Industry News
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Announces 2010-11 Season
New York, NY --
The coming 2010-11 season for the internationally acclaimed Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is set to thoroughly enchant New York audiences throughout the orchestra's annual Carnegie Hall series. This season—Orpheus’ 38th in the city—will showcase a combination of revivals of classic Orpheus favorites as well as pieces that are new to Orpheus’ repertoire. Highlights include timeless works of Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn and a revival of an Orpheus commission by Fred Lerdahl. All concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall.
A self-governing organization, Orpheus was founded in 1972 by cellist Julian Fifer and a group of fellow musicians who aspired to perform diverse orchestral repertoire using chamber music ensemble techniques. Today, Orpheus continues to uphold this philosophy, performing without a conductor and rotating musical leadership roles for each work. The effect is extraordinary: The Chicago Tribune gushes, "Orpheus Chamber Orchestra shattered the mold, becoming in the process one of the more memorable events in this festival's 13-year history."
Orpheus is more than a novelty act, however; The New York Times raves, "Orpheus, whose string players perform with the physical verve of members of a string quartet, produced a convincingly full-blooded sound." The Los Angeles Times agrees: "A virtuosic whole...they’re fast. They’re together. They’re aggressive. They can be electrifying."
This season will only add to the orchestra's stellar reputation. On October 14, 2010, Orpheus will lead off the season with a performance featuring acclaimed piano virtuoso Garrick Ohlsson. Ohlsson, who entered Julliard at thirteen and first performed at Carnegie Hall in 1980, has long been known as a master of Chopin—indeed, he is the only American ever to win the Chopin International Piano Competition in Poland, a title he has held since 1970. Since that fateful day, Ohlsson has only grown in artistic breadth and depth, while still maintaining his electric, powerful style. The title of a 2008 New York Times review of an Ohlsson concert says it all: "In a Pianist’s Expanding Repertory, Currents of Energy, Humor, and Drama." Ohlsson is nothing if not a dynamic musical force of nature. The orchestra will perform Schubert’s Symphony No. 4 in C minor "Tragic," D.417, three movements from Berg’s Lyric Suite, and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58, featuring Garrick Ohlsson.
On December 4, 2010, the orchestra will perform with up-and-coming British soprano Kate Royal. Royal, who will make her Metropolitan Opera debut in spring 2011, is one of Europe’s most beloved young stars, having won the 2004 Kathleen Ferrier and John Christie awards as well as the 2007 Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist award. Royal has played lead roles for Glyndebourne on Tour, the Teatro Real in Madrid, and the Glyndebourne Festival, but she shines just as bright in a recital setting, having performed with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic, among others. Her debut album received rave reviews; the BBC reported, "Kate Royal is much more than just a beautiful voice. This is music and singing to savour.”"The performance includes Barber’s Capricorn Concerto, a rich and complicated piece showcasing the performers’ virtuosity; Britten’s Les Illuminations featuring Kate Royal; and the orchestra’s very first foray into Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.
On January 29, 2011, Israeli violin virtuoso Vadim Gluzman will perform with the orchestra. Gluzman, who received the prestigious Henryk Szeryng Foundation Career Award in 1994, is no stranger to world-class orchestra performance; he has played all over the globe to rave reviews. Not to be limited by the traditional classical music composers, Gluzman makes a point to introduce his enraptured audience to newer and more obscure works, all with his larger-than-life, dynamic style. Orpheus will perform Schumann’s Overture to Hermann and Dorothea; Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor featuring Vadim Gluzman; Penderecki’s Serenade; and Brahms’ Serenade No. 2 in A major.
On March 19, 2011, legendary Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder will be featured in a performance of works by Mozart, Roussel and Lerdahl. Buchbinder, famous for both his Beethoven interpretations and his insistence on unedited and original scores (he personally owns 18 complete editions of Beethoven’s sonatas), is welcomed at the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestre de Paris, the London Philharmonic,the Vienna Philharmonic and numerous other world-class orchestras. In 2007, Buchbinder became the founding artistic director of the Grafenegg Music Festival, an international festival located near Vienna. Orpheus will perform Roussel’s Concerto for Small Orchestra; Mozart’s Piano concerto No. 20 in D Minor, featuring Rudolf Buchbinder; Lerdahl’s Waves, commissioned, premiered, and recorded by Orpheus in the 1980s; and Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major.
On April 29, 2011, Orpheus will perform with rising violin star Arabella Steinbacher. Steinbacher’s story resembles a Hollywood screenplay: working as an understudy, she got her big break when a colleague fell ill, making a spectacular debut with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Since that fateful day, Steinbacher has appeared with the London Philharmonic, among others. Her repertoire is dynamic and diverse, and her albums have won the German Record Critics Award. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra will perform Strauss’ Serenade in E flat Major; Hartmann’s Concerto Eunebre and Mozart’s Rondo in C Major, both featuring Steinbacher.
In addition to the Carnegie Hall series, Orpheus has partnered with WQXR to launch Project 440, where musically diverse young composers compete for a commission from Orpheus for the 2011-12 season. Although Orpheus and other top musical authorities will eventually make the decision, the public is encouraged to weigh in online by commenting on the composers’ profiles. Anyone’s voice can be heard, but the judging panel will assure that the project will keep its integrity as a talent, not popularity, contest. The winners will be announced online in October 2010.
Also coming up this season is the inaugural Spring For Music festival, which invites guest orchestras from around North America to perform at Carnegie Hall. Orpheus will open the festival with the first concert on May 6, 2011, welcoming symphony and chamber orchestras from Albany, Dallas, St. Paul, Oregon, Toledo and Montreal. Following closely after this will be Orpheus' exciting first public concert at Lincoln Center on May 16, 2011. This not-to-be-missed gala will be the orchestra's first time at Live From Lincoln Center and will take place at the Rose Theater.
MetLife Foundation is the Official Tour and Radio Broadcast Sponsor of Orpheus. Project 440 is supported by a leadership gift from an anonymous donor, with additional major support provided by Thomas Bishop. Project 440 is a collaboration between Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and WQXR 105.9FM.
###
For more information about Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, please contact:
Amanda Ameer
First Chair Promotion
e. amanda@firstchairpromo.com
ph. 212.368.5949
The coming 2010-11 season for the internationally acclaimed Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is set to thoroughly enchant New York audiences throughout the orchestra's annual Carnegie Hall series. This season—Orpheus’ 38th in the city—will showcase a combination of revivals of classic Orpheus favorites as well as pieces that are new to Orpheus’ repertoire. Highlights include timeless works of Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn and a revival of an Orpheus commission by Fred Lerdahl. All concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall.
A self-governing organization, Orpheus was founded in 1972 by cellist Julian Fifer and a group of fellow musicians who aspired to perform diverse orchestral repertoire using chamber music ensemble techniques. Today, Orpheus continues to uphold this philosophy, performing without a conductor and rotating musical leadership roles for each work. The effect is extraordinary: The Chicago Tribune gushes, "Orpheus Chamber Orchestra shattered the mold, becoming in the process one of the more memorable events in this festival's 13-year history."
Orpheus is more than a novelty act, however; The New York Times raves, "Orpheus, whose string players perform with the physical verve of members of a string quartet, produced a convincingly full-blooded sound." The Los Angeles Times agrees: "A virtuosic whole...they’re fast. They’re together. They’re aggressive. They can be electrifying."
This season will only add to the orchestra's stellar reputation. On October 14, 2010, Orpheus will lead off the season with a performance featuring acclaimed piano virtuoso Garrick Ohlsson. Ohlsson, who entered Julliard at thirteen and first performed at Carnegie Hall in 1980, has long been known as a master of Chopin—indeed, he is the only American ever to win the Chopin International Piano Competition in Poland, a title he has held since 1970. Since that fateful day, Ohlsson has only grown in artistic breadth and depth, while still maintaining his electric, powerful style. The title of a 2008 New York Times review of an Ohlsson concert says it all: "In a Pianist’s Expanding Repertory, Currents of Energy, Humor, and Drama." Ohlsson is nothing if not a dynamic musical force of nature. The orchestra will perform Schubert’s Symphony No. 4 in C minor "Tragic," D.417, three movements from Berg’s Lyric Suite, and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58, featuring Garrick Ohlsson.
On December 4, 2010, the orchestra will perform with up-and-coming British soprano Kate Royal. Royal, who will make her Metropolitan Opera debut in spring 2011, is one of Europe’s most beloved young stars, having won the 2004 Kathleen Ferrier and John Christie awards as well as the 2007 Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist award. Royal has played lead roles for Glyndebourne on Tour, the Teatro Real in Madrid, and the Glyndebourne Festival, but she shines just as bright in a recital setting, having performed with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic, among others. Her debut album received rave reviews; the BBC reported, "Kate Royal is much more than just a beautiful voice. This is music and singing to savour.”"The performance includes Barber’s Capricorn Concerto, a rich and complicated piece showcasing the performers’ virtuosity; Britten’s Les Illuminations featuring Kate Royal; and the orchestra’s very first foray into Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.
On January 29, 2011, Israeli violin virtuoso Vadim Gluzman will perform with the orchestra. Gluzman, who received the prestigious Henryk Szeryng Foundation Career Award in 1994, is no stranger to world-class orchestra performance; he has played all over the globe to rave reviews. Not to be limited by the traditional classical music composers, Gluzman makes a point to introduce his enraptured audience to newer and more obscure works, all with his larger-than-life, dynamic style. Orpheus will perform Schumann’s Overture to Hermann and Dorothea; Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor featuring Vadim Gluzman; Penderecki’s Serenade; and Brahms’ Serenade No. 2 in A major.
On March 19, 2011, legendary Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder will be featured in a performance of works by Mozart, Roussel and Lerdahl. Buchbinder, famous for both his Beethoven interpretations and his insistence on unedited and original scores (he personally owns 18 complete editions of Beethoven’s sonatas), is welcomed at the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestre de Paris, the London Philharmonic,the Vienna Philharmonic and numerous other world-class orchestras. In 2007, Buchbinder became the founding artistic director of the Grafenegg Music Festival, an international festival located near Vienna. Orpheus will perform Roussel’s Concerto for Small Orchestra; Mozart’s Piano concerto No. 20 in D Minor, featuring Rudolf Buchbinder; Lerdahl’s Waves, commissioned, premiered, and recorded by Orpheus in the 1980s; and Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major.
On April 29, 2011, Orpheus will perform with rising violin star Arabella Steinbacher. Steinbacher’s story resembles a Hollywood screenplay: working as an understudy, she got her big break when a colleague fell ill, making a spectacular debut with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Since that fateful day, Steinbacher has appeared with the London Philharmonic, among others. Her repertoire is dynamic and diverse, and her albums have won the German Record Critics Award. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra will perform Strauss’ Serenade in E flat Major; Hartmann’s Concerto Eunebre and Mozart’s Rondo in C Major, both featuring Steinbacher.
In addition to the Carnegie Hall series, Orpheus has partnered with WQXR to launch Project 440, where musically diverse young composers compete for a commission from Orpheus for the 2011-12 season. Although Orpheus and other top musical authorities will eventually make the decision, the public is encouraged to weigh in online by commenting on the composers’ profiles. Anyone’s voice can be heard, but the judging panel will assure that the project will keep its integrity as a talent, not popularity, contest. The winners will be announced online in October 2010.
Also coming up this season is the inaugural Spring For Music festival, which invites guest orchestras from around North America to perform at Carnegie Hall. Orpheus will open the festival with the first concert on May 6, 2011, welcoming symphony and chamber orchestras from Albany, Dallas, St. Paul, Oregon, Toledo and Montreal. Following closely after this will be Orpheus' exciting first public concert at Lincoln Center on May 16, 2011. This not-to-be-missed gala will be the orchestra's first time at Live From Lincoln Center and will take place at the Rose Theater.
MetLife Foundation is the Official Tour and Radio Broadcast Sponsor of Orpheus. Project 440 is supported by a leadership gift from an anonymous donor, with additional major support provided by Thomas Bishop. Project 440 is a collaboration between Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and WQXR 105.9FM.
###
For more information about Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, please contact:
Amanda Ameer
First Chair Promotion
e. amanda@firstchairpromo.com
ph. 212.368.5949
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