FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jeanne Lamon of Tafelmusik leads WSO in period performance, Jan. 16-17

Winnipeg, MB —January 9, 2014 — Violinist Jeanne Lamon joins the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) January 16 and 17 to direct the orchestra from her violin in a period performance featuring works from Bach, Mozart, Corelli and Haydn. Lamon is founding music director of Toronto’s world-renowned period instrument orchestra, Tafelmusik, which Gramophone said is “one of the world’s top baroque orchestras.”

Lamon has been praised by critics in Europe and North America for her strong musical leadership, has won numerous awards and was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2000 and in 2014 was appointed to the Order of Ontario. “She is warm without being sentimental, a powerful leader happy to stand a little in the shadows, a fiercely uncompromising musician with a ready smile on her face” (the Globe and Mail).

Micah Heilbrunn, WSO principal clarinet, will be featured in Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, a sublime piece that showcases Mozart’s affection for the liquid tone of the clarinet, which he considered the closest sound to the human voice.

“It’s a really big honour to be able to stand up in front of the orchestra and play a concerto, and it’s really great to be able to do it with my friends and colleagues from the Winnipeg Symphony,” said Heilbrunn. “This concerto is the only one that Mozart wrote for the clarinet. It’s one of his last pieces and it’s a really beautiful one and we cherish it.”

Also on the evening’s program is Bach’s Symphony in G minor. The outer movements of this work have a striking power and the slow middle movement has an anguished personality and internal tension all its own. Corelli’s Concerto grosso in B-flat major is one of 12 concerti grossi he composed. Each one contains a series of slow and fast movements that are played using two groups of musicians in alteration. And, the final piece is Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 “The Clock” which received its name from the tick-tock premise in the second movement, which sounds simplistic but is actually one of the composer’s most sophisticated.

Those attending the concert will see and hear the orchestra in a new light as they collaborate closely with one another in the baroque style.

Masterworks A Mozart & Haydn with Jeanne Lamon Friday, January 16 – 8:00 pm Saturday, January 17 – 8:00 pm Centennial Concert Hall Jeanne Lamon, conductor and violin Micah Heilbrunn, clarinet

Masterworks A Series Sponsor:

Saturday Evening Concert Sponsors:

Pre-concert chat on the Piano Nobile begins at 7:15 pm prior to the evening concerts.

Tickets start at $25 and are available through the WSO Box Office: 204.949.3999 or wso.ca or Ticketmaster: 1.855.985.ARTS and Ticketmaster.ca

Soundcheck tickets start at $15 and are available at the WSO Box Office: 204-949-3999.

The WSO is integral to Winnipeg's rich cultural life, delighting more than 100,000 audience members each year with innovative programming and musical excellence. The WSO presents educational programs for more than 40,000 students annually and tours to communities across Manitoba.

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MEDIA: For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Sarah Panas, Marketing & Communications Coordinator p. (204) 949-3970 f. (204) 956-4271 e: [email protected]

SUPPORT MATERIALS - Biographies

Jeanne Lamon, violin and conductor

Music Director of Tafelmusik since 1981, Jeanne Lamon has been praised by critics in Europe and North America for her strong musical leadership. She has won numerous awards, including honourary Doctorates of Letters from York and Mount Saint Vincent Universities, an honourary Doctorate of Law from the University of Toronto and the prestigious Molson Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts. In 2000, Jeanne Lamon was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada and in 2014 was appointed to the Order of Ontario. Ms. Lamon is in demand as guest director of symphony orchestras in North America and abroad. She is passionate about teaching young professionals, which she does at the University of Toronto and through Tafelmusik’s Artists’ Training Programmes. Ms. Lamon will step down as full-time Music Director of Tafelmusik in 2014 in order to devote more time to teaching, guest directing and pursuing various hobbies. She will continue as Tafelmusik’s Chief Artistic Advisor until the new music director is appointed.

Micah Heilbrunn, clarinet

Born in London, Ontario, Micah Heilbrunn is currently principal clarinet of the WSO. A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, he received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Michigan. His principal teachers include Jerome Summers, Deborah Chodacki, Robert Crowley and Joquin Valdepeñas. Micah has served as principal clarinet with the Symphony Nova Scotia, and has been on the clarinet faculty of Brandon University, the University of Windsor, and at the University of Manitoba. He has been a featured artist at the Aspen Music Festival, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Agassiz music festival, the Las Vegas Music Festival and the Scotia Festival of Music, and has been heard in broadcasts both on the CBC and National Public Radio. Micah has been an active orchestral and chamber musician, and has appeared with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra the National Ballet of Canada and the National Arts Center Orchestra.

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra has the good fortune to be located in a culturally vibrant city with a history of supporting cultural and community activities with enthusiasm and discernment. The WSO has been a vital component of the community since its incorporation on February 13, 1947. The debut concert was held on December 16, 1948 in the Civic Auditorium to an audience of 3,000 with Walter Kaufmann conducting. Subscription prices for the first season of five concerts ranged from $3 to $8 with single tickets starting at $0.75.

Walter Kaufmann was the orchestra’s first music director and following him came , George Cleve, , , , , and since 2005, . Under their guidance, the orchestra has both earned a place among the ranks of major Canadian symphony orchestras and has come to be regarded as among Canada’s most innovative. Some of the eminent soloists who have appeared with the WSO include conductors Pierre Monteux, John Barbirolli and Arthur Fiedler; violinists David Oistrakh and ; pianists Glenn Gould, Byron Janis, Gary Graffman, Leon Fleisher; singers Marilyn Horne and ; cellists Zara Nelsova and Jacqueline du Pré and many others.

The WSO has toured throughout Canada, and made a first appearance at Carnegie Hall in 1979. The orchestra has worked very closely with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation since 1954 when the CBC began broadcasting portions of WSO concerts. The orchestra has released numerous recordings on the CBC label and has given thousands of national radio broadcasts since its inception. In addition to its own extensive season of concerts and educational activities, the WSO functions as the official orchestra of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Manitoba Opera Association.

The WSO has developed an international reputation for its annual New Music Festival. Founded in January 1992 by Music Director Bramwell Tovey and the WSO’s first composer-in-residence, Glenn Buhr, the New Music Festival has provided an environment rich in exploration and discovery of new works by composers from Canada and around the world. It was in the New Music Festival that programming proposed for the Spring for Music Festival was first programmed and performed for the loyal New Music Festival audiences in Winnipeg. This appearance at Carnegie Hall on May 8, 2014 was a success for the WSO artistically, financially and on a community level. Hundreds of Manitobans travelled to New York to attend the concert and the celebratory after party at The Russian Tea Room that was attended by 720 people.