April 7, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … The roots of folk music are traced from its origins in oral tradition to its role as inspiration for many classical music compositions as the Oregon Symphony, led by Resident Conductor Gregory Vajda, explores “Musical Artifacts,” a Youth Concert for kindergartners through twelfth graders, on Friday, May 5, at 9:30 and 11 a.m. in the Baker City High School gymnasium in Baker City as part of the Symphony’s two-year Community Music Partnership (CMP). CMP funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Oregon Cultural Trust, the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation and MetLife/ASOL.
Throughout the hour students will become musical archaeologists as they unearth the concept of folk music and explore the ways it has shaped the music of various classical composers. The concert will begin with students singing America’s National Anthem followed by Berlioz’ “Rakoczy March,” excerpts from Carlos Chavez’ “Sinfonia india,” which features a number of musical instruments from the indigenous cultures of Mexico, excerpts from Haydn’s Symphony No. 104, “London” and the second movement from Dvořák’s “New World Symphony,” as well as the final movement from Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra.
The Symphony’s Youth Concerts are designed for elementary, middle and high school students throughout the state of Oregon and are attended by over 20,000 students each year. Symphony Youth Concerts support the common curricular goals of the Oregon Content Standards in multiple subject areas. The Oregon Symphony presented its first “Music for Youth” Concerts in 1962 to junior and senior high school students in the Portland Public Schools. The Symphony’s department of Education and Community Engagement works with area teachers, administrators and parents to develop concerts that provide students with quality experiences in the arts and that are relevant to their current learning skills and knowledge.
The upcoming Youth concert is free for all students but requires a reservation through the Baker School District offices. For more information call the Symphony at 503-228-4294 or the Baker School District at 541-524-2260, or visit the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org.
Gregory Vajda has been appointed to serve as the Oregon Symphony’s second Resident Conductor in its 109-year history beginning in summer 2005. Vajda conducted a Sundays at Two concert during the 2003-2004 season to great acclaim from both the orchestra and the audience. During the 2005-2006 season, he will conduct a Classical and a Pops concert, in addition to serving as the primary conductor for Youth Concertsand Kids Concerts.
Gregory Vajda has fast become one of the most brilliant conductors on the international scene. He was called a “young titan” by a Montreal Symphony Orchestra member during the 2003-2004 season run of Bartók’s “Bluebeard’s Castle” and Schönberg’s “Erwartung” with L’Opera de Montreal. Recognized for his strength and intensity in conducting 19th century, 20th century and contemporary repertoire, Vajda has just concluded his third and final season as assistant conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
Prior to his appointment with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, he served as music director to the New Theater Budapest, and artistic director of the Forras (Source) Chamber Music Workshop, founder and artistic advisor of the Valley of the Arts Summer Festival in Hungary, permanent guest conductor of the Hungarian State Opera (1998-2003), artistic leader of the Brass in Five Ensemble, principal conductor of the Ernö Dohnányi Symphony Orchestra in Budapest, and was a member of the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra. When appointed assistant conductor in Milwaukee, he resigned all permanent European posts to focus completely on his full time job as well as guest engagements.
Highlights of the 2004-2005 season for Vajda included a third appearance at the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris and appearances with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Round Top Festival in Texas, and the Grant Park Festival in Chicago. Vajda 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 the 2003-2004 season, Vajda’s schedule included the Oregon Symphony, Naumburg Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris and the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra. All this in addition to the New Year’s Gala Performance and a classical subscription series with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Vajda also conducted at the Woodstock Mozart Festival and Mostly Mozart Festival in Lincoln Center to great critical acclaim.
As assistant conductor with the Milwaukee Symphony, he led several regional tours, conducted the Milwaukee Symphony in a classical subscription concert as well as performances with Canadian Brass, Maureen McGovern, Peter, Paul and Mary and the King Singers. In past seasons, Vajda appeared with St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Ensemble Intercontemporain at Cité de la Musique, led performances at the Vienna Klangforum of Péter Eötvös’s “As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams” and “Three Sisters”(as part of theVienna Festwochen), gave the premiere of his chamber opera “The Giantbaby” at the New Theatre in Budapest, and the premiere of Hungarian composer György Ránki’s opera “King Pomade’s New Clothes” at the Hungarian State Opera. He has also conducted at the festivals of Avignon and Strassbourg.
In addition to conducting, 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.
Born in 1973 in Budapest, Hungary, the son of renowned soprano Veronika Kincses, Gregory Vajda studied clarinet and composition at Béla Bartók secondary school. He then studied conducting at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music under Professor Ervin Lukács. He recently completed a half-year study session with the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris with Jonathan Nott. He has also been a conducting pupil of the well-known twentieth century composer and conductor, Péter Eötvös.
