Portland Ovations Presents Matt Haimovitz, Christopher O'Riley in Joint Concert

Portland Ovations brings innovative cellist, Matt Haimovitz and American pianist, Christopher O'Riley together for a performance of their latest project Shuffle.Play.Listen. at Merrill Auditorium on Friday, November 18th at 8 pm.

With limited engagements across the country, Shuffle.Play.Listen. pairs Christopher O'Riley and Matt Haimovitz together to explore the lyrical and virtuosic properties of their instruments in a collaboration that crosses in and out of the classical and pop music genres. The program showcases their talents as collaborators and soloists, defining what it means to be an artist in the 21st Century. Shuffle.Play.Listen. features works by Bach and Gabrielli, Radiohead and Arcade Fire, Piazzolla and Stravinsky.

Christopher O'Riley studied with Russell Sherman at the New England Conservatory of Music and is recognized as one of the leading American pianists of his generation. He tours extensively as a recitalist and chamber musician and has appeared with every major orchestra. Well known as host of the popular NPR music program, From the Top, Mr. O'Riley has released a set of highly regarded recordings of the music of Radiohead, Nick Drake, and others.

Matt Haimovitz made his debut at the age of 13 as a soloist with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic. By age 17, he made his first recording for Deutsche Grammophon with James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Renowned as a musical pioneer, Haimovitz has inspired classical music lovers and countless new listeners by bringing his artistry to concert halls and clubs, outdoor festivals and intimate coffee houses. Equally at home performing the Bach Cello Suites, exploring the jazz classics or creating a searing reinterpretation of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir, he brings a fresh ear to familiar repertoire, champions new music and initiates groundbreaking collaborations. Through his visionary approach Haimovitz has re-defined what it means to be a classical musician today.

One day prior to the Merrill Auditorium performance Matt Haimovitz plays a "flash" concert at SPACE Gallery on November 17th at 5:30pm presented in collaboration with Portland Ovations, 317 Main Street Community Music Center and SPACE gallery.

Ovations Offstage offers a free Pre-Performance Lecture, "The Art of Collaboration: Communication and Clairvoyance," one hour prior to the performance in The Green Room at Merrill Auditorium. The Lantz and Kargul Duo (violinist Ronald Lantz and pianist Laura Kargul) discuss the magic of musical collaboration and will demonstrate with some of their own (team-created) violin/piano transcriptions of songs by Mendelssohn, Liszt and Fauré.

Along with the Pre-Performance Lecture, Portland Ovations is offering a workshop for cello with Matt Haimovitz at 317 Main Street Community Music Center, Yarmouth Maine and a Masterclass for piano with Christopher O'Riley featuring three accomplished Maine piano students at Merrill Auditorium on November 18th from 3:30pm to 5pm, which is open to the public for a $10 observation fee. For more information, please contact Ovations Offstage at (207) 773-3150 or offstage@portlandovations.org.

Tickets for Shuffle.Play.Listen. range from $32 to $36 for Ovations Members, $35 to $40 for the general public and a limited amount of $10 student tickets are available. Shuffle.Play.Listen. is graciously sponsored by MPBN. To purchase tickets, contact PortTix at 207-842-0800 or visit the box office window at Merrill Auditorium. Tickets are also available online at www.portlandovations.org.

About Portland Ovations

Each year since 1931, Portland Ovations brings a dynamic season of exceptional performing artists from around the world to Maine including classical music, jazz, opera, dance, theater, and Broadway national tours. In addition to live performances, Ovations brings the exhilaration of the performing arts out into our community with season-long educational and outreach activities known as Ovations Offstage. A Maine-based non-profit, Portland Ovations contributes to the cultural, social and economic well-being of our community by presenting an array of high quality performing artists from around the world and creating diverse educational experiences that bring the enjoyment, energy and enrichment of the arts to all.

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