Interchanging Idioms

Friday 4 – Sunday 6 November 2011, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s 2011 marks the 600th birthday of one of the most iconic heroines of all time – Joan of Arc. Conductor Marin Alsop will explore the legacy of Joan of Arc in a weekend of music, film and talks with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican and LSO St Luke’s from 4–6 November. The weekend is centred around a concert performance of Arthur Honegger’s rarely performed dramatic oratorio Joan of Arc at the Stake on Friday 4 November at 7.30pm at the Barbican. The London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus is joined by soloists including soprano Klara Ek, tenor Paul Nilon and soprano Katherine Broderick, and the New London Children’s Choir. Before the concert, at 5pm in the Barbican’s Fountain Room, Marin Alsop opens the weekend with a debate surrounding issues faced by women today that mirror those of the 15th-century heroine. She is joined by Dame Mary Marsh and other speakers to be announced. On Saturday 5 November at 2pm ...

BSO Music Director Marin Alsop leads a concert to showcase the children’s work throughout the year Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Music Director Marin Alsop will lead the BSO’s OrchKids in their final concert of the 2010-2011 school year on Friday, June 3 at 5:30 p.m. at the Mary Winterling Elementary School Auditorium. Pre-K through 5th grade students of Lockerman Bundy Elementary School will participate in instrumental ensembles, a full orchestra and a choir for a concert that showcases the culmination of the children’s work from throughout the year.

Conductor laureate Marin Alsop will lead the Colorado Symphony in performance of Mahler's great masterpiece, the Symphony No. 9 in D major, for two nights only on Friday, May 27 and Saturday, May 28 at Boettcher Concert Hall. A testament to the ebbing of a great man's life, the art he cherished, and even the society in which he lived, Mahler's Ninth Symphony is among the most poignant works ever composed. The Ninth Symphony also proved to be an enormous influence on Mahler's younger Viennese colleagues, who followed its lead in creating a new musical style for the new century. It received its premiere in Vienna on June 26, 1912, thirteen months after the composer's death. Known in the symphony orchestra world to "bring out the best in conductors and orchestras," Mahler's Ninth remains a milestone in each concertgoer's lifetime experience. On Friday, May 27, Colorado Symphony fans across the state will also have the opportunity to listen to a real-...

Kirill Gerstein, winner of the 2010 Gilmore Artist Award and of lavish praise for his most recent solo recording, launches the New Year with high-profile concerto performances across Europe and the US. The last two weeks of January see the pianist performing Shostakovich’s Second with Esa-Pekka Salonen in Wales, Beethoven’s “Emperor” in Germany, Rachmaninoff’s First with the Baltimore Symphony, and the Shostakovich again with the St. Louis Symphony. Then in February Gerstein plays Brahms’s Second in Iceland and Venezuela, the latter performance under Gustavo Dudamel. Gerstein’s new solo recital album, released in early November by Myrios Classics, features Schumann’s Humoreske , Liszt’s B-minor Sonata, and the debut recording of contemporary British composer Oliver Knussen’s Ophelia’s Last Dance , which Gerstein premiered at the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival in May 2010. The New York Times lauded the disc as being “played with exquisite technique, refined musicianship, a...

Concert part of the BSO's conversational Off the Cuff series Music director Marin Alsop leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony to be performed on Friday, January 21 at 8:15 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore and Saturday, January 22 at 7 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall as part of the BSO's Off the Cuff series. Alsop walks the audience through a time of political unrest in 1930's Russia that ultimately influenced Dmitri Shostakovich's epic Symphony No. 5. In this program, the Fifth symphony, allegedly subtitled, "the creative reply of a Soviet artist to justified criticism," vividly portrays Shostakovich's triumph over adversity. The BSO's Off the Cuff series offers a fresh take on classical music by exploring the lives of the composers, making the performances fun and engaging for music enthusiasts of any level. Please see below for complete program details. Dmitri Shostakovich wrote his fifth ...

Program features Indira Mahajan (Bess) and Derrick Parker (Porgy) with the Heritage Signature Chorale Originally scheduled in February but cancelled due to inclement weather, Music Director Marin Alsop will finally lead guest vocalists Indira Mahajan, Alison Buchanan, Larry Hylton, Derrick Parker, the D.C.-based Heritage Signature Chorale and the BSO on Thursday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess in Concert. Porgy and Bess , dubbed an American folk opera, features the popular, genre-crossing song “Summertime,” as well as other favorites “A Woman Is A Sometime Thing” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” The program will open with Gershwin’s Overture to Girl Crazy, followed by another Gershwin favorite An American in Paris . George Gershwin’s operatic masterpiece Porgy and Bess opened on Broadway in 1935. The original cast was entirely African-American, with Eva Jessye as choral director. Such a casting decision was artistical...

Icarus at the Edge of Time Saturday 3 July, 7.30pm | Sunday 4 July, 2pm & 4pm | Royal Festival Hall The worlds of music, film and science collide in a performance based on Brian Greene's acclaimed children's book . Philip Glass has written the music, played live by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, alongside a cutting-edge film by duo, Al and Al. Marin Alsop conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which also plays John Adams's Doctor Atomic Symphony at Saturday evening's performance. Sunday 4 July - Family performances, suitable for children aged 8 and above. Tickets £10 - £30 50% off for under 16s. Southbank Centre Ticket Office: 0844 875 0073

The Naxos label’s recording of John Adams’ Nixon in China for Opera Colorado, featuring Colorado Symphony Conductor Laureate Marin Alsop and the Colorado Symphony, is receiving rave reviews. The recording was made live at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver, Colorado from June 6-14, 2008. Only the second recording in history of Adams’ Nixon in China , this release has caught the attention of critics throughout the classical music industry from Opera News and BBC Music Magazine to the Financial Times and e-Music. Music lovers and critics across the country and around the world are praising this release as a new standard in the genre. The live performances of Nixon in China at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in June 2008 were presented as a part of the National Performing Arts Convention and League of American Orchestras Conference. In a review of this Naxos recording for Audiophile Audition, Mike Birman states: This live recording made in Denver in 2008, with Marin Al...

If you have tickets for weekend and your plans have changed, please call CSO Box Office 303.623.7876 to exchange your tickets so we may release your seats for sale to other patrons. It's classical meets gospel. It's Handel meets the groove factor – however you describe it, Too Hot to Handel is a Colorado tradition, the likes of which only Conductor Laureate Marin Alsop could bring. Dec 18-19 · 7:30 p.m. Marin Alsop, conductor laureate Lillias White, soprano | Vaneese Thomas, mezzo-soprano Thomas Young, tenor | CSO Chorus | Guest Choirs

A unique gathering celebrating Leonard Bernstein through music, film and conversation, hosted by Project Artistic Director Marin Alsop. The day features his effervescent Candide Overture, extracts from his extraordinary Mass and Beethoven's Ode to Joy as you've never heard it before. There are appearances from his children Alexander and Jamie and his long-time friend, broadcaster Humphrey Burton, performances from West End legend Clive Rowe, Grimethorpe Colliery Band (stars of Brassed Off ), a one-off orchestral collaboration between Britten Sinfonia, members of Southbank Sinfonia and Orchestra Europa, plus Bellowhead, Matthew Barley, 180 singers from Voicelab and more. Tickets £5 only

Naxos to release recording of this major work August 25, 2009 There are few composers in the 20th century with as much magnitude as Leonard Bernstein. His effect on both his generation of musicians and future composers is immense. Working as a composer with Steven Sondheim on West Side Story, still one of the best musicals ever written, and Stephen Schwartz for Bernstein’s “Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers,” he directly affected the two of the greatest writers in American musical theatre today. As an educator, his “Unanswered Question: Six Talks at Harvard” is still a seminal work for music educators today. The list goes on, but this is not a review of Leonard Bernstein’s life’s work which is too vast for me to do it justice in this small space. This is a review of Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s recent recording of Bernstein’s “Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers.” I started with references to Bernstein’s work to gi...

Traditional Eastern European ensemble, Harmonia, opens program October 1-4 Baltimore, Md. (July 31, 2009)—Music Director Marin Alsop leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in a celebration of Hungarian folk music on Thursday, October 1 at 8:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore and Friday, October 2 at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, October 3 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, October 4 at 3:00 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Special guest Harmonia will kick off this celebration of folk music’s influence on classical music traditions. Also on the program are Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto featuring James Ehnes. Performing on authentic folk instruments, Harmonia has been described as a “musical gem” by National Public Radio . The group will open the concert with songs from the members’ varied Eastern European backgrounds. They will discuss with the audience how this type of music influenced Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra . After fleeing Hungar...

Baltimore, Md. (July 28, 2009) – The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) today announced that a new commercial recording of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers will be released on the Naxos label on August 25, 2009—the 91st birthday of the late composer. This two-disc set is the fourth audio recording ever produced of Mass and will be available for purchase on Naxos, Amazon.com and the BSO’s website, BSOmusic.org. There will also be an iTunes pre-release available for purchase on August 11, 2009. Bonus material complementing this CD release is available at BSOmusic.org/Mass. Mass was recorded in studio recordings held at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on October 21-22, 2008. Music Director Marin Alsop, a Bernstein protégée, led the BSO in critically acclaimed, sold-out performances of Mass on October 16-18, 2008 at Baltimore’s Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and on October 26 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington,...

Program also includes selections from Brahms’ Hungarian Dances and Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 Baltimore, Md. (July 24, 2009)—Music director Marin Alsop leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Jennifer Higdon’s Conc erto 4-3 featuring Time for Three , Brahms’s Hungarian Dances Nos. 1, 3 and 10 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 on Thursday, September 24 at 8:00 p.m. and Friday, September 25 at 8:00 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and Saturday, September 26 at 8:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore. These concerts will launch the season’s celebration of the diverse folk and ethnic traditions that have enriched and inspired classical music over the centuries. Please see below for complete program information. Time for Three first gained attention when they provided entertainment after a lightning strike caused the lights to go out in the middle of a Philadelphia Orchestra concert. The classically trained members of Time for Three combine elements of American jazz, r...

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra today announced Music Director Marin Alsop will continue her commitment to the Orchestra with the signing of a five-year contract that extends from September 2010 to August 2015. Maestra Alsop, who began her acclaimed tenure as the Orchestra’s 12th music director in September 2007, has been recognized nationally and internationally for her innovative programming, multiple new recordings with the BSO and her efforts in community outreach and education, most notably the creation of OrchKids , a new after-school instrumental instruction program in West Baltimore modeled after Venezuela’s El Sistema . Upon signing the contract, Marin Alsop commented, “My work so far with the Baltimore Symphony has been the thrill of a lifetime. Our progress over the past two seasons is the epitome of collaboration. The dedication and talent of the BSO musicians, the business oversight and support from the board, the vision and unbridled energy from our management and s...

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) today announced the appointment of Jeff Counts as Vice President of Artistic Planning. In this capacity, Mr. Counts will provide strategic creative leadership to all aspects of artistic and classical music programming for the BSO, in close collaboration with Music Director Marin Alsop , President & CEO Paul Meecham and with the BSO musicians’ Artistic Advisory Committee. Mr. Counts will also serve as a key creative partner in the ongoing development of the BSO’s artistic profile, developing and maintaining relationships with conductors, composers and guest artists. Specific responsibilities include programming the classical subscription seasons in Baltimore and Strathmore (the Orchestra’s second year-round home in North Bethesda), the summer season, run-out concerts, tours and special events including the Opening Night Gala, Donor Appreciation concerts and the annual Martin Luther King Day celebration. Prior to joining the BSO staff, Mr. Cou...

Season finale program on June 11th also features selections from Wagner’s epic Ring cycle Music Director Marin Alsop leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in its last classical concert of the 2008-2009 season on Thursday, June 11 at 8:00 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore and Friday and Saturday, June 12 and 13 at 8:00 pm. and Sunday, June 14 at 3:00 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The program will feature two powerhouse works: Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto with world-renowned soloist Yefim Bronfman and orchestral selections from Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelungen , including “Ride of the Valkyries.” Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto is known as one of the most difficult piano works ever composed. Featured in the 1996 film Shine , this piano concerto’s complexity drove the main character, a struggling pianist, into madness. Yefim Bronfman, who previously recorded this concerto, possesses the technical genius needed to execute the quick and intricate mel...

Baltimore Native Hilary Hahn with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, June 4-7 Music Director Marin Alsop will lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in the East Coast Premiere of Jennifer Higdon ’s Violin Concerto, performed by violinist Hilary Hahn and co-commissioned by the BSO, on Thursday and Friday, June 4 and 5 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 7 at 3:00 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and on Saturday, June 6 at 8:00 p.m. The program also includes Dvořák’s Fifth Symphony and Beethoven’s Egmont Overture. Lauded by the New York Times for her ability to “…make her violin sound achingly sweet, tender and lyrical, as well as forceful and grandly dramatic,” Hilary Hahn’s breadth of expression will be duly challenged in Jennifer Higdon’s expansive Violin Concerto. The composer and performer became acquainted through their involvement with Curtis Institute of Music, the former as the teacher of 20th century music and the latter, her avid pupil. Having now soared to the stat...

Collaborative “Music Matters” Campaign Challenges Community to Raise $2 Million in Matching Gifts Inspired by an extraordinary act of generosity by its musicians, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) announced an unprecedented fundraising initiative called “Music Matters: Play Your Part” designed to garner additional public support to ensure that the BSO weathers the current economic recession. This historic initiative is spurred by the BSO musicians, who voluntarily donated $1 million in savings through wage and pension rate freezes, unpaid furloughs, deferment of filling certain orchestra vacancies, and $24,000 in annual fund contributions (the latter achieved through 100% participation from all 93 musicians.) These concessions represent an 8% reduction in the salary and benefits package the orchestra players were scheduled to receive in the 2009-2010 season. In response to the musicians’ generosity, the BSO challenges the public to raise 2:1 matching funds, or $2 million in new ...

The nation’s longest running new music festival dedicated to orchestral works presents its 47th Anniversary season featuring new works by composers from all over the world, including Argentina, Australia, Israel, Mexico, Scotland, the UK and US The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music is pleased to announce its 47th season, led by Music Director and Conductor Marin Alsop , August 2-16, 2009. Most recently named Musical America’s 2009 Conductor of the Year, Marin Alsop’s vision for her 18th season at the Cabrillo Festival spans across the globe—and features works by the hottest composers from Argentina, Australia, Finland, Israel, Mexico, Scotland, the UK and the US. This season includes one World premiere, five US premieres and three West Coast premieres in what the Wall Street Journal has hailed as “two of the most thoughtful and original summer musical weekends anywhere in America." “The Cabrillo Festival remains an artistic oasis in the world. It’s all about the crea...