August 19, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. .The opening Classical Concert of the Oregon Symphony's 2002-2003 James DePreist Tribute Season will feature the return of acclaimed young violinist Leila Josefowicz, performing Tchaikovsky's "Violin Concerto in D major," Sept. 21 through 23 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Josefowicz made her Carnegie Hall debut with the Tchaikovsky concerto in 1994 at the age of 16. Her debut performance with the Oregon Symphony was the following month, in October of 1994, when she performed the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 with DePreist. An additional performance of this concert is scheduled for Sept. 24 at Willamette University's Smith Auditorium. Media support for the Classical series is provided by The Oregonian.
The concert opens with "Sensemayá" by Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas. Considered by musicologists to be Mexico's most important 20th century composer, Revueltas is known for incorporating idiomatic Mexican sounds and styles into his music. The concert continues with Josefowicz and the Tchaikovsky concerto, of which famed critic Eduard Hanslick said following its 1881 premiere: "the violin is no longer played, but torn apart, pounded black and blue." Josefowicz has been praised for her virtuosity, energy and refreshing new perspectives on standard violin repertoire, and has performed with some of today's finest international ensembles and musicians, including the Boston Symphony under the direction of Seiji Ozawa.
The second half of the concert is devoted to a performance and live concert recording of Sibelius' Symphony No. 2 in D major, considered his most popular work. Sibelius was known for his intense devotion to Finnish culture and this symphony suggests a programmatic narrative. DePreist has long been fond of Sibelius' music; the recording with Delos International Classics is made possible by the Gretchen Brooks Recording Fund.
The James DePreist Tribute Season is a celebration of DePreist's immeasurable contributions and achievements during 23 years as the Symphony's Music Director and Conductor. Though this is DePreist's last season as Music Director, his relationship with the orchestra and the community will continue indefinitely in his new role as Laureate Music Director. During his tenure, DePreist has transformed the Oregon Symphony to major orchestra status, with a national reputation for quality and innovation, while increasing concert activity and even greater service in the areas of education and community programs.
Oregon Symphony Classical concerts regularly include additional opportunities for listeners to learn more about the music and the orchestra. These activities include:
One hour before the concert Symphony Artistic Administrator Charles Calmer will present an overview of the 2002-2003 season.
DePreist will discuss the program from the podium in "Saturday Interactive." Media support for "Saturday Interactive" is provided by KINKfm102.
Audience members will be invited to stay for a 15-20 minute panel discussion featuring Josefowicz and Conducting Assistant Jonathan Pasternack. Media support for "Sunday Post-Concert Discussion" is provided by KBPS.
Performances are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21 and 22, at 7:30 p.m. and Monday, Sept. 23, at 8 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Tickets range in price from $16 to $72 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Friday, 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. For tickets to the Salem performance, call 503-364-0149.
At the age of 24, Leila Josefowicz has won the hearts of audiences around the world with her honest, fresh approach to the repertoire and her dynamic virtuosity.
Ms. Josefowicz came to national attention in 1994 when she made her Carnegie Hall debut performing the Tchaikovsky Concerto with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. The performance was immediately followed by her debut recording of the Tchaikovsky and the Sibelius concertos for Philips Classics. Since that time, she has appeared with many of the world's most prestigious orchestras including the Boston and Chicago symphonies, Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras, Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Deutsches-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the NHK Symphony Orchestra and collaborated with such eminent conductors as Seiji Ozawa, Valery Gergiev, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Charles Dutoit, Kurt Sanderling and Franz Welser-Moest among others.
Recent engagements in North America include appearances with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Saint Louis, Dallas, Montreal, National, Detroit and Baltimore symphonies, as well as recitals in San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and New York. Highlights of Ms. Josefowicz's 2002/03 season include performances at the Hollywood Bowl and La Jolla Chamber Music Festival; with the Atlanta, Cincinnati, Vancouver, Toronto, Indianapolis, New Jersey, New World and Colorado symphonies; and an appearance at Carnegie Hall with the New York String Seminar.
Leila Josefowicz's recent and upcoming European engagements include orchestral appearances in Vienna, Berlin, Prague, Zurich, Munich and London and recitals at London's Wigmore Hall and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She also toured throughout the Far East with the Asian Youth Orchestra during the Summer of 2001.
No stranger to television, Ms. Josefowicz has appeared on numerous national broadcasts such as The Tonight Show, Evening at Pops and America's Tribute to Bob Hope. Her most recent appearance in the US was as featured guest with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on PBS' Live from Lincoln Center. In January 2002, her performance of John Adams' Violin Concerto with the BBC Symphony, John Adams conducting, was televised and broadcast by the BBC throughout Europe.
A Philips/Universal recording artist, Ms. Josefowicz's debut recording of Tchaikovsky and Sibelius with Sir Neville Marriner was followed in 1996 by her second disc, Solo, which features unaccompanied violin works by Bartók, Kreisler, Ysa˙e, Ernst and Paganini. Both releases were awarded the Diapason d'Or prize. Subsequent releases include Bohemian Rhapsodies, a collection of virtuosic violin works with orchestra, For the End of Time and Americana with pianist John Novacek, and the Mendelssohn, Glazunov and Prokofiev concertos with the Montreal Symphony, Charles Dutoit conducting. A live recording of her performance of the Adams Violin Concerto, with John Adams conducting, has recently been released on the new BBC label.
Ms. Josefowicz is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where she studied with Jaime Laredo and Jascha Brodsky. In addition to her solo work, she studied chamber music at Curtis with Felix Galimir and participated at several Marlboro Music Festivals. In recent seasons she has collaborated with artists such as Martha Argerich, Thomas Hampson, Jaime Laredo, Sylvia McNair, Andras Schiff, Mitsuko Uchida and André Watts.
A recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1994, Leila Josefowicz performs on the 1739 "Ebersolt" Guarnerius del Gesù violin.