The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra Presents Season Finale: ELGAR & STRAVINSKY, Saturday, April 23 at Miller Auditorium

    KALAMAZOO, MI, April 13, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- For their final concert of the 2015-2016 season, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents Elgar & Stravinsky featuring principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Hai-Ye Ni. Ms. Ni will be featured in Elgar's Cello Concerto. Also on the program for this season finale concert are Elie Siegmeister's Lonesome Hollow and Stravinsky's Russian ballet, Petrouchka.

Elie Siegmeister was born in New York City in 1909. He studied abroad and returned to New York only to find the United States deep in the throes of the Great Depression and became increasingly disillusioned with the status quo during this period. As he shook off European influences, his compositional voice became idiomatic to Americana--embracing folk music and jazz. Composed in 1946, Lonesome Hollow reflects his belief that "there is no fundamental difference between folk and classical music." He embraces folk tunes with his neo-romantic, Americana style.

Edward Elgar composed his Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85 in 1919. The score is dedicated to Sidney and Frances Colvin--Elgar's close friends. The first, and not very successful, performance took place in Queen's Hall, London on October 26, 1919 with the composer conducting the London Symphony Orchestra and Felix Salmond as soloist. Although the work itself was well received, the performance, due to lack of rehearsal, was weak. The Cello Concerto was the last major work composed by Edward Elgar.

Igor Stravinsky's first performance of the ballet, Petrouchka, was given by Sergei Diaghilev's Russian Ballet and conducted by Pierre Monteux in Paris in 1911, shortly after its completion. It was commissioned by Diaghilev after the debut of Stravinsky's first successful composition, The Firebird, and was recognized as a detour from his originally commissioned work, Le scare du printemps (The Rite of Spring). Stravinsky streamlined the orchestration of the piece in 1946-1947.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Raymond Harvey
This season Maestro Harvey celebrates 17 years as Music Director of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. He previously held the top post at the Fresno Philharmonic (California), Springfield Symphony (Massachusetts), and El Paso Opera (Texas).

Maestro Harvey has appeared as guest conductor with many of America's leading orchestras, including those of Philadelphia, Atlanta, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Detroit, New Orleans and Minnesota, as well as the New York Philharmonic's Young People's Concerts and the Boston Pops. He has also had engagements with the Maggio Musicale Orchestra of Florence, Italy, the Pusan Symphony of South Korea, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica. He regularly performs as a pianist, both in chamber music and as pianist/conductor in works of Gershwin, Mozart, and Rachmaninoff.

In addition to his commitment to Kalamazoo, Dr. Harvey has been named an Associate Professor at the University of Houston, where he serves as Music Director of the Moores School of Music opera department. His operatic repertoire is extensive, including favorites such as Carmen, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, La Boheme, Turandot, and Aida; as well as the more rarely performed The Consul, The Rape of Lucretia, and Samson and Delilah.

The Kalamazoo community continues to embrace Raymond Harvey through appreciation of his compelling performances and engaging lectures.

Hai-Ye Ni
An exceptional musician renowned for her fluid technique, gorgeous tone and brilliant, expressive performances, cellist Hai-Ye Ni enjoys a distinguished, multi-faceted career as principal cellist of the acclaimed Philadelphia Orchestra, and as a sought-after soloist and chamber musician. A versatile artist whose performances have been praised by the press as "soulfully expressive" (Washington Post) and possessing a "superbly focused sound" (San Francisco Chronicle).

Considered among the most accomplished cellists of her generation, Ms. Ni first came to national attention in 1990 when she won first prize at the Naumburg International Cello Competition, and as a result, made her greatly acclaimed Alice Tully Hall debut in 1991. She became principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2006. Other honors include a 2001 Avery Fisher Career Grant, second prize in the 1997 Rostropovich Competition (France) and first prize in the 1996 International Paulo Cello Competition (Finland).

Ms. Ni has appeared as soloist with such symphony orchestras as Chicago, New York Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre National de Paris, and the Shanghai Symphony. She recently performed Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations and Tan Dun's concert The Map with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Hai-Ye was a jury member of the 5th Paulo Cello Competition in Finland in 2013.

CALENDAR LISTING
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents
Symphonic Series
Elgar & Stravinsky
Raymond Harvey, Conductor
Hai-Ye Ni, Cello

For their final concert of the 2015-2016 season, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents Elgar & Stravinsky featuring principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Hai-Ye Ni. Ms. Ni will be featured in Elgar's Cello Concerto. Also on the program for this season finale concert are Elie Siegmeister's Lonesome Hollow and Stravinsky's Russian ballet, Petrouchka.

Saturday, April 23, 2016
Miller Auditorium

Tickets: $60 - $24
Student and Veteran ticket discounts available

For tickets, visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com, call the KSO Box Office at (269) 349-7759 or call Miller Auditorium Ticket Office at (269) 387-2300.

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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