FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACTS: Suzette Espinosa Fuentes (786) 468-2221 [email protected]
The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
proudly presents
INTERNATIONALLY CELEBRATED MAESTRO
CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH LEADING
GERMANY’S ACCLAIMED BAMBERG SYMPHONY
IN BEETHOVEN AND MOZART FAVORITES
Violin virtuoso Ray Chen performs Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1
“Colors dance, moods swing, and Chen’s artistry blazes.” – The Times
February 11, 2017 at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $50 - $135* John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall
MIAMI, FL January 2016 – The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County proudly presents internationally acclaimed maestro Christoph Eschenbach leading the storied Bamberg Symphony – the Bavarian State Philharmonic – in a glorious evening of classical treasures on February 11, 2017 in the John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall. The concert features the violin virtuoso Ray Chen – a protégé of the conductor – performing Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in a program that also includes Beethoven’s masterful Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) and the overture to Mozart’s Don Giovanni. This concert is part of the orchestra’s first U.S. tour in five years, which kicks off at Carnegie Hall on February 8, and marks the second concert of the 2016-2017 MASTERWORKS SEASON - MEIDAR AND ALFI FAMILY FOUNDATION CLASSICAL MUSIC SERIES at the Arsht Center. Tickets range from $50-$135* and can be purchased by phone at (305) 949-6722, online at www.arshtcenter.org or in person at the Adrienne Arsht Center Box Office, located at 1300 Biscayne Blvd. “We invite the South Florida audience to experience the magnificent artistry and musicianship of the Bamberg Symphony under the baton of its Honorary Conductor – the legendary Christoph Eschenbach,” said Liz Wallace, vice president of programming of the Adrienne Arsht Center. These two musical powerhouses boast more than 50 years of musical collaboration between them and the dynamic pairing of Eschenbach and Bamberg present a powerful artistic force and will perform a rich program of classical gems highlighted by a return performance of powerhouse violinist Ray Chen, who has been heralded by critics as ‘the one to watch’,’’ Wallace added.
The BAMBERG SYMPHONY traces its roots to the 18th century, when it premiered Mozart’s masterpiece Don Giovanni in Prague. Moving to Germany after World War II, the Orchestra has always enjoyed a special status in the music world. Over 7,000 concerts in more than 60 countries and over 500 cities: with that record, the Bamberg Symphony is rightly considered among the top German touring orchestras. Evidence of the outstanding reputation it enjoys everywhere comes in constant invitations to visit leading festivals and to tour at home and abroad, and in prizes for the Orchestra’s recordings, including the MIDEM Classical Award, the International Toblach Composing Hut Record Prize, and the ECHO Klassik. That reputation is also in no small part due to the Principal and Guest Conductors who have led and shaped the Bamberg Symphony over the decades. From January 2000, the Orchestra’s artistic direction was in the hands of Jonathan Nott, whose contract culminated in summer 2016. Alongside him, Herbert Blomstedt has played a distinguished role in Bamberg as Honorary Conductor since March 2006. In January 2016, CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH was also appointed Honorary Conductor of the Orchestra, and from 2010 to 2013, Robin Ticciati was Principal Guest Conductor. In 2010, his last performance in Miami, Eschenbach led the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchstra with Lang Lang in a “high-energy performance” that prompted a “prolonged cheering ovation” (South Florida Classical Review). In September 2016, Jakub Hrůša assumed musical direction of the Bamberg Symphony. In view of the Orchestra’s history, the new Chief Conductor bridges its past and present. Jakub Hrůša is the fifth Chief Conductor in the history of the Bamberg Symphony. CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH The prolific story of the BAMBERG SYMPHONY and CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH began over 50 years ago, in October 1965, when the conductor and soloist made his first appearance with the Orchestra as guest pianist. Over a decade later, in 1977, he conducted the Bamberg Symphony for the first time. Since then, he has led the Orchestra in over 150 concerts in Bamberg as well as on tours to France, the U.S., South American, and Japan. In recognition of this extraordinary collaboration, the BAMBERG SYMPHONY appointed CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH as its Honorary Conductor in January 2016, becoming the fourth conductor, after Eugen Jochum, Horst Stein, and Herbert Blomstedt, to be accorded this distinction. Maestro ESCHENBACH has been the Music Director of the Tonhalle-Gesellschaft in Zurich, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and the NDR Symphony Orchestra in Hamburg. After 10 years as Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris, from September 2000 to August 2010, and four years for the Philadelphia Orchestra, from September 2003 to 2008, he became, in September 2010, Music Director of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Washington National Symphony. As a distinguished guest conductor, ESCHENBACH is in demand with the finest orchestras, opera houses, and festivals throughout the world. RAY CHEN Chen returns to the Arsht Center after receiving rave reviews in 2015 where he was celebrated for his “blazing technique” and playing like a “virtuoso in the heroic mode” (South Florida Classical
Review). Winner of the Queen Elisabeth (2009) and Yehudi Menuhin (2008) Competitions, RAY CHEN is among the most compelling young violinists today. In 2012, he became the youngest soloist ever to perform in the televised Nobel Prize Concert for the Nobel Laureates and the Swedish Royal Family. His Carnegie Hall debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and Sakari Oramo, as well as his sold-out Musikverein (Vienna) concert with the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Riccardo Chailly, were met with standing ovations.
RAY CHEN continues to win the admiration of fans and fellow musicians worldwide. On Bastille Day in 2015, he joined Daniele Gatti and the Orchestre National de France for a televised concert on the Champs-de-Mars in Paris in front of an audience of over 800,000. He recently completed a five-city tour of China with the Gothenburg Symphony and Kent Nagano, as well as a European tour with the London Philharmonic and CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH. He has released three critically-acclaimed albums on Sony: a recital program, Virtuoso, of works by Bach, Tartini, Franck, and Wieniawski, which was distinguished with the prestigious ECHO Klassik award, and the Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky concertos with Swedish Radio Orchestra and Daniel Harding. His third recording, an all-Mozart album with CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, was released in January 2014. The 2016-2017 John S. and James L. Knight Masterworks Season-Meidar and Alfi Family Foundation Classical Music Series is funded with leadership support from Knight Foundation and the Meidar and Alfi Family Foundation, with additional support from Perrier-Jouët; Caring Friends
Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee; Funding Arts Network; Encore Circle members, and Steinway Piano Gallery Miami. FREE MASTERWORKS PRE-CONCERT TALKS presented by Steinway & Sons Miami A free pre-concert lecture will be held in the Arsht Center’s Peacock Foundation Education Center (inside the Knight Concert Hall) at 7:00 p.m. prior to the concert. FREE AND DISCOUNTED TICKETS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE As part of its ongoing mission to make the arts accessible to young people, the Arsht Center continues to offer free and discounted ticket programs that give local youth the opportunity to experience live classical music in the Knight Concert Hall. As an extension of its ongoing partnership with Miami Music Project, the Center will provide student musicians involved in the Miami Music Project and their families’ FREE tickets to series offerings (based on availability). Through the Center’s UTIX Program (arshtcenter.org/utix), full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate level college students can purchase $20 tickets to select performances at the Center, including this one. Details are available at arshtcenter.org or by contacting the Arsht Center Box Office. In addition, the Center will provide a complimentary ticket to anyone between the ages of eight and 18 with the purchase of a full-priced single ticket by an adult guardian (restrictions may apply). Details are available at arshtcenter.org or by contacting the Arsht Center Box Office. *All programs, artists, ticket prices, availability, dates, and times are subject to change without notice. Visit www.arshtcenter.org for up-to-date information for details and schedules.
Photos: For High-Resolution Download, Right Click on Photo(s) Below and Select “Open
Hyperlink.”
The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is made possible by the public
support of the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, the Miami-Dade County
Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Tourist
Development Council and the City of Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency, as well as the State
of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. The
Adrienne Arsht Center also receives generous support from individuals, corporations and local, state and
national foundations.
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About the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County Set in the heart of downtown Miami and designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is one of the world’s leading performing arts organizations and venues. Since opening in 2006, the Arsht Center, a 501C3 non-profit organization, has
Bamberg Symphony
Photo by Richard Haughton
Maestro Christoph Eschenbach
Photo courtesy of company management
Ray Chen
Photo courtesy of company management
emerged as a leader in presenting innovative programming that mirrors South Florida’s diversity as well as a catalyst for billions of dollars in new development in the downtown area. Spotlighting legends and serving as a launch pad for local artists to make their mark on the international stage, the Center presents nearly 500 events each year across its eight flexible, state-of-the-art performance spaces. The Center programs 12 signature series, including the largest jazz series in South Florida, the biggest flamenco festival on the East Coast, and a robust program of new theatrical works as well as free programming for the community and an arts education program that serves nearly 30,000 children each year. As Miami’s new Town Square, the Arsht Center also houses Brava by Brad Kilgore, a fine dining restaurant; the Café at Books & Books in the historic Carnival Tower and a weekly Farmers Market. Visit www.arshtcenter.org for more information.
About John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit KnightFoundation.org. About Steinway Piano Gallery of Miami The Steinway Piano Gallery of Miami is one of only 8 Steinway & Sons factory showrooms in the country. Steinway & Sons is dedicated to the ideal of hand-crafting the finest pianos in the world. As a result, the majority of the world's concert pianists of all genres perform exclusively on Steinway & Sons Pianos. In addition, Steinway & Sons pianos are found in the world's greatest homes and estates. In its 158th year, Steinway & Sons was founded in 1853 by German immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway in a Manhattan loft on Varick Street. Henry and his sons, C. F. Theodore, Charles, Henry Jr., William, and Albert, developed the modern piano and to this day Steinway continues to perfect their instruments at their famed factory in Astoria, (Queens) New York. They build their pianos one at a time, applying skills that are handed down from master to apprentice, generation after generation. The result is instruments renowned worldwide for their unsurpassed sound and quality. Pianos with such superior sound and responsive touch they enchant not only the most legendary pianists to date, but the most discerning of music lovers.
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