Harris Theater Announces Hear The Music Season

The Harris Theater is pleased to announce its 2011-2012 Hear the Music season to include the first performances of a three-year annual concert series and residency presented in collaboration with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS), the nation's premier ensemble for chamber music, and the triumphant return of the extraordinary Vienna Symphony Orchestra (VSO), joined by the Grammy-nominated Eroica Trio.

Regarded as one of the finest orchestras today, the Chicago Tribune proclaimed "few can rival the sonic beauty of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra." The VSO will join forces with the Grammy award-winning Eroica Trio to launch the 2011-2012 Hear the Music series on November 7, led by the orchestra's Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi. Both ensembles will make their Harris Theater debuts performing an exciting program to include Beethoven's beloved "Triple Concerto," the Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C Major, Op. 56. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra last performed in Chicago at Symphony Center in November 2003. Their 2011 American Tour will include two additional performances at New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

"We are pleased by this unusual opportunity to present one of the world's finest orchestras together with one of today's most highly acclaimed chamber ensembles in the intimate setting of the Harris," said Michael Tiknis, President and Managing Director of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. "I am confident that it will be an unforgettable evening and rare musical treat."

Expanding on their rapidly-growing national and international presence, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's new residency at the Harris is the ensemble's first-ever Chicago-based performance series. CMS features the most esteemed and influential classical musicians in the world today, including extraordinary artists and CMS Artistic Directors, cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, who will open the series on January 27 in a program also featuring renowned clarinetist David Shifrin. Pianists Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Anne-Marie McDermott, André-Michel Schub, and Wu Han will present a spectacular program works for piano four-hands on March 20. The series will conclude on May 22 with a program of romantic French chamber works featuring pianists Inon Barnatan and Juho Pohjonen; violinists Jessica Lee, Kristin Lee, and Elmar Oliveira; violist Beth Guterman; and cellist Andreas Brantelid. The 2011-2012 season performances will be the first in a three year annual series by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center at the Harris.

Tiknis continued, "The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is our nation's finest and most highly respected chamber ensemble. We are delighted to collaborate with them on their first Chicago residency, presenting their first Chicago-based performance series at the Harris Theater. This series will bring the world's most esteemed and influential classical musicians to the Harris stage-including CMS Artistic Directors pianist Wu Han and cellist David Finckel who will also perform tomorrow evening as part of the Fanfare for an Uncommon Woman: A Celebration of Joan W. Harris on her Birthday benefit event. We are confident that this partnership will provide additional collaborative opportunities for chamber musicians in Chicago, as well as numerous educational outreach events."

Complete program information for the 2011-2012 Harris Theater Hear the Music series is included below; subscriptions and single tickets for the series are not yet on sale. Additional information about tickets and the complete 2011-2012 Harris Theater Presents season programming is forthcoming.

The full 2011-2012 Harris Theater Hear The Music series programming includes:

Vienna Symphony Orchestra with the Eroica Trio
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Eroica Trio
Erika Nickrenz, piano; Susie Park, violin; and Sara Sant'Ambrogio, cello
Fabio Luisi, conductor

Beethoven "Triple Concerto"
Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C Major, Op. 56
Brahms Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Great Clarinet Trios
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Wu Han, piano
David Shifrin, clarinet
David Finckel, cello

Beethoven Trio in B-flat major for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano, Op. 11 (1797)
Bruch Selections from Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano, Op. 83 (1909)
Brahms Trio in A minor for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano, Op. 114 (1891)

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Masters of the Keyboard
Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
André-Michel Schub, piano
Wu Han, piano
Debussy Nocturnes for Two Pianos (arr. Ravel) (1897-99)
Debussy Petite Suite for Piano, Four Hands (1886-89)
Debussy Jeux for Two Pianos (arr. Jean-Efflam Bavouzet) (1913)
Bizet Jeux d'enfants for Piano, Four Hands (1871)
Gershwin An American in Paris for Two Pianos (1928)

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
French Virtuosity
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Inon Barnatan, piano
Juho Pohjonen, piano
Jessica Lee, violin
Kristin Lee, violin
Elmar Oliveira, violin
Beth Guterman, viola
Andreas Brantelid, cello

Saint-Saëns Trio No. 1 in F major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 18 (1864)
Saint-Saëns Sonata No. 1 in D minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 75 (1885)
Chausson Concerto in D major for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet, Op. 21 (1889-91)

Artist Biographies

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) is one of twelve constituents of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the largest performing arts complex in the world. Along with other constituents such as the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center Theater, and The Metropolitan Opéra, the Chamber Music Society has its home at Lincoln Center, in Alice Tully Hall. Through its performance, education, and recording/broadcast activities, it draws more people to chamber music than any other organization of its kind.

CMS presents annual series of concerts and educational events for listeners ranging from connoisseurs to chamber music newcomers of all ages. Performing repertoire from over three centuries, and numerous premieres by living composers, CMS offers programs curated to provide listeners a comprehensive perspective on the art of chamber music. The performing artists of CMS, a multi-generational selection of expert chamber musicians, constitute an evolving repertory company capable of presenting chamber music of every instrumentation, style, and historical period. Its annual activities include a full season of concerts and events, national and international tours, nationally televised broadcasts on Live From Lincoln Center, a radio show broadcast nationwide, and regular appearances on National Public Radio's Performance Today.

In 2004, CMS appointed cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han artistic directors. They succeed founding director Charles Wadsworth (1969-89), Fred Sherry (1989-93), and David Shifrin (1993-2004).

As the nation's premier repertory company for chamber music, CMS is committed to bringing audiences the finest performances of an extraordinary body of repertoire, dating as far back as the Renaissance and continuing through the centuries to the finest works of our time. As a compelling and dynamic means of artistic expression, chamber music has always inspired composers to create some of their finest works. Today, CMS actively supports composers' efforts. In its history, CMS has commissioned over 150 new works from a formidable array of composers, including Bruce Adolphe, Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, William Bolcom, John Corigliano, George Crumb, Lukas Foss, John Harbison, Alberto Ginastera, Morton Gould, Keith Jarrett, Oliver Knussen, Gian Carlo Menotti, Darius Milhaud, Peter Schickele, Bright Sheng, Joan Tower, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. CMS also supports the work of living composers by awarding the Elise L. Stoeger Prize, a cash award given every other year to an outstanding composer of chamber music.

David Finckel and Wu Han
Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han rank among the most esteemed and influential classical musicians in the world today. The talent, energy, imagination, and dedication they bring to their multifaceted endeavors as concert performers, recording artists, educators, artistic administrators, and cultural entrepreneurs go unmatched. Their duo performances have garnered superlatives from the press, public, and presenters alike.

In high demand year after year among chamber music audiences worldwide, the duo has appeared each season at the most prestigious venues and concert series across the United States, Mexico, Canada, the Far East, and Europe to unanimous critical acclaim. London's Musical Opinion said of their Wigmore Hall debut: "They enthralled both myself and the audience with performances whose idiomatic command, technical mastery and unsullied integrity of vision made me think right back to the days of Schnabel and Fournier, Solomon and Piatigorsky." Beyond the duo's recital activities, David Finckel also serves as cellist of the Grammy Award-winning Emerson String Quartet.

In addition to their distinction as world-class performers, the duo has established a reputation for their dynamic and innovative approach to the recording studio. In 1997, David Finckel and Wu Han launched ArtistLed, classical music's first musician-directed and Internet-based recording company, which has served as a model for numerous independent labels. All twelve ArtistLed recordings have met with critical acclaim and are available via the company's website at www.artistled.com. This season, ArtistLed releases its thirteenth recording, an album of clarinet trios by Beethoven, Brahms, and Max Bruch, featuring clarinetist David Shifrin. The duo's repertoire spans virtually the entire literature for cello and piano, with an equal emphasis on the classics and the contemporaries. Their commitment to new music has brought commissioned works by many of today's leading composers to audiences around the world. In 2010, the duo released "For David and Wu Han" (ArtistLed), an album of four contemporary works for cello and piano expressly composed for them. David Finckel and Wu Han have also overseen the establishment and design of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's CMS Studio Recordings label, as well as the Society's recording partnership with Deutsche Grammophon; and Music@Menlo LIVE, which has been praised as a "the most ambitious recording project of any classical music festival in the world" (San Jose Mercury News).

David Finckel and Wu Han have served as Artistic Directors of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 2004. They are also the founders and Artistic Directors of Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival and institute in Silicon Valley that has garnered international acclaim since its inception in 2003. They have achieved universal renown for their passionate commitment to nurturing the careers of countless young artists through a wide array of education initiatives. For many years, the duo taught alongside the late Isaac Stern at Carnegie Hall and the Jerusalem Music Center. Last season, under the auspices of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, David Finckel and Wu Han established chamber music training workshops for young artists in Korea and Taiwan, intensive residency programs designed to bring student musicians into contact with an elite artist-faculty. David Finckel and Wu Han reside in New York with their sixteen-year-old daughter, Lilian.

Eroica Trio
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.

Vienna Symphony Orchestra
The Vienna Symphony Orchestra is the concert orchestra of the City of Vienna, being responsible for the greater part of the musical life of the capital city. The Symphony makes approximately 150 appearances each year with concerts and opéra performances as well as 50 chamber concerts and workshops. These are arranged by the Musikverein, the Konzerthaus and, since 1980, by the orchestra itself with four different concert series. In addition, numerous tours are undertaken throughout Europe and overseas countries.

Under the name Wiener Concertverein (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 Schönberg'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.

Fabio Luisi
Appointed Chief Conductor of the Vienna Symphony in 2005, Fabio Luisi also serves as Music Director of the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera. 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.

* * * All programs, prices and dates are subject to change. * * *

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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