Christopher O'Riley, host of "From the Top" Radio and TV Shows, Performs Bartok Piano Concerto with Santa Rosa Symphony April 12-14

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

(SANTA ROSA, CA) – In the Santa Rosa Symphony’s April 12, 13 and 14 concerts at the Wells Fargo Center, Music Director Bruno Ferrandis and the orchestra welcome hipster concert pianist Christopher O’Riley who takes on Bartok’s 3rd Piano Concerto.  O’Riley has been called a “musician without boundaries” and his playing described as “laced with an otherworldly eloquence that can’t be duplicated.” Considered one of the classical genre’s most amiable ambassadors, he hosts the National Public Radio and PBS television show “From the Top,” which features outstanding young classical musicians from across the United States in a warm, entertaining format. O’Riley has an extensive catalogue of recordings, including two critically-praised CD interpretations of the music of British Alt-pop band Radiohead. (An extended Christopher O’Riley bio follows later in this release)

Also on the SRS April program is the Brahms Symphony No. 1, sometimes referred to as “Beethoven’s Tenth,” because in it the composer pays homage to his great predecessor. The concert opens with Czech composer Leos Janacek’s From the House of the Dead overture.

Concert Underwriters

The April performances of the Santa Rosa Symphony Classical Series are underwritten by Bell Investment Advisors; Bruno Ferrandis is underwritten by Margaret and Harry Wetzel; guest artist Christopher O’Riley is underwritten by Anderson, Zeigler, Disharoon, Gallagher and Gray.

Concert Times

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 April 12. These concerts, priced at $10 for adults and $6 for youth, offer a sneak peek into the final rehearsal process before each concert set.

Tickets
For tickets, call (707) 546-8742, purchase online at santarosasymphony.com, or come in person to the Symphony Box Office at 50 Santa Rosa Avenue (North Coast Bank building, off the elevator lobby), 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 (student I.D. required) can be purchased a half hour prior to curtain.

* *
Photos of Christopher O’Riley and Maestro Ferrandis are available on request.

* *
Christopher O’Riley Bio
From his groundbreaking transcriptions of Radiohead to his unforgettably sublime interpretations of repertoire classic and contemporary, pianist Christopher O’Riley has redefined the possibilities of classical music. He has taken his unique vision to both traditional classical venues and symphonic settings, as well as to entirely new audiences on the radio, at universities and in clubs. On From the Top, O’Riley works and performs with the next generation of brilliant young musicians, demonstrating to audiences, with humor and a lack of pretense, that these young artists are as full of character and diverse in their personal lives as they are in their music-making.

 From early in his career, O’Riley was honored with many awards at the Leeds, Van Cliburn, Busoni and Montreal competitions, as well as an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Among his many solo releases are a Scriabin disc for Image Recordings and an all-Stravinsky disc on Elektra Nonesuch. Other recordings include an RCA Victor Red Seal release of French repertoire for flute and piano with James Galway; his audacious debut disc of music of Busoni; a disc of Ravel’s solo works; a recording of Beethoven Piano Sonatas; a collaboration with cellist Carter Brey titled Le Grand Tango; and the premiere recording of P.D.Q Bach’s The Short-Tempered Clavier by the fabled composer-satirist Peter Schickele.

In November 2004 O’Riley toured the U.S. with the world-famous Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Orchestra, visiting ten cities in two weeks, playing Bach, Mozart and Lizst concerti. He has appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Minnesota Orchestra, and 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 and Michael Torke.

CALENDAR LISTING
Heading: Classical
What: Symphony Concert
Who: Santa Rosa Symphony

Bruno Ferrandis, conductor
Christopher O’Riley, piano

Date and Time:
Sat., April 12, 2008 at 8 p.m.
(Discovery Rehearsal, Sat., April 12 at 2 p.m.)
Sun., April 13, 2008 at 3 p.m.
Mon., April 14, 2008 at 8 p.m.

Program:
Janáček: From the House of the Dead overture
Bartok: Piano Concerto No. 3
Brahms: Symphony No. 1

Pre-concert talk featuring Bruno Ferrandis one hour before each performance

Venue:
Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa, CA

Cost: Single tickets $27-$50, with senior and student discounts available