Contact:
Carl Herko
Vice President, Media & Public Relations
503-416-6347
cherko@orsymphony.org

January 15, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE OREGON SYMPHONY IN FEBRUARY:
FROM CLASSICAL GUITAR TO A SUPERSTAR OF THE VIOLIN

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(PORTLAND, Ore.) – The Oregon Symphony offers up an eclectic array of concerts for February, from a classical orchestral program at which at which the guitar takes a rare turn in the spotlight to a guest appearance by a reigning superstar of the violin, Itzhak Perlman. In between, the orchestra shares its Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall stage with sultry jazz sensation Dianne Reeves; presents the perennial masters of traditional Irish music, The Chieftains; and celebrates creative kids. Complete details on all of the Oregon Symphony’s February concerts follow:

 

SATURDAY-MONDAY, FEB. 7-9:
THE CLASSICAL GUITAR TAKES CENTER STAGE

• When and Where: Three performances, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 7 and 8, and 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. (NOTE: This concert will also be performed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, at Willamette University’s Smith Hall in Salem.)

• The Performers: The Oregon Symphony, led by guest conductor James Gaffigan, with Eduardo Fernandez, guitar.

• The Program:
• Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 83, “The Hen”
• Joaquin Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
• Ferruccio Busoni: Elegiac Lullaby
• Igor Stravinsky: Firebird Suite (1919)

• Tickets: FOR THE PORTLAND PERFORMANCES: $15 to $98; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, orsymphony.org. Tickets are also available through ticketmaster.com or by calling (503) 790-ARTS.

FOR THE SALEM PERFORMANCE: $25 to $43, available from TicketsWest.

• What’s So Special About These Concerts:
• Guest conductor James Gaffigan -- the dynamic, young associate conductor of the San Francisco Symphony – and Uruguayan guitarist Eduardo Fernandez both make their Oregon Symphony debuts at these concerts.
• Fernandez will perform one of the masterworks of the classical guitar repertoire, the Concierto de Aranjuez, Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo’s best-known creation.       
• Two other works on the program – Ferruccio Busoni’s Elegiac Lullaby from 1909 and Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 83, from 1785, receive their first Oregon Symphony performances ever at these concerts. (In the case of the Haydn, the premiere comes nearly 225 years after the symphony was composed.)
• The program concludes with one of the 20th century’s seminal musical compositions, Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, written in 1909 and revised twice, in 1919 and 1945. The orchestra will perform the 1919 version, Stravinsky’s most popular; the composer conducted the 1919 version himself more than 1,000 times during his career.
• Presenting sponsor of these concerts is Lufthansa.

 

SATURDAY, FEB. 14:
VALENTINE’S DAY WITH JAZZ DIVA DIANNE REEVES

• When and Where: One performance only, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

• The Performers: The Oregon Symphony, with Resident Conductor Gregory Vajda on the podium, joined by Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Dianne Reeves.

• The Program: A celebration of the great jazz singer Sarah Vaughan. Reeves and the orchestra will collaborate on a broad selection of masterworks from the great American songbook, including such classics as “Fascinatin’ Rhythm,” “Embraceable You” and “Misty,” as well as “I Remember Sarah,” “Lullaby of Birdland,” “Key Largo” and others.

• Tickets: $25 to $115; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, orsymphony.org. Tickets are also available through ticketmaster.com or by calling (503) 790-ARTS.

• What’s So Special About This Concert:
• Reeves, perhaps the pre-eminent jazz vocalist working today, is known for her singular interpretations of jazz standards. She’s often compared to greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.
• Reeves comes to the Oregon Symphony with an impressive record of symphonic performances: She has recorded with Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim and performed with the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle. Reeves also was the first Creative Chair for Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the first singer to ever perform at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
• Reeves won Grammy Awards for best jazz vocal performance for three consecutive recordings, the only artist ever to do so in any vocal category.
• She also appeared and performed in the George Clooney film Good Night, and Good Luck; the soundtrack earned Reeves her fourth best-jazz-vocal Grammy Award in 2006.
• The concert is part of the 2009 Portland Jazz Festival.
  

 

MONDAY, FEB. 16:
A NIGHT OF IRISH FUN WITH THE CHIEFTAINS

• When and Where: 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

• The Performers: The Chieftains, the world’s best-known purveyors of traditional Irish music. (NOTE: The Oregon Symphony does not perform.)

• The Program: An array of traditional Irish tunes that will, as at all Chieftains performances, be announced from the stage.

• Tickets: $20 to $90; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, orsymphony.org. Tickets are also available through ticketmaster.com or by calling (503) 790-ARTS.

• What’s So Special About This Performance:
• The Chieftains, known around the world for pushing the boundaries of traditional Irish music, were first brought together by front man Paddy Moloney in 1962 and have been playing together full-time since 1975.
• The group has recorded 43 albums, won six Grammy Awards, and performed at venues ranging from the Great Wall of China to the U.S. Capitol.

 

SUNDAY, FEB. 22:
KIDS’ CONCERT SERIES CELEBRATES CREATIVE KIDS

• When and Where: Two performances, at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

• The Performers: The Oregon Symphony, with Resident Conductor Gregory Vajda on the podium, joined by narrator Pam Mahon, members of the Portland Youth Philharmonic and the Pacific Youth Choir.

• The Program: A genuine celebration of youth and creativity, with more than 80 young performers sharing the stage with the Oregon Symphony, including …
• Members of the Portland Youth Philharmonic performing a wind work of Richard Strauss;
• A cadre of Suzuki violin students performing the first movement of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Double Violin Concerto;
• Featured selections include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s First Symphony, John Williams’ music from the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, George Bizet’s Children’s Games and Edward Elgar’s Wand of Youth Suite.

• Tickets: $5 to $42; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, orsymphony.org. Tickets are also available through ticketmaster.com or by calling (503) 790-ARTS.

• What’s So Special About These Concerts:
• The concert will be performed twice, at 2 and 4 p.m., unusual for Oregon Symphony Kids series concerts. The 4 p.m. performance makes up for the Dec. 21 Kids series concert that was canceled because of Portland’s pre-Christmas snowstorm. Tickets for the canceled Dec. 21 concert will be honored at the 4 p.m. performance.
• The Creative Kids theme focuses on music by young composers and music written for young listeners.
• The program includes one world premiere: Scherzo Giocoso, the creation of 15-year-old Portland composer John Caughman V, winner of the Oregon Symphony’s 2009 Creative Kids Composition Contest. (Caughman studies composition with Portland-based composer Tomas Svoboda.)
• Kids Concerts are short performances – about an hour in length, without intermission – programmed specifically to appeal to young audiences and are an ideal way to introduce children to classical music.
• Presenting sponsor of these concerts is Umpqua Bank.

 

SATURDAY-MONDAY, FEB. 28-MAR. 2:
VIOLIN VIRTUOSO ITZHAK PERLMAN PLAYS AND CONDUCTS

• When and Where: Three performances, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 28 and Mar. 1, and 8 p.m. Monday, Mar. 2; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

• The Performers: The Oregon Symphony, with famed violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman on the conductor’s podium and performing as violin soloist.

• The Program:
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Violin Concerto No. 1
• Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 3
• Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 2

• Tickets: $20 to $95; at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St., in downtown Portland. Ticket office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, orsymphony.org. Tickets are also available through ticketmaster.com or by calling (503) 790-ARTS.

• What’s So Special About These Concerts:
• Israeli-born violinist Itzhak Perlman, winner of 15 Grammy Awards and recognition ranging from the National Medal of Arts to the Kennedy Center Honors, is arguably the best-known violinist performing today.
• Among his latest honors: Perlman is scheduled to perform Jan. 20 at the inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama.
• His Oregon Symphony performance comes as he marks the 50th anniversary of his American concert debut.
• He will perform as violin soloist in one work on the program, J.S. Bach’s Violin Concerto, No. 1, as well as conducting the Schubert and Brahms symphonies.
• Presenting sponsor of these concerts is Wells Fargo.

 

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CONTACT:
Carl Herko
Vice President, Media & Public Relations
(503) 416-6347
cherko@orsymphony.org