February 10, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Music Director Carlos Kalmar and the Oregon Symphony announce the 111th season, which will feature: a gala opening with Garrick Ohlsson performing Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto; superstar violinist Itzhak Perlman in a special concert conducting and performing; a tribute to Mozart with a special improvisation concert by pianist Robert Levin; a salute to the music of Johann (Jr.) and Josef Strauss; a Pops series opener with the Pointer Sisters and tributes to the Beatles, Motown and Nat King Cole; a special event with Garrison Keillor; and the introduction of a new concert series, Inside the Score.
Kalmar’s fourth classical season brings a return to more core repertoire and guest artists while remaining sprinkled with many established works that will be new to Portland audiences. The Symphony will also present the world premiere of a Symphony No. 13 by Oregon composer Robert Kyr.
Highlights include the incomparable Itzhak Perlman demonstrating his talents as a conductor as well as a violinist when he leads the orchestra in Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 and several violin romances by Beethoven and a gala opening with pianist Garrick Ohlsson performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto, “The Emperor.”
Kalmar and the Symphony will also present a tribute to the immortal waltzes of Johann Strauss Jr. and his brother Josef in “Fun and Dancing,” a concert that also features the Symphony premiere of Stravinsky’s “Card Game, a ballet in three Deals.” 2007 marks the 125th anniversary of Stravinsky’s birth, and the Symphony will mark this season with several works of Stravinsky, including “Petrouchka” and the Symphony premiere of his Concerto in D.
Some of this season’s other distinguished soloists include violinist Leila Josefowicz, a Symphony favorite whose technique and virtuosity “had the audience spellbound,” according to the BBC News. She will return to perform Hindemith’s Violin Concerto on Nov. 11-13, 2006 and renowned percussionist Colin Currie, hailed by critics as “an inspirational catalyst,” returns to perform Christopher Rouse’s “Alberich Saved” on Jan. 14-15, 2007. Other returning soloists include pianist Stephen Hough, recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” grant, who will perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 on April 22-23, 2007 and cellist Alban Gerhardt, whose playing is described by Grammophone as “both brilliant and dedicated,” will play Schumann’s Cello Concerto on May 5-6, 2007. Concertmaster Amy Schwartz Moretti will perform Chausson’s “Poème” and Tchaikovsky’s “Valse-scherzo” on April 28-30, 2007; violinist Jennifer Koh, whom the Chicago Sun-Times says “elicits a succulent, but cleanly drawn, singing line from her prized 18th century violin,” will play Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto on Oct. 14 and 16 and pianist Denis Matsuev, winner of the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition, will perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 on March 10-21, 2007.
The Symphony’s Classical season will feature audience favorites such as Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” and “Night on Bald Mountain;” Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 and Piano Concerto No. 2; Gershwin’s “An American in Paris;” Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Symphony No. 6; Stravinsky’s “Petrouchka;” Strauss’ “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks” and Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony. Other repertoire for the season includes Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms;” Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8; Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony; Ives’ “The Unanswered Question;” Weill’s “The Seven Deadly Sins;” and Christopher Rouse’s “Alberich Saved.”
Internationally renowned guest conductors scheduled to make an appearance include Alan Buribayev, the General Music Director of the Meiningen Theatre in Germany and Principal Conductor of the Astana Symphony Orchestra, and Bernard Labadie, founder and Artistic and Music Director of Les Violons du Roy and Artistic Director of L’Opéra de Montréal. Laureate Music Director James DePreist, now the conductor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at Juilliard, will conduct an all-Russian program on March 10-12, 2007.
All Kalmar’s concerts for the 2006-2007 season will reflect his ongoing commitment to thematic programming, which connects each work on the program and features a well-known work from the orchestral repertoire with noteworthy but lesser-known pieces. As he has done for the past three seasons, Kalmar will also continue to give all the pre-concert talks, known as “Concert Conversations,” for each concert he conducts.
This new Sunday matinee series focuses on exploring one core masterwork of the orchestral repertoire in depth. It combines two previous series, Front Row Center and Sundays at Two, in a manner designed to appeal to both seasoned veterans of classical music and newcomers alike. Inside the Score is also appropriate for families with older children, as well as seniors who want a shorter matinee concert or anyone interesting in exploring one specific work. “This series will act as a stepping stone between the Kids concerts and the full-length Classical series,” says Michael Kosmala, Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement. The overlap among audiences for both Front Row Center and Sundays at Two also led to this decision to combine the two, Kosmala adds.
These shorter concerts, which will remain on Sunday afternoons (starting at 2 p.m. and ending by 3:30 p.m.), also offer the audience an opportunity to connect with the music and musicians. During the concerts, the conductor will discuss historical and cultural perspectives of the composer’s life and times and place the music in context through dialogue and musical examples from the orchestra.
The Symphony’s 2006-2007 Pops series will present seven programs of well-known music from Broadway, jazz and the pop charts. The ‘70s and ‘80s pop sensations The Pointer Sisters open the season on Oct. 7-9, 2006 with some of their signature hit songs, including “I’m So Excited” and “Jump For My Love.” “1964-The Tribute,” a recreation of the early Beatles featuring period instruments, clothing, hairstyles and hits including “She Loves You” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand” will come to Portland on March 17-19, 2007. Contemporary vocalist and guitarist John Pizzarelli sings the hits of Nat King Cole on April 14-16, 2007. On Feb. 24-26, 2006 the cool sound of Brazilian bossa novas and the toe-tapping sambas are featured with the acclaimed jazz group Brasilia. The ever-popular “Yuletide Spectacular,” a Portland holiday concert tradition that has received rave audience reviews returns with an all-new production on Dec. 16-18, 2006. The Pops series will also present an evening of romantic hit songs from Broadway on Nov. 25-27, 2006 and an evening of Motown hits with the pioneering Motown group The Contours on Jan. 27-29, 2007.
This season’s Kids Concert series will focus on core orchestral repertoire with the return of the acclaimed Magic Circle Mime Company, which will present “Music, Noise and Silence” on Nov. 19, 2006. The award-winning Tales & Scales ensemble brings Lewis Carroll’s whimsical “Jabberwocky” to life on Jan. 7, 2007. The Kids Concert series concludes on March 4, 2006 with “Tall Tales,” an afternoon of music inspired by the tales of Paul Bunyan, Billy the Kid and Shakespeare’s Fairy Queen. A new pricing structure for the Kids Concerts makes them more affordable for families; an entire family should now be able to attend for the price of a movie. In addition, subscribers will receive a 50 percent discount on tickets to the Yuletide Spectacular matinee.
The Symphony’s 2006-07 Special Events features four eclectic concerts, beginning with Garrison Keillor, who brings his Lake Wobegon monologues, his deep bass voice and his love of classical music to the Symphony on Sept. 8-9, 2006.
In honor of election day 2006, the Symphony will once again present the irreverent Capitol Steps, the recognized masters of political musical parody. The performance is scheduled for Nov. 7, 2006.
Gospel Christmas, a Portland holiday tradition featuring Christmas favorites performed in uplifting gospel style by the Northwest Community Gospel Chorus under the direction of acclaimed conductor and composer Charles Floyd returns on Dec. 8-10, 2006.
The Symphony’s holiday tradition “Yuletide Spectacular” returns for a special added performance on Dec. 16, 2006. This year’s “Yuletide Spectacular” will feature a new production, complete with dazzling costumes, festive sets, traditional holiday music and the popular re-telling of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
The Symphony will also present a Special Event concert featuring a pop superstar yet to be named.
In addition to full, half, and Sunday matinee series Classical subscriptions, as well as subscriptions to the Pops, Inside the Score or Kids series, the Symphony offers a two-tiered Flex Pass option, which may be redeemed for either 12 tickets or six tickets to any of the Symphony’s series concerts (Special Events excluded). Subscribers get the best seats, don’t have to wait in line for tickets and don’t run the risk of concerts being sold out. Subscribers save up to 35 percent over single ticket prices and can exchange subscription tickets to fit their taste or schedule, as well as saving 20 percent on additional single tickets to Classical, Pops or Inside the Score concerts and 10 percent on tickets for Special Events. Seniors and students are entitled to discounted subscriptions to Classical series concerts. Additional information on subscriber benefits may be obtained by calling the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343, or by visiting the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org.
Subscriptions to a series of select Classical and Pops concerts to be presented at Willamette University’s Smith Auditorium are available through the Oregon Symphony Association in Salem. Contact (503) 364-0149 for more information.
In addition to a full season of concerts at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, the Oregon Symphony is dedicated to serving communities throughout Oregon and southern Washington. Last season, the Symphony’s Education and Community Engagement programs reached more than 60,000 children and adults from 17 counties. The most extensive of these programs is the annual Community Music Partnership, which immerses Oregon communities in music education activities that leave tools in place for long-term development of local programs. A wide range of programs for schools include on-site ensemble-based Kinderkonzerts (for K-2 students) and full orchestra Youth Concerts, with free resources to support both music specialists and classroom teachers alike. “Oregon Symphony in the Neighborhoods,” for which the Symphony partners with the City of Portland and the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC), features free festival-style concerts in Portland’s neighborhood parks and culminates with the traditional summer-ending Symphony concert at Tom McCall Waterfront Park the Thursday before Labor Day. Other community-based programs include Symphony Storytimes, an innovative partnership with the Multnomah County Library System.
Subscriptions to the Oregon Symphony’s 2006-2007 season are available in several packages. Subscriptions for 14 classical concerts are as low as $196; a seven-concert Classical series costs as little as $119, while the Sunday Encore series begins at $68. Pops subscriptions start at $126; Kids Concerts subscriptions start at $22 for adults and $14 for children 12 and under. The new series Inside the Score subscriptions begin at $50. The Symphony also offers a 12-ticket Flex Pass, a 12-concert package for $480 or a 6-ticket Flex Pass for $252. Flex Passes may be redeemed for tickets to concerts on the Classical, Sunday Encore, Pops, Inside the Score or Kids Concert series.
Subscriptions may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office in downtown Portland at 923 S.W. Washington from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays (and Saturdays, September through May) or charged by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Subscription orders also may be placed online at www.orsymphony.org. Single tickets to all 2006-07 Symphony events will be available to the general public at 9 a.m. on Aug. 21, 2006.
All concerts will be held at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, located in downtown Portland on the corner of S.W. Broadway and Main, unless otherwise noted.
View the 2006-2007 Season repertoire (62 kb PDF) »
