Van Wezel Announces Itzhak Perlman & More In 2009-10

The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall today announced its roster for the 2009-10 Orchestra/Classical Music Series.

The series features renowned ensembles and soloists from around the globe. They include violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman (in concert Mar. 1, 2010) and piano megastar Lang Lang (performing as the soloist with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach on

Mar. 30, 2010).

The series also includes the Ahn Trio (Jan. 22), the dynamic chamber music ensemble hailed as "the new classical revolutionaries" by New York Newsday; Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra (Jan. 27) featuring Music Director Alexei Kornienko, pianist Alexei Nabioulin and violinist Nadezda Tokareva; Detroit Symphony Orchestra (Feb. 13) with Music Director Leonard Slatkin and cellist Sol Gabetta; and Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra (Mar. 2) in its much anticipated return to North America after a 10-year absence.

The Korean-born sisters of the Ahn Trio breathe new life into the standard piano trio literature with commissioned works from visionary composers such as Pat Metheny, Kenji Bunch, Maurice Jarre, Nikolai Kapustin and Michael Nyman. Lucia, Angella, and Maria thrive on dissolving the barriers between art forms. They have fused their work with that of dancers, pop singers, DJ's, electronic music artists, painters, installation artists, photographers, lighting designers, and ecologists. Featured as children in Time's cover story "Asian American Whiz Kids," the stylish and talented Ahn sisters have appeared in Vogue and GQ and, in 2003, were named three of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People."

The Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1978 as an outgrowth of the need for the symphonic repertoire of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries to be broadcast throughout Russia for the benefit of its citizens. In addition to the Orchestra's extensive work for television, radio and film soundtracks, the Orchestra has performed at the Kremlin Palace with the Moscow Classical Ballet in performance of The Nutcracker, Giselle, Don Quixote, Cinderella and Firebird. The Orchestra was featured in a concert on the Sobor Square in the Kremlin in 1998 with Monserrat Coballiet.

Maestro Leonard Slatkin of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra has been called "America's Music Director" (Los Angeles Times) for his outstanding musicianship and visionary leadership. Founded in 1914, the DSO performed the world's first radio broadcast of a symphonic concert in 1922 and became the first nationally broadcast radio orchestra on The Ford Sunday Evening Hour (later The Ford Symphony Hour) from 1934 to 1942 on CBS. The DSO is currently heard by one million listeners a week on the nationwide broadcast the General Motors' "Mark of Excellence" radio series.

Argentina native Sol Gabetta is a recipient of the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Natalia Gutman Prize and the ARD competition in Munich. In 2004 she commanded international raves at the Lucerne Festival by winning the "Crédit Suisse Young Artist Award."

Itzhak Perlman, celebrating the 51st anniversary of his American debut, is known as "the reigning virtuoso of the violin." A winner of four Emmy® Awards and 15 Grammy® Awards, Perlman was also a Kennedy Center honoree and a recipient of a "Medal of Liberty" (1986) and the "National Medal of Arts" (2000). In addition to being a "household name" on the international music scene, he has a special relationship with Sarasota. His Perlman Music Program, which trains the next generation of classical musicians, holds its winter residency in Sarasota.

The Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Hobart Earle, is in the top rank of American orchestras (Chicago Tribune). Its program at the Van Wezel is scheduled to include Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 and Strauss selections including Overture to Die Fledermaus,; Wo die Zitronen Bluehen, Walzer ("Where the Lemons Blossom"); Pizzicato Polka; Egyptischer Marsch ("Egyptian March"); Leichtes Blut, Polka Schnell ("Light of Heart" - Fast Polka); Kuenstlerleben, Walzer ("Artist's Life"); and Auf der Jagd, Polka Schnell ("On the Hunt" - Fast Polka).

The Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra is comprised of the world's finest young musicians under the age of 27, hand-picked through a rigorous auditioning process. Its first-ever tour in the United States and Canada under Maestro Eschenbach features the inimitable Lang Lang as the soloist. Heralded as the "hottest artist on the classical music planet" by The New York Times, 26-year-old Lang Lang has played sold-out recitals and concerts in major cities throughout the world. In August 2008, over 5 billion people viewed his performance in Beijing's opening ceremony for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad where he was seen as a symbol of the youth and future of China.

The Orchestra/Classical Music Series at the Van Wezel is sponsored

by WUSF Public Broadcasting.

Subscriptions are available by calling the Box Office at (941) 953-3368 or toll free at (800) 826-9303 or stop by the box office in person to order subscriptions. This year the Van Wezel is unveiling its SMART SEAT SUBSCRIPTION which features a ticket package of only $170 for the six concerts. Others range from $170 to $530. New subscriptions will be processed in the order they are received and after renewal subscriptions are filled. Current Van Wezel subscribers can renew their same great seats. For more information about upcoming programs at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, contact the Box Office at (941) 953-3368 or log onto www.vanwezel.org. A new TV show, What's New at the Van Wezel, may be viewed online at www.sarasotagov.com.

Set along Sarasota's bay front, the landmark Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall has been entertaining audiences with a variety of music, dance, theater and comedy and is celebrating its 40th Anniversary season this year. In addition to its world-class shows, the Van Wezel offers patrons the opportunity to enjoy inspired cuisine, buffet style, from Sarasota's acclaimed Michael's On East prior to most performances. For reservations and information, call 941-366-0007 or visit www.bestfood.com.

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