February 4, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Music Director Carlos Kalmar and the Oregon Symphony announce the 110 th season, which features an expanded Classical series with four new full-length Sunday afternoon concerts and the Oregon premiere of John Adams’ Pulitzer-winning “On the Transmigration of Souls,” a Month of Mozart collaboration with Oregon Ballet Theatre and Portland Opera to commemorate the 250 th anniversary of Mozart’s birth and featuring a performance of his “Requiem;” Pops headliners Roberta Flack and the sizzling Mambo Kings; Kalmar’s debut appearance on the Sundays at Two series; special performances by comedian Martin Short and a musical journey to Middle Earth featuring film music from the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, as well as the return of Yuletide Celebration and Gospel Christmas.
Kalmar will take audiences on what he describes as “a musical adventure” with exciting programs that combine a number of noteworthy but lesser-known works with standard orchestral repertoire. Seventeen full weeks of classical music will be presented, three weeks more than last year, in an innovative cross-series format that allows for greater overlap among the Classical, Sundays at Two and Front Row Center series. In addition, the Classical series has been redesigned to give subscribers a wider variety of programs and concert dates to choose from. As well as Saturday, Sunday and Monday evening Classical subscriptions, the Symphony will also offer a new series, “Sunday Encore,” four full-length Sunday afternoon concerts which feature repeat performances of Classical evening concerts. “With the addition of ‘Sunday Encore,’ we can offer audiences a more diverse set of classical subscription packages,” says Sandra Snyder, Vice President of Marketing. The Symphony’s flexible ticket exchange program has also been enhanced to allow for more options for subscribers who want to exchange their tickets for other performances.
All Kalmar’s concerts for the 2005-2006 season will reflect his ongoing commitment to thematic programming, which connects each work on the program. “Each concert on the Classical series centers on a well-known orchestral work,” adds Artistic Administrator Charles Calmer, who likens Kalmar’s thematic programs to a fine dining experience. “It’s enjoyable in its totality and you have the adventure of experiencing new tastes along with established favorites.” As he has done for the past two seasons, Kalmar will also continue to give all the pre-concert talks, known as “Concert Conversations,” for each concert he conducts.
In May 2006, the Symphony and the Portland Symphonic Choir will collaborate with Portland Opera and Oregon Ballet Theatre to commemorate the 250 th anniversary of the birth of Mozart with a month-long festival of Mozart’s music, including the “Requiem.”
Guest conductors for the 2005-2006 season will include the returns of Yakov Kreizberg, the Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Netherlands Philharmonic and Netherlands Chamber Orchestras, and Michael Stern, the founding director of the IRIS Chamber Orchestra. Laureate Music Director James DePreist, now the conductor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at Juilliard, will also appear. In addition, two conductors who made their Symphony debuts on the Sundays at Two series will appear next season on the Classical series: Hannu Lintu, Chief Conductor of the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and interim Resident Conductor Gregory Vajda, the former Assistant Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Other guest conductors include Eri Klas, Artistic Director of the Tampere Philharmonic in Finland and the Tallinn Philharmonic in Estonia and Stefan Solyom, who will make his American debut with the Symphony in March of 2006.
Some of this season’s distinguished soloists include mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore, who sang the “Olympic Hymn” at the Closing Ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta; she will perform Mahler’s “Rückert Lieder” on April 8 and 9, 2006. Pianist Yakov Kasman, whose eleventh-hour bravura performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 last October brought the audience to their feet will perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 on March 11-13, 2006. Other soloists include Concertmaster Amy Schwartz Moretti making her Classical series solo debut on Berg’s demanding Violin Concerto on Feb. 11-13, 2006; renowned pianist Horacio Gutiérrez, hailed by critics as “able to play…with a magical grace that made the notes seem to float from the piano,” returns to perform Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor on Oct. 22-24, 2005; violinist Vadim Gluzman will play Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor on Dec. 3-5, 2005 with what the Leipziger Volkszeitung describes as “an almost frightening degree of technical perfection and artistic superiority” and violinist Kyoko Takezawa, described by the Newark Star-Ledger as “an operatic diva of the violin,” plays Beethoven’s Violin Concerto on Jan. 14-15, 2006. In addition, Principal Cello Nancy Ives and Principal Viola Joël Belgique will team up to perform Strauss’ tone poem “Don Quixote” on April 2-3, 2006.
Repertoire highlights for the Classical season include Mozart’s “Requiem,” Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major; Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in D minor; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A and his Violin Concerto in D major; “Scheherazade” by Rimsky-Korsakov; Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue;” the Oregon premiere of John Adams’ Pulitzer-winning “On the Transmigration of Souls;” Grieg’s incidental music to “Peer Gynt;” Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, “The Great;” Strauss’ “Don Quixote;” Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor and the first Oregon Symphony performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 7.
The Symphony’s 2005-2006 Pops series will present seven programs of popular music from Broadway, film and the pop charts. Singer Roberta Flack opens the season on Oct. 8-10, 2005 with some of her signature hit songs, including “Killing Me Softly with His Song” and “Tonight I Celebrate My Love.” Contemporary jazz/pop trumpeter and Oregon native Chris Botti, whose appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” last year caused sales of his CD “When I Fall in Love” to leap up the Billboard charts, will perform romantic ballads on April 22-24, 2006. On Feb. 25-27, 2006 audiences can dispel their winter blues with the hot salsa-tinged jazz of the Mambo Kings. The ever-popular “Yuletide Celebration,” a Portland holiday concert tradition that has received rave audience reviews returns with an all-new production on Dec. 17-19, 2005. The Pops series will also present an evening of film music from Oscar-winning composer John Williams on Nov. 26-28, 2005; a tribute to dance legends Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers featuring music from their ten films on Jan. 28-30, 2006 and a special evening of Motown, soul and doo-wop on March 18-20, 2006 by legendary performers Shirley Aston Reeves of the Shirelles, the Jerry Butler Orchestra and Willie Winfield and the Harptones.
Three concerts that focus on the connections between classical music and literature from fairy tales to Shakespeare make up the Front Row Center series, an innovative “closer look at classical music.” Kalmar will lead the first program of the 2005-06 season on Nov. 18, 2005, which will include Ravel’s “Mother Goose” ballet and Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite,” both works inspired by fairy tales. Guest conductor Michael Stern will lead the Symphony in an evening of music inspired by memorable women from literature on Jan. 20, 2006, including excerpts from “Carmen,” “Samson et Delilah” and both Ravel’s and Rimsky-Korsakov’s versions of “Scheherazade.” Kalmar winds up the series on March 31, 2006 with musical portrayals of the world’s most famous lovers, Romeo and Juliet, featuring music of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Berlioz and Bernstein.
This season’s Kids Concert series will feature the return of the acclaimed Magic Circle Mime Company, which will take children on an exploration of Mozart’s life in “The Mozart Experience” on Nov. 13, 2005; artists from the award-winning Tales & Scales ensemble show kids how to make music out of everyday sounds and objects in “Just Beyond the Junkyard” on Jan. 8, 2006. The Kids Concert series concludes on March 5, 2006 with “Creative Kids,” an afternoon of music that showcases local talent, including young instrumentalists, composers, school groups and a youth choir. This concert also features music of famous young composers, including Strauss, Mozart and Mendelssohn.
Kalmar will make his Sundays at Two series debut on the first of the four concerts, and will also conduct the final concert of the series. The ever-popular Sundays at Two series presents audience favorites, including Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C major, “The Great;” Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 in D major, “Clock;” Vivaldi’s “The Goldfinch” concerto; Sibelius’ “Humoresques;” Schwantner’s “Aftertones of Infinity” and Kodály’s “Peacock Variations.” Each concert on this series will also feature solo performances by Symphony musicians, including Principal Second Violin Chien Tan performing on the newest and most high-tech addition to the string family, the treble violin, as well as Principal Harp Jennifer Craig, Principal Percussion Niel DePonte, French horn Mary Grant, bassist Tommy Thompson and violinist Gregory Ewer.
These shorter concerts (starting at 2 p.m. and ending by 3:30 p.m.) present highlights from Classical evening programs, as well as selected short works. Sundays at Two also offers the audience an opportunity to connect with the music and musicians. During the concerts, the soloists and conductor will talk as well as play, sharing their background and passion for making music.
The Symphony’s 2005-06 Special Events features four eclectic concerts, beginning with Tony-award-winning actor and comedian Martin Short, who brings his unique brand of comedy to the Symphony on Sept. 10, 2005.
Fans of “The Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy can journey to Middle Earth on Sept. 17-18, 2005 with more than 200 musicians, who will perform music from the three films. This concert will also include animated storyboards projected above the stage, which will guide the audience through the story of the immortal quest for The Ring.
Gospel Christmas, a Portland holiday tradition featuring Christmas favorites performed in uplifting gospel style by the Northwest Community Gospel Chorus under the direction of acclaimed conductor and composer Charles Floyd returns on Dec. 9, 10 and 11, 2005.
The Symphony’s holiday tradition “Yuletide Celebration” returns for a special added performance on Dec. 18, 2005.This year “Yuletide Celebration” will feature a new production, complete with the ever-popular chorus line of tap-dancing Santas, which will be created by the Symphony and directed by Vivienne Elborne, who directed the Symphony’s semi-staged musicals “Camelot” and “The Music Man.”
In addition to full (14), half (7), and Sunday matinee (4) series Classical subscriptions, as well as subscriptions to the Pops, Front Row Center, Kids and Sundays at Two series, the Symphony offers a Music Max option, which may be redeemed for 12 tickets to any of the Symphony’s series concerts (Special Events excluded). Subscribers get the best seats, don’t have to wait in line for tickets and don’t run the risk of concerts being sold out. Subscribers save up to 35 percent over single ticket prices and can exchange subscription tickets to fit their taste or schedule, as well as saving 20 percent on additional single tickets to Classical, Pops or Front Row Center concerts and 10 percent on tickets for Special Events. Seniors and students are entitled to discounted subscriptions to Classical series concerts. Additional information on subscriber benefits may be obtained by calling the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 or (503) 416-6383 after 5 p.m., or by visiting the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org.
Subscriptions to a series of select Classical and Pops concerts to be presented at Willamette University’s Smith Auditorium are available through the Oregon Symphony Association in Salem. Contact (503) 364-0149 for more information.
In addition to a full season of concerts at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, the Oregon Symphony is dedicated to “touching the heart and soul of all Oregonians” with great music. Last season, the Symphony’s Education and Community Engagement programs reached more than 60,000 children and adults from 17 counties. The most extensive of these programs is the annual Community Music Partnership, which immerses Oregon communities in music education activities that leave tools in place for long-term development of local programs. A wide range of programs for schools include on-site ensemble-based Kinderkonzerts (for K-2 students) and full orchestra Youth Concerts, with free resources to support both music specialists and classroom teachers alike. “Oregon Symphony in the Neighborhoods,” for which the Symphony partners with the City of Portland and the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC), features free festival-style concerts in Portland’s neighborhood parks and culminates with the traditional summer-ending Symphony concert at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Other community-based programs include Symphony Storytimes, an innovative partnership with the Multnomah County Library System.
Subscriptions to the Oregon Symphony’s 2005-2006 season are available in several packages, including the new four-concert Classical series “Sunday Encore.” Subscriptions for 14 classical concerts are as low as $196; a seven-concert Classical series costs as little as $119, while the Sunday Encore series begins at $68. Pops subscriptions start at $126; Kids Concerts subscriptions start at $24 for adults and $18 for children 12 and underand Front Row Center subscriptions begin at $42. Sundays at Two is a series of four concerts with general admission seating at $68 for adults and $48 for students/seniors. The Symphony also offers Music Max, a flexible 12-concert package for $420 or a 6-concert Mini Music Max for $222. Music Max may be redeemed for tickets to concerts on the Classical, Sunday Encore, Pops, Front Row Center, Sundays at Two or Kids Concert series.
Subscriptions 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. Please call (503) 416-6383 after 5 p.m. Subscription orders also may be placed online at www.orsymphony.org beginning Monday, Feb. 7, 2005. Single tickets to all 2005-06 Symphony events will be available to the general public at 9 a.m. on Aug. 22, 2005.
All concerts will be held at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, located in downtown Portland on the corner of S.W. Broadway and Main, unless otherwise noted.
