POPULAR NERVE ENDINGS SERIES TO FEATURE THREE
EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINING CONCERTS IN 2002-2003
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Portland, Ore. ... Following a landmark season of complete sell-outs, the Oregon Symphony's innovative and contemporary Nerve Ending series for the 2002-2003 season will feature a look into the fascinating life of Tchaikovsky, an exploration of American Jazz in Europe and an Ives "stew," all led by Resident Conductor Murry Sidlin. Nerve Endings is sponsored by BridgePort Brewing Company. Media support is provided by The Oregonian and Oregon Public Broadcasting.

"Shadows and Voices: Tchaikovsky's Last Days" will kick off the Nerve Endings series Friday, Nov. 15, 2002. The concert will explore Tchaikovsky's psychological state in 1893 when the composer wrote to his brother that he was being followed, and that he heard voices telling him of death. Sidlin will examine the pathos and longing of Tchaikovsky's compositions while actors portray the composer and some of his acquaintances.

"Le Jazz Hot" will explore the infectious nature of American rhythm and improvisation and how Europeans adapted American jazz to their cultures Friday, Jan. 24, 2003. Music includes Stravinsky, Milhaud, Rolf Lieberman's Concerto for Jazz Band and Orchestra and Constant Lambert's "The Rio Grande" for Chorus, Piano and Orchestra, featuring pianist Michael Chertock of the 2001-2002 opening Bank of America Pops concert.

"Beware the Ives of March/Beware the March of Ives" will use actors and video to "get into the head" of an America enigma, musical humorist and icon, Charles Ives, Friday, March 7, 2003. A successful and wealthy insurance salesman by day, Ives wrote music as he heard it, without the constraints of having to make money from the music. The concert will feature Ives' "America Variations," Symphony No. 2 and "The Unanswered Question" and will include performances by local high school bands.

The Nerve Endings series debuted in 1996 as a Knight Foundation "Magic of Music" initiative, designed to redefine and revitalize the symphonic concert hall experience for audiences and musicians. The series has demonstrated numerous successes, including regular sell-outs and a subscriber base that has more than tripled over three seasons. Interactive events mixing art forms and casual, informative conversation, such as 1997's "Flamenco and the Symphony Orchestra - The Passion and the Darkness," 1998's "Music of the Voyager Space Probe" and 1999's "Aaron Copland's America - People, Places and Ideals," have played to full houses, and audience and critical response has been overwhelmingly positive. The 2000-2001 Nerve Endings season included "Film-Harmonic," an artistic collaboration with the Northwest Film Center in which four prominent local filmmakers joined the Oregon Symphony in creating their interpretations of symphonic works. The Oregon Symphony received a major grant from the Knight Foundation to recreate Nerve Endings for three other American orchestras in December 2000.

NERVE ENDINGS

Nerve Endings - "Classical music done in a very unclassical way" - is the Oregon Symphony's innovative series designed for both the first-time concertgoer and the musical connoisseur. The casual, informative and thoroughly entertaining series features multi-media to connect audiences with classical music. Nerve Endings concerts are presented on Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Resident Conductor Murry Sidlin acts as conductor and guide for this unique, cutting-edge series, which has attracted national attention to the Oregon Symphony.

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

To introduce more students and young adults to symphonic music, Nerve Endings subscriptions are available to this group at substantially reduced prices. Subscriptions for Nerve Endings range in price from $35 to $135 for adults; $25 to $135 for students and young adults (age 25 & under) and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office in downtown Portland at 923 S.W. Washington, or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343, weekdays (and Saturdays, Sept. through May) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Subscription orders also may be placed online at www.orsymphony.org. Nerve Endings subscribers receive full subscription benefits, including flexible ticket exchange and advance purchase for Special Event concerts at a 20 percent discount.

Single tickets for Nerve Endings and other Symphony concerts will be available to the general public at 9 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 19, 2002.