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: October 21, 2008 RENOWNED CONDUCTOR MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS MAKES HIS PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA SUBSCRIPTION DEBUT, NOVEMBER 6 TO 9 Program includes CoplandCopland’’’’ss Symphony for Organ and Orchestra with soloist Paul Jacobs and MahlerMahler’’’’ss Symphony No. 5 (Philadelphia , October 21, 2008) – Conductor Michael Tilson ThomasThomas makes his long- awaited Philadelphia Orchestra subscription debut with a program featuring two of his specialties— American music and Mahler (November 6 to 9). The renowned conductor, who is making his first Philadelphia Orchestra appearances since 1985, leads Copland’s Symphony for Organ and Orchestra with acclaimed organist Paul Jacobs and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. One of the composer’s earliest large-scale works, CoplandCopland’Copland ’’’ss Symphony for Organ and Orchestra was written for, and dedicated to, Nadia Boulanger, the highly influential composer, conductor, and teacher with whom Copland studied from 1921 to 1924. The piece received its premiere in New York on January 11, 1925, with Ms. Boulanger as soloist in her U.S. debut. The Symphony for Organ and Orchestra was last performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra in September 1970 under the baton of Eugene Ormandy; William Whitehead was soloist. Composed in 1901-02, MahlerMahler’’’’ss Symphony No. 5 is one of the composer’s most popular works. In the opening bars of the symphony, listeners can hear an echo of the opening notes of Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 5 whispered by the trumpet. The hauntingly beautiful Adagietto movement, known widely for its use in Luchino Visconti’s film adaptation of Death in Venice , was written as a symphonic love song to the composer’s wife, Alma, who he met and married during the time he was composing the piece. Mr. Tilson Thomas made more than 20 appearances with The Philadelphia Orchestra in the 1970s and 80s at The Mann Center for Performing Arts and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, both longtime summer homes of the Orchestra. He last conducted the Orchestra on June 20, 1985, in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts. - more- PAGE 2 Michael Tilson Thomas makes his Philadelphia Orchestra subscription debut Michael Tilson Thomas is a conductor, composer, educator, and pianist. He is founder and artistic director of the New World Symphony (NWS), music director of the San Francisco Symphony (SFS), and principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. He maintains an active presence on the international music scene, but throughout his career has devoted considerable time to music education. Among many activities, he led the television broadcasts of the New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts from 1971 to 1977. Through his vision and commitment to developing young classical musicians, he founded the New World Symphony in 1987 with benefactor Ted Arison. NWS, a post-graduate academy for the most gifted musicians of America’s conservatories, has made an enormous impact on the field of music education. In addition to his work as a conductor and educator, he has toured extensively with the orchestra and with it has released six critically acclaimed recordings. Throughout his tenure as music director of the San Francisco Symphony, critics have praised Mr. Tilson Thomas for innovative programming. His recordings with the SFS on the BMG Classics/RCA Red Seal label have garnered eight Grammy awards. His recordings of Mahler’s Symphonies No. 3, 6, and 7, released on the San Francisco Symphony’s own SFS Media label, have each won Grammys for Best Orchestral Performance. A Los Angeles native, Michael Tilson Thomas is the third generation of the Thomashefsky family to follow an artistic career. He began his formal studies at the University of Southern California where he studied piano with John Crown and conducting and composition with Ingolf Dahl. At age 19, he was named music director of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra. In 1969, after winning the Koussevitsky Prize at Tanglewood, Mr. Tilson Thomas was appointed assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony. He has served as music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, and as principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony. Mr. Tilson Thomas’s many honors include Columbia University’s Ditson Award for services to American music, Musical America ’s 1995 Conductor of the Year award, and France’s Chevalier des Arts et Lettres. He was named Gramophone ’s Artist of the Year for 2005 in recognition of his acclaimed recordings of the Mahler symphonies with the San Francisco Symphony. In 2006 he was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Paul Jacobs made musical history at the age of 23 when, on the 250th anniversary of the death of J.S. Bach in 2000, he played the composer’s complete organ music in an 18-hour non- stop marathon in Pittsburgh. Today Mr. Jacobs performs throughout the United States, Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia. In 2003 Mr. Jacobs was invited to join the faculty of the Juilliard School, and the following year, he was named chairman of the organ department, one of the youngest faculty appointments in Juilliard’s history. - more - Michael Tilson Thomas makes his Philadelphia Orchestra subscription debut PAGE 3 Mr. Jacobs possesses a vast repertoire spanning from the 16th century through contemporary times. He has performed the complete organ works of Olivier Messiaen in a series of nine-hour marathons in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C., Chicago, and New York. Following his debut at the Grand Teton Music Festival in July, Mr. Jacobs embarked on a particularly noteworthy 2008-09 season, highlighted by debut performances with the San Francisco Symphony led by Yan Pascal Tortelier and the opening concerts of the Pacific Symphony’s new season with Mr. Jacobs dedicating the new Fisk organ at Segerstrom Concert Hall in a concert highlighted by world premiere of a new work for organ, brass, and percussion commissioned by the orchestra from Masterprize and Grammy Award-winner Christopher Theofanidis. Paul Jacobs began studying the piano at the age of six and the organ at age 13. At 15 he was appointed head organist of a parish of 3,500 families in his hometown of Washington, PA. Mr. Jacobs studied at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he double-majored in organ with John Weaver and harpsichord with Lionel Party. At Yale University, where Mr. Jacobs subsequently studied organ with Thomas Murray, he received a Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma and was awarded several honors, including the Dean’s Prize, the Faculty Prize of the Institute of Sacred Music, and Yale School of Music’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Most recently, Mr. Jacobs was invited to join the Yale University Council Committee on the School of Music by University President Richard Levin. The Philadelphia Orchestra 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: 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 – more – PAGE 4 Michael Tilson Thomas makes his Philadelphia Orchestra subscription debut 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