Yo-Yo Ma News

The ninth season of CONTACT!, the New York Philharmonic's new-music series, concludes with a co-presentation by the Philharmonic and National Sawdust in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, featuring Musicians from the New York Philharmonic performing works by emerging Russian composers: Dmitri Kourliandski's Voice-off, with vocalist Ethan Hayden in his Philharmonic debut, and the U.S. Premieres of Denis Khorov's Barcarolle, Marina Khorkova's VORderGRENZE, Alexander Khubeev's Ghost of Dystopia, conducted by Jeffrey Milarsky, and Nikolay Popov's Nibiru 20/13. Hosted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, the concert will take place on Monday, April 2, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. at National Sawdust.

A major initiative by The Royal Conservatory of Music was the formation a new ensemble of musicians created to celebrate the cultural diversity and pluralism of Canada during the country's sesquicentennial. It was conceived by Mervon Mehta, Executive Director of Performing Arts at The Conservatory. The ensemble, then known as theNew Canadian Global Music Orchestra, launched in Koerner Hall on June 2, 2017 and toured Canada with stops in Ottawa, Calgary, London, Guelph, and Montreal. It has now been renamed KUNE - Canada's Global Orchestra.

Violinist Janine Jansen concludes herPerspectives series at Carnegie Hall this season joining Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguinand The Philadelphia Orchestra on Tuesday, March 13 at 8:00 p.m. for the New York premiere of Dutch composer Michel Van der Aa's Violin Concerto. The piece, written especially for Ms. Jansen, is described by her as “full of energy and lyricism,” and reflects Ms. Jansen's long-time artistic partnership with the composer. Mr. Van der Aa has said that Ms. Jansen's personality served as his inspiration for the work. “If Janine had played the flute, I would have written a flute concerto,” he said.

American Composers Orchestra (ACO) continues its 2017-2018 season, under the leadership of Artistic Director Derek Bermel, Music Director George Manahan, and President Edward Yim, with Dreamscapes, on Friday, April 6, 2018 at 7:30pm at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall (57th St. and 7th Ave.).

The Marie-Josee Kravis Composer-in-Residence Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct a program featuring an emerging composer and soloist, both of whom the Philharmonic has championed: the World Premiere of Kravis Emerging Composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir's Metacosmos, commissioned by the Philharmonic; Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, Eroica; and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3, featuring Benjamin Grosvenor, inaugural recipient of the Ronnie and Lawrence Ackman Classical Piano Prize at the New York Philharmonic, in his Philharmonic subscription debut. The performances take place Wednesday, April 4, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, April 6 at 8:00 p.m.

Academy Award-nominated actor, painter, poet, and musician Viggo Mortensen (United States/Denmark) will chair the international jury panel for the twelfth Glenn Gould Prize which includes tattoo and makeup artist, musician, entrepreneur and television personality Kat Von D (United States); Academy and Grammy Award-winning director of film, opera and theatre, and accomplished screenwriter Francois Girard (Canada); singer and actress Ute Lemper (Germany); writer and former Chief Justice The Right Honourable Beverly McLachlin (Canada); painter Naeemeh Naeemaei (Iran); acclaimed soprano Sondra Radvanovsky (Canada/United States); Academy Award-winning composer and conductor Howard Shore, OC (Canada); kora virtuoso and composer Foday Musa Suso (Gambia/United States); and award-winning composer and Chairman of the China Musicians' Association Professor Ye Xiaogang (China).

Three superstars of Brazilian jazz bring their infectious, joyful music to the Bickford Theatre on Thursday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. Formed in 1990 by guitarist Romero Lubambo, bassist Nilson Matta, and drummer Duduka de Fonseca, Trio da Paz brings new life to native Brazilian jazz with irresistible rhythms and dazzling improvisations.

Performing music from Duke Ellington, Monk, Jobim, Mingus,Toninho Horta, Stanley Turrentine, Noel Rosa and much more music from the American and Brazilian song book.

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia (UBC) presents Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq and Greenlandic mask dancer Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory in an electrifying combination of sound and movement, March 16 - 18 at 7:30pm in the Telus Studio Theatre as part of the Beyond Words series. Lauded for their expressive and emotionally-charged performances, together these powerhouse artists will cast a contemporary light on their shared Inuit roots while celebrating the strength, resilience, and courage of Indigenous women.

Damian Woetzel continues his innovative interdisciplinary series uniting artists from across fields in a special one-night only performance, March 7 in the Terrace Theater. Part of the inaugural DIRECT CURRENT, the Kennedy Center's two-week celebration of contemporary culture, this installment of the multi-genre series will present recently commissioned works, including a world premiere, and Washington, D.C. premieres by some of today's most creative and groundbreaking voices in dance and music.

MISTER ROGERS: IT'S YOU I LIKE, a celebrity-filled, hour-long special that premieres on PBS stations in March 2018(check local listings), celebrates Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, the pioneering PBS series that premiered nationally 50 years ago and became an iconic and enduring landmark in the world of children's television and beyond. Cast members from the groundbreaking series share their personal perspectives and insights in this new production, which pays tribute to television's longest-running children's series, still broadcast on many PBS stations today. The program also features interviews with numerous celebrities who have been influenced and inspired by Fred Rogers, a modest man who always said, “I am not a teacher, I simply help children learn.”

On Tuesday, February 27 at 8:00 p.m., the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra makes its Carnegie Hall debut in a performance led by Music Director and Conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. The exciting program-part of a season-long celebration of the music of composer Philip Glass-features works inspired by a variety of Latin American locations, including Glass' Days and Nights in Rocinha-the composer's colorfully scored, evocative tribute to a Rio de Janeiro favela, known for its samba school, and La noche de los Mayas-a suite drawn from a now-lost 1939 film score by Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas. The evening will conclude with Glass' Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra, a virtuosic showcase for the evening's two soloists-Jim Atwood and Paul Yancich--who play nine timpani between them.

Legendary songwriter, recording artist and performer Paul Simon, announced today that he will be adding a 3rd and final show at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA on Monday, May 28th 2018 as a part of his Homeward Bound - The Farewell Tour. The previously announced concert dates on May 22nd and May 23rd at The Hollywood Bowl sold-out shortly after they were announced. Tickets for the newly added show on May 28th go on sale to the public on Friday, February 23rd at 10am PST. For more information, please visit www.PaulSimon.com.

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is once again offering audience members a dazzling, star-packed lineup of amazing shows, memorable concerts, insightful lectures and very special events during the months of March and April.

Leon Botstein will lead the American Symphony Orchestra in Luigi Nono's opera Intolleranza 1960, the final performance this season in the ASO's four-concert Vanguard series, on Thursday, March 1, 8 PM at Carnegie Hall. The program is part of the series' season-long theme examining the music composers have created under varied political leaderships.

Music won and the NBA lost when Amit Peled chose the cello over basketball. Peled, who stands 6-foot-5, says that as a young man he had to decide between a future dribbling basketballs and a future bowing four strings. He chose the life of a musician, although today at 44 he continues to follow his favorite b-ball teams and shoot hoops with his children.

Falu's Bazaar is a new vibrant and diverse album of Indian children's music from New York based Falu, an international artist known for her unique blending of modern and classical stylings in her Bollywood Orchestra shows. This playful yet educational collection is the first of its kind, teaching South Asian culture through a spirited presentation to today's youth in three languages- English, Hindi and Gujarati (out this Friday, 2/16!)

On Saturday, March 24, 2018 at 8pm, American Classical Orchestra, "the nation's premier orchestra dedicated to period instrument performance" (Vulture), closes out its 2017-2018 season with the return of celebrated contralto Avery Amereau in a program of bright light and visible darkness at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. Amereau takes center stage with ACO Men's Chorus in a performance of Brahms' Alto Rhapsody, paired with Schubert's iconic Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" and Gesang der Geister for male chorus and low strings. The program ends with a contrasting symphony by little-known composer Ferdinand Ries, a student of Beethoven in Bonn.

Blossom Music Center, The Cleveland Orchestra's summer home, marks its 50th anniversary this summer. The Cleveland Orchestra will present a special season for its annual Blossom Music Festival and a summer-long celebration for this milestone year.

The Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF) are thrilled to announce programming for the third annual Tilt Kids Festival, featuring six premieres of whimsical, thoughtful, and rigorously made works for children across six venues throughout New York City, March 3-18. Described by The New York Times as "French in origin, fantastical in concept, and freewheeling in execution," the festival will engage kids of all ages with the work of renowned artists across multiple disciplines. Many events are free; for ticketed events, please visit www.tiltkidsfestival.org.