The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra Presents KSO Special Event - Sarah Chang

    KALAMAZOO, MI, May 06, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- For the final performance of the 2014-2015 season, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents Sarah Chang. Ms. Chang is recognized as one of the world's great violinists. Since her debut with the New York Philharmonic at the age of eight she has performed with the greatest orchestras, conductors and accompanists internationally in a career spanning more than two decades. Sarah Chang will join your KSO to perform the Dvorak Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53 in a program that will also feature Elgar's Froissart Overture and Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Sarah Chang's appearance is underwritten by the Robert and Marianne Denes Foundation.

A staple in the violin's repertoire, Dvorak's Violin Concerto was written in 1879, while the composer's career was just on the rise. Though Dvorak's intended soloist, Joseph Joachim, was quite critical of the work, it was well received by audiences and enthusiastically played by other violinists. It will receive a welcome performance by Sarah Chang, whose talents are "at a level so removed from the rest of us that all we can do is feel the appropriate awe and then wonder on the mysteries of nature. The ancients would certainly have had Ms. Chang emerging fully formed from some Botticellian scallop shell." (The New York Times)

Opening the program is Elgar's Froissart Overture, Op. 19. Composed in 1899, it was the composer's first large-scale orchestra composition and was written well before the composer had made a name for himself. Elgar had been inspired by the writings of 14th century chronicler and historian Jean Froissart. Though his work was not entirely accurate, his romantic themes of medieval chivalry, knighthood, and love are abundant throughout Elgar's Froissart Overture.

The KSO closes the evening with Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op, 67, one of the most well-known and frequently performed works in all of classical music. Its famous four-note opening is easily recognizable to audiences around the world, within and outside of orchestral halls. At the time it was premiered however, in 1808, Symphony No. 5 was considered avant-garde and even the musicians hesitated to perform it. However, quite obviously, Beethoven's symphony would soon gain wide recognition as the masterpiece we know it to be today.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Raymond Harvey, conductor
With an immediately noticeable style that has been described as "elegant, but suffused with energy," Raymond Harvey (conductor) has garnered critical acclaim on symphonic podiums throughout the United States. Maestro Raymond Harvey has served as Music Director of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and recently renewed his commitment to the KSO for an additional four years. Mr. Harvey was previously Music Director of the Springfield Symphony in Massachusetts and the Fresno Philharmonic in California.

Equally at home in the world of opera, Mr. Harvey served as Artistic Director of the El Paso Opera in Texas. Among the many productions he has conducted are Carmen, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, La Boheme, Turandot, Aida, La Traviata, The Tales of Hoffman, The Marriage of Figaro, and Cosi Fan Tutte.

Recognized as an outstanding pianist, choral conductor and teacher, Raymond Harvey holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Yale School of Music. He has been a frequent guest teacher for the Conductors Institute at Bard College, and for the American Symphony Orchestra League's Conducting Workshops. He also serves as adjunct faculty conductor with the University of Houston's opera department.

Sarah Chang, violin
Sarah Chang is recognized as one of the world's great violinists. Since her debut with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 8 she has performed with the greatest orchestras, conductors and accompanists internationally in a career spanning more than two decades.

Ms. Chang tours extensively throughout the year. Highlights this season include symphonic concerts with the Diamond Ensemble, Presidential Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony and in the Far East, Guangzhou Symphony, Shangahi Symphony and Taiwan Symphony. Highlights in the US include appearances with the Cincinnati Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony, Ravinia Festival and Aspen Music Festival.

Ms. Chang's most recent recording for EMI Classics, performances of Brahms and Bruch violin concertos with Kurt Masur and the Dresdner Philharmonie was received to excellent critical and popular acclaim and was her 20th album for the label. Her 2007 recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons attracted international commendation, with BBC Music Magazine stating: "She has never made a finer recording." She has also recorded Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.1 and Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.1 live with the Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, Fire and Ice, an album of popular shorter works for violin and orchestra with Placido Domingo conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Dvorak concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Colin Davis, as well as several chamber music and sonata discs with artists including pianists Leif Ove Andsnes and Lars Vogt.

In 2006, Ms. Chang was honored as one of 20 Top Women in Newsweek Magazine's "Women and Leadership, 20 Powerful Women Take Charge" issue. In March 2008, Ms. Chang was honored as a Young Global Leader for 2008 by the World Economic Forum (WEF) for her professional achievements, commitment to society and potential in shaping the future of the world.

In 2005, Yale University dedicated a chair in Sprague Hall in Sarah Chang's name and in 2012 Harvard University gave her the 'Distinguished Leadership in the Arts Award'. For the June 2004 Olympic games, she was given the honor of running with the Olympic Torch in New York, and that same month, became the youngest person ever to receive the Hollywood Bowl's Hall of Fame award. Also in 2004, Ms. Chang was awarded the Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana Prize in Sienna, Italy. She is a past recipient of the Avery Fisher Prize, Gramophone's "Young Artist of the Year" award, Germany's "Echo" Schallplattenpreis, "Newcomer of the Year" honors at the International Classical Music Awards in London, and Korea's "Nan Pa" award. Ms. Chang has been named the US Embassy's Artistic Ambassador from 2011.

CALENDAR LISTING

Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents
Special Event - Sarah Chang

Raymond Harvey, conductor
Sarah Chang, violin

Sarah Chang is recognized as one of the world's great violinists. Since her debut with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 8 she has performed with the greatest orchestras, conductors and accompanists internationally in a career spanning more than two decades. Sarah Chang will join your KSO to perform the Dvorak Violin Concerto in a program that will also feature Elgar's Froissart Overture and Beethoven's 5th Symphony.

Friday, May 15, 2015
Chenery Auditorium
Tickets: $60 - $37

For tickets, visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com or call the KSO Box Office at (269) 349-7759.

Visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com for up-to-date information, details and schedules. Prices, artists, dates, time and program are subject to change without notice.

The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra also receives generous support from other local, state and national foundations, as well as private and corporate support. For more information, visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com.

About the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1921, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra is Southwest Michigan's premier musical organization, providing musical enrichment to over 80,000 adults and youth per year. The third-largest professional orchestra in the state, the KSO has won numerous awards and grants, including the Met Life Award for Arts Access in Underserved Communities, the National Endowment for the Arts for its extensive education programs, and a major Ford Foundation grant to found its innovative Artist-in-Residence program.

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