Phish Guitarist Trey Anastasio Joins Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony

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Second half features East Coast premiere of Time Turns Elastic,
co-composed by Anastasio and Don Hart

One Night Only, May 21

Baltimore, Md. (February 18, 2009)– Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio (pictured) joins Music Director Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for orchestrations of classic Phish tunes and the East Coast premiere of his composition Time Turns Elastic at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. This announcement comes on the heels of highly anticipated news that Phish will reunite for the first time since 2004 for three dates in March, a summer tour and as a headliner for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. See below for complete program information.

The first half of the program features classic Phish tunes and solo Anastasio compositions, though the exact set list is tightly under wraps until show time. The second half of the program features the East Coast premiere of Time Turns Elastic, co-composed by Anastasio and long-time collaborator Don Hart. Time Turns Elastic is a groundbreaking work for vocals, electric guitar and orchestra with long, orchestral passages intertwined with epic guitar lines and vocals in the vein of such classic Anastasio compositions as The Divided Sky, Guyute and Fluffhead. Anastasio, named one of Rolling Stone’s “Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” is featured on vocals and guitar throughout the program.

First premiered with Orchestra Nashville in September 2008, Time Turns Elastic received rave reviews. “It was ambitious, strange and wholly entertaining,” notes Rolling Stone. “There was no doubt he had won over both his hardcore fan base and the Bach aficionados who were new to the party.”

“Working with an artist like Trey is a great opportunity to showcase the influence of classical music in Trey’s style of writing,” says BSO Music Director Marin Alsop. “Trey and Phish’s trademark sound was clearly influenced from listening to complex classical compositions. Many of the pieces being performed will be very familiar to the average Phish fan, but with a very different and fun twist. I had the opportunity to meet Trey at my Carnegie Hall debut last year, and we are honored to be able to showcase Trey’s desire to step into classical performance.”

With Anastasio’s electric guitar at the forefront, Time Turns Elastic pushes the limits of orchestral music and delivers a complete articulation of the Baltimore Symphony’s mission to present new musical collaborations that challenge and inspire audiences. “Most of the time when people use an electric instrument with an orchestra, they destroy the capability to blend,” notes Anastasio. “Our approach is to handle it as any other solo instrument. I play at the volume of say, an oboe, so Don can orchestrate around the guitar.”

Marin Alsop, conductor
Hailed as one of the world’s leading conductors for her artistic vision and commitment to accessibility in classical music, Marin Alsop made history with her appointment as the 12th music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. With her inaugural concerts in September 2007, she became the first woman to head a major American orchestra. She also holds the title of conductor emeritus at the Bournemouth Symphony in the United Kingdom, where she served as the principal conductor from 2002-2008 and is music director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in California.

Trey Anastasio, guitar and vocals
Over the past 25 years, Trey Anastasio has established himself as a prolific composer, masterful guitarist (named by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2003) and compelling performer. He is a founding member of the Grammy-nominated, genre-melding rock band Phish, which has produced 61 albums and DVDs with combined sales of over seven million units. Renowned for its live performances, Phish was included on the Top Ten Grossing Concert Tours in North America from 1995–2000 and from 2002-2004 and its series of self-produced festivals is widely regarded as a precursor to the current rock festival boom.

Drawing inspiration from experimental jazz, pop, reggae, metal, classical and barbershop music, Mr. Anastasio has produced eight solo albums. His legendary June 2004 performance with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival provided the crowd of 80,000 rock fans with a riveting introduction to “new classical” music. Mr. Anastasio has also teamed with the Vermont Youth Orchestra for benefit performances at Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Music Hall in Troy, New York, and the Flynn Theatre in Burlington, Vermont.

COMPLETE PROGRAM INFORMATION:
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Presents Trey Anastasio
Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. – Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Marin Alsop, conductor
Trey Anastasio, guitar and vocals
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Tickets are $49.50 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office at 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000, BSOmusic.org or www.ticketmaster.com at 12:00 p.m. on February 28.
    Tickets will be available through a real time presale at http://treytickets.rlc.net beginning Thursday, February 19 at 5:00 p.m. (EST) and ending Friday, February 27 at 12:00 p.m. (EST).

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