The National Philharmonic News

Richmond, Virginia Kick off the holidays with the sounds of the season! Join the Richmond Symphony and Richmond Symphony Chorus, tonight, December 6 at 8:00pm and Sunday, December 7 at 3:00pm, at the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage for a winter wonderland of music led by conductor Erin Freeman.

November 17, 2014 – Richmond, Virginia Kick off the holidays with the sounds of the season! Join the Richmond Symphony and Richmond Symphony Chorus, on Saturday, December 6 at 8:00pm and Sunday, December 7 at 3:00pm, at the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage for a winter wonderland of music led by conductor Erin Freeman. Hear the symphony play holiday favorites such as Carol of the Bells, Sleigh Ride and Frosty the Snowman during this much loved annual concert. It's the perfect event to include in your RVA holiday tradition!

Members of the Canton Symphony Orchestra will be featured as soloists on the concert titled “Orchestra Spotlight”, Sunday, November 2 at 7:30pm at Umstattd Performing Arts Hall (2323 17th Street NW, Canton). The program of classical standards includes Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Violins in a minor, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds. The soloists will host a question and answer session, known as “Back Talk”, with audience members immediately following the concert.

Conductor James Conlon leads a rare revival of Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at the Metropolitan Opera in six performances beginning Monday, November 10, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. The cast for Graham Vick's production includes soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek in the title role as Katerina Ismailova, tenor Brandon Jovanovich as Sergei, tenor Raymond Very as Zinovy Ismailov, and baritone Anatoli Kotscherga as Boris Ismailov. Tenor Frank van Aken sings the role of Sergei in the November 21 performance.

Two of Christian music's most award-winning, chart-topping artists are making preparations for an exclusive holiday weekend run of performances. Longtime friends Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith will join forces on three exclusive holiday shows this year — in Dallas (Dec. 12), Minneapolis (Dec. 13), and a special Dec. 15 performance at Atlanta's Fox Theatre. Tickets range from $39.00-150.00 and will be on sale at 10 a.m., Friday, Sept. 12 at www.FoxTheatre.org, by calling 855-285-8499, or at the Fox Theatre Ticket Office.

It's Holiday Cheer in July at Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, New Jersey who is presenting some of the greatest Christmas shows this year… Brian Setzer returns to bergenPAC with Christmas Rocks on Wednesday, December 3rd and then it's the annual New Jersey Ballet Nutcracker performances taking place on Saturday, December 6th and Sunday, December 7th with show times at 1PM and 5PM.

It's Holiday Cheer in July at Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, New Jersey who is presenting some of the greatest Christmas shows this year… Brian Setzer returns to bergenPAC with Christmas Rocks on Wednesday, December 3rd and then it's the annual New Jersey Ballet Nutcracker performances taking place on Saturday, December 6th and Sunday, December 7th with show times at 1PM and 5PM.

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts and the Richmond Symphony have announced the creation of a new joint position of Director of Choral Activities at Virginia Commonwealth University and Director of the Richmond Symphony Chorus.

The renowned pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin will perform Franck's Symphonic Variations with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis tonight, April 24th 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 25th at 11:00 a.m. and Saturday, April 26th at 8:00 p.m. at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary, the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival will present a concert open to the public for the first time in New York this evening, April 8, 2014 at 7:45 p.m. at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, Cary Hall, 450 West 37th Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's (LACO) Music Director Jeffrey Kahane conducts the world premiere of This Ease by composer Hannah Lash as well as the LACO debut of Natasha Paremski, proclaimed a 'spectacular pianist' (American Record Guide), performing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, on Saturday, April 26, 8 pm, at Glendale's Alex Theatre, and Sunday, April 27, 2014, 7 pm, at UCLA's Royce Hall. Also on the program is Haydn's buoyant Symphony No. 102 in B-flat major. USC Thornton School of Music violin performance major Kenneth Liao, winner of the annual LACO-Thornton Strings Mentorship Audition, joins LACO's violin section for these concerts.

Beginning in May, The Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation will hold its 2nd annual International Arts Festival in New York City. The Festival's mission is to introduce and promote global cultural activity and exchange of ideas, aiming to enlighten and engage audiences through performing and visual arts, educational programs and events. Tickets for each of the festival's shows are available at venue ticket box offices and at www.cherryorchardfestival.org. Group tickets, student discounts, VIP tickets and festival subscription packages are available by calling Festival's office at 1.800.349.0021 or e-mailing info@cherryorchardfestival.org.

The renowned pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin will perform Franck's Symphonic Variations with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis on Thursday, April 24th 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 25th at 11:00 a.m. and Saturday, April 26th at 8:00 p.m. at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center. Mr. Hamelin will also be appearing with members of the New York Philharmonic on April 26th at 2:00 p.m. for a performance of Faure's First Piano Quartet.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary, the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival will present a concert open to the public for the first time in New York on Tuesday evening, April 8, 2014 at 7:45 p.m. at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, Cary Hall, 450 West 37th Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. A special orchestra-the Cape Cod Gala Orchestra, conducted by Liam Burke-has been assembled for this occasion. Noted WQXR radio announcer Jeff Spurgeon will host the evening and Nancy B. Barry, First President of the Festival, as well as Honorary Artistic Chair Charles Hamlen, V.P. of Orchestra of St. Luke's and Co-Founder of IMG Artists, will be on hand for the event.

Guitarmonk welcomes aboard Guitarmonk Records 's roster of featured artists; Ukraine's Laureate of the International Prime Druzhba (Friendship), Miss Natalia Shelepnytska. She presents a vibrant image with a fresh and innovative music in neo-classic style.

Polish pianist Rafa? Blechacz (pronounced Ra-FAW BLEH-hatch) has been named the recipient of the 2014 Gilmore Artist Award, it was announced today by Daniel R. Gustin, Director of the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival. One of the most prestigious honors in music, the Gilmore Artist Award is presented every four years on a non-competitive basis to an exceptional pianist who, regardless of age or nationality, has the potential to sustain a career as a major international concert artist. Mr. Blechacz will receive $300,000 in support of his musical and career goals over the next four years. Previous recipients of the Gilmore Artist Award are Kirill Gerstein (2010), Ingrid Fliter (2006), Piotr Anderszewski (2002), Leif Ove Andsnes (1998), Ralf Gothóni (1994) and David Owen Norris (1991).

Young Artists of America, Inc. (YAA), founded in 2011 by operatic tenor Rolando Sanz and Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras Music Director Kristofer Sanz, announced today its first performance of the 2013-2014 season, a gala concert version of Jerome Kern's seminal musical, Show Boat, on Sunday, November 17, 2013 at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club.

The Canton Symphony Orchestra has named violinist Justine Lamb-Budge its new concertmaster. Following extensive auditions, including four finalists, Lamb-Budge emerged as the clear leader to hold this open position. With the departure of Lauren Roth to the Tucson Symphony and prior to that, Nathan Olson to the Dallas Symphony, the need for a new concertmaster opened up. Auditions were announced at the beginning of August.

Much to the anticipation of music fans and critics worldwide, Curved Air founding member and virtuoso violinist Darryl Way is releasing his first solo album in 20 years! Now available on Explore Multimedia, via Cherry Red Records, ULTRA VIOLINS features Darryl's own interpretations of several well-known classical pieces, as well as a re-recording of Curved Air's classic hit “Vivaldi”. Says Darryl, “The motivating force behind creating 'Ultra Violins' was to introduce some new material for solo violin that came from the vocal repertoire and the world of orchestral music, rather than music specifically for solo violin.”

The New York Choral Society (NYCS) announced today that award-winning stage and screen star Kathleen Turner will introduce Ralph Vaughan Williams's A Sea Symphony at Carnegie Hall on April 25 with a reading of the moving and evocative text written by the American poet Walt Whitman.