Santa Rosa Symphony Announces 2007-2008 Season

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

March 16, 2007

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ruby Jubilee Gala Celebrates 80th Anniversary of SRS
• Classical Series begins with multi-media performance of Holst’s The Planets
• Guest soloists include: Ingrid Fliter, Christopher O’Riley, Corey Cerovsek
• Bruno Ferrandis conducts Verdi’s Requiem December 8, 9, 10
• Festival Series – Latin Waves: A Festival of Melody, Rhythm and Dance
• Bach’s B Minor Mass with Sonoma County Bach Choir

(SANTA ROSA, CA) – Bruno Ferrandis puts the stamp of his personality on his first full season as music director of the Santa Rosa Symphony (SRS) and demonstrates the scope of his vision.

Ferrandis writes of the 2007-2008 program, “I hope to bring spontaneity and freshness, mixing 20th century works with the classical masters and offering the music of opera and ballet.” In addition, Ferrandis continues the fifth year of the Symphony’s popular, thematically-unified festival series, which will focus on the music of Argentina, Brazil, Spain and Mexico (see full description below). He says the goal of the “Latin Waves Festival” is to engage patrons diverse in age and ethnicity, to attract audiences who love and appreciate tango, flamenco, mariachi and the cultures they represent, and to advance the Symphony’s collaboration with performers from other art forms.

RUBY JUBILEE OPERA CONCERT AND GALA

A celebration of the Santa Rosa Symphony’s 80th season and a formal welcome for the new maestro takes place on Sunday, September 30. A 4 p.m. concert titled Belles Amours: Love Arias from Great Operas opens the festivities. Under the baton of Ferrandis, the orchestra and Adler Fellows from the San Francisco Opera perform selections from Carmen, Don Giovanni, La Traviata, Rigoletto, LaBoheme, Barber of Seville and more. Tickets are $80 each, with selected seats being offered at just $8 to provide broader access to the community.

Following the concert, a black-tie Ruby Jubilee Gala Dinner and Welcome Party for the maestro will commence at the Vintner’s Inn Event Center at 6 p.m.

SPECIAL SEASON OPENER INCLUDES

“PERFORMANCE SONOMA” COLLABORATION

Two weeks following the Ruby Jubilee Gala, the SRS Classical Series begins with a unique multi-media performance of Gustav Holst’s The Planets for Orchestra. This 50-minute piece, subtitled “Music of the Spheres,” is accompanied by a live-sequenced video projection of images sourced from NASA and enhanced with computer graphics. The audience may have the uncanny illusion of piloting a space ship while listening as the orchestra plays movements descriptive of Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

As a bonus for our audience, computer stations in the Wells Fargo Center lobby will allow audience members to “explore” the solar system on their own using interactive 3D controls.

The Symphony’s production of The Planets is funded in part by a grant for the “Performance Sonoma” project of Community Foundation Sonoma County through the Irvine and Hewlett foundations. A dozen different arts organization grantees are participating in this six-week county-wide performing arts festival designed to reach out to new audiences and bring greater visibility to the local arts community.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CORE CLASSICAL REPERTOIRE

A Magnum Opus world premiere again graces the SRS stage, this time from the brilliant award-winning, Iranian-American composer Behzad Ranjbaran, whose as-yet-untitled piece is on the January 2008 program. In November 2007, another Magnum Opus commission, Fire and Ice by Pierre Jalbert, will be performed by the SRS. Jalbert’s composition premiered with the Oakland East Bay Symphony in February 2007.

Verdi’s monumental Requiem comprises the entire program of the December 8-10 concert set. Joining the orchestra will be the Santa Rosa Symphony Honor Choir fronted by renowned vocal talents (Teresa Santiago, soprano; Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano; Richard Clement, tenor; and Dean Elzinga, bass baritone) in a complex weaving of themes of life and death.

Also in store are symphonies of Brahms (No. 1) and Mendelssohn (No. 4), concertos from Barber, Bach, Beethoven and Bartók, Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer and the Forest Murmurs orchestral interlude from Wagner’s opera Siegfried. American composers Copland and Bernstein exhibit their skill in writing classical music influenced by jazz and the images of film in Music for the Theatre and On the Waterfront symphonic suite. French impressionism and lyrical elegance are well represented by Debussy’s masterpiece, La Mer, Fauré’s Masques and Bergamasques, and Métaboles for Orchestra by Henri Dutilleux (a composer now in his nineties whom Music Director Ferrandis calls “a Gallic poet.”)

In May of 2008, the SRS features Russian composers—high-energy, diverse in temperament and rich in color. Pianist Philippe Bianconi debuts in Santa Rosa performing Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The music of Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera The Golden Cockerel shares the spotlight with Stravinsky’s The Firebird (complete 1910 version). Thus the 2007-2008 Classical Series closes with an incredible sense of drama, interweaving compositions of ballet, opera and film with the myriad forms of orchestral music.

SRS Executive Director Alan Silow commented, “It was a pleasure to work with Bruno Ferrandis in programming our 80th season. The variety and reach of the program is a true articulation of our new music director’s vision to maintain a high standard of excellence and broaden the definition of what an orchestra can do and be.”

GUEST ARTIST LINE-UP FOR 2007-2008

CONDUCTOR
Hungarian-born, 34-year-old Gregory Vajda, hailed as “a titan” by the Montreal Gazette, conducts the November 10-12, 2007 concerts, the only weekend Bruno Ferrandis will miss this season. Vajda completed his tenure as assistant conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 2005, and took over as resident conductor of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. Prior to his appointment in Milwaukee, he served as founder and artistic advisor of the Valley of the Arts Summer Festival in Hungary, permanent guest conductor of the Hungarian State Opera (1998-2003), principal conductor of the Ernö Dohnányi Symphony Orchestra in Budapest, and a member of the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra. In addition to conducting, Vajda is also a clarinetist and composer. He is the son of renowned soprano Veronika Kincses.

VOCALISTS
Mezzo-soprano Jacalyn Kreitzer appears on the October 13-16 program, performing Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer. Described by the press as having “a voice of ebony,” and “a sumptuous mezzo, seamless...consummate...molten gold,” Kreitzer has an impressive list of opera engagements, including four seasons with the Metropolitan Opera, appearances and a recording with the Met of Die Walkure on Deutsche Grammaphon.

The demanding Verdi Requiem will showcase four distinctive vocal performers in the December 8-10 concert set. New York-based soprano Teresa Santiago sparked the Baltimore Sun music reviewer to say, “Aficionados interested in diva futures might think about investing in her.” With bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School and first prizes in the Naumburg Competition, and the D’Angelo and Puccini Foundation competitions, Santiago has a very long list of opera and concert credits.

The New York Times described Canadian mezzo-soprano Susan Platts as “consistently satisfying, with a lush, dark tone,” and another review says “she instantly seizes the attention for the bronze-like beauty of her voice...a major artist on the rise.” Platts has performed at La Scala, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and other American venues in the most prestigious vocal series, as well as appearing on television with the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra. She was chosen by renowned soprano Jessye Norman, who selected Platts from 26 candidates worldwide, to be her protégé.

Grammy-winning lyric tenor Richard Clement has performed with most of America’s major orchestras and music directors, bringing “singing of ringing purity,” tonal beauty and superb musicality to repertoire from baroque to the contemporary. He has considerable opera credentials, with Festival engagements including Tanglewood, Hollywood Bowl and Grant Park, and with Seiji Ozawa at Japan’s Saito Kinen Festival.

Bass-Baritone Dean Elzinga is regularly welcomed on concert and opera stages, often in contemporary works requiring his unique dramatic conviction, presence and assured musicianship. LA Weekly praised Elzinga’s performance in Eight Songs for a Mad King: “An extraordinarily gifted singer/actor/acrobat/tragedian/clown.... He shaped an astonishing gamut—searing, shocking and remarkable in the absolute clarity of his diction.”

INSTRUMENTALISTS
Paris-based, but raised in Vancouver, Canada, violinist Corey Cerovsek was a child prodigy. He beat out 3,000 musicians to win the top prize in the Canadian Music Competition when he was 9, graduated from Toronto’s Royal Conservatory at 12 and had earned a doctorate in math and music by the time he was 18. His playing was called “absolutely brilliant and flawless” by the Columbus Dispatch and The New York Times wrote, “Cerovsek is a formidable talent whose playing combines an exciting spontaneity and a powerful technique with an old world charm.” Cerovsek makes his Santa Rosa Symphony debut November 10-12, performing Barber’s violin concerto.

Santa Rosa Symphony’s concertmaster, Joseph Edelberg, is featured in the January 26-28, 2008 concert set performing the Bach Violin Concerto in E major.The San Francisco Classical Voice has written that his playing is “refined...with thorough command of the music.” Edelberg has performed for many years with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the San Francisco Opera and American Bach Soloists. He has appeared as guest leader with many Bay Area groups, including the Berkeley Symphony, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Magnificat Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists and the California Symphony. He has appeared with the Summer Festival Orchestras of Mendocino and San Luis Obispo.

2006 Gilmore Artist Award winner, Ingrid Fliter, now has “the most buzz in the business.” On February 16-18 she will play Beethoven’s 2nd Piano Concerto. The young Argentinean made her professional orchestra debut at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires at the age of 16, having already won many competitions, and went on to win first prizes at the Cantu International Competition and the Ferruccio Busoni Competition in Italy and silver medal (2000) at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Fliter has performed with orchestras and in recital at many of the major concert halls worldwide. In the United States, she has performed at the Kennedy Center and Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, with the Atlanta Symphony in January 2006, just days after the announcement of her Gilmore Award, and in March 2006 replaced Martha Argerich for concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Pianist Christopher O’Riley, who plays a Bartok Concerto on the April 12-14 program, is known for his groundbreaking transcriptions of Radiohead and his sublime interpretations of both classical and contemporary repertoire. He has taken his unique vision to both traditional classical venues, and entirely new audiences on the radio, in clubs and at universities. His popular radio program, From the Top, features the next generation of young musicians. O’Riley has toured the U.S. with the world-famous Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Orchestra and has appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Baltimore symphonies. An enthusiastic advocate of new music, O’Riley has twice participated in the annual “Absolut Concerto” concerts at Avery Fisher Hall, premiering works by Richard Danielpour, Aaron Jay Kernis and Michael Torke. He has been honored with many competition awards and an Avery Fisher Career Grant.

On May 12-14, French pianist Philippe Bianconi, Cliburn competition silver medalist, debuts with SRS. He has appeared in the US with the orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Chattanooga, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Montreal, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Vancouver, among others. His international appearances include engagements with the Cape Town Philharmonic, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchester der Beethovenhalle in Bonn, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre National de l’Opéra de Paris, Nuremberg Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec, and the Toulouse Orchestra. A fine chamber music artist, Bianconi has collaborated with the Guarneri String Quartet, the Toyko String Quartet and the Quartet Sine Nomine.

FAMILY DISCOVERY SERIES OPEN REHEARSALS
The SRS presents a Discovery Series of full-length open rehearsals for the seven Classical Series concerts. These informal, Saturday afternoon rehearsals include commentary from the conductor as well as performances by each guest artist and an opportunity to see the inner-workings of an orchestra. Discovery Series concert dates are: October 13, November 10, December 8, 2007; January 26, February 16, April 12 and May 10, 2008. Reduced subscription prices for the seven rehearsal series are $60 adults, $40 youth. Single tickets for individual performances are $10 adults and $6 youth.

Specials...Beyond the Classical Series

LATIN WAVES: A FESTIVAL OF RHYTHM, MELODY AND DANCE
The Latin Waves Festival, a 4-concert series running February through April 2008, is certainly true to the vision of Music Director Bruno Ferrandis to foster collaboration between the Symphony and other performing arts. SRS players join with dancers, vocalists and the finest musicians in the Latin idiom for a musical tour of Argentina, Brazil, Spain and Mexico.

The February 2 chamber concert, titled “Tango and Fire” includes the masters of traditional tango composition Astor Piazzolla and Anibal Troilo as well as the work of contemporary composers Osvaldo Golijov and Pablo Ortiz. Featured world-class dancers Miriam Larici and Hugo Patyn transform the Jackson Theater stage with their tango embrace.

On March 2, “The Spirit of Rio” includes the Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 of the brilliant and prolific composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Brazil’s finest chamber music shares this evening’s spotlight with the sensuous harmonies penned by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Local jazz guitarist Randy Vincent and vocalist Claudia Villela team up to perform The Girl from Ipanema and other Jobim bossa nova standards.

“Flamenco Beat” closes the chamber portion of the Latin Waves festival on March 29. Joining the Symphony Chamber Players are the principals from Santa Rosa’s Flamenco Arts Co., dancer Elena Marlowe and guitarist-singer Robin Brown. Program includes the compositions of Albéniz, Turina and deFalla, all expressing the deep, passionate Spanish sensibility.

The "Viva el Mariachi" Latin Waves Festival Finale on April 28 promises to be both entertaining and educational. Mariachi Champaña Nevín, directed by composer and trumpeter Jeff Nevin, joins the Santa Rosa Symphony with a blend of “born and bred” mariachi musicians and players from world-class orchestras. The general manager of the San Diego Symphony, Drew Cady, has said of this virtuoso multi-cultural ensemble: “They are one of the most engaging, relevant and artistically viable crossover projects to emerge from the orchestral world.” Dr. Nevin, who offers the first-ever college degree in mariachi music, is host and guide for the evening. Dr. Richard Loheyde, music director of the SRS Youth Orchestra, conducts.

The first three Latin Waves concerts take place at the Jackson Theater, Sonoma Country Day School at 5:30 p.m. The Festival Finale takes place at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts on April 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets available by subscription or for a single concert. Call (707) 54 MUSIC.

SPECIAL SPRING CONCERT: BACH’S B MINOR MASS

The “sacred music in sacred spaces” concert series moves from the busy month of December to Spring 2008. The Sonoma County Bach Choir, under the direction of Robert Worth, and members of the Santa Rosa Symphony present Bach’s B Minor Mass in three Sonoma County churches on Friday, Saturday and Sunday May 2-4. From the solemn Kyrie to the ebullient Gloria in excelsis, all the way through the last chord of the the Dona nobis pacem, audiences have been riveted by the variety and depth of Bach’s music.

SYMPHONY POPS IS BACK AGAIN
The Symphony Pops Series, Santa Rosa Symphony’s collaboration with Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, returns for a third season of popular entertainment. These Sunday matinee shows begin on October 21 with a Big Band homage to Nelson Riddle and his arrangements made famous by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. The opening show is conducted by the irrepressible Michael Berkowitz, back by popular demand. The Pops continues on January 13 with a Bravo Broadway tribute to the work of Rogers & Hammerstein conducted by Kyle Pickett. The series concludes with a St. Patrick’s Day Celebration with Asher Raboy conducting, and featuring the Celtic/World music group Mithril.

Subscriptions and single tickets for the Symphony Pops will be available only through the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts box office: (707) 546-3600 www.wellsfargocenterarts.com

Performance Times and Locations

The Santa Rosa Symphony offers a Saturday, Sunday or Monday series of seven classical subscription concerts at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. The WFCA is located 2 miles north of Santa Rosa just off Highway 101. Symphony subscriptions are available only through the Santa Rosa Symphony Box Office at 50 Santa Rosa Avenue, or by calling 54-MUSIC. Individual tickets may be purchased through the box office by phone and in person, or online at www.santarosasymphony.com.

Saturday and Monday performances begin at 8 p.m. and Sunday performances at 3 p.m. Discovery Series open rehearsals begin at 2 p.m. on Saturdays, also at the WFCA.

The Latin Waves Festival concerts take place at 5:30 p.m. on the following Saturdays: February 2, March 1 and March 29, 2008 at Sonoma Country Day School’s Jackson Theater, 4400 Day School Place, off Aviation Boulevard in Santa Rosa. The Saturday, April 26, 2008 Festival Finale concert is at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts at 8:00 p.m.

GET CUED IN... WAYS TO ENHANCE THE CONCERT EXPERIENCE

In Santa Rosa Symphony’s popular pre-concert conversations, the conductor and guest musicians discuss the musical program and answer questions from the audience. Concert Conversations begin one hour prior to subscription performances in the main theater, and are free to all ticket holders.

Program Notes Online offer insight and fascinating details about the concert program and are posted on each of the 7 classical concert event pages. Printable versions are also available at www.santarosasymphony.com.

Subscription Information

• 7-concert Classical Series subscription prices range from $112* - $322, offering significant savings over single ticket prices. Subscriptions are now available at the SRS Box Office located at 50 Santa Rosa Avenue, ground floor, in Santa Rosa or by phone 707-54-MUSIC (707-546-8742).
• The Latin Waves Festival subscription prices are $122 for Premier seating and $97 for Reserved seating.
• Discovery Rehearsal Series subscription prices are $60 for adults and $40 for youth under 18.
• Come As You Can subscription prices are $272. Buy 8 vouchers for Classical Series concerts and use them for the concerts of your choice.
• Mini-Series subscription prices are $45* - $129. Subscribe for 3 Classical concerts of your choice.
• Current subscribers have until April 27, 2007, to renew their present seats or request a move to a different seat location. New subscriptions will be processed in the order received once the deadline has passed for current subscriber renewals.

*Specially discounted prices for students (under 18 and/or with valid student ID) and seniors (age 65 and over)

The Santa Rosa Symphony Box Office:
50 Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Phone: 707.546.8742 Fax: 707.546.0460

Single tickets for the 07-08 season will be available online at www.santarosasymphony.com beginning Sept. 10