Fabio Luisi Conducts at the Harris Theater, 11/7

The Harris Theater for Music and Dance kicks off the 2011-2012 Hear the Music season with the highly-anticipatEd Harris Theater debut of Fabio Luisi, recently appointed principal conductor of the Metropolitan Opera. Mr. Luisi will lead the acclaimed Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Grammy-nominated Eroica Trio in a program of classical blockbusters on November 7, 2011 at 7:30 pm. Although his new commitments with the Metropolitan Opera have created conflicts with several of his previously scheduled conducting engagements, Mr. Luisi will lead the Vienna Symphony Orchestra's North American Tour, including their performance at the Harris Theater.

Heralded for "the freshest, most daring, drop-dead gorgeous playing you're likely to encounter any time soon" (Fanfare Magazine), the Grammy-nominated Eroica Trio, joined by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, will perform Beethoven's beloved "Triple Concerto," Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C Major, Op. 56. Revered for their "sonic beauty" (Chicago Tribune), the VSO will also perform one of the most popular works in the repertoire today-Brahms' magnificent Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra last performed in Chicago at Symphony Center in November 2003.

"With his recent appointment to Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and unanticipated assumption of the Opera's full fall schedule, we are pleased that Fabio Luisi will continue to lead the Vienna Symphony Orchestra's North American tour as planned," said Michael Tiknis, President and Managing Director of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. "Maestro Luisi will make his Harris Theater debut with this extraordinary orchestra and the Eroica Trio-one of today's most exciting young ensembles. It is certain to be an unforgettable evening and a rare musical treat."

Fabio Luisi was named Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in September 2011, having previously been Principal Guest Conductor with the company since September 2010. He has served as Chief Conductor of the Vienna Symphony since 2005, and is also Music Director of the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan. Mr. Luisi maintains an active schedule of guest engagements with international orchestras and opera companies. He has appeared with, among others, the Orchestre de Paris, Vienna Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony in Tokyo, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. Additionally, he is a frequent guest at the Vienna Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper and Staatsoper in Berlin. Mr. Luisi made his American debut in 2000 with both the New York Philharmonic and with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, conducting a new production of Rigoletto.

The most sought-after trio in the world, the Grammy-nominated Eroica Trio thrills audiences with flawless technical virtuosity, irresistible enthusiasm and sensual elegance. The New York Times writes, "They play chamber music for the concert hall. There is an edge of the seat intensity to every note they produce." The Trio won the prestigious Naumburg Award, resulting in a highly successful Lincoln Center debut and has since toured the United States, Europe, and Asia. While maintaining their demanding concert schedule, the Eroica Trio has released eight critically lauded recordings for Angel/EMI Classics Records, garnering multiple Grammy nominations. The Eroica Trio is an American piano trio consisting of Erika Nickrenz, piano; Susie Park, violin; and Sara Sant'Ambrogio, cello. Park joined the trio in September 2006, replacing founding member Adela Peña.

Regarded as one of the finest orchestras today, the Chicago Tribune proclaimed "few can rival the sonic beauty of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra." The Vienna Symphony Orchestra is the concert orchestra of the City of Vienna. The Symphony makes approximately 150 appearances each year with concerts and opéra performances as well as 50 chamber concerts and workshops. Under the name Wiener Concert-Verein (Vienna Concert Society), Ferdinand Löwe conducted the orchestra's first performance in October 1900 at the Musikverein. The VSO premiered many of the compositions considered part of today's "standard" repertoire, including Bruckner's Symphony No. 9, Arnold Schöenberg's Gurrelieder, Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand and Franz Schmidt's The Book with the Seven Seals. Many of the world's leading conductors have served as the orchestra's Principal Conductor, including Herbert von Karajan, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Carlo Maria Giulini and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. Fabio Luisi has held the post since his appointment in 2005.

Opened in 2003, the Harris Theater’s mission is to partner and collaborate with an array of Chicago’s emerging and mid-sized performing arts organizations to help them build the resources and infrastructure necessary to achieve artistic growth and long-term organizational sustainability. The Harris Theater for Music and Dance was the first multi-use performing arts venue to be built in the Chicago downtown area since 1929 and today the Theater continues to host the most diverse offerings of any venue in Chicago, featuring the city’s world-renowned music and dance institutions and the Harris Theater Presents series of acclaimed national and International Artists and ensembles.  To learn more about the season at the Harris Theater, visit www.harristheaterchicago.org or call the box office at 312-334-7777 to request a brochure.

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