FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Winnipeg Symphony Celebrates the Music of the Nordic Countries with Week-long Festival

Winnipeg, MB - October 21, 2014 - Between October 24 and November 1, 2014, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) and partners the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir, University of Orchestra, Winnipeg Chamber Music Society and Cinematheque celebrate the music and culture of the Nordic countries. The festival opens and closes with two WSO Masterworks concerts featuring the music of Sibelius, Nielsen, and Grieg as well as former Sigur Rós member Kjartan Sveinsson and Manitoban Kenley Kristofferson. In between are a series of concerts exploring the orchestral, choral and chamber music of the Scandinavian countries including excerpts of Grieg’s Pier Gynt with Tracy Dahl and a special presentation of The Hunt, starring Mads Mikkelsen at Cinematheque on Thursday, October 30th.

Festival Inspiration

Each year, the WSO dives into the music of a specific composer, theme or region. In 2014, the WSO was inspired by the strong connection between the Scandinavian countries and and Manitoba to create the Nordic Festival. The Canadian environment shares many qualities with the Nordic Environment – physical, spiritual, and cultural – but as a relatively young country does not have the same history of composers as the Nordic countries do.

The Nordic Festival highlights both the iconic Scandinavian composers – Sibelius (Finland), Grieg (Norway), Carl Nielsen (Denmark), composers who have been recognized internationally for over a century – as well as modern voices such as Kjartan Sveinsonn and Icelandic-Manitoban Kenley Kristofersson.

The festival coincides with the 125th anniversary of the Icelandic Festival and Icelanders play a prominent role. A highlight will be bookend performances by Icelanders Sigrún Eðvaldsdóttir, concertmaster of the Symphony, and Víkingur Ólafsson, a talented young pianist whose sense of pacing and tone will delight audiences in the famous Grieg Concerto.

Listen to: Sibelius: Concerto in D minor: http://bit.ly/1yVD4ot

Listen to: Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor: http://bit.ly/10j3qTp

Opening Concert Features Sibelius’ Serene Violin Concerto

The week opens with a concert featuring three works of Jean Sibelius. Sibelius created music that was extraordinarily fluid, epic in character and wonderfully individual. No more so than in his Violin Concerto, regarded among the finest concertos of its kind, which will be performed by Sigrún Eðvaldsdóttir. The Seventh Symphony ranks with the greatest of Sibelius’ output, while Finlandia has long been an audience favorite for its hearty Finnish nationalism. Former Sigur Rós keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson’s Credo is a serene work that will feature the superb singers of Manitoba’s own Prairie Voices.

Young Selkirk Teacher's Musical Dream Comes True with WSO Premiere

Kenley Kristofferson is a Selkirk, Manitoba teacher and composer who was commissioned to write a new piece to honour the 125th Anniversary of the Icelandic Festival in Gimli. This is the first time Kenley has written for the WSO, which he describes as “a dream come true.”

The piece, titled Morgun, is rooted in the history of the Icelandic community in Manitoba and follows their trials and tribulations as they leave their old home and adapt to their new one in Canada. Morgun translates to morning, representing the morning the settlers were waking up for the first time in Canada and morning as a metaphor for the start of something new.

As someone who grew up in small town Manitoba, Kristofferson felt that writing for the symphony orchestra was a very high goal. However it is also an organization that he has close personal connections with. “Because I went to the U of M, I studied with a lot of these people and I wrote for a lot of these people.”

In addition to his family, 60 of Kristofferson’s students will be coming to see the premiere of Morgun, which will be performed on the closing concert of the Nordic Festival, October 31 and November 1.

FESTIVAL EVENT DETAILS

Masterworks A Friday, October 24; Saturday October 25 | 8:00 pm Sigrun Plays Sibelius: Nordic Festival Opener Centennial Concert Hall , conductor; Sigrún Eðvaldsdóttir, violin; Prairie Voices, Vic Pankratz, director

Pre-concert chat on the Piano Nobile begins 45 minutes prior to the concerts.

Masterworks A Series Sponsor:

MEDIA CALL: Friday, October 24 10:15 am – 10:45 am Centennial Concert Hall; Media to arrive at back stage entrance Lily Street Sunday, October 26 | 3:00 pm Nordic Sagas Westminster United Church, 745 Westminster Avenue Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir, Yuri Klaz, director

Tickets available at the Philharmonic box office 204-896-7445, www.thephil.ca or at McNally Robinson.

Monday, October 27 | 7:30 pm University of Manitoba Orchestra Westworth United Church, 1750 Grosvenor Avenue University of Manitoba Orchestra, Julian Pellicano, conductor

Tickets available at the WSO Box Office or at the door. $15.00 for Adults, $5.00 for Students.

Tuesday, October 28 | 7:30 pm Nordic Music Roundtable with Alexander Mickelthwate and James Manishen McNally Robinson Booksellers (free event)

Wednesday, October 29 | 8:00 pm Nordic Chamber Music Masterpieces Winnipeg Art Gallery Winnipeg Chamber Music Society

Tickets available at the WSO Box Office. $25 for Adults, $10 for Students.

Thursday, October 30 | 7:00 pm The Hunt (Jagten) Cinematheque, 100 Arthur Street

Cinematheque Regular Admission.

Masterworks B Friday, October 31; Saturday, November 1 | 8:00 pm Vikingur Plays Grieg: Nordic Festival Finale Centennial Concert Hall Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor; Víkingur Ólafsson, piano

Pre-concert chat on the Piano Nobile begins 45 minutes prior to the concerts.

MEDIA CALL: Friday, October 31 11:30 am – 12:00 pm Centennial Concert Hall; Media to arrive at back stage entrance Lily Street WSO in Brandon Sunday, November 2 | 3:00 pm Vikingur Plays Grieg: Nordic Festival Finale Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor; Víkingur Ólafsson, piano

Musicians In The Making (Lobby In Brandon) Pre-concert performance begins 30 minutes prior to concert. Sunday, November 2 – Brandon Suzuki Talent Education Program

WSO in Brandon Series Sponsor:

WSO in Brandon Media Partner:

Travel Sponsor:

Media Support:

Individual WSO Opening & Closing Tickets start at $32.00 and are available through the WSO Box Office: 204.949.3999 or wso.ca or Ticketmaster: 1.855.985.ARTS and Ticketmaster.ca. Nordic Festival are only available at the WSO box office starting at $125.00. Student tickets are $15 and are only available through the WSO Box Office.

Brandon Individual Concert Tickets are $51, $47 seniors, $12.50 student, available through the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium Box Office: 204-728-9510 or www.wmca.ca

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 25,000 students annually and tours to communities across Manitoba.

-30- 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

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 $.75.

Walter Kaufmann was the orchestra’s first music director and following him came , George Cleve, , , , , and since 2005, Alexander Mickelthwate. Under their guidance, the orchestra has both earned a place among the ranks of major Canadian symphony 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, 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.

Alexander Mickelthwate, Music Director

German conductor Alexander Mickelthwate is renowned for his “splendid, richly idiomatic readings” (LA Weekly), “fearless” approach and “first-rate technique” (Los Angeles Times). Critics have noted Alexander’s extraordinary command over the Austro-Germanic repertoire, commenting on the “passion, profundity, emotional intensity, subtlety and degree of perfection achieved” in Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 as “miraculous” (Anton Kuerti, 2011).

Following on from his tenure as assistant conductor with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which he completed in 2004, Alexander Mickelthwate was associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for three years, under the direction of Essa-Pekka Salonen. Now in his eighth season as music director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Alexander has significantly developed the orchestra’s profile through active community engagement and innovative programming initiatives like the annual New Music Festival and the Indigenous Music Festival. Chosen to perform at the Carnegie Hall Spring For Music Festival in New York, May 2014, due to “creative and innovative programming” (CBC Manitoba Scene), the orchestra is the only Canadian ensemble in the showcase. As well as significantly contributing to the New Music Festival and Indigenous Festival, Alexander lead the orchestra’s first out of province tour since 1979 to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, launched the International Conducting masterclasses, the New Music Festival 2012 film project and played a major part in the acoustic overhaul of the Centennial Concert Hall.

Sigrún Eðvaldsdóttir

Sigrún Eðvaldsdóttir started playing the violin at the age of five. She graduated from the Reykjavik Music Conservatory with a soloist degree in 1984, where she studied with Gudny Gudmundsdottir, and from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 1988 with a Bachelor’s degree, where she studied with Jascha Brodsky and Jaimee Laredo. She was a founding member and first violin of the Miami string quartet from 1988-1990.

She has won several prizes in international violin competitions, was awarded the Icelandic Optimist price in 1992 for her work in music and her positive outlook, and was knighted by the president of Iceland in 1998. She enjoys playing new music and has had violin concertos written for her and works dedicated to her. She has recorded with Naxos, Chandos, ITM and Steinar labels. Sigrun has been concertmaster at the Danish Royal Opera, but has held the position of one of the two concertmasters at the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra since 1998 and has performed as a soloist with them several times.

Prairie Voices, Vic Pankratz, director

Founded in 2000 by Elroy Friesen, Prairie Voices is an award-winning company of singers ages 18-25 dedicated to the performance of innovative contemporary choral music from all over the world. Placing an emphasis on Canadian and Manitoban composers, the choir uses energy, expressiveness and movement to connect avant- garde composition with a popular audience. Prairie Voices has performed around the world, bringing their unique touch to a diverse repertoire, from African spirituals to Broadway hits. Prairie Voices has managed to grow as an organization while still remaining true to their Canadian roots. This past season, Prairie Voices released their new CD, Autumn.

Victor Pankratz

Victor Pankratz is well known in Manitoba for his singing, conducting and teaching. He was a frequent performer with the Manitoba Opera Association. As a tenor soloist he has appeared with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Robert Shaw and the Mennonite Festival Chorus, and many more groups. For three years he was co-artistic director of the Winnipeg Singers. He has also had the privilege of conducting the regional youth choirs in Manitoba. Currently, Victor is artistic director of Prairie Voices, and teaches music at Westgate Mennonite Collegiate.

Víkingur Ólafsson

Possessing a rare combination of passionate musicality, explosive virtuosity and intellectual curiosity, Víkingur is an artist who constantly seeks new ways to engage with his audience. Passionate about music from the Renaissance to the present day, Víkingur has performed over 20 piano concertos and collaborated with such conductors as , Petri Sakari, Rumon Gamba, Ilan Volkov and Pietari Inkinen. Víkingur is the founder and artistic director of Reykjavík Midsummer Music, taking place annually around summer solstice in Reykjavík’s Harpa Concert House. He founded his own record label, Dirrindí, in 2009 and has released three albums to date.

Víkingur grew up in Iceland where he studied with Erla Stefánsdóttir and Peter Máté. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the , where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal and Robert McDonald. Víkingur’s awards and recognitions include seven Icelandic Music Awards and The Icelandic Optimism Prize 2009, awarded by the presidential office to an outstanding artist in any field.