Oregon Arts Watch: Footloose and fancy free: Leonard Slatkin with Oregon Symphony
After a gap of many years, the conductor/composer/author returns to Portland for a concert of Mason Bates, Beethoven, and Elgar’s ‘Cello Concerto’ with Joshua Roman.
Leonard Slatkin is footloose and fancy free. No longer tethered to the music directorship of a particular orchestra, the internationally acclaimed conductor can pick and choose which orchestra he gets to lead. This weekend (October 14-16), it will be the Oregon Symphony in a program that includes works by Beethoven, Elgar, and American composer Mason Bates.
Over a 50-plus-year career, Slatkin has racked up six Grammy awards, 35 Grammy nominations, over 100 recordings, and directed every major orchestra around the world. And the concerts in Portland are not the first time that he has visited the Rose City.
The Berkshire Edge: Preview: Dover String Quartet in new lineup at South Mountain, October 15
Pittsfield — Up until just a few weeks ago, the Dover String Quartet’s reputation was excellent. But now it is about to soar, as Julianne Lee has departed the Boston Symphony Orchestra to join the group as violist. Lee played in the BSO’s first desk of second violinists, having joined the orchestra in her early 20s before she had even graduated from New England Conservatory. A wunderkind of staggering talent, Lee plays violin and viola with equal ease.
Broadway World: The Azrieli Foundation And Analekta Release NEW JEWISH MUSIC, VOL. 4 - AZRIELI MUSIC PRIZES
The Azrieli Foundation is pleased to announce the October 6th release of New Jewish Music, Vol. 4 - Azrieli Music Prizes on Analekta. The album features the world-premiere recordings of three prize-winning works by the 2022 Azrieli Music Prizes Laureates Iman Habibi (2022 Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music), Aharon Harlap (2022 Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music) and Rita Ueda (2022 Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music). These works are brought vividly to life by the Orchestre Métropolitain under the direction of Artistic Partner Nicolas Ellis.
The Dallas Morning News: Dallas Symphony Dazzles: Fabio Luisi Conducts Schuman, Copland and Liszt’s Faust Symphony
The all-American first half — William Schuman’s flashy American Festival Overture and Aaron Copland’s sublime Clarinet Concerto — fine. But then 70 minutes of Lisztian rumination and bombast on Goethe’s Faust?
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Anthony McGill, principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic (and brother of former DSO principal flutist Demarre McGill, now with the Seattle Symphony), played most expressively, with plenty of pizzazz when called for. Luisi and the orchestra were right with him.
Blogcritics: Exclusive Interview: Parlando Founder and Music Director Ian Niederhoffer Previews October 4 ‘Odysseys’ Concert, with Music of Tchaikovsky, Jimmy Lopez, Joey Roukens
The New York City-based chamber orchestra Parlando aims to bridge the gap between audience and performer.
That might sound a bit self-evident – doesn’t every artist and ensemble want to connect with listeners?
But for Parlando and its founder and music director Ian Niederhoffer, “bridging the gap” means something special: truly direct communication, and engagement in creative and fun ways.
KUSC: Classical Californians: Anne Akiko Meyers
This week, our Classical Californian will be violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, who will share some of her favorite pieces of music. The playlist includes two composers who have written concertos for her, some selections from the world of movie music, as well as works by a pair of composers best known for their writing for choral voices. The Southern California native has most recently released a recording of Fandango by Arturo Márquez, with Gustavo Dudamel leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She’s worked with a who’s who of contemporary composers, and since making her first national TV appearance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson when she was 11, she’s been performing to admiring audiences around the world. The instrument that she plays, the “Ex-Vieuxtemps Guarneri del Gesù” dates from 1741, and belonged to the Belgian violinist Henri Vieuxtemps in the 1800s.
The Columbian: Vancouver Symphony Orchestra rides wave of enthusiasm into 45th year, opens season with Prokofiev
Eager to build on the success of August’s Vancouver Arts & Music Festival that drew crowds to Esther Short Park, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is loading up a panoply of terrific concerts for its 45th season.
Music Director Salvador Brotons has scheduled a vibrant mix of beloved gems and less familiar works. That should appeal to patrons and attract newbies to Skyview Concert Hall, where the hometown orchestra has performed since 1999.
The Oregonian: Suzanne Nance – Singing CEO of All Classical Radio – leads the station to a new studio and into the future
All Classical Radio is on a roll. Actually, it’s more of a grand crescendo. The station at 89.9 FM, formerly known as All Classical Portland, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a new name, a new logo, and a massive move of its offices and broadcasting services to downtown Portland.
To top that off, All Classical Radio now has bragging rights as the number one classical music station in the nation. Talk about keeping Portland weird!
“We’ve received our ratings from Nielsen, and they said it is not even close,” said All Classical’s President and CEO Suzanne Nance. “We’ve been pulling a 6.5 market share, and the closest competitor is 3.0.”
OperaWire: Canada’s Azrieli Foundation Introduces the Azrieli Music, Arts, and Culture Center
The Canadian Azrieli Foundation, known for its annual music competition and dedication to the arts, has announced the establishment of the Azrieli Music, Arts, and Culture Center (AMACC).
The creation of the Center comes after reviewing a decade of its arts support, signaling an expanded commitment from the Foundation.
AMACC reflects the Foundation’s goal to provide consistent backing as a funder and partnership as a collaborator to Canada’s art and culture community.
NPR: Anne Akiko Meyers: Tiny Desk Concert
When violinist Anne Akiko Meyers walked into NPR headquarters, I half expected her to be flanked by bodyguards. After all, she was carrying a very rare instrument. Her Guarneri del Gesù "Vieuxtemps" violin, built in 1741, is worth at least $16 million. Instead, Meyers arrived only with a pair of publicists and the perceptive pianist Max Levinson. She seemed nonchalant about the fact that her fiddle is worth a fortune.
What matters, naturally, is how the instrument sounds and few can make a violin sing as sweetly as Meyers. The San Diego native was already performing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at age 11. Three years later she enrolled in New York's Juilliard School and at 18 cut the first of her 40-some albums.