NJ Symphony Closes 2010-11 Classical Season with Mahler 3

Music Director Jacques Lacombe and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra present Mahler's Symphony No. 3 as the grand finale of the orchestra's 2010-11 classical season. Mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel, the Montclair State University Chorale women and the American Boychoir join the NJSO for the blockbuster symphony.

Performances take place on Friday, May 20 (8 p.m.) at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton, Saturday, May 21 (8 p.m.) at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark and Sunday, May 22 (3 p.m.) at the State Theatre in New Brunswick.

Lacombe says: "For the final classical subscription program of our season, I have chosen to honor the 100th anniversary of Mahler's passing. For the occasion, I've selected his epic Third Symphony."

Mahler drew his inspiration for the massive six-movement work from nature; he originally gave the movements programmatic titles like "What the Flowers on the Meadow Tell Me" and "What the Animals in the Forest Tell Me." He wrote the symphony during stays at his summer retreat in the Austrian countryside, and the work bears shades of the nature sounds that captivated him.

"Mahler truly explored nature as he composed this masterwork," Lacombe says. "The music is so evocative, and one can almost picture the composer taking in the beauty of his surroundings in his mountain retreat. This unique work runs such an incredible gamut of emotions, and it never fails to inspire and stir the soul."

The music director says, "To add to the excitement of these performances, Mireille Lebel-with whom I had the pleasure of performing Mahler's 'Resurrection' Symphony-will share the stage with the Montclair State University Chorale women and the American Boychoir to bring Mahler's soaring vocal lines to life."

TICKETS

Tickets range in price from $20 to $82 and are available for purchase online at www.njsymphony.org or by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476).

THE PROGRAM

MAHLER 3

Friday, May 20 at 8 pm | Richardson Auditorium in Princeton
Saturday, May 21 at 8 pm | NJPAC in Newark
Sunday, May 22 at 3 pm | State Theatre in New Brunswick
Jacques Lacombe, conductor
Mireille Lebel, mezzo-soprano
Montclair State University Chorale Women, Heather J. Buchanan, director
American Boychoir, Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, director

MAHLER Symphony No. 3

THE ARTISTS

From the beginning of his career, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Music Director Jacques Lacombe has been highly praised as a remarkable conductor whose artistic integrity and rapport with orchestras have propelled him to international stature.
Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal from 2002 to 2006, he led the orchestra in more than 100 performances, including programs from the central European classics to the French and Russian literature, as well as several world premieres. He served for three years as Music Director of both orchestra and opera with the Philharmonie de Lorraine in France; he has been Music Director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières since 2006.
In addition to his collaborations with all the major Canadian orchestras, including several tours and recordings with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Lacombe has worked abroad with orchestras in Monte-Carlo, Nice, Toulouse and Halle, as well as Orchestre Lamoureux in Paris, Slovakia Philharmonic, Budapest Symphony, Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Victoria Orchestra Melbourne and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
A regular guest at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, where he has led numerous productions, including Zemlinsky's Der Traumgörge and von Walterhausen's rarely performed Oberst Chabert, Lacombe conducted the world premiere of Vladimir Cosma's Marius et Fanny at the Opéra de Marseille starring Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna. He has also led operatic productions at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Teatro Regio in Turin and Opéra de Monte-Carlo, along with opera companies in Milwaukee, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Montreal, Québec and Vancouver.
He has recorded for the Analekta label and has been broadcast on PBS, the CBC, Arte TV in France and on Hungarian Radio-Television.
Born in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Québec, Lacombe received his musical training at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal and at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna.

Hailed as "a most promising talent" by Le Devoir, mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel is one of Canada's most sought after young performers. She recently completed her tenure as a young artist at the Montreal Opera and has performed with the Houston, Edmonton, San Antonio and Trois-Rivières Symphony Orchestras; Edmonton Opera and Pacific Opera Victoria. She has received acclaim for roles including Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Concepcion in L'Heure Espagnole and the title role in Hansel und Gretel and this season makes her European debut at Theater Erfurt in Le Nozze di Figaro, Agrippina and L'Enfant et les sortilèges. She performs the title role in Carmen with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Lebel has appeared at the Boston Early Music Festival, Buxton Opera Festival, Festival of the Sound and Blumental International Music Festival. She can be heard on disc with the Boston Early Music Festival in Lully's operas Thésée and Psyché, both nominated for Grammy Awards; upcoming releases with the festival include Blow's Venus and Adonis and Charpentier's Actéon. A recipient of a Canada Council emerging artist grant, Lebel received her bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto and her master's degree from the University of Montreal.

The Montclair State University Chorale is the core mixed-voice choral ensemble of the John J. Cali School of Music in the College of the Arts. Its members comprise music students majoring in performance, music education, music therapy and composition, as well as non-music majors. The somatically based choral pedagogy is designed to enable students to expand and refine their musical, vocal and choral skills, enabling them to function as independent, flexible and responsive choral musicians in their subsequent student and professional lives. Previous highlights with the NJSO include Carmina Burana with Jacques Lacombe, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with Neeme Järvi and the New York Metropolitan area premiere of Howard Shore's Academy Award-winning The Lord of the Rings with guest conductor John Maucceri. Montclair State is New Jersey's second largest and fastest growing university.

Heather J. Buchanan is Director of Choral Activities at Montclair State University. She conducts the Chorale and University Singers, and she teaches Choral Methods and Body Mapping. She is co-editor and compiler of the distinguished GIA choral series Teaching Music through Performance in Choir. A certified Andover educator, Buchanan specializes in the teaching of body mapping for musicians and is a Ph.D. candidate with the University of New England in Australia. Buchanan previously served on the conducting faculty at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Born in Brisbane, Australia, Buchanan earned a Master of Music degree with distinction from Westminster. Recent highlights include concerts at Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall for the New York Choral Festival and the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg with the University Singers. Last season, she conducted the world premiere of Tarik O'Regan's MSU choral commission.

The American Boychoir is regarded as the United States' premier boys' choir. The choir dazzles audiences with its unique blend of musical sophistication, effervescent spirit and ensemble virtuosity. The American Boychoir School, the only non-sectarian boys' choir school in the nation, was founded in Ohio in 1937 and has been located in Princeton since 1950. Boys in grades 4-8 come from across the country and around the world to pursue a rigorous musical and academic curriculum. Maintaining an active international touring schedule, the Boychoir performs with ensembles such as the Boston and Philadelphia Orchestras and New York Philharmonic. The choir appears regularly at the Tanglewood Music Festival and has performed with artists including Jessye Norman, Wynton Marsalis, Beyoncé and Sir Paul McCartney. Often called upon for boy soloists, Boychoir members have performed with the Baltimore and Virginia Symphony Orchestras and at the Berkshire Music Festival, among others. The American Boychoir has released more than 45 recordings on its own label, Albemarle Records, and has been broadcast on radio and television.

Fernando Malvar-Ruiz is Litton-Lodal Music Director of the American Boychoir. He leads the choir in more than 100 performances annually, both nationally and internationally, and prepares the choir for orchestral performances. During his tenure, the American Boychoir has performed for the 9/11 Memorial Service broadcast live on CNN, Academy Awards, YouthAIDS Benefit Gala and U.S. Open Tennis Tournament. In demand as a conductor, lecturer and clinician, Malvar-Ruiz has appeared at the Kodály convention in Australia, World Children's Choir Festival in Hong Kong and Des Moines International Children's Choral Festival. The Spanish native is on the faculty of the Internacional De Verano de Direccion Coral y Pedagogoia Musical in Spain; for 11 years, he instructed the summer master's program in Kodály at Capital University. He completed his Kodály certification in Hungary, garnering the Sharolta Kodály scholarship. He holds a master's degree in choral conducting from Ohio State University and has completed all coursework toward a doctoral degree in musical arts from the University of Illinois.

For high-resolution artist photos, full bios and program notes, visit www.njsymphony.org/pressroom.

THE NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra is comprised of some of the country's finest musicians. The Orchestra is proud to have Jacques Lacombe as its Music Director and Neeme Järvi as its Conductor Laureate. Artistic excellence, innovative programming and community engagement are hallmarks of its mission. To best serve the people of New Jersey, the orchestra brings its programs to seven outstanding venues throughout the state. Education and community engagement programs enrich the listening experience for children and adults alike. Select performances of the NJSO are broadcast regionally and throughout North America. United is the official airline of the NJSO.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra continues its major fundraising initiative-the NJSO Comprehensive Campaign. To date, more than $28 million towards a three-year $32 million goal has been raised in support of the Orchestra. For information about contributing to this historic campaign, contact Thomas Daubert, Director of Development, at 973.624.3713, ext. 269.

For more information about the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, visit www.njsymphony.org or e-mail information@njsymphony.org. Tickets are available for purchase by phone 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or on the Orchestra's website.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra's programs are made possible in part by The New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, along with many other foundations, corporations and individual donors.

NJSO VENUES

For venue contact information, directions and information about public transportation, parking, dining options and more, visit www.njsymphony.org/venues.

 

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