N E W S R E L E A S E
CONTACT: Katherine Blodgett Director of Public/Media Relations phone: 215.893.1939 e-mail: [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: December 11, 2008
— Just Announced —
Philadelphia-native Blythe Danner and comic actor Fred Willard join the celebration of the Academy of Music’s 152nd anniversary
Actress and Philadelphia-native Blythe Danner is host
Comic actor Fred Willard performs an ode to the Academy’s recently restored chandelier
Christoph Eschenbach leads The Philadelphia Orchestra for this annual celebration of the “Grand Old Lady of Locust Street”
Singer/Songwriter James Taylor makes a special guest appearance performing a selection of his greatest hits with The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Charles Floyd
Violinist Josef Špaček and cellist Camden Shaw, rising talents from the Curtis Institute of Music, to be featured
Evening features the debut presentation of “The Art and Architecture of the Academy in Sound and Light”
Anniversary Ball follows at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue
(Philadelphia, December 11, 2008) – Actress and Philadelphia-native Blythe Danner and comic actor Fred Willard join the celebration of the Academy of Music’s 152nd anniversary on Saturday, January 24, 2009. Ms. Danner will be the evening’s host; Mr. Willard will present a special ode to the Academy’s chandelier.
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As previously announced, The Philadelphia Orchestra , led by Christoph Eschenbach , performs. Legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor makes a special guest appearance, performing a selection of his greatest hits with the Orchestra and conductor Charles Floyd . Violinist Josef Špaček and cellist Camden Shaw , rising talents from the Curtis Institute of Music, will be featured soloists. The evening also features the debut presentation of “The Art and Architecture of the Academy in Sound and Light.” The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. The Academy Ball follows at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue . CIGNA is the lead underwriter of the 152nd Anniversary Concert and Ball. Concert program
In honor of the recent restoration of the Academy’s grand chandelier and the debut of “The Art and Architecture of the Academy in Sound and Light,” the Academy of Music 152nd Anniversary Concert will celebrate the theme “Light Up the Night!” with an exciting program emphasizing both classical and popular music. The concert commences with Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture performed by Christoph Eschenbach and The Philadelphia Orchestra. Violinist Josef Špaček and cellist Camden Shaw, both rising young artists from the Curtis Institute of Music, join Mr. Eschenbach and the Orchestra as soloists in the third movement from Brahms’s “Double” Concerto. Stravinsky’s Berceuse and Finale from The Firebird is also on the program. Comic actor Fred Willard celebrates the return of the Academy’s beloved chandelier with a special spoken ode. The concert closes with James Taylor and The Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Charles Floyd, performing a selection of Mr. Taylor’s songs, continuing the Academy’s long history of presenting popular music. The evening also features the debut presentation of “The Art and Architecture of the Academy in Sound and Light,” a new presentation highlighting architectural and decorative elements throughout the auditorium, including the ceiling mural, the medallion of Mozart, the gilded statues, and restored chandelier.
The Anniversary Concert is created and produced by Wayne Baruch and Charles F. Gayton, who also produced the spectacular Academy 150th and 151st anniversary concerts. For concert-only tickets, which are available in the Amphitheatre level, please call 215.893.1999 or visit www.philorch.org/academyofmusic.
Dinner and Ball The gala champagne dinner and ball following the concert take place at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue. Six dance orchestras will be located throughout the hotel. CIGNA is the lead underwriter of the 152nd Anniversary Concert and Ball, which is chaired by H. Edward Hanway and Marguerite Lenfest. For gala information, call the Academy of Music Restoration Fund Office at 215.893.1940.
History of the Academy of Music and the Anniversary Concert and Ball The region’s premier gala benefit, the annual Academy of Music Anniversary Concert and Ball has been held each January for 52 years. It has always been one of the region’s most successful fundraisers, with the 150th and 151st anniversaries raising significant funds dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the Academy of Music. Owned by The Philadelphia Orchestra Association, this National Historic Landmark served as the home of The Philadelphia Orchestra for more than a century, from the ensemble’s founding in 1900 to the opening of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in December 2001. The first Anniversary Concert
- more - The Philadelphia Orchestra celebrates the Academy of Music with 152nd Anniversary Concert and Ball PAGE 3 and Ball took place on January 26, 1957, and celebrated the Centennial Jubilee of the Academy of Music. Chaired by Mr. G. Stockton Strawbridge, with Mrs. Francis Boyer as program book chairman, the event showcased a star-studded line-up in which Eugene Ormandy shared his podium with Danny Kaye. Guest performers included classical artists Marian Anderson, Hilde Gueden, Arthur Rubinstein, and Isaac Stern, and popular singer Dinah Shore. About the Artists
Over the course of his long career, James Taylor has earned 40 gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards and five Grammy awards for a catalog running from 1970’s Sweet Baby James to his Grammy Award- winning efforts Hourglass (1997) and October Road (2002) to One Man Band (2007). Taylor’s first Greatest Hits album earned him the RIAA’s elite Diamond Award, given for sales in excess of 10 million units in the United States. For his accomplishments, Mr. Taylor was honored with the 1998 Century Award, Billboard magazine’s highest accolade, bestowed for distinguished creative achievement. The year 2000 saw his induction into both the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and the prestigious Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences selected Mr. Taylor its MUSICARES Person of the Year in 2006 and most recently, One Man Band (2007)—a CD/DVD—was nominated for an Emmy® Award for “Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special,” in September 2008. Mr. Taylor’s latest album, Covers , was released on September 30.
Blythe Danner received a Tony Award for her Broadway debut in Butterflies Are Free and has received nominations for her roles in Harold Pinter's Betrayal , A Streetcar Named Desire , and Steven Sondheim's Follies . On television she won two Emmy awards for her role on Showtime’s Huff and was nominated twice for Will and Grace and for Joyce Carol Oates’s We Were the Mulvaneys , and received a Golden Globe nomination for Anne Tyler's Back When We Were Grownups . Her film roles include Woody Allen's Alice , The Great Santini , Meet the Parents , Meet the Fockers , and Sylvia , with her daughter Gwyneth Paltrow. She holds honorary doctorates from her alma mater Bard College, Williams College, and Hobart/William Smith College. Ms. Danner is a member of the advisory board of the Oral Cancer Foundation supporting the Bruce Paltrow fund. She has been involved with environmental issues for more than 35 years and serves on the advisory board of Union of Concerned Scientists, Environmental Media Association in Los Angeles, Environmental Advocates in Albany, and Environmental Visions in New York City. She also serves on Planned Parenthood’s board of Advocates.
Fred Willard is one of our most gifted comic actors. An alumnus of Second City and the co-founder of the comedy group Ace Trucking Company (which appeared on the The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson over 50 times), Mr. Willard continues to appear regularly on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno . On film, Mr. Willard’s work in Waiting For Guffman earned him an American Comedy Award nomination and the SAG Award nomination for Funniest Supporting Actor. Recently, he received the award for Best Supporting Actor from the Boston Society of Film Critics, the American Comedy Awards, and was honored by the American Film Institute for his work in Best in Show . He was also nominated for the first Comedy Central “Commie Awards” for his work in A Mighty Wind . Other film work includes: Roxanne , This is Spinal Tap , Harold and Kumar Go to the White Castle , Bottleneck , The Wedding Planner , Anchorman, American Wedding , Chicken Little, Wall-E, and the Academy Award- winning short film, Ray’s Male Heterosexual Dance Hall . His numerous television appearances include Everybody Loves Raymond (Emmy Nomination), Back to You , Maybe It’s Me , A Minute with Stan Hooper, and the classic
- more - The Philadelphia Orchestra celebrates the Academy of Music with 152nd Anniversary Concert and Ball PAGE 4 ground-breaking comedies Fernwood 2Night and America 2Night co-starring Martin Mull. Stage appearances in Los Angeles, New York and across the country include Fred Willard: Alone at Last ! (with a cast of ten), Mame (at the Hollywood Bowl), Little Murders, Arf!, The Great Airplane Snatch , Isn’t it Romantic, Promises, Promises, Anything Goes, Li’l Abner, Elvis and Juliet , and Moon Shine! , the latter two by his wife, the playwright Mary Willard.
Currently in his ninth season as music director of the Orchestre de Paris, Christoph Eschenbach is in great demand as a distinguished guest conductor by the world’s most prestigious orchestras and opera houses. In 2008-09 Mr. Eschenbach returns to the Vienna Philharmonic, with concerts in the Musikverein and on tour in Rome, Aalborg, and Cologne; the New York Philharmonic, with Lang Lang; the Staatskapelle Dresden leading its Advent Concert and three concerts in its subscription series; the London Philharmonic, which includes an appearance in Essen; the Los Angeles Philharmonic for a two-week period; and the NDR Symphony Orchestra in Hamburg, where he served as music director from 1998 to 2004. He takes the Orchestre de Paris to the Berlin Festival and the BBC Proms in London, and, in addition to conducting two subscription weeks with The Philadelphia Orchestra, where he was music director from 2003 to 2008, and leads that ensemble on a three-week tour of Europe. He also makes his conducting debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and has a re-engagement with the Chicago Symphony at the Ravinia Festival, where he was music director from 1994 to 2003.
As a pianist, Mr. Eschenbach continues his fruitful collaboration with baritone Matthias Goerne. Over the next two years the duo will record and perform Schubert’s three song cycles, Die schöne Müllerin , Die Winterreise , and Schwanengesang , including recitals in June 2009 at Wigmore Hall, London, and at the Schubertiade festival in Austria.
A prolific recording artist for nearly 50 years, Christoph Eschenbach has an impressive discography as conductor, pianist, or both on a wide range of labels. His recordings include works from J.S. Bach to music of our time, and reflect his commitment to 20th-century music. Mr. Eschenbach’s discography includes numerous recordings with The Philadelphia Orchestra (Ondine) and the Orchestre de Paris (Ondine and Deutsche Gramophone) as well as with the London Symphony (Sony/BMG), the Vienna Philharmonic (Decca), the Hamburg NDR Symphony (BMG/Sony & Warner), and the Houston Symphony (Koch).
Mentored by George Szell and Herbert von Karajan, Mr. Eschenbach went on to hold the post of chief conductor and artistic director of the Tonhalle Orchestra (1982-86). His many honors include the Légion d’Honneur; Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; the Officer’s Cross with Star and Ribbon of the German Order of Merit; the Commander’s Cross of the German Order of Merit for outstanding achievements as pianist and conductor; and the Leonard Bernstein Award.
A native of Prague, 21-year-old Josef Špaček began studying violin at the age of six, and from 1997 to 2002 he was a student of Pavel Prantl at the Music Gymnazium in Prague. Holder of a Herbert R. and Evelyn Axelrod Fellowship at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he is currently enrolled as a student, Mr. Špaček studies with renowned violinist Ida Kavafian. He has also studied with Jaroslav Foltyn, Stephen Shipps, and Rugiero Ricci.
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The winner of numerous national and international competitions, Mr. Špaček won third prize and the Young People’s Jury Prize in the Eighth Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition, held in Odense, Denmark. He received the grand prize at the 1999 Kocian International Violin Competition in the Czech Republic and was a semifinalist at the 2004 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists.
Mr. Špaček performs with the Starling Quartet, and as a recitalist, he has performed in the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Great Britain, Poland, Switzerland, and the United States. In 2007 he gave a solo recital accompanied by fellow Curtis student Kuok-man Lio at the Janáček and Martinů Festival in Turnov, Czech Republic. Mr. Špaček has performed as a soloist with the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, the Prague Chamber Philharmonic, the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, the Hradec Králové Philharmonic, the Berg Orchestra, and the Zofin Palace Symphony Orchestra.
Cellist Camden Shaw , 18, from Bellevue, Washington, holds the Frank S. Bayley Annual Fellowship at the Curtis Institute of Music, where is a student of Peter Wiley, cellist of the Guarneri String Quartet. In 2008 Mr. Shaw performed the Dvořák Cello Concerto with the Rogue Valley Symphony in Washington. As winner of the 2006 Marjorie Easley Young Artist String Competition, he performed the Dvořák Concerto with the Federal Way Symphony. As a winner of the Don Bushell Concerto Competition sponsored by the Seattle Philharmonic, he performed Bloch’s Schelomo with that ensemble in 2007. Also in 2007 he gave a recital at the University of Washington.
For three consecutive years—2004, 2005, and 2006—Mr. Shaw won the festival medal, the highest award at the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival. In 2002 he was a finalist at that festival, and in 2003 and 2005 he was eligible to be a concerto winner, performing the Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations and the Schumann Cello Concerto with Philharmonia Northwest. He also won the cello division of the state competition sponsored by the Washington Music Educators Association in April 2006.
Mr. Shaw was selected as an emerging artist by the Seattle Chamber Music Society and presented a recital as part of its summer series in July 2004. The society also sponsored him in a community outreach recital in April 2006. He has participated in master classes with Jeffrey Solow, Carter Brey, Gary Hoffman, and the Eroica Trio; he has had private lessons with David Finckel, Steven Doane, Amit Peled, and Robert DeMaine.
In the summers of 2005 and 2006, Mr. Shaw was one of only three cellists selected to participate in the Young Performers Program at Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival in California. Prior to entering Curtis, he studied cello with Toby Saks and chamber music at the Academy of Music Northwest, where he has twice received the Linda Sandell Prize in Chamber Music and the Ray Thompson Prize in Instrumental Music. He has also been heard live on three KING-FM broadcasts.
Founded in 1900, The Philadelphia Orchestra has distinguished itself as one of the leading orchestras in the world through a century of acclaimed performances, historic international tours, best-selling recordings, and its unprecedented record of innovation in recording technologies and outreach. The Orchestra has maintained an unparalleled unity in artistic leadership with only seven music directors throughout its history:
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Fritz Scheel (1900-07), Carl Pohlig (1907-12), Leopold Stokowski (1912-41), Eugene Ormandy (1936-80), Riccardo Muti (1980-92), Wolfgang Sawallisch (1993-2003), and Christoph Eschenbach (2003-08). This rich tradition is carried on by Charles Dutoit, who was appointed chief conductor and artistic adviser of The Philadelphia Orchestra from the 2008-09 season through the 2011-12 season. Mr. Dutoit has a long-standing relationship with the Orchestra, having made his debut with the ensemble in 1980. Highlights of his first season include the Opening Night Concert, featuring pianist Martha Argerich; performances of Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet and Requiem, part of Mr. Dutoit’s four-year focus on the works of that composer; the U.S. premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki’s Concerto grosso No. 1 for three cellos, part of the Orchestra’s celebration of Mr. Penderecki’s 75th birthday; and Honegger’s Symphony No. 3 (“Liturgical”). During his tenure, Mr. Dutoit will also focus on the music of the Ballets Russes, beginning in the 2008-09 season with performances of Stravinsky’s complete music to The Firebird. Recent Philadelphia Orchestra highlights include the opening of the Orchestra’s Online Music Store, www.thephiladelphiaorchestra.com; regular broadcasts on NPR; a series of critically acclaimed recordings led by Mr. Eschenbach and released in partnership with Ondine Records; and a $125 million endowment campaign. The Philadelphia Orchestra annually touches the lives of more than one million music lovers worldwide through its performances, publications, recordings, and broadcasts. The Orchestra presents a subscription season in Philadelphia each year from September to May, in addition to education and community partnership programs, and appears annually at Carnegie Hall. Its summer schedule includes an outdoor series at Philadelphia’s Mann Center for the Performing Arts, free Neighborhood Concerts, and residencies at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in upstate New York. For more information about The Philadelphia Orchestra please visit www.philorch.org.
ACADEMY OF MUSIC 152ND ANNIVERSARY CONCERT January 24 at 7:30 p.m. – Saturday evening – Academy of Music
The Philadelphia Orchestra Christoph Eschenbach conductor Blythe Danner host Josef Špaček violin – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA DEBUT Camden Shaw cello – PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA DEBUT Fred Willard narrator
Special guest James Taylor
Program to include:
BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9 BRAHMS Third movement from Concerto in A minor for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra, Op. 102 (“Double”) STRAVINSKY Berceuse and Finale, from The Firebird
This concert will be performed without an intermission. The Concert and Ball are sponsored by CIGNA. Musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra are graciously donating their services in support of the Musicians’ Pension Fund.
For gala information, please call the Academy of Music Restoration Fund Office at 215.893.1940. Concert-only tickets are available in the Academy of Music’s Amphitheatre: $183 ($148.50 tax-deductible per seat) 215.893.1999 or www.philorch.org/academyofmusic.
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