David Robertson News

A quickly-rising star who is already one of the opera world's most sought-after vocalists, soprano Susanna Phillips has filled the upcoming season with an exciting schedule of engagements. Phillips returns to New York's Metropolitan Opera for her fifth consecutive season, makes her Carnegie Hall solo recital debut, and taps into her Southern heritage as Stella in Andre Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire with Renee Fleming in performances at Carnegie Hall and Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Manhattan Saxophone Quartet, along with special guest performers Mika Godbole and Aleksandr Karjaka, will perform works by composers Jacob T.V., Lee Hyla, Quinn Collins, David Noon, and Inhyun Kim at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia theater at Symphony Space, (2537 Broadway, New York City) on Saturday, November 10th, 2012 at 7:30 pm.

Guest vocalists Dominique Labelle (soprano), Susanne Mentzer (mezzo-soprano), Adam Diegel (tenor), and David Pittsinger (bass-baritone) join the Columbus Symphony, Columbus Symphony Chorus, and Music Director Jean-Marie Zeitouni for a one-night-only season opening performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, the world renowned Ode to Joy. The evening's program will also include Handel's grand ode for the coronation of England's King George II and a gentle motet by Mozart.

Naxos Canadian Classics today, September 25, 2012, releases Dreamscapes, a world premiere recording of three works by Edmonton-born composer Vivian Fung.

Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov [ahb-drah-ZAH-koff], fresh from his appearances with Italian maestro Riccardo Muti at the Salzburg Festival, commences a powerhouse 2012-13 season with two iconic Mozart roles. First, in September, the two-time Grammy Award-winner appears as the infamous anti-hero of Don Giovanni at the Washington National Opera; then, in October and November, he sings the title roles of Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni at the Metropolitan Opera.

Guest vocalists Dominique Labelle (soprano), Susanne Mentzer (mezzo-soprano), Adam Diegel (tenor), and David Pittsinger (bass-baritone) join the Columbus Symphony, Columbus Symphony Chorus, and Music Director Jean-Marie Zeitouni for a one-night-only season opening performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, the world renowned Ode to Joy. The evening's program will also include Handel's grand ode for the coronation of England's King George II and a gentle motet by Mozart.

Naxos Canadian Classics announces the September 25, 2012 release of Dreamscapes, a world premiere recording of three works by Edmonton-born composer Vivian Fung. The recording features Ms. Fung's acclaimed Violin Concerto (2011) and Piano Concerto "Dreamscapes" (2009), performed by Metropolis Ensemble with conductor Andrew Cyr, violinist Kristin Lee, and pianist Conor Hanick; and her Glimpses for prepared piano (2006), performed by Mr. Hanick. The concertos, both commissioned by Metropolis Ensemble, were recorded at Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood and produced by Tim Martyn.

The August broadcasts of The New York Philharmonic This Week - the weekly radio series of concerts and recordings by the New York Philharmonic, hosted by Alec Baldwin - begin with conductor Andrey Boreyko as he launches the Philharmonic's 2012 residency at Colorado's Bravo!

Arts Education returns to the Stamford Center for the Arts for the third straight year with a focus on music, dance, acting, musical theater and puppetry. With the generous support of presenting sponsors RFR Stamford and Purdue Pharma, SCA will present four unique experiences for the area's youth: SummerJazz, (generously supported by Pitney Bowes, Purdue Pharma, RFR Stamford and the Italian Center;) the Triple Threat Performer Intensive; Lumina String Quartet's Chamber Music Institute for Young Musicians and Jim West's "Dinosaurs."

Met Museum presents the New York Philharmonic's concert series CONTACT!, Jordi Savall's 'Orient-Occident: A Dialogue of Souls,' and New York ensemble Cirène's interpretation of a classic love story of the Middle East with music, dance and painting, all in June 2012. See details below.

Billy Budd, Britten's opera about murder on the high seas, returns to the Met stage for the first time since 1997, with David Robertson conducting and Nathan Gunn in his first Met performances of the title role.

Three Roses Players and Venice Sky Productions are teaming up again to produce an evening of 7 original one act plays written by Emmy Award nominee and Heideman Award winner DALE GRIFFITHS STAMOS. Love Struck will play MAY 11-27, 2012 Fri 8PM Sat 8PM SUN 3PM and 7PM at the Beverly Hills Playhouse.

On Friday, February 24, 2012 at 7:30pm, guitarist Jason Vieaux will perform as part of The Legendary Salon, presented by The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) at Alice Tully Hall (65th Street and Broadway, NYC).

The New York Phiharmonic has just announced the 2012-13 season, which is set to include a staged production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Broadway hit Carousel, February 27-March 2, 2013, directed by James Brennan and conducted by Rob Fisher - the same team behind the Philharmonic's acclaimed 2007 production of My Fair Lady. Mr. Brennan, who is also an actor and choreographer, has directed performances on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theater. Mr. Fisher is the founding director of New York City Center's Encores! series, and has been a part of numerous productions and projects.

Eight conducting fellows from across the U.S. and Canada have been selected by the Carnegie Hall Choral Institute and the Young People's Chorus of New York City to take part in the Transient Glory Symposium, led by 2011 MacArthur Fellow and symposium artistic director Francisico J. Núñez, which from February 15 to 18, will provide three days of intensive training workshops and performances of new music commissioned for young voices for the Transient Glory series.

Eight conducting fellows from across the U.S. and Canada have been selected by the Carnegie Hall Choral Institute and the Young People's Chorus of New York City to take part in the Transient Glory Symposium, led by 2011 MacArthur Fellow and symposium artistic director Francisico J. Núñez, which from February 15 to 18, will provide three days of intensive training workshops and performances of new music commissioned for young voices for the Transient Glory series.

On Friday, February 24, 2012 at 7:30pm, guitarist Jason Vieaux will perform as part of The Legendary Salon, presented by The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) at Alice Tully Hall (65th Street and Broadway, NYC).

Eight conducting fellows from across the U.S. and Canada have been selected by the Carnegie Hall Choral Institute and the Young People's Chorus of New York City to take part in the Transient Glory Symposium, led by 2011 MacArthur Fellow and symposium artistic director Francisico J. Núñez, which from February 15 to 18, will provide three days of intensive training workshops and performances of new music commissioned for young voices for the Transient Glory series.

Dominant as ever in the concert hall this winter, Christine Brewer - styled "the ideal modern Wagnerian soprano" by the Los Angeles Times - joins the San Francisco Symphony and guest conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen for three concert performances of excerpts from Gotterdammerung, the closing chapter of Wagner's monumental Ring cycle (Dec 8-10). Following her recent account of the German composer's Wesendonck Lieder with Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony, "a performance that was a model of vocal allure and musical intelligence" (South Florida Classical Review), Brewer reprises the work - coupled with Beethoven's "Ah! perfido" - with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Ward Stare (Jan 20 & 21). She returns to Beethoven for four performances of the Missa solemnis with the Boston Symphony led by Kurt Masur, first at the orchestra's Boston home (Feb 23-25) and then at New York's Carnegie Hall (March 6). Early in the new year, the "superlative Strauss singer" (New York Times) assays the great late Romantic's Four Last Songs with the St. Louis Symphony under David Robertson (Jan 13 & 14).