Contact: Liz Gill - Interim Marketing Director and PR Coordinator

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Godwin Carr
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1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM Contact: Liz Gill - Interim Marketing Director and PR Coordinator liz@thegilmoreagency.com, ITZHAK PERLMAN, BRANFORD MARSALIS, AND THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD HEADLINE THE EUGENE SYMPHONY S 49 TH SEASON DANAIL RACHEV S SIXTH SEASON ON THE PODIUM OFFERS VARIETY AND ARTISTRY Full season subscriptions to the Eugene Symphony s 2014/15 season go on sale February 20, EUGENE, OR (February 18, 2014) The Eugene Symphony unveiled its upcoming 2014/15 concert season, Music Director and Conductor Danail Rachev s sixth, at a festive gathering for current subscribers at the Hilton Eugene and Conference center this evening. The assembled patrons applauded the announcement that world-renowned violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman will return to the Hult Center to perform with the Eugene Symphony in September, and greeted the details of the flagship Symphonic series with excitement. The Eugene Symphony is poised to carry out one of its most musically diverse seasons in its 49-year history, with a blend of familiar favorites, innovative programs such as one featuring the legendary saxophonist Branford Marsalis, and even the soundtrack from the MGM classic The Wizard of Oz while the film plays on a big screen over the orchestra. The entire 2014/15 season features an impressive lineup of international guest artists and awe-inspiring masterworks. Orchestral highlights of the 2014/15 season include: Johann Strauss Jr. s On the Beautiful Blue Danube; Shostakovich s Symphony No. 10; Schubert s Unfinished Symphony No. 8; Mozart s Symphony No. 41 Jupiter ; Elgar s Enigma Variations; Bernstein s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story; Prokofiev s Alexander Nevsky; Beethoven s Symphony No. 6 Pastorale ; and Richard Strauss s epic tone poem Ein Heldenleben (A Hero s Life). Guest soloists for the 2014/15 season include: German piano virtuoso Markus Groh, who will perform Brahms s Piano Concerto No. 2; Eugene audience favorite poet of the keyboard Inon Barnatan returns to perform Beethoven s Piano Concerto No. 4; acclaimed American violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen enchants with Mendelssohn s Violin Concerto; saxophone superstar Branford Marsalis offers two jazz-inspired works, Ibert s Concertino de camera and John Williams s Escapades, a piece crafted from the soundtrack

2 to Steven Spielberg s film Catch Me If You Can; and Garrick Ohlsson, one of America s leading pianists, plays Rachmaninov s fiendishly difficult Piano Concerto No. 3. Marsalis, a veteran of worldwide concert halls and jazz venues alike, will work with musicians from the University of Oregon and Lane Community College jazz bands, as well as middle- and high-school musicians participating in the 2015 Oregon Jazz Festival, in a week-long residency supported by the Nils and Jewel Hult Endowment Fund. Two of the Eugene Symphony s own orchestra musicians will perform solo concertos in the 2014/15 season. Concertmaster Searmi Park, who was appointed by Maestro Rachev in May 2013, will play Samuel Barber s fiery Violin Concerto on November 13, and Principal Cello Anne Ridlington performs Haydn s elegant Concerto in D Major on May 14. After a short hiatus, the Eugene Symphony re-establishes its highly regarded American Encounters initiative by welcoming Israeli-born composer Avner Dorman for a weeklong residency which is also supported by the Nils and Jewel Hult Endowment Fund. The residency also features guest percussion duo Steve Hearn and Galen Lemmon, who will perform Dorman s concerto Spices, Perfumes, Toxins! and will also offer residency activities with area students at the middle school, high school and collegiate levels. Guest conducting in the 2014/15 season are: Pavel Baleff, Chief Conductor of the Baden-Baden Philharmonie in Germany and winner of the 2012 International Classical Music Award; and American conductor Christian Knapp, a former Associate Conductor of the Seattle Symphony who currently holds a prestigious post at the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic in Russia, where he works with international superstar conductor Valery Gergiev. Knapp recently took over conducting a production of Wagner s immense Ring cycle for Gergiev. Baleff leads a program of Schubert, Barber and Mozart on November 13, while Knapp conducts the program which features Branford Marsalis on January 22. We are proud to present a rich and musically diverse season that incorporates music from the 18 th to the 21 st century, welcomes international star soloists and Eugene audience favorites, and spotlights the incredible talent we have in the Eugene Symphony. We hope our audience will join us for a truly spectacular and memorable year, especially as we build momentum toward our 50 th anniversary, said Music Director and Conductor Danail Rachev.

3 The 2014/15 season also features two special concerts. On Sunday, September 28, Itzhak Perlman joins Maestro Rachev and the Eugene Symphony to perform Beethoven s regal and lyrical Violin Concerto. Mr. Perlman is recognized internationally for his peerless musicianship as well as his keen wit and kind humanity. Throughout his career, he has won four Emmys, eight Grammys, and the National Medal of Arts. His concert with Eugene Symphony will mark his first performance at the Hult Center in nearly four years. Oz with Orchestra commemorates the 75 th anniversary of one of the world s most popular movies. The Eugene Symphony will perform the soundtrack live while the digitally re-mastered film The Wizard of Oz plays on a big screen above the stage. This concert also will feature special family pricing. This anticipated sell-out is a must-see for all generations. Annually the Eugene Symphony reaches more than 30,000 concertgoers and offers numerous free or low-cost music education and community engagement programs that involve people of all ages wishing to experience orchestral music. Full season subscriptions include nine concerts and start at $145. Current subscriptions can be renewed through the Hult Center box office by calling or online at eugenesymphony.org. Only subscribers may purchase tickets to Itzhak Perlman and Oz with Orchestra until July 29 and August 12, respectively. # # #

4 Eugene Symphony 2014/15 season SYMPHONIC SERIES Blue Danube & Brahms J. Strauss, Jr. On the Beautiful Blue Danube Thursday, September 18, 2014 Kodály Dances of Galánta Danail Rachev, conductor Brahms Hungarian Dances Nos. 3 and 6 Markus Groh, piano* *Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 Beethoven & Shostakovich Thursday, October 16, 2014 Danail Rachev, conductor *Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 Inon Barnatan, piano* Shostakovich Symphony No. 10 Mozart s Jupiter Thursday, November 13, 2014 Schubert Symphony No. 8, Unfinished Pavel Baleff, conductor *Barber Violin Concerto Searmi Park, violin* Mozart Symphony No. 41, Jupiter Mendelssohn & Elgar Smetana The Moldau Thursday, December 4, 2014 *Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Danail Rachev, conductor Thomas Adès Three Dances from Powder Her Face Elissa Lee Koljonen, violin* Elgar Enigma Variations Branford and Bernstein Offenbach Overture to Orpheus in the Underworld Thursday, January 22, 2015 *Ibert Concertino da camera for alto saxophone Christian Knapp, conductor John Harbison Remembering Gatsby Branford Marsalis, saxophone* *John Williams Escapades for alto saxophone Bernstein Symphonic Dances from West Side Story Ohlsson Plays Rachmaninov Thursday, February 19, 2015 Mozart Ballet Music from Idomeneo Danail Rachev, conductor Sibelius Symphony No. 7 Garrick Ohlsson, piano* *Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 Alexander Nevsky Thursday, March 19, 2015 Danail Rachev, conductor Verdi Triumphal March from Aïda Eugene Symphony Chorus* Haydn Symphony No. 100, Military Sharon Paul, chorus director *Prokofiev Alexander Nevsky

5 Beethoven s Pastorale Thursday, April 16, 2015 Danail Rachev, conductor Dorman Astrolatry Steve Hearn and Galen Lemmon, *Dorman Spices, Perfumes, Toxins! for percussion percussion duo* and orchestra Avner Dorman, composer-in-residence Beethoven Symphony No. 6, Pastorale Orchestra Showcase Thursday, May 14, 2015 Barber Adagio for Strings Danail Rachev, conductor *Haydn Cello Concerto in D Major Anne Ridlington, cello* Strauss Ein Heldenleben (A Hero s Life) SPECIAL EVENTS Sunday, September 28, 2014, 7:30pm Danail Rachev, conductor Itzhak Perlman, violin Program to include Beethoven: Violin Concerto Sunday, March 8, 2015, 2:30pm Oz with Orchestra In its 75 th anniversary year, the classic MGM film is shown on a big screen above the stage while the Eugene Symphony plays the soundtrack live.

2 nd. Charleston Music Fest. 2015 16 season. Charleston Music Fest chamber music by world-class artists. series

2 nd. Charleston Music Fest. 2015 16 season. Charleston Music Fest chamber music by world-class artists. series college of charleston department of music p r e s e n t s MUSIC.COFC.EDU/CONCERTS 843.953.6575 2015 16 season CofC concerts includes five extraordinary series: International Piano Series, Magnetic South,