February 3, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … The concert hall is transformed into a stadium with the conductor as head coach as the Oregon Symphony, led by Guest Conductor Charles Olivieri-Munroe, explores the unique team efforts of the orchestra in “Bats, Bows and Stolen Basses,” the first full-orchestra Youth Concert of the season for third through fifth graders on Friday, March 3, and Monday, March 6, at 9:30 and 11 a.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and Tuesday, March 7, at 9:30 and 11 a.m. at Willamette University’s Smith Auditorium in Salem.
Throughout the hour students will learn how the individual players on this “team” work together to create compelling, exciting music. Musicians from the different sections will discuss the role their instrument family plays within the orchestra. The role of the conductor, soloist and even the audience will also be explored through the music of Britten Brahms, Bernstein and Tchaikovsky, among others.
“We want the students to listen carefully and think critically about what they hear by presenting it in an age-appropriate and engaging manner,” said Emilia Smith, Director of Education and Community Engagement. “We hope that they leave the hall with an understanding of how the concert was put together and excited about the music.”
The concerts will feature violinist Joyce Kwan, concertmaster of the Corvallis Youth Symphony and the Corvallis Camerata. In addition to her orchestral activities, Kwan performs chamber music with the Arietta Trio, which placed first in the chamber music division of the Northwest Orchestra Festival at Mt. Hood for two consecutive years. Kwan will perform the third movement from Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.
The Symphony’s family of Youth Concerts is designed for students in kindergarten through 12th grade throughout the state of Oregon and are attended by over 20,000 students each year. Youth Concerts are age-specific and support common curricular goals of the Oregon Content Standards in multiple subject areas. The Symphony’s department of Education and Community Engagement works with area teachers, administrators and parents to develop concerts that provide students with quality experiences in the arts that are relevant to their current learning skills and knowledge and encourage active participation.
Tickets are $3/per student and the concert is free for students in the free-or reduced-lunch programs. For more information call 503-228-4294 or visit the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org.
A resident of Corvallis, 17-year-old Joyce Kwan began playing the violin at the age of six. She currently studies with Carol Sindell of Portland State University, and her past teachers include Aida Baker, Elizabeth Park, and Margaret Varvel.
Joyce is the concertmaster of the Corvallis Youth Symphony and the Corvallis Camerata. An avid chamber musician, Joyce is the violinist of the Arietta Trio, which placed first in the chamber music division of the Northwest Orchestra Festival at Mt. Hood for two consecutive years and participated in the Junior Division of the National Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Her trio has received coaching from chamber groups such as the Emerson String Quartet, the Schubert Ensemble of London, and members of the American Quartet and Raphael Trio.
Awards that Joyce has received from her musical endeavors include third place at the state Solo and Ensemble Competition and third place at the Oregon Music Educators Association competitions. During the summer of 2004, Joyce attended the Meadowmount School of Music in the Adirondacks, where she studied with Arturo Delmoni.
In addition to Joyce’s passion for music, she enjoys academics, particularly the sciences. She is a member of the National Honor Society and her school’s human rights and environmental ethics advocacy clubs. Joyce hopes to pursue science in college while maintaining active involvement in the musical community.
For this concert, Joyce will be performing the third movement of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. The concerto ranks among some of her favorite concertos and she “feels privileged to be able to present it.” She finds this piece “extremely enjoyable to play because of its upbeat tempo and beautiful melodies.”
Canadian conductor Charles Olivieri-Munroe has at the age of 35 accumulated a unique wealth of experience on the orchestral podium. During the early 1990s as a student of conducting in Czechoslovakia he immersed himself in the country and its music, absorbing the musical tradition of Central Europe. Ten years later at a ceremony held in Prague’s historic City Hall he was awarded 1st Prize in the prestigious 2000 Prague Spring International Music Festival Conducting Competition, launching an international career.
The 2005-2006 concert season represents Olivieri-Munroe’s ninth season as chief conductor with the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra which has been completely revolutionized in the past decade enjoys top status among Czech orchestras today. Highlights of this relationship include several high profile tours across Europe including the 1999 gala concert in Monte-Carlo with Maxim Vengerov under the auspices of Prince Rainier; the celebration concert at Prague Vysehrad Castle held in May of 2004, on the occasion of the Czech Republic joining the European Union and the 2004 concert tour of Spain honoring the anniversary of Pablo Casals.
In 2005-2006 Olivieri-Munroe will have debut performances with the Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra, Gdansk Philharmonic, Schleswig-Holstein Symphony Orchestra, St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra and the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, among others. Recent highlights include debut performances with such orchestras as the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Huntsville Symphony in Ala., Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie, Lubeck Philharmonic Orchestra, Hagen Philharmonic, Berlin Landesjugendorchester, New York based Naumburg Chamber Orchestra, Arthur Rubenstein Philharmonic in Lodz, Mexican National State Orchestra, Xalapa Symphony Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra.
Olivieri-Munroe held the position of Chief Conductor of the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Bratislava from 2001 until 2004. Olivieri-Munroe has also been principal guest conductor of the Janacek Philharmonic in Ostrava and continues a close relationship with the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra. He was formerly also permanent conductor with the Brno Philharmonic (1995-1997) and the Karlsbad Symphony (1993-1995).
As a guest conductor, Olivieri-Munroe has worked with such orchestras as the Deutches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Danish Radio Symphony, Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra, Budapest Symphony, Prague Philharmonia, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, Royal Brussels Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Orchester der Beethovenhalle Bonn, Athens State Symphony Orchestra, Royal Seoul Philharmonic and the Northern Israel Symphony in Haifa.
In March 2005, he conducted a new opera production, “The Last Leaf ,”by American Gary Papach.
Olivieri-Munroe has distinguished himself in several international conducting competitions. His first success came in 1996 when he won 1st Prize in the Dinu Niculescu Competition in Rumania. In 1999 he was a laureate of three competitions: the Antonio Pedrotti Competition in Italy; the Lovro Von Matacic Competition in Zagreb and the Gregorz Fitelberg Competition in Katowice, Poland. He also won the 3rd Prize at the Nicolai Malko Competition in Copenhagen. He has been recognized by the Canada Arts Council, which awarded him the $20,000 career grant in 1997.
