April 16, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … The largest musical force of the season will gather on the Oregon Symphony stage for Music Director Carlos Kalmar’s grand finale Classical Concert presentation of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor, “Resurrection,” on May 15, 16 and 17 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The Portland Symphonic Choir, soprano Nicole Cabell and mezzo-soprano Jane Gilbert will join the orchestra and more than 20 extra musicians for a rare performance of Mahler’s masterpiece, written as a direct homage to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Corporate and media support are provided by The Oregonian.
“Resurrection” is a work that has long appeared on Kalmar’s personal “wish list.” “Many years ago, when I started this wonderful profession of conducting an orchestra, I had some three or four pieces I wanted to conduct at least ‘once in a lifetime.’ Mahler’s second symphony is one of those pieces,” he explains. As he has done throughout the year, Kalmar will give the pre-concert talk with KBPS host Shaun Yu before each night’s performance, and will be available to meet audience members in the lobby at the end of each concert.
Mahler’s second symphony mirrors Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in its use of chorus and vocal soloists, as well as its enlarged five-movement structure. The massive instrumentation calls for 58 string players, 17 woodwinds (five extra), nine horns (up from four), eight trumpets (five extra), four trombones (one more), tuba, double timpani and harp, four percussion and keyboard. The results rival (some say surpass) the inspirational impact of Beethoven’s popular work.
Dr. Steven Zopfi, the current music director of the Portland Symphonic Choir, rehearsed the choir in preparation for this performance.
Cabell, a finalist in the 2000 Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions, is a member of the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists and has sung with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as at numerous other venues in and around the Chicago area, including the Chicago Symphony and the Grant Park Festival.
Audiences will remember Gilbert from earlier this season when she performed in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. She is making a name for herself both in this country and internationally as a leading artist in both opera and on the concert stage, and her roles span an eclectic range of periods and styles, from early Baroque to upcoming world premieres.
Oregon Symphony Classical concerts regularly include additional opportunities for listeners to learn more about the music and the orchestra. These activities include:
Pre-concert Talks: KBPS host Shaun Yu and Music Director Carlos Kalmar will lead a discussion one hour before the concert of the works to be performed. Media support for “Pre-Concert Talks” is provided by Classical Millennium.
Saturday: Music Director Carlos Kalmar will speak briefly from the podium in “Saturday Interactive.” Media support for “Saturday Interactive” is provided by KINKfm102.
Performances are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, May 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Monday, May 17 at 8 p.m. at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Tickets range in price from $17 to $76 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or charged by phone at 503-228-1353 or (800) 228-7343. Tickets also may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets (503-790-ARTS) or through Ticketmaster Online, via the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org. Service fees may apply.
Nicole Cabell is a second-year member of the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists. This year she sang Barbarina and covered Susanna in “ Le Nozze di Figaro” at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She sang with the same company the role of Crobyle in “ Thaïs” in the fall of 2002, alongside Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson.
In concert, Cabell was a featured soloist in Ravinia’s All Gershwin Concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of David Alan Miller, and participated in Ravinia’s opening day concert, accompanied by Welz Kauffman. Cabell has appeared as a soloist in Chicago’s Grant Park festival and Lyric Opera Center for American Artists Rising Stars in Concert.
Past roles include La Princesse in Ravel’s “ L’Enfant et les Sortilèges,” La Femme in Poulenc’s “ La Voix Humaine,” Miss Jessel in “The Turn of the Screw,” Arsamanes in “ Xerxes” and La Ciesca in “ Gianni Schicchi.”
Awards include first place in both the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition and the Women’s Board of Chicago Vocal Competition. Recently Cabell earned first place in the American Opera Society competition in Chicago. She is the 2002 winner of the Union League’s Rose M. Grundman Scholarship and the 2002 Farwell Award with the Woman’s Board of Chicago. Cabell was a finalist in the 2000 Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions.
American mezzo-soprano Jane Gilbert is quickly establishing herself as a leading artist among prominent theaters, garnering popular and critical acclaim throughout the world. Upcoming engagements for Gilbert include Louise Almonester in the world premiere of “ Pontalba” with New Orleans Opera, the U.S. premiere of Ede Donath’s “ Szulamit” with Florida Grand Opera and operatic concerts with Opera Grand Rapids. She recently performed her first Ottavia in Monteverdi’s “ L’incoronazione di Poppea” with Boston Baroque, Schubert’s “ Ständchen” in concerts with the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas, Suzuki in “ Madama Butterfly” with Florida Grand Opera, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the St. Louis Symphony, the Mozart “ Requiem” with the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia and “ Messiah” with the University Musical Society of Ann Arbor. In the summer of 2002 she performed the title role in “ Carmen” with Central City Opera. She made her debut with San Francisco Opera in fall 2002 as Dryad in “ Ariadne auf Naxos.”
In recent seasons, Gilbert has appeared in concert with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as Marina in “ Boris Godunov,” at Carnegie Hall in performances of Handel’s “ Messiah” with Musica Sacra, in “ Carmen” with the Berkshire Opera and with Lyric Opera of Kansas City as the Fox in the world-premiere of Henry Molliconi’s “Coyote Tales.” Gilbert made her European operatic debut with Opéra de Nice as Cuniza in Verdi’s “ Oberto.”
In concert, Gilbert made her debut in Santiago, Chile at the Teatro Municipal in performances of Verdi’s “ Requiem.” In the United States, she has appeared in the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s “Coming of Age Gala,” with Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, the Spoleto Festival USA and with the Seattle Symphony in Mahler’s Third Symphony.
Gilbert is the recipient of numerous awards, including grants from the Sullivan Foundation, the Metropolitan Opera National Council, Opera Index and the Shoshana Foundation. Gilbert is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she was named most outstanding undergraduate in her class.
Founded in 1946, Portland Symphonic Choir, now under the direction of Dr. Steven Zopfi, is Portland’s oldest and largest independent choral organization. The Choir presents its own concert series each year in addition to regular performances as the official chorus of the Oregon Symphony. The choir has also appeared at the Cascade Festival of Music in Bend, Oregon, and as guests of the Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland Youth Philharmonic and the Boston Pops. Membership in the Portland Symphonic Choir is based upon stringent auditions in which current and prospective members must demonstrate not only vocal ability but proficiency at sight singing. Singers selected for membership in the volunteer ensemble come from all walks of life and live throughout the Portland region.
The choir has gained an impressive international reputation through regular tours to Europe and Australia. Most recently the choir sang Mozart’s “Requiem” at the Jablonenc Music Festival and at the famed Rudolfinum Concert Hall in Prague.
The Portland Symphonic Choir is committed to promoting excellence in the tradition of choral music through education and service to the community. In 1989 the choir inaugurated a Girl Choir for girls aged 10 to 16 which has flourished under its conductor, Dr. Roberta Jackson. In 1994 the Choir created a Boy Choir which is also now a thriving independent group. Both groups are valuable training grounds for young singers.
