.
by BWW News Desk - November 05, 2015
World-renowned artists Mika (marimba) and Richard Stoltzman (clarinet) return to Carnegie Hall tonight, November 5, 2015, to showcase their amazing versatility and crossover ability in a one-night only concert event.
Ludovic Morlot to Lead Violinist Sergey Khachatryan in Walt Disney Concert Hall Stage, 11/14
by BWW News Desk - November 04, 2015
Following their pairing in the LA Phil in/SIGHT series concert,Friday, November 13, Music Director of the Seattle SymphonyLudovic Morlot and Sergey Khachatryan, the youngest person ever to win the Sibelius Violin Competition, once again join the LA Phil on the Walt Disney Concert Hall stage, Saturday andSunday, November 14 and 15, at 2 pm.
by BWW News Desk - November 04, 2015
Following their pairing in the LA Phil in/SIGHT series concert,Friday, November 13, Music Director of the Seattle SymphonyLudovic Morlot and Sergey Khachatryan, the youngest person ever to win the Sibelius Violin Competition, once again join the LA Phil on the Walt Disney Concert Hall stage, Saturday andSunday, November 14 and 15, at 2 pm.
North Carolina Symphony to Continue Friday Favorites Series, 11/13
by BWW News Desk - November 04, 2015
The North Carolina Symphony, led by Associate Conductor David Glover, will continue its 2015/16 FridayFavorites series with 'Favorite Light Classics' on Friday, Nov. 13, at noon in Meymandi Concert Hall in downtown Raleigh in the second concert of its popular 'Friday Favorites' lunchtime series.
by BWW News Desk - November 04, 2015
The North Carolina Symphony, led by Associate Conductor David Glover, will continue its 2015/16 FridayFavorites series with 'Favorite Light Classics' on Friday, Nov. 13, at noon in Meymandi Concert Hall in downtown Raleigh in the second concert of its popular 'Friday Favorites' lunchtime series.
STAGE TUBE: Queensland Symphony Orchestra Appoints First Female Music Director, Alondra de la Parra
by Christina Mancuso - November 04, 2015
The Queensland Symphony Orchestra today announced the appointment of acclaimed director Alondra de la Parra as its Music Director after a two year global search.
by Christina Mancuso - November 04, 2015
The Queensland Symphony Orchestra today announced the appointment of acclaimed director Alondra de la Parra as its Music Director after a two year global search.
Carnegie Hall Notables Presents yMusic, 12/15
by BWW News Desk - November 04, 2015
On Tuesday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m., theCarnegie Hall Notables-a membership and ticket program for music enthusiasts in their 20s and 30s-presents yMusic in an exclusive concert in Zankel Hall for Notables members only featuring the acclaimed multi-instrumentalists (string trio, flute, clarinet, and trumpet) with special guest The Tallest Man on Earth. Following the concert, the Notables will gather in Carnegie Hall's Weill Terrace Room and Weill Music Room in the Resnick Education Wing for an after-party immediately following the performance with beer provided by Brooklyn Brewery, cocktails provided by The Balvenie, Hendrick's Gin, Milagro Tequila, Monkey Shoulder Whiskey, and Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum.
by BWW News Desk - November 04, 2015
On Tuesday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m., theCarnegie Hall Notables-a membership and ticket program for music enthusiasts in their 20s and 30s-presents yMusic in an exclusive concert in Zankel Hall for Notables members only featuring the acclaimed multi-instrumentalists (string trio, flute, clarinet, and trumpet) with special guest The Tallest Man on Earth. Following the concert, the Notables will gather in Carnegie Hall's Weill Terrace Room and Weill Music Room in the Resnick Education Wing for an after-party immediately following the performance with beer provided by Brooklyn Brewery, cocktails provided by The Balvenie, Hendrick's Gin, Milagro Tequila, Monkey Shoulder Whiskey, and Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum.
Canton Symphony to Commemorate ADA's 25th Anniversary with Series of Events
by BWW News Desk - November 04, 2015
CANTON, OHIO (November 2, 2015) – On July 26, 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), opening the doors of equality to those with disabilities. In commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of ADA, the Canton Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is hosting free informative discussions over two weeks (Nov. 9-19) and a special art exhibit. The celebration culminates on November 21 with a MasterWorks concert featuring the Dancing Wheels Company and School. All events take place at the Zimmermann Symphony Center, 2331 17th Street NW, Canton.
by BWW News Desk - November 04, 2015
CANTON, OHIO (November 2, 2015) – On July 26, 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), opening the doors of equality to those with disabilities. In commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of ADA, the Canton Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is hosting free informative discussions over two weeks (Nov. 9-19) and a special art exhibit. The celebration culminates on November 21 with a MasterWorks concert featuring the Dancing Wheels Company and School. All events take place at the Zimmermann Symphony Center, 2331 17th Street NW, Canton.
The Tenors Come to The McCoy Tonight
by BWW News Desk - November 04, 2015
The multi-platinum, JUNO Award-winning band The Tenors have been thrilling audiences around the world with their powerful voices and memorable melodies. Blending classical music and contemporary pop, the vocal supergroup has achieved international success, showcasing their undeniable charm and diverse vocal styles in their newest release, Under One Sky (June, 2015). The music of Clifton Murray, Victor Micallef, Remigio Pereira, and Fraser Walters is rich and soulful with powerful anthems, classic covers, and songs written and co-written by The Tenors themselves.
by BWW News Desk - November 04, 2015
The multi-platinum, JUNO Award-winning band The Tenors have been thrilling audiences around the world with their powerful voices and memorable melodies. Blending classical music and contemporary pop, the vocal supergroup has achieved international success, showcasing their undeniable charm and diverse vocal styles in their newest release, Under One Sky (June, 2015). The music of Clifton Murray, Victor Micallef, Remigio Pereira, and Fraser Walters is rich and soulful with powerful anthems, classic covers, and songs written and co-written by The Tenors themselves.
PR: The One and Only Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
by BWW News Desk - November 03, 2015
?Featuring the timeless music of the Big Band era, The One and Only Tommy Dorsey Orchestra performs at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre December 1, 2015.
by BWW News Desk - November 03, 2015
?Featuring the timeless music of the Big Band era, The One and Only Tommy Dorsey Orchestra performs at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre December 1, 2015.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Announces Two New Violinists
by BWW News Desk - November 03, 2015
CHICAGO—Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti and CSO Association (CSOA) President Jeff Alexander announce the appointment of two new viola section members: Sunghee Choi and Youming Chen.
by BWW News Desk - November 03, 2015
CHICAGO—Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti and CSO Association (CSOA) President Jeff Alexander announce the appointment of two new viola section members: Sunghee Choi and Youming Chen.
Hart School Celebrates 60th Birthday of Former Dean Larry Alan Smith Tonight
by BWW News Desk - November 03, 2015
On the occasion of the 60th birthday of an esteemed professor and former dean, The Hartt School will host a free concert celebrating the music of Larry Alan Smith tonight, November 3, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. in Berkman Recital Hall on the campus of the University of Hartford. Hartt faculty, alumni and students will gather to perform works composed by Smith spanning five decades from 1975 through 2015.
by BWW News Desk - November 03, 2015
On the occasion of the 60th birthday of an esteemed professor and former dean, The Hartt School will host a free concert celebrating the music of Larry Alan Smith tonight, November 3, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. in Berkman Recital Hall on the campus of the University of Hartford. Hartt faculty, alumni and students will gather to perform works composed by Smith spanning five decades from 1975 through 2015.
Cleveland Pops Launches 17th Annual Jean L. Petitt Memorial Music Scholarship Competition, 11/15
by BWW News Desk - November 02, 2015
The Cleveland Pops Orchestra announces its seventeenth annual competition for the Jean L. Petitt Memorial Music Scholarship. This competition is designed to give gifted young performing artists the opportunity to perform with The Cleveland Pops Orchestra and receive a cash award to be applied to their continuing studies.
by BWW News Desk - November 02, 2015
The Cleveland Pops Orchestra announces its seventeenth annual competition for the Jean L. Petitt Memorial Music Scholarship. This competition is designed to give gifted young performing artists the opportunity to perform with The Cleveland Pops Orchestra and receive a cash award to be applied to their continuing studies.
Cleveland Pops Orchestra to Perform HAPPY HOLIDAYS Concert, 11/29
by BWW News Desk - November 02, 2015
What: Happy Holidays When: Sunday, November 29, 2015 ~ 2:00 P.M. Where: Connor Palace (formerly The Palace Theatre in PlayhouseSquare) Featured Artists: Cleveland Pops Orchestra, Carl Topilow conductor Cleveland Pops Chorus, William Zurkey, director NEOS DanceTheatre Todd Meany, narrator ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) Dick Goddard, vocalist Tickets: Call 216-241-6000 or purchase online at HYPERLINK 'http://www.clevelandpops.com' www.clevelandpops.com Range: $12-16-20-30-37
by BWW News Desk - November 02, 2015
What: Happy Holidays When: Sunday, November 29, 2015 ~ 2:00 P.M. Where: Connor Palace (formerly The Palace Theatre in PlayhouseSquare) Featured Artists: Cleveland Pops Orchestra, Carl Topilow conductor Cleveland Pops Chorus, William Zurkey, director NEOS DanceTheatre Todd Meany, narrator ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) Dick Goddard, vocalist Tickets: Call 216-241-6000 or purchase online at HYPERLINK 'http://www.clevelandpops.com' www.clevelandpops.com Range: $12-16-20-30-37
Sydney Symphony Orchestra Returns Home From 2015 China-Korea Tour
by BWW News Desk - November 02, 2015
Ninety Sydney Symphony Orchestra musicians have returned home after a highly successful week-long tour of China and Korea under the baton of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of David Robertson.
by BWW News Desk - November 02, 2015
Ninety Sydney Symphony Orchestra musicians have returned home after a highly successful week-long tour of China and Korea under the baton of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of David Robertson.
Richmond Symphony Performs During HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR Event Today
by BWW News Desk - October 31, 2015
Richmond, Virginia Get in the spirit of the spooky season with a Halloween Spooktacular event today, October 31 at 11am.
by BWW News Desk - October 31, 2015
Richmond, Virginia Get in the spirit of the spooky season with a Halloween Spooktacular event today, October 31 at 11am.
Pittsburgh Symphony Joins Igudesman & Joo for SCARY CONCERT Tonight
by BWW News Desk - October 31, 2015
PITTSBURGH – Experience a concert that is both bone-rattling and sidesplitting when Igudesman & Joo return to perform the conductor-less “Scary Concert” with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall tonight, October 31 and the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theater at West Virginia University on November 2.
by BWW News Desk - October 31, 2015
PITTSBURGH – Experience a concert that is both bone-rattling and sidesplitting when Igudesman & Joo return to perform the conductor-less “Scary Concert” with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall tonight, October 31 and the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theater at West Virginia University on November 2.
R. Kelly's TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET LIVE with 20-Piece Orchestra Performed at Strand Theater Tonight
by BWW News Desk - October 31, 2015
Halloween is about to get REAL weird. For the first time anywhere, EVER, The Strand Theater and Asbury Park Press 'soul sensation' Remember Jones present R. Kelly's TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET LIVE with a 20-piece orchestra tonight, October 31st, doors at 7:30PM, show at 8PM.
by BWW News Desk - October 31, 2015
Halloween is about to get REAL weird. For the first time anywhere, EVER, The Strand Theater and Asbury Park Press 'soul sensation' Remember Jones present R. Kelly's TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET LIVE with a 20-piece orchestra tonight, October 31st, doors at 7:30PM, show at 8PM.
Daniil Trifonov to Perform at Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, 11/9
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
In advance of his spotlighted appearances in Rachmaninoff: A Philharmonic Festival, pianist Daniil Trifonov will perform arecital at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, November 9, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. The event will be hosted by WQXR's Annie Bergen and video webcast live at wqxr.org.
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
In advance of his spotlighted appearances in Rachmaninoff: A Philharmonic Festival, pianist Daniil Trifonov will perform arecital at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, November 9, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. The event will be hosted by WQXR's Annie Bergen and video webcast live at wqxr.org.
San Diego Gay Men's Chorus to Bring Holiday Show to Balboa Theatre, 12/12-13
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
The award-winning San Diego Gay Men's Chorus presents the holly jolliest holiday show of the season, Jingle, on Dec. 12 and 13 at the festive Balboa Theatre. Now in its 30th year, the wintery and wonderful spectacular is one of San Diego's favorite holiday traditions.
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
The award-winning San Diego Gay Men's Chorus presents the holly jolliest holiday show of the season, Jingle, on Dec. 12 and 13 at the festive Balboa Theatre. Now in its 30th year, the wintery and wonderful spectacular is one of San Diego's favorite holiday traditions.
Mercury to Perform Concert of Romantic Greats, 11/21
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
Artistic Director Antoine Plante leads Mercury in works of Romantic greats, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Sibelius on November 21 at 8 PM at the Wortham Center's Cullen Theatre. Performed by full string orchestra, lose yourself in the intoxicating, lush and energetic melodies of Brahms' Hungarian Dances, Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence and Sibelius' Valse Triste, one of the most popular works by this Finnish composer. This concert is sponsored in part by Duane Morris LLP in celebration of Mercury's 15th Anniversary Season. To purchase tickets or for more information visit www.mercuryhouston.org or call 713.533.0080.
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
Artistic Director Antoine Plante leads Mercury in works of Romantic greats, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Sibelius on November 21 at 8 PM at the Wortham Center's Cullen Theatre. Performed by full string orchestra, lose yourself in the intoxicating, lush and energetic melodies of Brahms' Hungarian Dances, Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence and Sibelius' Valse Triste, one of the most popular works by this Finnish composer. This concert is sponsored in part by Duane Morris LLP in celebration of Mercury's 15th Anniversary Season. To purchase tickets or for more information visit www.mercuryhouston.org or call 713.533.0080.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Sets November Programs
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
In November the Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will take audiences everywhere from 'Innerspace' to a galaxy far, far away.
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
In November the Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will take audiences everywhere from 'Innerspace' to a galaxy far, far away.
Stellar Music to Present Carnegie Hall Debut of Pianist Ingrid Andsnes
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
Stellar Music proudly presents the Carnegie Hall debut of Norwegian pianist Ingrid Andsnes on Monday, November 2nd at 8pm. Andsnes makes her solo CD debut with the most demanding work in piano literature, music that has become representative of the struggle and transformation in her own life, Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, with a new cadenza written especially for her. To Andsnes this music has become synonymous with life itself, and the battles we have to go through as a part of it.
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
Stellar Music proudly presents the Carnegie Hall debut of Norwegian pianist Ingrid Andsnes on Monday, November 2nd at 8pm. Andsnes makes her solo CD debut with the most demanding work in piano literature, music that has become representative of the struggle and transformation in her own life, Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, with a new cadenza written especially for her. To Andsnes this music has become synonymous with life itself, and the battles we have to go through as a part of it.
Houston Symphony Announces Schedule of Events for December 2015
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
HOUSTON (October 29, 2015) – This December, the Houston Symphony will deck the concert hall with the sounds of holiday cheer to celebrate the festive time of year. Now in its 15th season, the annual Houston holiday tradition Very Merry Pops will once again delight audiences big and small with favorite holiday carols and the holiday classic Handel's Messiah also returns with full glorious choruses that tell the story of Christmas through the fine masterpiece. New this year is the live orchestral accompaniment to the film Home Alone to celebrate the movie's 25th anniversary.
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
HOUSTON (October 29, 2015) – This December, the Houston Symphony will deck the concert hall with the sounds of holiday cheer to celebrate the festive time of year. Now in its 15th season, the annual Houston holiday tradition Very Merry Pops will once again delight audiences big and small with favorite holiday carols and the holiday classic Handel's Messiah also returns with full glorious choruses that tell the story of Christmas through the fine masterpiece. New this year is the live orchestral accompaniment to the film Home Alone to celebrate the movie's 25th anniversary.
Odyssey Opera and BMOP to Present Gunther Schuller Memorial Concert, 11/22
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
Boston, MA — Two of Boston's leading musical ensembles—the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) and Odyssey Opera—unite onstage for a special concert honoring the great Pulitzerwinning composer Gunther Schuller (1925- 2015). Between them, these two organizations have a repertoire spanning a wide array of genres, and this program will offer the distinctive sound of Schuller's fusion of jazz vernacular with the symphonic and operatic world. Gil Rose will lead BMOP in two enjoyable narratives for all ages, Schuller's Journey Into Jazz and The Fisherman and His Wife, joined by Gunther's sons Ed Schuller (bass) and George Schuller (drums) as special guest artists, and Odyssey Opera, featuring Met Opera regular, mezzo-soprano Sondra Kelly. Rounding out the program will be Schuller's sinfonietta work Games. Continuing its 20th anniversary season, BMOP is thrilled and humbled to be presenting works by Schuller, the orchestra's longtime collaborator and friend. “There was no more prodigious and passionate master of the musical 20th century in America than Gunther Schuller,” says Gil Rose, Artistic Director, Founder, and Conductor of BMOP and Odyssey Opera. “He was American music making at its best.” Ranking among the most eclectic of his generation or any other, Schuller combined jazz and classical music in new ways. In the 1950s, Schuller's revolutionary, hybrid style became know as “Third Stream,” and entered the classical music mainstream. Schuller served as President of the New England Conservatory, where he established a successful degree-granting jazz program, from 1967-1977. He made his home in Newton, MA, and passed away on June 21, 2015 in Boston at the age of 89. Opening the program is Schuller's Games (2013)—written at age 90—for wind quintet and strings, offering a lighthearted, rapid-??fire amalgam of ideas, rhythms, and tongue-in-cheek quotations that is a classic display of the composer's trademark nimbleness and wit. The organic fusion of contemporary classical music and modern jazz that characterizes the Third Stream is front and center in Journey Into Jazz (1962), a strong aesthetic statement about the porous nature of musical boundaries and the shared fundamentals of good musicianship. In the manner of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, Journey Into Jazz features a narration by famed jazz critic and author Nat Hentoff that tells the story of a young classically-trained trumpeter who evolves into a jazz improviser and, ultimately, an artist with his own, individual sound. BMOP is thrilled to welcome Gunther's sons Ed Schuller (bass) and George Schuller (drums) as guest artists for this special tribute performance. Audiences can listen to BMOP perform Journey Into Jazz on BMOP/sound's eponymous recording of 2008. Of that disc, Gramophone wrote “Under Gil Rose's caring direction, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and stellar instrumental soloists give performances that are not likely to be surpassed for some time.” Also on the program is another work of Schuller's that centers on narrative, the one-act opera The Fisherman and His Wife (1970), which received its first performance by the Boston Opera Company under the direction of Sarah Caldwell. With a libretto by John Updike, the work is derived from the German fairy tale popularized by the Brothers Grimm and is appealing for all ages. A simple fisherman (performed here by tenor Steven Goldstein) is convinced by his wife (performed here by mezzo-soprano Sondra Kelly) to ask for more and more favors from a great fish he has captured and thrown back into the sea. When the wife asks to play God, she and her husband are reduced to their original poor state, having learned some lessons along the way. About BMOP The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) is the premier orchestra in the United States dedicated exclusively to commissioning, performing, and recording music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. A unique institution of crucial artistic importance to today's musical world, BMOP exists to disseminate exceptional orchestral music of the present and recent past via performances and recordings of the highest caliber. Founded by Artistic Director Gil Rose in 1996, BMOP has championed composers whose careers span nine decades. Each season, Rose brings BMOP's award-??winning orchestra, renowned soloists, and influential composers to the stage of New England Conservatory's historic Jordan Hall in a series that offers orchestral programming of unmatched diversity. The musicians of BMOP are consistently lauded for the energy, imagination, and passion with which they infuse the music of the present era. For more information, please visit BMOP.org. About Odyssey Opera Founded in 2013 by Artistic Director/Conductor Gil Rose, Odyssey Opera presents adventurous and eclectic works that affirm opera as a powerful expression of the human experience. Its world-??class artists perform the operatic repertoire from its historic beginnings throughlesser-??known masterpieces to contemporary new works and commissions in a variety of formats and venues. Odyssey Opera sets standards of high musical and theatrical excellence and innovative programming to advance the operatic genre beyond the familiar and into undiscovered territory. Odyssey Opera takes its audience on a journey to places they've never been before. For more information, please visit odysseyopera.org.
by BWW News Desk - October 30, 2015
Boston, MA — Two of Boston's leading musical ensembles—the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) and Odyssey Opera—unite onstage for a special concert honoring the great Pulitzerwinning composer Gunther Schuller (1925- 2015). Between them, these two organizations have a repertoire spanning a wide array of genres, and this program will offer the distinctive sound of Schuller's fusion of jazz vernacular with the symphonic and operatic world. Gil Rose will lead BMOP in two enjoyable narratives for all ages, Schuller's Journey Into Jazz and The Fisherman and His Wife, joined by Gunther's sons Ed Schuller (bass) and George Schuller (drums) as special guest artists, and Odyssey Opera, featuring Met Opera regular, mezzo-soprano Sondra Kelly. Rounding out the program will be Schuller's sinfonietta work Games. Continuing its 20th anniversary season, BMOP is thrilled and humbled to be presenting works by Schuller, the orchestra's longtime collaborator and friend. “There was no more prodigious and passionate master of the musical 20th century in America than Gunther Schuller,” says Gil Rose, Artistic Director, Founder, and Conductor of BMOP and Odyssey Opera. “He was American music making at its best.” Ranking among the most eclectic of his generation or any other, Schuller combined jazz and classical music in new ways. In the 1950s, Schuller's revolutionary, hybrid style became know as “Third Stream,” and entered the classical music mainstream. Schuller served as President of the New England Conservatory, where he established a successful degree-granting jazz program, from 1967-1977. He made his home in Newton, MA, and passed away on June 21, 2015 in Boston at the age of 89. Opening the program is Schuller's Games (2013)—written at age 90—for wind quintet and strings, offering a lighthearted, rapid-??fire amalgam of ideas, rhythms, and tongue-in-cheek quotations that is a classic display of the composer's trademark nimbleness and wit. The organic fusion of contemporary classical music and modern jazz that characterizes the Third Stream is front and center in Journey Into Jazz (1962), a strong aesthetic statement about the porous nature of musical boundaries and the shared fundamentals of good musicianship. In the manner of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, Journey Into Jazz features a narration by famed jazz critic and author Nat Hentoff that tells the story of a young classically-trained trumpeter who evolves into a jazz improviser and, ultimately, an artist with his own, individual sound. BMOP is thrilled to welcome Gunther's sons Ed Schuller (bass) and George Schuller (drums) as guest artists for this special tribute performance. Audiences can listen to BMOP perform Journey Into Jazz on BMOP/sound's eponymous recording of 2008. Of that disc, Gramophone wrote “Under Gil Rose's caring direction, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and stellar instrumental soloists give performances that are not likely to be surpassed for some time.” Also on the program is another work of Schuller's that centers on narrative, the one-act opera The Fisherman and His Wife (1970), which received its first performance by the Boston Opera Company under the direction of Sarah Caldwell. With a libretto by John Updike, the work is derived from the German fairy tale popularized by the Brothers Grimm and is appealing for all ages. A simple fisherman (performed here by tenor Steven Goldstein) is convinced by his wife (performed here by mezzo-soprano Sondra Kelly) to ask for more and more favors from a great fish he has captured and thrown back into the sea. When the wife asks to play God, she and her husband are reduced to their original poor state, having learned some lessons along the way. About BMOP The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) is the premier orchestra in the United States dedicated exclusively to commissioning, performing, and recording music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. A unique institution of crucial artistic importance to today's musical world, BMOP exists to disseminate exceptional orchestral music of the present and recent past via performances and recordings of the highest caliber. Founded by Artistic Director Gil Rose in 1996, BMOP has championed composers whose careers span nine decades. Each season, Rose brings BMOP's award-??winning orchestra, renowned soloists, and influential composers to the stage of New England Conservatory's historic Jordan Hall in a series that offers orchestral programming of unmatched diversity. The musicians of BMOP are consistently lauded for the energy, imagination, and passion with which they infuse the music of the present era. For more information, please visit BMOP.org. About Odyssey Opera Founded in 2013 by Artistic Director/Conductor Gil Rose, Odyssey Opera presents adventurous and eclectic works that affirm opera as a powerful expression of the human experience. Its world-??class artists perform the operatic repertoire from its historic beginnings throughlesser-??known masterpieces to contemporary new works and commissions in a variety of formats and venues. Odyssey Opera sets standards of high musical and theatrical excellence and innovative programming to advance the operatic genre beyond the familiar and into undiscovered territory. Odyssey Opera takes its audience on a journey to places they've never been before. For more information, please visit odysseyopera.org.
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