Symphony C Announces Schumann & Beethoven with Guest Conductor Kazem Abdullah

South Jersey's Young Professionals Orchestra, Symphony in C has announced that renowned conductor Kazem Abdullah will lead the orchestra at Rutgers University-Camden on Saturday, May 21st at 8:00 p.m.

Kazem Abdullah, a former member of Symphony in C, conducted a performance of Terence Blanchard's acclaimed opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones at the Metropolitan Opera last fall. Bulgarian pianist Anna Stoytcheva performs Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor, Opus 54 and the concert closes with Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 (Pastoral).

COVID 19 Protocols for all concerts: The health and safety of our audience members is our primary concern. All audience members must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and wear face masks at all times. Booster shots are also required for everyone eligible. Please bring your vaccination card or a photo on your phone to show prior to entry. The concert hall will be limited to 300 audience members. The concerts will be presented without a pre-concert talk, an intermission, or program books, and last no more than 90 minutes.

A limited number of tickets for the Symphonic Series at Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts are available now and range in price from $24 - $51. All tickets may be purchased online at www.SymphonyinC.org or by calling 856-963-6683.

Symphony in C performances and programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, the William G. Rohrer Charitable Foundation, Holman Enterprises, and the Theodore Presser Foundation. Symphony in C is a member of the South Jersey Cultural Alliance (SJCA).

Symphony in C concerts are wheelchair accessible. Assistive listening devices are available at all season concerts.

About Symphony in C: Symphony in C is one of three professional training orchestras in the United States preparing musicians and conductors who are on the cusp of world-class careers through concert, educational outreach and professional development programs. Performing at the Gordon Theater at Rutgers Camden Center for the Arts in Camden, New Jersey, Symphony in C serves over 90,000 people annually through its critically-acclaimed concert series, educational outreach programs and radio broadcasts. Symphony in C has been designated a Major Arts Institution by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and strives to continue making artistic, educational, and economic impact on a regional, national and global scale.

About Kazem Abdullah: American conductor Kazem Abdullah currently lives in Nürnberg, Germany. He was Music and Artistic Director of the City of Aachen, Germany from 2012 to 2017. During his tenure, he succeeded in reaching newer and diverse audiences through innovative programming and moving out of the concert hall, and into atypical venues. In addition to exploring new venues to bring concerts to audiences and experimenting with juxtapositions of styles in non-traditional concert formats, he also performed over 25 operas and collaborated with musicians such as Johannes Moser, Lise de la Salle, Angela Gheorghiu, Augustin Haedelich, and Midori.

A passionate advocate of new music as well as established repertoire, Mr. Abdullah continues to develop relationships with national and international orchestras and opera houses. Among his recent orchestral credits are the symphony orchestras of Oregon, Indianapolis, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati. In addition to his symphony engagements, he recently conducted an opera Gala for the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the American premiere of Charles Wuorinen's opera Brokeback Mountain with the New York City Opera, and Donizetti's Maria Stuarda for Cape Town Opera.

Of special note are three acclaimed orchestral engagements: leading the Orquestra de São Paulo, one of Brazil's most celebrated classical music ensembles, on its third United States coast-to-coast tour, conducting the New World Symphony's 2009 Ives In-Context Festival by special invitation from Michael Tilson Thomas, and substituting on very short notice to conduct the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in performances of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas in collaboration with the Mark Morris Dance Group. In the opera arena, Mr. Abdullah has guest conducted such esteemed companies as the Atlanta Opera, where he conducted Così fan tutte, and the Théâtre du Châtelet de Paris, where he led sold-out performances of Scott Joplin's Treemonisha. Mr. Abdullah made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2009 conducting Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice.

Trained as a clarinetist, Kazem Abdullah has performed extensively as an orchestral musician, chamber musician, and soloist. He spent two seasons as a member of the New World Symphony and has performed as a soloist with many orchestras including the Cincinnati and National Symphony Orchestras. He has also performed with prominent chamber ensembles such as the Paris based Trio Wanderer and the Auryn Quartet.

About Anna Stoytcheva: Winner of "Ettore Pozzoli" International Piano Competition in Italy, pianist Anna Stoytcheva is described this way: "Stoytcheva's tonal palette was a whirl of fabulous colors. Her agility was stunning at lighting speed" (Coral Gables Gazette). Currently Ms. Stoytcheva is the Co-Chair of Executive Board of "Bulgarian Concert Evenings in New York" series, held at the Bulgarian Consulate and at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. She is also the pianist of American Chamber Players five-member ensemble, which performs extensively throughout the United States.

In New York City Ms. Stoytheva has performed at Avery Fisher Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Zankel Hall and Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Hall. Ms. Stoytcheva has been a soloist with Orchestra del' Angelicum, The Juilliard Orchestra, The New World Symphony and Sofia Radio Orchestra among others. Some conductors she has worked with are Otto-Werner Mueller, Michael Tilson Thomas, Rossen Milanov and Alasdaire Neale. The Bulgarian National Television has made several documentaries about Ms. Stoytcheva and she has recorded two solo albums, available on Gega New label.

Ms. Stoytcheva has attended Marlboro Music Festival, SummerFest at Lake Tahoe, Music Academy of the West, The Banff Center of the Arts, Pianofest, Kneisel Hall. She has collaborated with such distinguished artists as pianist Charles Wadsworth, violinist Chee-Yun, clarinetist Anthony McGill, as well as members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and several Young Concert Artists winners, including violinist Bella Hrsitova, violist Naoko Shimizu and soprano Kyoko Saito. Ms. Stoytcheva holds Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School. Her teachers have been Seymour Lipkin, Veda Kaplinsky, Jerome Lowenthal, Julia Ganeva and Lidia Kuteva.