October 28, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Music Director James DePreist and the Oregon Symphony perform Rachmaninoff’s much-loved Symphony No. 2 in an all-Russian concert that also marks the solo debut of Principal Cellist Nancy Ives, who plays Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No. 2 on Nov. 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. DePreist’s tribute season continues with this performance of the Rachmaninoff, a signature work he recorded with the Symphony in 1988 on the Delos label. Media support is provided by The Oregonian.
DePreist and the orchestra open the concert with “Cinderella’s Waltz” and “Midnight,” both from Prokofiev’s ballet “Cinderella,” which he began writing during the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 and completed three years later. Kabalevsky’s “Cello Concerto No. 2” follows, which Ives admits is little known, even among cellists. She expects the concerto won’t be unfamiliar for long, however. “It has everything you want in a concerto: gorgeous sweeping melodies, colorful orchestration and plenty of virtuoso opportunities for the soloist,” she explains. The second half of the concert features Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in E minor, widely regarded as his most popular symphony. It has made Rachmaninoff devotees of audiences and musicians alike with its lyrical themes, and has inspired performers from beyond the classical musical world, including Barry Manilow, who used one of its melodies as the basis for his smash hit “You’ll Never Fall in Love Again.”
Ives became the Symphony’s principal cellist in 2000. She has also been the principal cellist of the Oregon Ballet Theatre, assistant principal with Portland Opera Orchestra, and co-principal of the Cascade Music Festival. Prior to moving to Portland in 1997, Ives was based in New York, where she was the principal cellist with several ensembles, including the Grammy-nominated Manhattan Chamber Orchestra and the American Chamber Opera Company. From 1993-1997 she performed with the national Broadway tour of “Phantom of the Opera.”
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 there will be a discussion of the works to be performed. Media support for “Pre-Concert Talks” is provided by Classical Millennium.
Conductor James DePreist will speak briefly 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 with Symphony staff and guest artists. Media support for “Sunday Post-Concert Discussion” is provided by KBPS Classical 89.9 FM.
Performances are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 25 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 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.
Cellist Nancy Ives joined the Oregon Symphony as Principal Cellist in October of 2000. She moved to the Portland area from New York City in mid-1997 with her husband, woodwind player Tim Jensen, determined to put down roots, and held the positions of Principal Cellist and Personnel Manager for the Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra, as well as assistant principal in the Portland Opera. She is the principal cellist of the Cascade Festival in Bend and a member of the resident chamber ensemble for the Composers' Symposium of the Ernest Bloch Festival in Newport, Oregon, has been a guest artist with Fear No Music, Third Angle, and Da Rosa chamber ensembles, and has begun working regularly with jazz-classical fusion violinist Hollis Taylor.
During her time in New York, Nancy performed as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician from Maine to Virginia. Some examples of her activities include being a founding member and principal cellist of the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, solo cellist with the American Chamber Opera Company, featured recitalist at festivals such as the Apollo Muses Festival and Friends of the Arts Beethoven Festival, and playing in a string quartet with violist Emanuel Vardi. She appeared with Laurie Anderson and Gal Costa at the BAM Next Wave Festival, with Nana Vasconcelos at The Knitting Factory and at Merkin Hall, recorded with rock star Lenny Kravitz, and can be heard on soundtracks for the PBS series Nature and for the Smithsonian. During several years on tour with Phantom of the Opera, she performed a comedy routine about the cello in AIDS benefits across the country.
Nancy received her early training on the cello at the influential University of Texas String Project. Her formal education culminated in both Masters and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, after having received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Kansas. Nancy's first concerto performance was with the Kansas City Youth Symphony as a teenager, and she went on to appear with the University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra, the Overland Park (KS) Civic Orchestra, the New York Chamber Sinfonia, the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, the Danbury (CT) Community Orchestra, and the Clark College orchestra in Washington.
Also a composer, Nancy has long been an avid champion of new music, and has performed literally hundreds of premieres with many leading new music groups in New York and in the Northwest, as well as recording with North-South Consonance on the Opus One label. Recent recording projects include “Openings: Music of Joan Szymko” with Veriditas; “Remember Me: Songs of Richard Faith” with Brenda Baker; and recordings with Mythic Folk duo Dave Carter and Tracy Grammar. She is an active teacher, and is a past president of the Oregon Cello Society.
Nancy is extremely pleased to be giving her concerto debut with the Oregon Symphony under the direction of James DePriest.