Edward Gardner Guest Conducts Santa Rosa Symphony March 17, 18, 19

German Cellist Johannes Moser plays Elgar Concerto

News Release Contact:
Sara Obuchowski, (707) 546-7097 ext 218

February 9 , 2007

(SANTA ROSA, CA) – Guest conductor Edward Gardner comes to Santa Rosa fresh from his appointment as music director of the English National Opera. He leads the Santa Rosa Symphony on March 17, 18 and 19 at the Wells Fargo Center. Centerpiece of the concert is the lyrical, heart-wrenching Elgar cello concerto, performed by the gifted Munich-born cellist Johannes Moser. Also on the program is Beethoven’s operatic Leonore overture and English composer William Walton’s poignant Symphony No. 1.

Twenty-eight-year-old cellist Johannes Moser came to international attention in June 2002 when he won the 12th Tchaikovsky Competition and was awarded the Special Prize for his interpretation of the Rococo Variations. He also won first prize in the Davidoff Competition in Riga (2000) and the Mendelssohn competition in Berlin (2001). After making his U.S. debut in 2005 with the Chicago Symphony under Pierre Boulez, he was described by the Chicago Tribune as “greatly gifted” and “heroic.” Moser has played with the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Saarbrücken, the SWR Stuttgart, and the Deutsche Symphony Orchestra in Berlin. He has also performed at Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Bad Kissingen Summer Festival, the Menuhin Festival Gstaad, and the Rheingau Music Festival. He has toured in Singapore, Taipei and Vietnam, and has played with the Munich and Bavarian Radio orchestras.

Called “a man of exceptional talent” by the Manchester Evening News, British-born conductor Edward Gardner takes up his new position as music director of the British National Opera in May 2007. He has been the music director of Glyndebourne on Tour, and made his debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 2005. His conducting of the UK premiere of John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer (Scottish Opera) led to an invitation to open the 2006 Edinburgh International Festival. Gardner has also conducted the Vancouver, Baltimore and Colorado symphonies, Orchestre National de Belgique, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, MDR Leipzig, Halle Orchestra, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Aspen Summer Music Festival, among others.
The March 17, 18 and 19 performances of the Santa Rosa Symphony Classical Series are underwritten by the Bell Investment Group.

Concert times are Saturday and Monday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa. Conversations with the Conductor begin in the main concert hall one hour prior to each concert.

The popular Discovery Series of open rehearsals continues at 2 p.m. on March 17. These concerts, priced at $10 for adults and $6 for youth, offer a sneak peek into the final rehearsal process before each concert set.

Call (707) 546-8742 for tickets or purchase tickets online at santarosasymphony.com. Tickets are also available in person at the Symphony Box Office on the first floor of the North Coast Bank building at 50 Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, Wednesdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tickets may also be purchased at the door 1½ hours before each performance based on availability. Single tickets are $27-50, with student and senior discounts available. $10 Student Rush tickets (valid student I.D. required) can be purchased a half hour prior to curtain.