MURRY SIDLIN TO CONDUCT CLASSICAL CONCERT FEATURING INSPIRING WORKS,
DEBUT OF YOUNG PIANO STAR STEWART GOODYEAR
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Portland, Ore. … Acclaimed pianist Stewart Goodyear will make his Oregon Symphony debut performing one of the most popular instrumental concertos ever written, Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, in an Oregon Symphony Classical Bravo concert led by Resident Conductor Murry Sidlin April 27 through 29 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and April 30 at Salem's Smith Auditorium. The program also will feature Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony and the Oregon Symphony debut of Viktor Ullmann's Symphony No. 2. Classical Bravo concerts are sponsored by ODS Health Plans.

The concert will begin with Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony, known as one of the most inspired and beloved of all symphonies, followed by Ullmann's Symphony No. 2. Ullmann was among a number of artists interned at the Terezin concentration camp during World War II, and his second symphony is among the works he composed there before his death in Auschwitz in 1944. "It must be emphasized that Terezin has served to intensify, not obstruct, our musical activities; that we did not sit down by the waters of Babylon and weep; and that our artistic endeavors were commensurate with our will to live," he wrote. The Symphony debut of Ullmann's Second Symphony falls during Expressions of Human Dignity Month, a community event endorsed by the city of Portland in April to encourage every citizen and organization to create outlets for positive human expression.

The second half of the concert will feature Goodyear's performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. Goodyear has been noted for his innovation and is one of the rare classical musicians to always improvise his cadenzas when performing concertos from the classical period. He has been repeatedly praised for both his individuality and an appreciation of the composer's own style.

In addition to pre-concert talks one hour before the concert, Oregon Symphony Classical concerts regularly include additional opportunities for listeners to learn more about the music and the orchestra.

These activities include:
Saturday: The conductor will discuss the program from the podium in "Symphony Interactive." Media support for "Symphony Interactive" is provided by KINKfm102.
Sunday: Audience members will be invited to stay for a 15-20 minute panel discussion with musicians and/or the conductor. Media support for "Sunday Night Post-Concert Discussion" is provided by KBPS.

Performances are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28, at 7:30 p.m. and Monday, April 29, at 8 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and Tuesday, April 30 at 8 p.m. at Salem's Smith Auditorium. Tickets range in price from $15 to $70 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (503-790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster Online, via the Symphony's Web site at www.orsymphony.org. Service fees may apply.

Stewart Goodyear

Known for imagination, a graceful, elegant style and exquisite technique, 22-year-old pianist, Stewart Goodyear, is an accomplished young artist whose career is on the rise.

Some highlights of his upcoming schedule include his return to the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Yakov Kreizberg, his debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony conducted by Pinchas Zukerman, as well as recitals in San Francisco and at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. In 2000-01, Stewart performed with the Seattle Symphony, the New Jersey Symphony, and for the third consecutive season with the National Arts Center Orchestra of Canada.

In recent seasons, Stewart toured the United States with the Toronto Symphony led by Jukka-Pekka Saraste and collaborated with the National Arts Center Orchestra of Canada led by Pinchas Zuckerman and Lawrence Foster. He also appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony, as well as the Montreal Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestras. Following his New York debut with Emmanuel Krivine and the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra in 1999, Stewart was the guest soloist on the final Japan Tour of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwarz. In addition to the Mostly Mozart Festival, Stewart has appeared at festivals such as Caramoor, Santa Fe, and most recently at the Ravinia Festival in the "Rising Stars" series.

In addition to his talents as a pianist, Stewart is a composer and frequently performs his own works, including his solo piano work, "Variations on 'Eleanor Rigby,'" which premiered at Lincoln Center in New York in August 2000, and his Piano Sonata, both of which have received continual acclaim by critics and audiences alike. He has written by commission for the Toronto Youth Symphony for its 25th anniversary, as well as for the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.

Stewart has been noted for his innovation and is one of the rare classical musicians to always improvise his cadenzas when performing concertos from the classical period. He has been repeatedly praised for both the inspiring individuality and appreciation of the composer's own style that he clearly conveys in every performance. In fact, in January 2000, after a performance of Mozart's Concerto K. 467 with the Philadelphia Orchestra, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote: "The cadenzas were where the real magic was. In them, Goodyear produced surprising harmonies, turning familiar melodies on their head by giving them new context. He led back into the tutti sections in a particularly daring and exhilarating way with fully formed ideas, keeping the listener guessing whether the end was really in sight. All the cadenza material had an improvised feel, and in fact, Goodyear was writing them as we listened."

A native of Toronto, Stewart recently graduated with a Masters Degree from the Juilliard School of Music studying with Oxana Yablonskaya. He previously studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with Leon Fleisher, Gary Graffman and Claude Frank.