PRESS CONTACT: Teresa Eaton, 410.783.8024 [email protected] Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Announces 2015 Summer Season Including Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Dvořák’s New World Symphony, the annual Star-Spangled Spectacular at Oregon Ridge, and an evening with “Family Guy” creator and singer, Seth MacFarlane Baltimore, Md. (March 26, 2015) — The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra today announced its 2015 summer programs. This summer’s concerts will include the annual Star-Spangled Spectacular at Oregon Ridge Park, comedian and singer Seth MacFarlane, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Dvořák’s New World Symphony. Calendar and concert information is below. For more info, please visit BSOmusic.org. The summer season begins with Baltimore’s favorite Fourth of July tradition: Star-Spangled Spectacular at Oregon Ridge Park (Cockeysville, Md.) on July 3 & 4, featuring patriotic favorites that culminate in a brilliant fireworks display. BSO Assistant Conductor Nicholas Hersh leads the BSO in selections such as Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever and more. Each concert begins with the National Anthem, sung by the winner(s) of the BSO’s eighth annual “O, Say Can You Sing?” singing competition. (Full details about the competition, including audition information, will be announced at a later date.) On July 16 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, creator of the TV series “Family Guy,” and actor, comedian, singer and songwriter Seth MacFarlane brings his popular show to Baltimore for one evening only. MacFarlane combines his smooth singing talents with his love of musicals, big band and classic artists in a performance that is an entertaining mix of comedy and music. On July 23 at the Music Center at Strathmore and July 24 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, BSO Concertmaster Jonathan Carney leads the orchestra in Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, a set of four violin concertos each varied to resemble its respective season. Program repertoire also includes Handel’s Selections from Water Music. Maestro Tito Muñoz leads the BSO and violinist Ariel Horowitz for Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World” on July 30 at Music Center at Strathmore and July 31 at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Maestro Muñoz is a protégé of former BSO music Director David Zinman. Eighteen-year-old violinist and winner of the Silver Medal and Audience Choice Award at the Stulberg International String Competition (2013) Ariel Horowitz performs Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. Also on the program is Barber’s The School for Scandal Overture. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Summer 2015 Events Calendar Star-Spangled Spectacular Friday, July 3, 2015 at 8 pm – Oregon Ridge Park Saturday, July 4, 2015 at 8 pm – Oregon Ridge Park Nicholas Hersh, conductor Red, white and blue – and patriotic fun, too! Join the BSO for our annual holiday celebration featuring Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever and many more while watching a dazzling display of fireworks. Plus, hear the BSO’s “O, Say Can You Sing?” contest winner perform The Star-Spangled Banner. Gates open at 5 p.m. and concertgoers can enjoy delicious eats from local food trucks. Free parking is available at the Verizon lot on Shawan Road with shuttle to the park. Permits for onsite parking can be purchased for $12 in advance from the BSO Ticket Office or for $15 at the gate. Tickets are general admission lawn seating and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, BSOmusic.org or 410.783.8000 or at the park gate. Advanced tickets are $18 for adults and $9 for children under 12. If purchased at the gate, tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12. Concertgoers are invited to bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnics for a full evening of entertainment with the BSO. An Evening with Seth MacFarlane Thursday, July 16, 2015 at 8 pm – Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall In a special, one-night-only concert, “Family Guy” funny man and Grammy-nominated artist Seth MacFarlane brings his smooth singing talents and irreverent humor to Baltimore showcasing his love of Big Band and American Songbook standards. Presale tickets for subscribers and donors are available from Thursday, March 26 through Monday, March 30. General admission tickets go on sale at 10 am Monday, March 30. Tickets start at $25 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org. Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons Thursday, July 23, 2015 at 8 pm - The Music Center at Strathmore Friday, July 24, 2015 at 7:30 pm - Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Jonathan Carney, leader and violin VIVALDI: The Four Seasons HANDEL: Selections from Water Music Vivaldi’s vivid depiction of the seasons comes to life as BSO Concertmaster Jonathan Carney expertly weaves his sound through the varied textures of this perennial favorite. This all-Baroque program ends with selections from Handel’s revered Water Music, a work that premiered on the River Thames at the request of King George I. Tickets start at $25 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org. Dvořák’s New World Symphony Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 8 pm – The Music Center at Strathmore Friday, July 31, 2015 at 7:30 pm – Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Tito Muñoz, conductor Ariel Horowitz, violin BARBER: The School for Scandal Overture MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 9, “From the New World” Bold, thrilling and moving all at once. Premiered 120 years ago upon Dvořák’s arrival in the U.S., his Ninth Symphony is emblematic of a foreigner’s portrayal of the life and times of early America. Experience a perfect collision of folk tunes and gypsy flavor from Dvořák’s native Bohemia and his impressions of an exciting turn of-the-century life in the “New World.” Tickets start at $25 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org. While current at the time of publication, this calendar is subject to change. Updated calendars are issued regularly. For the most recent version, please contact the BSO Public Relations Office. VENUES . Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall is located at 1212 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Md. The Music Center at Strathmore is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda, Md. Oregon Ridge Park is located at 13555 Beaver Dam Road, Cockeysville, Md. TICKETS . Tickets for concerts at Oregon Ridge Park, the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and The Music Center at Strathmore can be purchased through the BSO Ticket Office, 410.783.8000, 877.BSO.1444 or BSOmusic.org. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Summer 2015 Artist Biographies Nicholas Hersh, conductor Star-Spangled Spectacular Recently appointed Assistant Conductor with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, conductor Nicholas Hersh has served as Music Director of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra in Indiana and Assistant Conductor with the National Repertory Orchestra in Colorado. He has appeared in concert with the New World Symphony in Miami and the Southern Great Lakes Symphony in Detroit, and he has served as cover conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and the Aspen Music Festival. In 2011 and 2012, he was a Conducting Fellow at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen, and he is a recipient of the Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Award. Nicholas grew up in Evanston, Illinois and started his musical training with the cello. He earned a bachelor's degree in music from Stanford University and a master’s degree in conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, studying with David Effron and Arthur Fagen. He also counts Robert Spano, Hugh Wolff and Larry Rachleff among his conducting mentors, and has participated in master classes with Bernard Haitink and Michael Tilson Thomas. Hersh's performance credits span a diverse range of genres beyond the traditional concert canon, including opera, Broadway, pops, choral, Viennese dance, ballet, and film music. An avid performer of new music, he has conducted world premieres of two silent film scores live with pit orchestra and projection, as well as an opera, a symphony and numerous concert pieces. He also continues to earn acclaim for his skill as an arranger and orchestrator: his arrangements include commissions from the Cleveland Pops, the National Repertory Orchestra and the Jackson Symphony, and in 2013 his orchestral arrangement of Queen’s famous “Bohemian Rhapsody” saw worldwide success after the video of its premiere went viral on the Internet. Seth MacFarlane At 25, Seth MacFarlane became the youngest showrunner in television history when his animated series “Family Guy” aired on FOX. Now in its 13th season, “Family Guy” has garnered MacFarlane Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance and Outstanding Music and Lyrics. In addition to “Family Guy”, MacFarlane serves as co-creator, executive producer and voice actor on “American Dad!” He also executive produced the 21st -century version of “Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey” that premiered last March on ten US networks, simultaneously across FOX and National Geographic platforms, making it the largest television premiere event of all time. MacFarlane made his feature film directorial debut in 2012 with the highest-grossing original R-rated film of all time, “Ted.” This buddy comedy starred Mark Wahlberg and MacFarlane as the voice of the lovable foul-mouthed teddy bear. The film made over $545 million worldwide and was also co-written and produced by MacFarlane. Fresh off the success of “Ted,” MacFarlane hosted the 85th Academy Awards in 2013 and was also nominated for the film that same year. He was nominated for “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song” for “Everybody Needs a Best Friend.” The sequel is currently in post-production and is set for release on June 26, 2015.