The Florida Orchestra Announces 2014/2015 Tampa Bay Times Masterworks Series

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1 NEWS RELEASE The Florida Orchestra 2014/2015 Masterworks Series - Page 1 RELEASE DATE: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2014 CONTACT: Sherry Powell, Director of Marketing or Henry Adams, Associate Director of Marketing The Florida Orchestra Announces 2014/2015 Tampa Bay Times Masterworks Series Two addenda to this news release contain the following: bios of guest artists and conductors; and a complete outline of all Masterworks series, programs, conductors, guest artists, music, dates, times, and theaters. ST. PETERSBURG, FL The Florida Orchestra (TFO) announced the programming today for its 2014/2015 Tampa Bay Times Masterworks series of 14 programs performed from October through May. Board Chairman Thomas Farquhar said, Our upcoming season is likely the strongest in TFO s history, with our orchestra performing a rich and rewarding offering of many of the greatest symphonic works of all time, and featuring many of the greatest artists of today. I am particularly excited about the level of talent we are attracting to the podium during the search for TFO s next music director. 2014/15 season highlights include Orff s Carmina Burana, Beethoven s Symphony No. 4, Rimsky- Korsakov s Scheherazade, Tchaikovsky s Symphony No. 4, Rachmaninoff s Symphonic Dances, Holst s The Planets, Brahms Symphony No. 4 and Dvorak s Symphony No. 9, to mention a few. In addition, concertgoers will have the opportunity to hear many star guest soloists, including violinists Midori and Karen Gomyo and pianists Peter Serkin, Pascal Rogé, Jeremy Denk and William Wolfram. TFO featured soloists on the Masterworks series include Jeffrey Multer, concertmaster, Robert Rearden, principal horn, and Anthony Georgeson, principal bassoon. Guest Conductors: As the search process continues for TFO s next music director, an extraordinary array of conductors will lead the orchestra next season, including these TFO debuts: Roberto Abbado, the former chief conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra and artistic partner to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Bulgarian Danail Rachev, music director of the Eugene Symphony in Oregon. In addition, there are nine returning guest conductors on the Masterworks series. These include the music director of both the

2 2014/2015 Masterworks Series - Page 2 Memphis Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Sinfonietta Mei-Ann Chen; chief conductor and artistic advisor to Sweden s Norrköping Symphony Orchestra Michael Francis; music director of the New West Symphony Orchestra in Los Angeles and associate conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Marcelo Lehninger; associate conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra Cristian Macelaru; former music director of the Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy in France Tito Muñoz; music director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Larry Rachleff; former music director of the Seattle Symphony Gerard Schwarz; associate conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Perry So; and assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic Joshua Weilerstein. Guest Artists: Pianist Jeremy Denk makes his TFO debut in Bartók s Piano Concerto No. 3. Returning pianists include Peter Serkin in Beethoven s Piano Concerto No. 1, Pascal Rogé in Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2 and William Wolfram in Copland s Piano Concerto. TFO vocalist debuts include soprano Elizabeth Caballero, and baritone Cameron McPhail in Orff s Carmina Burana and soprano Talise Trevigne in Barber s Knoxville: Summer of Featured violin soloists include the TFO debut of Midori in Schumann s Violin Concerto, along with the return engagements of Karen Gomyo in Mozart s Violin Concerto No. 5, Turkish and TFO concertmaster Jeffrey Multer in Barber s Violin Concerto. Additional soloists include TFO principal horn Robert Rearden in Richard Strauss Horn Concerto No. 2 and TFO principal bassoon Anthony Georgeson in Mozart s Bassoon Concerto. The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay: Under the leadership of music and artistic director James Bass, The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay will join the orchestra for three masterworks programs on the 2014/2015 season: Orff s Carmina Burana and Faure s Requiem. In addition, the women s chorus of The Master Chorale will perform for Holst s The Planets. A highly select, 150-voice, all-volunteer chorus of singers from the entire Tampa Bay area, The Master Chorale has performed and premiered many symphonic choral works under the direction of Stefan Sanderling, Jahja Ling, Robert Shaw, John Nelson, Julius Rudel, founding music director emeritus Robert Summer and Jo-Michael Schiebe. The chorale has also performed abroad at London s Westminster Cathedral and King s College Chapel in Cambridge, among other locales. Designated in 1989 as the principal chorus of TFO, some of its most recent performances with the orchestra include Beethoven s Symphony No. 9, Delius s Sea Drift and Appalachia (recorded live in concert on the Naxos label in 2012), Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem, Dvorak s Requiem, Schubert s Mass No. 6, Verdi s

3 2014/2015 Masterworks Series - Page 3 Requiem, Mendelssohn s Elija, Haydn s The Creation and Mahler s second and third symphonies. The Chorale will also perform Ravel s Daphnis et Chloé in the full ballet score version to close the orchestra s 2013/14 season. MUSIC AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JAMES BASS: Dr. James K. Bass, Grammy-nominated singer and conductor, is the director of choral studies in the School of Music at the University of South Florida (USF) and the artistic and music director of The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay. At USF, he conducts the University Chamber Singers, Collegium and the Collegiate Singers, in addition to teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in choral conducting, philosophy, and literature. Previously, he was on the faculty at Western Michigan University and the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Bass received the doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Miami Florida, where he was a doctoral fellow. He received his Master of Music and Bachelor of Science degrees from USF and is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy. Bass was selected by the master conductor of the Amsterdam Baroque Soloists, Ton Koopman, to be one of only 20 singers for a presentation of Cantatas by J.S. Bach in Carnegie Hall, and was an auditioned member of Robert Shaw s workshop choir at Carnegie Hall. He is one of 13 singers on the Grammynominated disc A Seraphic Fire Christmas. Bass is an active bass soloist and has performed at Winchester Cathedral in London, has sung three world-premieres of large works, and appears on CD recordings on the Albany and Seraphic Fire Media label. As a bass soloist, he has appeared with the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, as well as with TFO, Grand Rapids Symphony, Back Bay Chorale and Orchestra, and Firebird Chamber orchestra. Bass is a bass member and chorus master for Seraphic Fire, the Miami-based professional choir, and was appointed choirmaster for the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria. During the summer of 2011, he co-founded the Professional Choral Institute at the University of South Florida. In its inaugural year of recording, Seraphic Fire and PCI received the Grammy nomination for Best Choral performance for their recording of Johannes Brahms' Ein Deuthches Requiem. He has prepared choirs for Sir Colin Davis, Sir David Willcocks, Jahja Ling, Michael Tilson Thomas, Stefan Sanderling, Markus Huber and Robert Shaw. Bass has served on the Executive Board of the American Choral Directors Association Central Division as College Repertoire and Standards chairperson. His professional affiliations include the American Choral Directors Association, Music Educators National Conference,

4 2014/2015 Masterworks Series - Page 4 American Symphony Orchestra League, Pi Kappa Lambda national music honor society, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity. Ten Florida Orchestra Premieres In addition to the many familiar works being offered, next season s Masterworks series includes ten TFO premieres, which include four works by American composers: John Adams Lollapalooza, Charles Ives Central Park in the Dark, Adam Schoenberg s Finding Rothko, and Barber s Mutations from Bach for Brass and Timpani. Additional TFO premieres include Thomas Adès Three Studies from Couperin, Richard Strauss Horn Concerto No. 2, Robert Schumann s Violin Concerto, Haydn s Symphony No. 98, Rimsky-Korsakov s The Tsar s Bride Overture and Maurice Ravel s Ma Mère l Oye (Mother Goose) complete ballet score. 1) Opening Night: Beethoven & Rachmaninoff Oct. 10, 11 & 12, 2014 The Tampa Bay Times Masterworks series opens with New York Philharmonic assistant conductor Joshua Weilerstein leading The Florida Orchestra with Peter Serkin as the soloist in Beethoven s Piano Concerto No. 1. The program also includes Rachmaninoff s final composition Symphonic Dances, along with the TFO premiere of John Adams Lollapalooza. 2) Barber s Violin Concerto Oct. 24, 25 & 26, 2014 Chief conductor and artistic advisor to Sweden s Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Michael Francis leads The Florida Orchestra with TFO concertmaster Jeffrey Multer as the soloist in Barber s Violin Concerto. New world meets old world in this program that includes Elgar s Symphony No. 1 and the TFO premiere of Ives Central Park in the Dark. 3) Carmina Burana Nov. 14, 15 & 16, 2014 Music director and conductor of the Eugene Symphony, Danail Rachev makes his TFO conducting debut with The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay and the Tampa Bay Children s Chorus in Orff s Carmina Burana. Soprano Elizabeth Caballero and baritone Cameron McPhail will make their TFO debuts with these performances. The program also includes Schubert s Rosamunde Overture and Debussy s Nocturnes.

5 2014/2015 Masterworks Series - Page 5 4) New World Symphony Dec. 5, 6 & 7, 2014 In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss, TFO principal horn Robert Rearden is the soloist for the TFO premiere of Strauss Horn Concerto No. 2. Past chief conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra and current artistic partner to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Roberto Abbado makes his TFO conducting debut on a program that also includes Brahms Tragic Overture and Dvorak s Symphony No. 9, From the New World. 5) Midori and Tchaikovsky Jan. 16, 17 & 18, 2015 Former music director of the National Opera of Lorraine and the Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy in France, Tito Muñoz conducts TFO with renowned violinist Midori making her TFO debut in the TFO premiere of Schumann s Violin Concerto. The program opens with the TFO premiere of American composer Adam Schoenberg s Finding Rothko and the evening concludes with Tchaikovsky s Symphony No. 4. 6) Romeo and Juliet Jan 23, 24 & 25, 2015 Former music director of the Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz, conducts TFO in a program featuring pianist William Wolfram in Aaron Copland s Piano Concerto. This concert also includes Samuel Barber s Mutations from Bach for Brass and Timpani, Rimsky-Korsakov s The Tsar s Bride Overture and a suite of selections from Prokofiev s ballet Romeo and Juliet. 7) Faure s Requiem Feb. 7 & 8, 2015 The chief conductor and artistic advisor to Sweden s Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Michael Francis will lead TFO in a second engagement during the 2014/2015 season that showcases The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay in Faure s Requiem. This French-themed concert also includes Henri Dutilleux s virtuosic piece Métaboles and the TFO premiere of Maurice Ravel s Ma Mère L Oye (Mother Goose) in the complete ballet score version.

6 8) Beethoven s Symphony No. 4 Feb 20, 21 & 22, 2015 The Florida Orchestra 2014/2015 Masterworks Series - Page 6 French pianist Pascal Rogé will be the soloist with the orchestra in Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2 under the baton of Perry So, the associate conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. The concert will open with Wagner s Overture to Tannhäuser and conclude with Beethoven s Symphony No. 4. 9) Mozart & Brahms Feb. 27, 28 & Mar. 1, 2015 In his second engagement on the upcoming season, New York Philharmonic assistant conductor Joshua Weilerstein leads TFO with Karen Gomyo as the soloist in Mozart s Violin Concerto No. 5, Turkish. Other works on the program include Brahms Symphony No. 4 and the TFO premiere of Thomas Adès Three Studies from Couperin. 10) Stravinsky, Haydn & Ravel - Mar. 14 & 15, 2015 Associate conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra Cristian Macelaru returns to conduct TFO in a program featuring Stravinsky s Petrushka (1947) together with Ravel s La Valse and the TFO premiere of Haydn s Symphony No ) Mahler s Symphony No. 4 Mar. 20, 21 & 22, 2015 Associate conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra Cristian Macelaru conducts a second program backto-back with TFO on the upcoming season, which opens with Richard Strauss Serenade for Winds and is followed by Barber s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 featuring the TFO debut of young soprano Talise Trevigne. The concert concludes with one of Mahler s most lyrical works, Symphony No ) Scheherazade Apr. 17, 18 & 19, 2015 Music director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Sinfonietta, Mei-Ann Chen will conduct TFO with featured soloist Jeremy Denk in his TFO debut performing Bartok s Piano Concerto No. 3. The program also includes Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon s blue cathedral and Rimsky-Korsakov s Scheherazade.

7 2014/2015 Masterworks Series - Page 7 13) The Planets - May 1, 2 & 3, 2015 Music director of the New West Symphony Orchestra in Los Angeles and the associate conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Marcelo Lehninger returns to conduct TFO and the women s chorus of The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay in Holst s The Planets. The concert opens with Barber s The School for Scandal Overture and also features TFO principal bassoon Anthony Georgeson in Mozart s Bassoon Concerto, K ) Beethoven and Sibelius May 29 & 30, 2015 Music director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Larry Rachleff brings the 2014/2015 season to a close conducting TFO in a program of Rossini s Overture to Semiramide, Beethoven s Symphony No. 8 and Sibelius monumental Symphony No. 5. Pre-Concert Conversations All of the Tampa Bay Times Masterworks concerts offer pre-concert conversations in each hall beginning one hour before curtain time. To provide audience members with a more enjoyable concert experience, guest conductors and artists discuss the personalities and circumstances behind the music as well as share fun and informative insights and anecdotes related to each program. Tickets: Continued Dedication to Accessibility At the onset of the 2011/2012 season, TFO announced a bold, mission-based accessibility initiative and lowered ticket prices for all Masterworks and Pops series concerts, simplified series packaging and diversified programming so that more people in Tampa Bay might enjoy live symphonic music. Announcing a price freeze, the orchestra will continue to offer the same affordable prices this season. Individual concert tickets for all Masterworks and Pops Series remain at $15, $30 and $45 per ticket. Other concert series ticket prices will also remain the same: Coffee Series concerts are priced from $24 to $42 each, and Rock Series concerts are priced at $35, $55 and $75 each. Venue facility fees apply to all purchases. Some restrictions apply.

8 2014/2015 Masterworks Series - Page 8 Six Masterworks subscription packages are offered in packages of 14, 10, 7 and 5 pre-selected concerts. These fixed package subscriptions feature a variety of benefits including premium seating, free flexible ticket exchange privileges and other added-value amenities. TFO also offers a Compose Your Own Series whereby subscribers can create customized packages by mixing and matching any combination of Masterworks and Pops concerts for just $25 per ticket. A minimum of three concerts is required and good seats are made available on a first-come, first-served basis. Fixed package benefits do not apply. Subscriptions are on sale now. For information on the 2014/2015 season, call the TFO Ticket Center at or Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or purchase online at Single tickets will go on sale in August. NOTE: Photographs, complete biographies and press reviews of guest artists and conductors are available upon request. All programs, halls, dates and artists are subject to change. # # # The Florida Orchestra presents the 14-concert Tampa Bay Times Masterworks Series and the 9-concert Raymond James Pops Series, both of which are performed in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Other concert series include the 8-concert morning Coffee Concert series in St. Petersburg, the 3-concert morning Coffee Concert series in Clearwater and the 3-concert Rock series in St. Petersburg. The orchestra also offers a variety of free Pops in the Park concerts around the bay area, including the annual Ashley for the Arts Pops in the Park concert at St. Petersburg s Vinoy Park. Furthermore, the orchestra presents a variety of Youth Concerts and other educational and community engagement activities serving thousands of school children throughout the Tampa Bay area annually.