October 7, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … A young street musician sneaks into the concert hall and is given the opportunity to “become” Mozart as Magic Circle Mime Company joins Resident Conductor Gregory Vajda and the Oregon Symphony to present “The Mozart Experience,” the first Kids Concert of the 2005-06 season on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 1 and 3 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Media support is provided by Metro Parent and Radio Disney.
In this concert, a curious young street musician is caught playing the orchestra’s grand piano. Instead of throwing her out of the hall, the conductor offers her the chance to “be Mozart” for a program about the famous composer. The street musician and her prankster companion must now confront dilemmas and opportunities similar to those faced by Mozart. Their journey through the ups and downs of Mozart’s life takes the audience along on a unique musical adventure.
Vajda, who makes his Kids Concert debut with this program, will lead the Symphony in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” Overture; Papageno’s Song from “The Magic Flute;” the overture to “Don Giovanni;” a movement from one of Mozart’s concertos; and excerpts from “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” and the Symphony No. 41 in G minor.
Magic Circle Mime Company’s unique productions merge theater with orchestra performances in imaginative, entertaining and educational ways. Their most recent appearance with the Symphony, in March 2005, featured the premiere of their “Orchestra X from Outer Space.” Magic Circle Mime Company has appeared with orchestras across North America and has also recently performed with orchestras in Malaysia and Australia
Tickets range from $7 to $36 and may be purchased in advance at the Oregon Symphony Customer Service 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.
Newly appointed Resident Conductor Gregory Vajda, who made his highly acclaimed Oregon Symphony debut in 2003, is considered one of the most brilliant conductors emerging on the international scene. Hailed as a “young titan,” Vajda just completed a three-year term as the assistant conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
As Resident Conductor, Vajda’s responsibilities include conducting select Oregon Symphony Classical and Pops concerts in addition to serving as the primary conductor for the Youth and Kids Concerts. He also will serve as the orchestra’s chief “cover” conductor, which requires him to be available and prepared to conduct any concert or rehearsal on a moment’s notice. His primary responsibility is to partner with Music Director Carlos Kalmar in maintaining the day-to-day artistic integrity of the orchestra.
Prior to his appointment with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Vajda served as founder and artistic advisor of the Valley of the Arts Summer Festival in Hungary, permanent guest conductor of the Hungarian State Opera (1998-03), principal conductor of the Ernö Dohnányi Symphony Orchestra in Budapest, and was a member of the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra.
In the summer of 2005, Mr. Vajda appeared at the Round Top Festival in Texas, and returned to both the Naumburg Orchestral Concert Series in New York’s Central Park and the Woodstock Mozart Festival in Illinois. In the 2005-06 season, he looks forward to a return engagement with the Winnipeg Symphony orchestras, the Ensemble Intercontemporain, and his debut with the Louisiana Philharmonic. These performances are in addition to his regular performances with the Oregon Symphony.
Season highlights for 2004-2005 include Vajda’s third appearance with the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris and Brussels, and debut appearances with the Omaha, and Louisville Symphony orchestras. He also led the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in a subscription concert series, and was commissioned to compose and conduct a piece for the Making New Waves Festival in Budapest.
In past seasons, Mr. Vajda appeared with St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic, the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa and Ensemble Intercontemporain. He also has conducted at the festivals of Avignon and Strassbourg, and at the Woodstock Mozart Festival and Mostly Mozart Festival in Lincoln Center.
In addition to conducting, Mr. Vajda is also a clarinetist and composer. Recently, he conducted his own composition for the silent film The Crowd at the Auditorium of the Louvre, with American pianist Jay Gottlieb. He has also recorded his own orchestral piece entitled Duevoe with the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. He was honored with the Zoltán Kodály State Scholarship for composers for the year 2000, and the Annie Fischer State Scholarship for music performers in the year 1999.
Vajda lives in Portland.
Magic Circle Mime Company is regarded as one of today’s premier family attractions. Their highly acclaimed performances, which unite the concert orchestra with visual theater, are consistently praised for imaginative, engaging, educational and innovative content.
Magic Circle Mime Company performs with virtually every major orchestra in North America and has performed on numerous occasions with the Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Montreal, St. Louis, Seattle and Toronto; the Cleveland, Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras; and on more than half dozen occasions at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with the National Symphony Orchestra.
Magic Circle Mime Company has a growing reputation in the Far East and has performed at festivals and with major orchestras in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and China. Appearances include the Beijing Music Festival, Taiwan International Children’s Festival, Tokyo Philharmonic, Taipei Symphony and Singapore Symphony Orchestra. In 2004 they appeared with the Hong Kong Philharmonic for the sixth time. This year marked their first appearances with the Malaysia Philharmonic and the Western Australia Symphony Orchestra in Perth.
Magic Circle Mime Company is the creative partnership of Maggie Petersen and Douglas MacIntyre. Both artists have backgrounds in theatre and instrumental music and have utilized that training to create their highly regarded programs. In March of 2005 they premiered their newest production, “ Orchestra X from Outer Space,” with the Oregon Symphony.
