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Current NewsSymphony Under the Stars at the Rio Grande Zoo May 24 and 30 The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra’s 75th anniversary season comes to a close with our annual Symphony Under the Stars outdoor concerts at the Rio Grande Zoo. The two programs conducted by NMSO Resident Conductor and Roger Melone will take place May 24 and 30, both at 8 p.m. A two-year winner of the “Best Place to hear Classical Music” award from Albuquerque: The Magazine’s “Best of the City” issue, Symphony Under the Stars is Albuquerque’s premier outdoor music event for music lovers of all ages. The Rio Grande Zoo serves as a unique setting, combining the sounds of family-friendly entertainment and superb musical artistry with the calls of the animal kingdom. The May 24 performance, entitled Stars, Stripes and the 1812 Overture, will include a plethora of patriotic favorites such as John Williams’ Liberty Fanfare, Sousa’s Liberty Bell March, a salute to the armed forces and much more. The evening will culminate in a rousing performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, as well as the first movement of his Concerto for Violin featuring NMSO Associate Concertmaster David Felberg as soloist. The May 30 performance, called Lion King and Friends, will feature animal-themed selections such as Elton John and Hans Zimmer’s music from the film The Lion King, Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, performed in its entirety with narration, a suite from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Elgar’s The Wild Bears, among other favorites. Tickets may be reserved by calling (505) 881-8999, online at www.nmso.org, or in person at the NMSO Box Office at 4407 Menaul NE (at Washington) in Albuquerque. Picnic-style lawn seating is $14 for ages 5 and up, and free children under 5. Theater-style seating on the lawn for all ages is $28. And reserved chair seating at a four-seat table is $60. The NMSO also offers gourmet food baskets – with food for two, a tablecloth, napkins, cutlery, wine cups and a free gift, all of which can be taken home – for $36 with sparkling cider or $48 with choice of red or white wine. PNM customers are eligible for a discount on tickets to the Symphony Under the Stars performances. Check your PNM April bill or visit NMSO.org for more details. Pianist Wilson and Santa Fe Mastro Smith close out NMSO Classics season May 16-18 PIANIST WILSON, SANTA FE MAESTRO SMITH TO CLOSE OUT NMSO’S 75TH CLASSICS SEASON MAY 16-18 (ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., May 2, 2008) – The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra’s 75th anniversary Classics Series season comes to an end May 16, 17 and 18 with three performances featuring virtuoso pianist Terrence Wilson playing Mozart’s legendary Piano Concerto No. 21, followed by Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. All three performances will be conducted by Santa Fe Symphony Music Director Steven Smith, May 16 and 17 at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico’s main campus, and May 18 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Pianist Terrence Wilson is one of today’s most gifted instrumentalists. He has received numerous awards and prizes, including the Sony ES Award for Musical Excellence, an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Juilliard Petschek Award. Wilson is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky. He is active as a recitalist and made his New York City recital debut at the 92nd Street Y and his Washington D.C. recital debut at the Kennedy Center. Wilson has appeared with many prestigious ensembles, including the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Washington D.C., San Francisco and St. Louis, as well as with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra in Switzerland and the Malaysian Philharmonic at the Dewan Philharmonik Petronas. Among the conductors with whom he has worked are Marin Alsop, Christoph Eschenbach, Neeme Jarvi, Yoel Levi, Andrew Litton, Jesus Lopez-Cobos and Robert Spano. Steven Smith is now in his eighth season as music director of the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. He also serves as music director of the award-winning Cleveland Chamber Symphony, an ensemble devoted to the performance of contemporary music. From 1997 to 2003, Smith served as the assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, leading subscription concerts, summer concerts at the Blossom Music Festival and various holiday programs. Smith is also an active ASCAP award-winning composer. Numerous orchestras and ensembles, including the Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the National, Indianapolis, Colorado Springs, Columbus and Grand Rapids symphony orchestras have performed his works. The Friday performance will begin at 8 p.m. at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico campus, also the site of the Saturday performance starting at 6 p.m. The Sunday performance will take place at the Albuquerque Journal Theater at the National Hispanic Cultural Center beginning at 2 p.m. Tickets may be reserved by calling (505) 881-8999, online at www.nmso.org, or in person at the NMSO Box Office at 4407 Menaul NE (at Washington) in Albuquerque. Tickets for the Popejoy performances cost $12-$60, while tickets to the NHCC Journal Theatre performance cost $19-$60. A limited quantity of student rush tickets will be sold at $8 each, limited to two tickets per student with valid ID and available beginning 90 minutes prior to showtime at the Popejoy Hall and NHCC box offices. Beginning as the Albuquerque Civic Symphony in November 1932, the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra is now the official orchestra of the State of New Mexico and has taken its place among the great cultural institutions of our state. In addition to our Classics, Pops and Symphony Under the Stars series—which enrich the lives of over 130,000 people each year—the NMSO is the largest non-governmental provider of music education in New Mexico and performs many NMSO Family Concerts with no admission charge. The NMSO has also been recognized by the Mellon Foundation for its innovative community engagement efforts. The NMSO is currently under the baton of Guillermo Figueroa, the symphony’s tenth music director, Resident Conductor and Choral Director Roger Melone, and Principal Pops Conductor Michael Krajewski. For more information on the NMSO, visit our web site at www.nmso.org. VIOLINIST KEEFE, YOUTH SYMPHONY PERFORM IN NMSO’S NEXT CLASSICS PERFORMANCES The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra’s season gives us a glimpse into the future with a program featuring up-and-coming violin virtuoso Erin Keefe, as well as the Albuquerque Youth Symphony. All three performances of this program will be conducted by NMSO Music Director Guillermo Figueroa, April 25 and 26 at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico’s main campus, and April 27 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. The program for these concerts will open with the Albuquerque Youth Symphony performing Joan Tower’s Grammy Award-winning Made in America. Then, the NMSO and Keefe will take the stage to perform Dvorák’s Violin Concerto. And the NMSO will conclude the program with Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2. Winner of the 2006 Avery Fisher Career Grant, American violinist Erin Keefe is quickly establishing a reputation and earning praise as a compelling artist who combines exhilarating temperament and fierce integrity. A top prize winner of several international competitions, she recently took the grand prizes in the 2006 Schadt Competition, the 2004 Corpus Christi International String Competition, and was the silver medalist in the Carl Nielsen and Gyeongnam (Korea) International Violin competitions. Keefe has appeared in recent seasons with many leading artists including the Emerson String Quartet, Roberto and Andres Diaz, Edgar Meyer, Wu Han, Richard Goode, David Soyer, Peter Wiley, Gilbert Kalish and William Preucil. She also performed on a program with Michael Tilson Thomas premiering his own chamber music at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall. Her recording credits include Schoenberg’s Second String Quartet with Ida Kavafian, Paul Neubauer, Fred Sherry, and Jennifer Welch-Babidge for Robert Craft and the Naxos Label, as well as live performances of the Bartok Contrasts and Dvorak Piano Quintet recorded for Deutsche Gramophone and iTunes. The NMSO and the Albuquerque Youth Symphony program have long enjoyed a partnership in the community. The AYS seeks to instill a lifelong passion for music in motivated young people in the greater Albuquerque area through the pursuit of excellence in orchestral musical performance. The AYS’ Albuquerque Youth Symphony – taking the stage for part of these three NMSO performances – is the premier orchestra of the Albuquerque Youth Symphony program. The AYS was formed in 1955 as a collaborative project between the Albuquerque Public Schools and the University of New Mexico. Kurt Frederick – the NMSO’s second music director – was the AYS’ first conductor. For more on the Albuquerque Youth Symphony, visit its web site at aysmusic.org. The Naxos recording of Tower’s Made in America by Leonard Slatkin and the Nashville Symphony recently won three Grammy Awards for the categories of best classical album, best orchestral performance and best classical contemporary composition. The Friday performance will begin at 8 p.m. at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico campus, also the site of the Saturday performance starting at 6 p.m. The Sunday performance will take place at the Albuquerque Journal Theater at the National Hispanic Cultural Center beginning at 2 p.m. Tickets may be reserved by calling (505) 881-8999, online at www.nmso.org, or in person at the NMSO Box Office at 4407 Menaul NE (at Washington) in Albuquerque. Tickets for the Popejoy performances cost $12-$60, while tickets to the NHCC Journal Theatre performance cost $19-$60. A limited quantity of student rush tickets will be sold at $8 each, limited to two tickets per student with valid ID and available beginning 90 minutes prior to showtime at the Popejoy Hall and NHCC box offices. NMSO POPS CONCLUDES 2007-08 SEASON WITH A CELEBRATION OF HENRY MANCINI The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra’s Pops season concludes with a salute to one of the most prolific and beloved film composers of all time, Henry Mancini. Conducted by Michael Berkowitz, the concert will take place at 8 p.m., April 19, at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico campus. The program for this concert will feature the NMSO Pops performing “The Pink Panther,” “Moon River,” “Baby Elephant Walk,” “Peter Gunn,” “Days of Wine and Roses” and much more. Johnny Green, the great composer-conductor, called Berkowitz a “Drummer Conductor Extraordinaire.” He has performed as a drummer for Mancini himself, as well as Liza Minnelli, Michael Crawford, Billy Joel, Sting, Elton John, and Bette Midler. He has conducted orchestras for Marvin Hamlisch, Roberta Flack, Maureen McGovern, Michael Feinstein and Sarah Brightman. Berkowitz has led many orchestras in concert, including the Boston Pops, London Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Pittsburgh Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, National Symphony. He is also featured on recordings with Steve Lawrence, Placido Domingo, Linda Eder, as well as on countless original cast albums, movies, jingles and television performances. For more on Berkowitz, visit his website at berkmusic.com. Mancini was best known for his work in film music, especially scores for the films of Blake Edwards – including The Pink Panther, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Victor/Victoria and Days of Wine and Roses among others – but is also remembered for scoring Hatari!, The Molly Maguires, Peter Gunn, Silver Streak and many others. He also composed the themes to television programs The Thorn Birds, Remington Steele, What’s Happening!! among others. Mancini recorded over 90 albums and made over 600 appearances as a guest conductor with orchestras including the Boston Pops and the London Symphony Orchestra before his death in 1994. Tickets may be reserved by calling (505) 881-8999, online at www.nmso.org, or in person at the NMSO Box Office at 4407 Menaul NE (at Washington) in Albuquerque. Tickets cost $18-$54. A limited quantity of student rush tickets will be sold at $8 each, limited to two tickets per student with valid ID and available beginning 90 minutes prior to showtime at the Popejoy Hall box office. ACCLAIMED NMSO CHORUS HEADLINES BRAHMS REQUIEM MARCH 28-30 The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra’s 75th anniversary season continues as the NMSO Chorus joins the orchestra to perform Johannes Brahms’ German Requiem in three Classics Series performances. All three performances of this program will be conducted by NMSO Resident Conductor and Chorus Director Roger Melone, March 28 and 29 at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico’s main campus, and March 30 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. The NMSO Chorus is gearing up for another performance at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival in Vail, Colo., with the Philadelphia Orchestra this summer. The Chorus will again join forces with the Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Rossen Milanov to perform Orff’s Carmina Burana, July 14. It will be the third consecutive year that the NMSO Chorus has appeared at the festival in recognition of their status as one of the finest symphony choruses in the country. Philadelphia, the Rochester (N.Y.) Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic are the resident orchestras at Vail. Inspired by the deaths of both his mother and his musical mentor, Robert Schumann, Brahms assembled the texts for the Requiem himself, elegantly and skillfully interweaving 16 different passages from the New and Old Testaments and the Apocrypha around the themes of consolation and hope. The music to which he set these texts reflects his love for the music of the Renaissance and Baroque—music that in his day was considered outmoded and primitive. He avidly collected and copied old scores of Palestrina, Isaak, Schütz, Bach and Handel, and over the years amassed a personal library of music and music books that totaled over 2000 volumes. The result of what his contemporaries considered an eccentric hobby was a gradual absorption into his own thoroughly Romantic musical language of the contrapuntal and structural techniques of the old masters. This love of antiquity was complemented by his early experiences as a choral conductor at the tiny Court of Detmold and with the Singakademie of Vienna. Although these amateur choruses were limited in ability, Brahms was able to prepare and perform the music of his beloved Bach, Handel and Schütz with them, and this hands-on experience bore inspired fruit in the magnificent choral writing of the Requiem. Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn will also be on the program for all three performances. The Friday performance will begin at 8 p.m. at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico campus, also the site of the Saturday performance starting at 6 p.m. The Sunday performance will take place at the Albuquerque Journal Theater at the National Hispanic Cultural Center beginning at 2 p.m. Tickets may be reserved by calling (505) 881-8999, online at www.nmso.org, or in person at the NMSO Box Office at 4407 Menaul NE (at Washington) in Albuquerque. Tickets for the Popejoy performances cost $12-$60, while tickets to the NHCC Journal Theatre performance cost $19-$60. A limited quantity of student rush tickets will be sold at $8 each, limited to two tickets per student with valid ID and only available beginning 90 minutes prior to showtime exclusively available at the Popejoy Hall and NHCC box offices. NMSO ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE OF PRINCIPAL POPS CONDUCTOR KRAJEWSKI The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra announced the departure of NMSO Pops Principal Conductor Michael Krajewski at last Saturday evening’s “Dancin’ in the Rain” concert, effective at the end of the 2007-08 season. Krajewski has led the NMSO Pops since 2000. A search for a new principal pops conductor will commence next season. Details on the search will be forthcoming. Krajewski is a favorite with concertgoers across the country. The much sought after pops conductor is known for his imaginative and entertaining programs and his delightfully wry sense of humor. Audiences who attend his concerts leave smiling, remembering the evening’s music and surprises. Krajewski serves as principal pops conductor of the Houston Symphony and the Jacksonville Symphony. He completed his long tenure as Principal Pops Conductor at Long Beach in 2005. As a guest conductor, he has appeared with the Boston Pops Orchestra and and many other orchestras. He has performed with Judy Collins, Roberta Flack, Doc Severinsen, Cab Calloway, Al Hirt, The Kingston Trio, The Canadian Brass and Ben E. King, among others. Born in Detroit, Michael Krajewski holds degrees from Wayne State University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and furthered his training with studies at the Pierre Monteux Domaine School for Conductors. Krajewski has twice received awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for adventuresome programming of contemporary music. Michael Krajewski lives in Orlando, Fla., with his wife, Darcy. NMSO POPS GOES BACK TO THE DAYS OF FRED and GINGER FOR DANCING IN THE RAIN FEB. 23 The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra’s NMSO Pops season continues with a trip back to the days of old-style Hollywood glamour, dancing and music as dancers Joan Hess and Kirby Ward join conductor Michael Krajewski for a concert entitled “Dancin’ in the Rain.” The concert will take place Feb. 23, 8 p.m., at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico campus. In a nod to the style of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the NMSO Pops will perform many popular dance songs – from Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek” and “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails,” to George Gershwin’s “Slap that Bass” and “Embraceable You” – accompanying Hess and Ward dancing onstage. Tickets may be reserved by calling (505) 881-8999, online at www.nmso.org, or in-person at the Symphony Store at 4407 Menaul NE (at Washington) in Albuquerque. Tickets cost $18-$54. A limited quantity of student rush tickets will be available, limited to two tickets per student with valid ID priced at $8 each for student rush, and only available 90 minutes prior to showtime exclusively available at the Popejoy Hall box office. Pianist Jeffrey Biegel headlines NMSO Feb. 29-March 2 The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra’s 75th anniversary season continues with the New Mexico premiere of Lowell Liebermann’s Concerto No. 3 for Piano and Orchestra featuring pianist Jeffrey Biegel, as well as the NMSO Chorus performing Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2. All three performances of this program will be conducted by NMSO Music Director Guillermo Figueroa, Feb. 29, March 1 and March 2. The program also features Debussy’s Nocturnes and Wagner’s overture to The Flying Dutchman. The Friday performance will begin at 8 p.m. at Popejoy Hall on the University of New Mexico campus, also the site of the Saturday performance starting at 6 p.m. The Sunday performance at the National Hispanic Cultural Center begins at 2 p.m. Biegel was the man behind the massive, 18-orchestra commissioning of the Liebermann concerto, which had its world premiere in Milwaukee in 2006. Biegel is one of today's most respected artists and has created a multi-faceted career as a pianist, composer and arranger. His electrifying technique and mesmerizing touch has won critical acclaim and garners praise throughout the world. Biegel recently combined his performing and arranging gifts in the new Symphonic Fantasies for Piano and Orchestra based on four of Billy Joel's classical compositions from Fantasies and Delusions. In 1985, Leonard Bernstein said of Biegel: “He played fantastic Liszt. He is a splendid musician and a brilliant performer.” These comments helped to launch Biegel's 1986 New York recital debut, as the recipient of the coveted Juilliard William Petschek Piano Debut Award, in Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts' Alice Tully Hall. His career has been marked by bold, creative achievements and highlighted by a series of firsts: He envisioned and performed the first live internet recitals in New York and Amsterdam in 1997 and 1998, enabling him to be seen and heard by a global audience. In 1999, he assembled the largest consortium of orchestras (over 25), to celebrate the millennium with a new concerto composed for him by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The Millennium Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra was premiered with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In 1997, he performed the Boston premiere of the restored, original 1924 manuscript of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with the Boston Pops. He transcribed the first edition of Balakirev's Islamey Fantasy for piano and orchestra, which he premiered with the American Symphony Orchestra in 2001. Charles Strouse composed a new work titled Concerto America for Mr. Biegel, premiered with the Boston Pops in 2002. The NMSO Chorus, led by Roger Melone, is getting set for its third annual appearance at the Bravo! Vail (Colo.) Valley Music Festival with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2008. Tickets may be reserved by calling (505) 881-8999, online at www.nmso.org, or in-person at the Symphony Store at 4407 Menaul NE (at Washington) in Albuquerque. Tickets for the Popejoy performances cost $12-$60, while tickets to the NHCC Journal Theatre performance cost $19-$60. A limited quantity of student rush tickets will be available, limited to two tickets per student with valid ID priced at $8 each for student rush, and only available 90 minutes prior to showtime exclusively available at the Popejoy Hall and NHCC box offices, respectively. |
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