Interchanging Idioms

Boston, MA – Jan. 16, 2013 – Delighted to hear of the Oscar nomination of Morgan Neville’s documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma said: “What I love most about 20 Feet from Stardom is how deeply Morgan Neville examined the preconditions of creativity. He showed us how the giants stand on the shoulders of the artists whose stories he told." Morgan Neville is currently directing The Sound of Silk, a documentary about the musicians in the Silk Road Ensemble. Brought together by the Silk Road Project, which was founded in 1998 under the artistic direction of Ma, the Ensemble has featured members from more than 20 countries, performed in 119 cities in 30 countries, generated more than 80 new works, recorded 60 pieces of music, and just released its fifth CD, A Playlist Without Borders. The Silk Road Ensemble: Ascending Bird For further information about The Sound of Silk, which is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Pershing Squa...

This is a SOLD OUT event, so your ONLY chance to hear the amazing Yo-Yo Ma and the Colorado Symphony is to tune into Colorado Public Radio on December 2nd. The Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Colorado Public Radio are conducting an historic, one-time co-venture fundraising drive to support the Colorado Symphony—the major classical music and program provider for CPR. Our partner, Colorado Public Radio, is graciously conducting an on-air fundraising campaign, Bringing the Music to Life , on behalf of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. The on-air drive begins November 30 and culminates on December 2 with a live broadcast of the Orchestra's sold out performance featuring musical icon Yo-Yo Ma. Julian Kuerti will conduct the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in a night of Dvořák, with In Nature’s Realm , Carnival Overture , Othello Overture and the Cello Concerto featuring Yo-Yo Ma. The program starts at 7:30pm on Wednesday, December 2nd. CPR and the CSO ask all who care about music an...

Every year my wife and add a new Christmas CD to our (already huge) collection. We have everything from Renaissance albums by chamber choirs to Classical collections from know and unknown performers. There are also the "pop" collections whether these are by an individual artist (like Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby) to the assorted artists which may or may not help some cause. Some of these CD's fall in the favorite category, such as Vanessa Williams Christmas Collection and are played several times each year. Others don't fare so well and may just fill a space in the collection but not actually get any playtime one year to the next. With such a large collection you might think it would be impossible to find new CD's to add to it - and sometimes it is. This year, however, we have been blessed with the newest Yo-Yo Ma CD Songs of Joy & Peace . It really is wonderful. It features Yo-Yo Ma, but also a host of other notable artists, such as Diana Krall, Dave ...

Subscribe to Interchanging Idioms and post a comment and you would win this fabulous CD featuring the amazing Yo-Yo Ma This is your chance to get this wonderful holiday album completely free, and in time for the holidays. The contest will end December 1st so SUBSCRIBE today! The contest rules are simple. Once you have subscribed to Interchanging Idioms, find a post featuring Yo-Yo Ma and post a comment. Send me an email with your Name and Address AND the text of your comment so I can verify you are the person making the comment. (I need your name and address so I know where to send the CD if you win). IF you just can't wait for the CD you can purchase it online at iTunes or at Amazon . Either way, don't miss out on the Classical Holiday CD for 2009.

Colorado Public Radio (CPR) will conduct a one-time only on-air fundraising campaign, Bringing the Music to Life, on behalf of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra (CSO). The drive will begin November 30th and culminates on December 2nd with a live broadcast of the Orchestra's sold out performance with musical icon Yo-Yo Ma. "Colorado Public Radio recognizes the CSO's unique role as one of Colorado's key cultural assets and petitioned the Federal Communications Corporation (FCC) for permission to conduct a one-time only, on-air fundraising drive to support its major classical music provider, the Colorado Symphony," stated CPR President Max Wycisk, who also emphasized that the FCC has not granted permission to conduct this type of drive since 1993. Across the country, arts organizations are struggling with the effects of a difficult economy. Most recently, the Honolulu Symphony was forced to declare bankruptcy and suspend its season. The CSO is not immune to the...

Yo-Yo Ma is going into the recording studio today to collaborate with the musicians that won his Celebrate and Collaborate contest on Indaba Music last year. Through Indaba Music, the leading online music collaboration web application and social network, Ma made available a pre-recorded melody of the classic piece, “Dona Nobis Pacem” (Give Us Peace), a track off of his holiday album Songs of Joy & Peace . Members of the Indaba Music community, musicians from all over the world, were challenged to record a counterpart to Ma’s cello or create a set of variations based on the main musical theme. As their winning prize Yo-Yo will join these musicians in the studio on Wednesday to record Dona Nobis Pacem with them in person. These tracks will be made available through iTunes as part of Songs of Joy & Peace .

J. Ricky Arriola , Member, President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities Mr. Arriola is the President and CEO of Inktel Direct, where he oversees business development, operations and overall strategy of the business process outsourcing company. He is actively involved in the arts and humanities community in Florida, serving as the Chair of the Board of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. Madeleine Harris Berman , Member, President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities Ms. Berman serves on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of Americans for the Arts and the Boards of Directors of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theater and the Detroit Zoological Institute. She previously served on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities in 1994. Richard J. Cohen , Member, President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities Mr. Cohen is a Minnesota State Senator chairing the Finance Committee. He...

Ms. Weilerstein to join violinist Joshua Bell, guitarist Sharon Isbin and pianist Awadagin Pratt Cellist Alisa Weilerstein will take part in the next White House Music Series event that will focus on classical music on Wednesday, November 4. Ms. Weilerstein is one of four performers invited to take part in the event that will include student workshops for 120 middle and high school students followed by an evening concert featuring Ms. Weilerstein, violinist Joshua Bell, guitarist Sharon Isbin and pianist Awadagin Pratt in the East Room. The White House Music Series was created by First Lady Michelle Obama to celebrate the arts, demonstrate the importance of arts education and to encourage young people who believe in their talent to create a future for themselves in the arts community be it as a hobby or as a profession. Previous White House events have featured jazz, country and Latin musicians. “It was definitely an extremely exciting and thrilling moment when I received the in...

Superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma plays to SRO Powell Hall for SLSO’s first gala in a decade “A Noteworthy Affair,” the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra ’s first gala event since 1999, has been "proclaimed a huge success, both artistically and in terms of fundraising," announced SLSO President and Executive Director Fred Bronstein . Guest artist Yo-Yo Ma performed Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, with Music Director David Robertson conducting the SLSO, to a standing-room-only audience at Powell Hall on October 24, 2009. Robertson and the SLSO also performed Schubert’s Symphony No. 8, “Unfinished,” at the start of the evening. After the concert, more than 500 guests were transported by shuttle from Powell Hall to the Coronado Ballroom for an evening of dining and dancing. The Steve Schankman Orchestra provided the entertainment. The Gala committee was chaired by Noémi Neidorff, with co-chairs Peggy Ritter and Marsha Rusnack. The sponsor for “A Noteworthy Affair” was Centene Corporation. Br...

The Entire Recorded Legacy of the Incomparable Cellist in a delue, Numbered, Limited Edition Box Set Commemorates his 30th Anniversary with Sony Music August 7, 2009 -- New York, NY. Comprising ninety discs, Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside the Box is a salute to Yo-Yo Ma’s monumental musical achievements and to his 30-year legacy with Sony Masterworks . The exciting story of his life and work is eloquently told in a quality hard bound book of over 312 pages, lavishly illustrated with more than 150 color and black-and-white archival photos, original album artwork, liner notes and credits. Further enriching the story of this musical giant is a warm and insightful foreword by his longtime friend and esteemed fellow artist, pianist Emanuel Ax, as well as a lengthy, insightful essay by noted critic Richard Dyer. The set is scheduled for release on October 27, 2009. Beginning with Ma’s debut recording of Saint Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals , Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside the Box includes...

This promises to be a groundbreaking season for Venezuelan-American pianist Gabriela Montero , as she continues to impress, delight and make new fans in performances with major orchestras and in chamber and solo recitals. Already an artist in demand, Montero spends her 2009-10 season exploring some of the keyboard’s most celebrated repertoire while taking audiences on a uniquely stimulating journey with her trademark improvisations. Her season kicks off with the opening-night gala concert of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra; in other highlights she makes two important debuts with American orchestras, and performs a series of recitals around North America including a stop in Georgia at the widely eclectic and celebrated Savannah Music Festival. Montero begins her season opening the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s, in a gala concert led by conductor Raymond Leppard. On this program of American music, Montero will play George Gershwin’s beloved Rhapsody In Blue . When she perfo...

Works include the Complete String Quartets of Beethoven and Bartók; Quartets by Debussy, Ravel and Dutilleux; and collaborations with other Legendary Musicians The members of the Juilliard String Quartet jointly stated, “We are thrilled that a substantial amount of our recorded legacy will now be available through the latest technology, for listeners of all ages. With Nick Eanet now joining the Quartet, we look forward to continuing our relationship with this great label.” “The Quartet has a long and celebrated relationship with the label and we are delighted to begin making their remarkable and diverse catalogue available to the public digitally.” - Alex Miller, General Manager of Sony Masterworks The first six recordings will include the complete string quartets of Beethoven and Bartók (the latter a Juilliard String Quartet specialty). On CDs, the Beethoven quartets comprised a total of nine discs (three three-disc sets); the Bartók quartets comprised two discs; the French coll...

Single tickets for the 130 th season of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra are on sale beginning today (August 3) at 9am. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Powell Hall Box Office (718 N. Grand Blvd.), by calling (314) 534-1700, or online at www.slso.org . The 2009-10 season begins with The Blue Planet Live! (September 19-20, 2009) featuring sequences from the BBC/Discovery series on a giant screen with musical accompaniment by the SLSO. Other highlights of the 2009-10 Season include: Beethoven Festival featuring violinist Christian Tetzlaff and pianist Radu Lupu, with David Robertson conducting Orchestral Centerpieces including Handel’s Messiah , Holst’s The Planets , Respighi’s Pines of Rome , Mozart’s Requiem and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture Focus on Contemporary Composers and World Premieres of works by Rollo Dilworth and Meredith Monk Violin Masterworks performed by master virtuosos in spring 2010 SLSO Presents, the popular new series has...

Composers will travel to Minneapolis for Orchestra’s acclaimed professional training program; Institute runs from November 17-22, 2009, highlighted by November 21 Future Classics concert Seven emerging composers have been selected as participants in the Minnesota Orchestra’s ninth annual Composer Institute, Institute Director Aaron Jay Kernis announced today. Chosen from a pool of 143 candidates through a competitive process, the composers hail from locations throughout the U.S. as well as Spain and Hong Kong , and their works represent a variety of musical styles. They will travel to Minneapolis from November 17 to 22, 2009, for six days of rehearsals, seminars and tutoring sessions, as well as a public concert of their works on Saturday, November 21, led by Music Director Osmo Vänskä. The participants are Fernando Buide of Santiago , Spain ; Geoff Knorr of Baltimore , Maryland ; Hong Kong native Angel Lam of New Haven , Connecticut ; Kathryn Salfelder of Boston , Massachusetts ; ...

Includes Debuts at San Francisco Symphony, Ravinia Festival, and Salzburg Festival The year 2009 has been a stellar and historic one for Gabriela Montero . It started on January 20 in Washington D.C. , when she performed with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, and clarinetist Anthony McGill to a worldwide audience at President Obama’s inauguration. The excitement continues this summer as Montero makes debut performances at several of the world’s most prestigious festivals and orchestras, with performances in North America, South America, and Europe . Known for her ability to dazzle audiences in both traditional concert repertoire and with her trademark improvisations, Montero is sure to impress in a plethora of varied programs. On Thursday, July 2, Montero makes her debut with the San Francisco Symphony. She will be the featured soloist in George Gershwin’s beloved Rhapsody in Blue under the baton of James Gaffigan, in a concert of music by American composers. True to...

Cellist Joshua Roman is now a familiar figure to YouTube users around the world. The April 15th concert, which featured Roman as a soloist with the YouTube Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, has been viewed more than 1.3 million times in the past month. Roman's solo spot playing Bach at the sold-out event was introduced (on video) by one of his role models, Yo-Yo Ma: "Occasionally I get to meet an extraordinary young musician. Such is the case with Joshua Roman. ... To me, Joshua is one of the great exemplars of the ideal 21st-century musician. He's deeply grounded in a classical tradition and he is a fearless explorer of our world." This week the 25-year-old cellist returns to the Seattle Symphony for the world premiere of David Stock's Cello Concerto with conductor James DePreist. Roman has strong ties with the orchestra there: he was appointed principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony at age 22 and held the position for two years. As well as keepi...

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will embark on a two-week journey of South American music with conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya and the ¡Música Ardiente? Festival, May 27-June 6.The festival, presented by CNN en Español, will feature three programs. The first program, May 28 and 30, 2009, entitled Caminos del Inka, will share the rich musical traditions of the Inca Trail. The second program will feature a special presentation on May 29, 2009 of Osvaldo Golijov's cello concerto, Azul, performed by Yo-Yo Ma. The third program, June 4-6, 2009, will celebrate the modern evolution of Latin-American song and dance in a program entitled Tangos, Fados, and Dance, featuring vocalist Luciana Souza and the Rosa Collantes Dancers. The ¡Música Ardiente? Festival was inspired by the concept and programs of conductor and curator Miguel-Harth- Bedoya's Caminos del Inka Project. The project was created to rediscover, preserve, and disseminate the musical legacy of South America. It is an effort ...

Cellist Alisa Weilerstein has been appointed artist-in-residence at the Cleveland Institute of Music . While her teaching arrangements are still being finalized, Ms. Weilerstein plans to be at CIM at least two days each semester to work with cello students. New York-based Ms. Weilerstein, 27, is in demand internationally as a soloist and chamber musician and performs around 100 concerts a year. She has been described by New York magazine as “arguably Yo-Yo Ma’s heiress apparent as sovereign of the American cello” and has attracted widespread attention for playing that combines a natural virtuosic command and technical precision with impassioned musicianship. Ms. Weilerstein is herself a graduate of the Young Artist Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Richard Weiss, and she made her Cleveland Orchestra debut when she was 13. During the 2008-09 season Ms. Weilerstein made her Boston Symphony Orchestra debut performing Brahms’s Double Concerto with...

Honoring the Award-Winning Composer, Conductor and Pianist with a Glittering Showcase of Songs In honor of André Previn ’s 80th birthday last week, Sony Masterworks is proud to announce the release of the recording, André Previn: An 80th Birthday Celebration . This compilation includes the full breadth of his career as a pianist, composer and conductor joined by many of his greatest and most enduring collaborators, in everything from jazz to the classical orchestral repertoire. Carnegie Hall is also saluting Mr. Previn with a concert series. A chamber music program on April 22nd includes violinist (and ex-wife) Anne-Sophie Mutter and cellist Lynn Harrell , playing piano trios by Mozart and Mendelssohn as well as Mr. Previn's own newly commissioned Piano Trio. On April 26 Carnegie Hall's celebration concludes with Previn conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke's and Ms. Mutter, soprano Renée Fleming and violist Yuri Bashmet . The program features his Violin Concerto ...

Mona Seghatoleslami of Classically Speaking , West Virginia Public Broadcasting has a wonderful article on Mark O'Connor and his new Americana Symphony with links to their interview. She also includes a link to a performance of Mark O'Connor, Yo-yo Ma and Edgar Meyer playing Mark's Appalachia Waltz on YouTube ( which I included here as well ).