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: March 2, 2009 CHIEF CONDUCTOR AND ARTISTIC ADVISER CHARLES DUTOIT LEADS THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA IN A PROGRAM CELEBRATING THE INFLUENCE OF AFRICAN- AMERICAN CULTURE ON CLASSICAL MUSIC George Walker’s 1996 Pulitzer Prize-winning Lilacs receives its first Philadelphia Orchestra performances with tenor Russell Thomas as featured soloist Bass-baritone Eric Owens performs Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer in tribute to Philadelphia-native Marian Anderson Two works inspired by African-American music—Milhaud’s The Creation of the World and Dvo řák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”)—complete the program March 17 concert at Carnegie Hall part of HONOR! A CELEBRATION OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL LEGACY , a Carnegie Hall festival curated by renowned soprano Jessye Norman (Philadelphia , March 2, 2009)—Philadelphia Orchestra Chief Conductor and Artistic Adviser Charles Dutoit leads the Orchestra in three concerts in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center celebrating the influence of African-American culture on classical music (March 12-14). The program features Milhaud’s jazz-inspired The Creation of the World ; George Walker’s 1996 Pulitzer Prize-winning work Lilacs for voice and orchestra, with tenor Russell Thomas as soloist in its first Philadelphia Orchestra performances; Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer , a work for which the late, great contralto Marian Anderson was known, with Philadelphia-native bass-baritone Eric Owens as soloist; and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”). Mr. Dutoit also leads the Orchestra in the same program at New York’s Carnegie Hall (March 17) as part of Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy, a citywide festival presented by Carnegie Hall and curated by renowned soprano Jessye Norman. – more – Philadelphia Orchestra highlights works inspired by African-American culture PAGE 2 During a lecture tour in the United States in 1922, French-born composer Darius Milhaud had experienced jazz bands firsthand in the nightclubs of Harlem. In his memoirs, the composer wrote of the experience: “The music I heard was absolutely different from anything I had ever heard before and was a revelation to me.” The effect on his own music can be heard in the ballet he composed the next year: The Creation of the WorldWorld. George Walker’s 1996 Pulitzer Prize-winning Lilacs for voice and orchestra consists of four songs set to verses 1, 2, 3, and 13 of Walt Whitman’s “When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d.” The poem, an elegy to fallen president Abraham Lincoln, is one of the most frequently set poems in the English language. Born in 1922 to parents of West Indian heritage, Mr. Walker has been a trailblazer throughout his illustrious career. He became the first black graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in 1945, earning Artist Diplomas in piano and composition. With his debut performance with The Philadelphia Orchestra (also in 1945), he became one of the first black musicians to appear as soloist with the Orchestra. He was also the first black composer to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize. The composer’s works, which number more than 90, have been performed by virtually every major orchestra in the United States and by many in England and other countries. More than sixty years into his career, Mr. Walker continues to compose. The Philadelphia Orchestra will give the world premiere performances of his Violin Concerto, with the composer’s son Gregory Walker as soloist, in December 2009. One of Gustav Mahler’s early masterpieces, Songs of a Wayfarer was written from 1883 to 1885 as a declaration of love for Johanna Richter, a principal singer at the Kassel court theater. The song cycle chronicles the journey of a broken-hearted wanderer. The work has been programmed in honor of the legendary contralto Marian Anderson. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Ms. Anderson was known for her performances of this work. Bass-baritone Eric OwensOwens, also a Philadelphia-native and recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Marian Anderson Award, is soloist for these performances. By the time Antonín Dvořák came to the United States in 1892, he was already well-known for a compositional style that absorbed and assimilated elements of folk music with traditional classical style. When the composer’s Symphony No. 9 in E minorminor (((“(“““FromFrom the New WorldWorld””””)))), received its premiere performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall in December 1893, it was an instant success with both audiences and critics alike. The work drew inspiration from the African-American spirituals that the composer had studied during his years in the United States. The most striking reference can be found in the famous flute melody from symphony’s first movement, which bears a strong resemblance to the famous spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” – more – Philadelphia Orchestra highlights works inspired by African-American culture PAGE 3 Honor! A Celebration of the AfricanAfrican----AmericanAmerican CulturaCulturall Legacy Honor! A Celebration of the African-American Cultural Legacy salutes the enduring vitality, influence, and creativity of African American culture through a collection of concerts and special events in New York City that have been curated by internationally-renowned soprano Jessye Norman. This Carnegie Hall festival, presented in March 2009, has been designed to celebrate African-American music and its influence worldwide, and pay tribute to pioneering artists who forged the path for succeeding generations. Through partnerships with New York cultural institutions, including the legendary Apollo Theater and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Honor! engages with diverse audiences and provides a showcase for African- American music in its many genres: classical, gospel, Spirituals, contemporary popular music, blues, and jazz, offering close to 20 events, including concerts, recitals, lectures, panel discussions, exhibitions, and educational programs at Carnegie Hall, the Apollo Theater, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and other venues throughout New York City. About the Artists A Philadelphia native, American bass-baritone Eric Owens has carved a unique place in the contemporary opera world as both a champion of new music and a powerful interpreter of classic works. During the 2008–09 season, Mr. Owens made his Metropolitan Opera debut in John Adams’s Doctor Atomic ; he also makes his New York recital debut in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in April. Additional season highlights include the September 2008 Nonesuch Records release of Adams’s A Flowering Tree , performances as Sarastro in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute in December and January, and scenes from Strauss’s Elektra and Die Frau ohne Schatten with Christine Brewer and the Atlanta Symphony under Donald Runnicles. Mr. Owens began his music training at the age of six as a pianist, followed by formal oboe study at age 11 under Lloyd Shorter of the Delaware Symphony and Louis Rosenblatt of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Owens later studied voice while an undergraduate at Temple University and then as a graduate student at the Curtis Institute of Music. He currently studies with Armen Boyajian. Tenor Russell ThomasThomas, a Miami native, is quickly establishing himself as one of the most exciting vocal and dramatic talents on the international opera and concert scene, most recently as the First- Prize winner of the Competizione dell’Opera in Dresden. Mr. Thomas’s current projects include Tamino in The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera, his debut as the Duke of Mantua in Verdi’s Rigoletto with the Arizona Opera, and the Steuermann in Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman with Atlanta Opera. Recently Mr. Thomas reprised his role of the Prince for John Adams’s A Flowering Tree in Tokyo, with upcoming performances of this role taking place in New York, Los Angeles, and Perth. An alumnus of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program of the Metropolitan Opera, he was also a member of Seattle Opera Young Artist Program, a Roger R. Hinkley artist at Florida Grand Opera, a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, an apprentice at the – more – Philadelphia Orchestra highlights works inspired by African-American culture PAGE 4 Sarasota Opera, and he has participated in the Marlboro Music Festival. Mr. Thomas holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Music in Performance from the New World School of the Arts. Chief conductor and artistic adviser of The Philadelphia Orchestra, beginning in September 2008, as well as artistic director and principal conductor of the Royal Philharmonic, beginning in 2009, CharleCharless Dutoit regularly collaborates with the world’s leading orchestras. Since his debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1980, Mr. Dutoit has been invited each season to conduct all the major orchestras of the United States, including those of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. He has also performed regularly with all the great orchestras of Europe, including the Berlin Philharmonic and Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, as well as the Israel Philharmonic and the major orchestras of Japan, South America, and Australia. Mr. Dutoit has recorded extensively for Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Philips, CBS, Erato, and other labels with American, European, and Japanese orchestras. His more than 170 recordings, half of them with the Montreal Symphony, have garnered more than 40 awards and distinctions. Since 1990 Mr. Dutoit has been artistic director and principal conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s summer festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Between 1990 and 1999, he also directed the Orchestra’s summer series at the Mann Center, and led them in a series of distinctive recordings.