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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ARTIST CHANGE October 9, 2015 Contact: Katherine E. Johnson (212) 875-5718; [email protected] Mezzo-Soprano DEBORAH NANSTEEL, in Her New York Philharmonic Debut, To Replace MARIETTA SIMPSON in IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS: GREAT AFRICAN AMERICAN SINGERS AND THEIR LEGACY The Mary and James G. Wallach ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE ERIC OWENS To Host, Curate, and Perform in Tribute to African American Vocalists WILLIAM WARFIELD, BETTY ALLEN, GEORGE SHIRLEY, and MARIAN ANDERSON Additional Soloists To Include Sopranos JANAI BRUGGER and LAQUITA MITCHELL, Tenor RUSSELL THOMAS, and DOROTHY MAYNOR SINGERS OF THE HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS THOMAS WILKINS To Conduct Featuring Music by JOPLIN, MAHLER, VERDI, GERSHWIN, J.S. BACH, KERN, and COPLAND October 14–15, 2015 FREE INSIGHTS AT THE ATRIUM EVENT ANNOUNCED “Assessing the Influence of Great African American Classical Artists” October 13, 2015 Mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel, in her New York Philharmonic debut, will replace Marietta Simpson, who has withdrawn due to illness, in In Their Footsteps: Great African American Singers and Their Legacy. Eric Owens will begin his tenure as The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence by curating, hosting, and performing in this program, conducted by Thomas Wilkins in his Philharmonic debut. The program includes works linked to groundbreaking vocalists William Warfield, Betty Allen, George Shirley, and Marian Anderson, focusing on the history these artists had with the Philharmonic and their influence on the generations of African American vocalists that followed. In addition to Mr. Owens and Ms. Nansteel, the soloists will include sopranos Janai Brugger and Laquita Mitchell (in their Philharmonic debuts), tenor Russell Thomas, and the Dorothy Maynor Singers of the Harlem School of the Arts — for which Betty Allen served as president and CEO. The program will also feature video of interviews and historical footage of the artists being honored. The performances will take place Wednesday, October 14, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, October 15 at 7:30 p.m. (more) In Their Footsteps: Great African American Singers and Their Legacy / 2 The program will feature works that the honorees performed with the New York Philharmonic: selections from Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer (Betty Allen and Marian Anderson), traditional spirituals “Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit” and “Ride On, King Jesus” (Anderson), “Ingemisco” from the Verdi Requiem (George Shirley), selections from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (William Warfield), J.S. Bach’s “Ave Maria” in Gounod’s arrangement (Anderson), Kern’s “Ol’ Man River” from Show Boat (Warfield), and Copland’s “Simple Gifts” from Old American Songs (Warfield). The program opens with the Orchestra performing selections from Joplin’s Treemonisha. The New York Philharmonic will present a free Insights at the Atrium event, “Assessing the Influence of Great African American Classical Artists,” Tuesday, October 13, 2015, at 7:30 p.m., featuring Artist-in-Residence Eric Owens in conversation with Carol J. Oja. They will trace the legacies of some of his musical heroes, as well as their Philharmonic performances spanning more than six decades, and Mr. Owens will perform with pianist Myra Huang. The event, co- presented with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, will take place at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center (Columbus Avenue at 62nd Street) at 7:30 p.m. Related Events Pre-Concert Insights Author Fred Plotkin will introduce the program. Pre-Concert Insights are $7. They take place one hour before these performances in the Helen Hull Room, unless otherwise noted. Attendance is limited to 90 people. Information: nyphil.org/preconcert or (212) 875-5656. Insights at the Atrium — “Assessing the Influence of Great African American Classical Artists” The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence Eric Owens, speaker and bass-baritone Carol J. Oja, moderator Myra Huang, piano Tuesday, October 13, 2015, 7:30 p.m. David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center (Columbus Avenue at 62nd Street) Artist-in-Residence Eric Owens and moderator Carol J. Oja will trace the legacies of some of Mr. Owens’s musical heroes, as well as their Philharmonic performances spanning more than six decades, and Mr. Owens will perform with pianist Myra Huang. Insights at the Atrium events are free and open to the public. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Subscribers, Friends at the Affiliate level and above, and Patrons may secure guaranteed admission by emailing [email protected]. Space is limited. Artists Thomas Wilkins is music director of the Omaha Symphony and principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and he holds the Germeshausen Family and Youth Concert Conductor chair with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Past positions have included resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony and Florida Orchestra (Tampa Bay), and associate conductor of the Richmond (Virginia) Symphony. He has also served on the music faculties of North Park University (Chicago), University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. In 2014 Mr. Wilkins received the prestigious Outstanding Artist award at the Nebraska Governor’s Arts Awards for his significant contribution to music in the state. (more) In Their Footsteps: Great African American Singers and Their Legacy / 3 During his conducting career, he has led orchestras throughout the United States, including The Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras; Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, Baltimore, Utah, and National symphony orchestras; and the Rochester and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestras. This past summer’s schedule included his debut with the Grant Park Symphony in Chicago, a return to The Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom, the Boston Pops at Tanglewood, and appearances with the San Diego Symphony. During the 2015–16 season, in addition to returning to Detroit, New Jersey, and Buffalo, he makes his debut with the New York Philharmonic. His commitment to community has been demonstrated by his participation on several boards of directors, including those of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Charles Drew Health Center (Omaha), Center Against Spouse Abuse in Tampa Bay, and Museum of Fine Arts and the Academy Preparatory Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. Currently he serves as chairman of the board for the Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund and as national ambassador for the non-profit World Pediatric Project, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, which provides children throughout Central America and the Caribbean with critical surgical and diagnostic care. A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Thomas Wilkins is a graduate of the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music. These performances mark his New York Philharmonic debut. American soprano Janai Brugger, 2012 winner of all three prizes in Plácido Domingo’s Operalia competition and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, begins the 2015– 16 season with her Washington National Opera debut as Michaela in Bizet’s Carmen, a role she later sings at Lyric Opera of Kansas City. She returns to Los Angeles Opera to revive the role of Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème, led by Gustavo Dudamel, and makes her role debut as Norina in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale at Palm Beach Opera, following her success there as Juliette in Berlioz’s Romeo et Juliette in 2010. Last season’s highlights include her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Pamina in Mozart’s The Magic Flute (a role in which she received acclaim at Los Angeles Opera in 2013), and a return to The Metropolitan Opera as Helena in The Enchanted Island, which followed her debut there in 2012 as Liu in Puccini’s Turandot. She made her debut as Michaela in Carmen at Opera Colorado and covered Pamina at The Met. Ms. Brugger’s concert and recital performances include an appearance with Marilyn Horne at Carnegie Hall, a Fourth of July concert at Grant Park Chicago, May Festival with James Conlon and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Dudamel, a Gala concert with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and parks concerts in New York at Brooklyn Bridge and Summerstage. These performances mark Janai Brugger’s New York Philharmonic debut. Soprano Laquita Mitchell has performed with the Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, New York City Opera, Washington National Opera, and Opéra Comique in Paris, among many others. This season she will appear in One River, One Land, One People by Hannibal Lokumbe with The Philadelphia Orchestra and reprise the role of Bess in the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess with the Toledo Opera and Springfield and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras. Ms. Mitchell made her debut as Bess with the San Francisco Opera and subsequently performed the role with the Atlanta Opera, The Cleveland Orchestra, Madison and Boston Symphony Orchestras, and Tanglewood. Additionally, PBS invited Ms. Mitchell to perform excerpts from Porgy and Bess for the Television Critics Association Press (more) In Their Footsteps: Great African American Singers and Their Legacy / 4 Tour in preparation for the broadcast and DVD release of the San Francisco Opera’s production of Porgy and Bess. In recent engagements, she joined Beth Morrison Projects for a production and recording of David Lang’s The Difficulty of Crossing a Field in the role of Virginia Creeper, and sang a special Martin Luther King, Jr.,