ORCHESTRA OF ST. LUKE’S WITH CONCERT AT CARNEGIE HALL ON OCTOBER 25
OSL Collaborates with Notable Soloists this Season Including La Chapelle de Québec,
Vocalists Ying Fang, Susan Graham, Lothar Odinius, Philippe Sly, and Lauren Snouffer,
and Pianists Paul Lewis and Helene Grimaud
Conductor Laureate Pablo Heras-Casado Returns to Conduct OSL in April 2019
Additional Carnegie Hall Performance this Season Includes
Concert with Jonas Kaufman on October 5
OSL in Association with Carnegie Hall Presents Three Programs in Zankel Hall as Part of
OSL Bach Festival in June 2019, Including the US Premiere of
Bernard Labadie’s Orchestral Setting of the Goldberg Variations
 For his inaugural season as Principal Conductor of Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Bernard Labadie has curated a three-concert residency at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage—marking the 32nd year of the OSL series at Carnegie Hall—with a focus on the music and influence of Joseph Haydn. The first concert on Thursday, October 25 at 8:00 p.m., which pairs Haydn’s “Nelson Mass” with Mozart’s Requiem, K. 626 (revised and completed by Robert Levin), marks OSL’s first collaboration with La Chapelle de Québec, the choir founded and directed by Maestro Labadie. Soloists joining the ensembles on stage include soprano Lauren Snouffer, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, tenor Lothar Odinius, and bass-baritone Philippe Sly.
OSL’s next concert led by Maestro Labadie on Thursday, February 28 at 8:00 p.m. features pianist Paul Lewis in his Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage concerto debut playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 19. Soprano Ying Fang takes the stage for a scena and rondo from Mozart’s Idomeneo: “Non più, tutto ascoltai … Non temer, amato bene,” K. 490. The program also includes Haydn’s overture to L’Isola disabitata and “Farewell” symphony. The final concert of the OSL residency at Carnegie Hall is led by Conductor Laureate Pablo Heras-Casado on Thursday, April 18 at 8:00 p.m. and features Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major performed by Hélène Grimaud. The program also juxtaposes Haydn’s “Drumroll” symphony with Prokofiev’s “Classical” symphony and Stravinsky’s Suite No. 1 for Small Orchestra. OSL performs an additional concert at Carnegie Hall this season on Friday, October 5 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage led by conductor Jochen Rieder, collaborating with famed tenor Jonas Kaufmann. The program, entitled You Mean the World To Me, includes song selections from Kaufmann’s 2014 hit album of the same name featuring music from Germany’s golden era of the 1920s and ’30s, which centered on works written for singing actors of the day. Later in the season, as part of a new three-week, multi-disciplinary OSL Bach Festival in June 2019, OSL in association with Carnegie Hall presents three concerts in Zankel Hall exploring different aspects of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music through a theme of transformation. The festival launches in Zankel Hall on Thursday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. with a program entitled Bach: Music of the Spirit featuring a performance of J.S. Bach’s adaptation of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater – Psalm 51: “Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden,” among other works. Guest artists joining the orchestra on stage include soprano Lydia Teuscher and countertenor Benno Schachtner. The second concert on Thursday, June 13 at 7:30 p.m. entitled Virtuosic Bach: Music of the Court celebrates the instrumental virtuosity of J.S. Bach’s music by highlighting the musicians of OSL with a selection of the composer’s sinfonias, concertos, and orchestral suites. The final Carnegie Hall concert as part of the OSL Bach Festival on Thursday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m. features the US premiere of Bernard Labadie’s arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations for Baroque Ensemble. Set for strings and continuo, Maestro Labadie leads OSL in his arrangement which he calls “a gigantic concerto grosso.” About The Artists Maestro Labadie’s 2018–2019 season will include guest conducting engagements with Kansas City Symphony, Handel and Haydn Society, Canadian Opera Company, Philharmonie du Luxemburg, New World Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Montreal Symphony, and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. French-Canadian Labadie founded the celebrated chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy in 1984 and built it to international renown. He stepped down in 2014 from his 30–year tenure as Music Director to pursue wider interests. Labadie is a regular guest conductor with all the major North American orchestras and has appeared locally with the New York Philharmonic, The Metropolitan Opera, and the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra. His notable European engagements include the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and frequent assignments with period-instrument orchestras including Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The English Concert, and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. An eminent opera conductor, Maestro Labadie has served as Artistic Director of Opéra de Québec and Opéra de Montréal. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut during the 2009–2010 season with Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Bernard Labadie’s extensive discography comprises many critically acclaimed recordings on the Dorian, ATMA, and Virgin Classics labels, including a collaborative recording of Mozart’s Requiem with Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec, both of which received Canada’s Juno Award. Pablo Heras-Casado has been described by The New York Times as “the thinking person’s idea of a hotshot young conductor,” although his character is better reflected in the quality of the long-term relationships he has developed with orchestras ranging from the San Francisco Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic to the Philharmonia Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra; from Staatskapelle Berlin and the Mariinsky Orchestra to Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Freiburg Baroque Orchestra; and as Principal Conductor Laureate of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and Principal Guest Conductor of Teatro Real, Madrid. That character also underlies his commitment as an ambassador for the Spanish charity Ayuda en Acción, supporting and promoting its work to eradicate poverty and injustice internationally. Musical America’s 2014 Conductor of the Year, Pablo Heras-Casado holds the Medalla de Honor of the Rodriguez Acosta Foundation and the Ambassador Award of the Regional Government of Andalusia. In February 2012, he was awarded the Golden Medal of Merit by the Council of Granada, his hometown, of which he is also an Honorary Ambassador. Created in 1985 by founding conductor and music director Bernard Labadie, La Chapelle de Québec is one of North America’s premiere voice ensembles. The group is made up exclusively of professional singers who are hand-picked from all over Canada. This unique chamber choir specializes in the choral/orchestral repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries. The choir performs regularly with its other half, chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy, and as a guest choir with some of the finest orchestras in North America. Its interpretations of the oratorios, requiems, masses, and cantatas of Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Haydn, as well as Fauré and Duruflé, are frequently hailed in the Canadian and international press. La Chapelle de Québec is heard regularly at Palais Montcalm in Quebec City and Maison symphonique in Montreal, as well as at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, at Carnegie Hall with Les Violons du Roy and Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and in Ottawa with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. The choir’s concerts are often broadcast by the CBC and Radio-Canada in Canada and by National Public Radio in the United States. La Chapelle de Québec is also known for its role in Chemin de Noël, an annual event that brings music lovers from throughout the Québec City region together every December. Orchestra of St. Luke’s (OSL) began in 1974 as a group of virtuoso musicians performing chamber music concerts at Greenwich Village’s Church of St. Luke in the Fields. Now in its 44th season, the orchestra performs diverse musical genres at New York’s major concert venues and has collaborated with artists ranging from Renée Fleming and Joshua Bell to Bono and Metallica. In fall 2018, celebrated expert in 18th-century music Bernard Labadie will begin his tenure as the orchestra’s fifth Principal Conductor. OSL’s signature programming includes a subscription series presented by Carnegie Hall, now in its 32nd season; an annual multi–week collaboration with Paul Taylor American Modern Dance at Lincoln Center; an annual summer residency at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts; and a chamber music festival featuring appearances at The Morgan Library & Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center. The orchestra has participated in 118 recordings, four of which have won Grammy Awards, has commissioned more than 50 new works, and has given more than 175 world, US, and New York City premieres. Nearly half of OSL’s performances each year are presented free of charge through its education and community programs, reaching over 10,000 New York City public school students. Additionally, OSL provides free instrumental coaching and presents student performances through its Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s and its Mentorship Program for Pre-Professional Musicians. OSL built and operates The DiMenna Center for Classical Music in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City’s only rehearsal, recording, education, and performance space expressly dedicated to classical music. The center serves more than 500 ensembles and more than 30,000 musicians each year. Program Information YOU MEAN THE WORLD TO ME Orchestra of St. Luke’s dedicates this performance to the loving memory of our dear friend and colleague, Charles Hamlen, who served as the Orchestra’s Artistic Advisor. His joy in music and musicians created a wellspring of inspiration for all who knew him. This concert is made possible by a leadership gift from Marina Kellen French and the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation. Tickets: $85–$170 Thursday, October 25, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. JOSEPH HAYDN Mass in D Minor, Hob. XXII: 11, “Nelson Mass” This concert is made possible, in part, by an endowment fund for choral music established by S. Donald Sussman in memory of Judith Arron and Robert Shaw. Tickets: $30–$98 Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. JOSEPH HAYDN Overture to L’Isola disabitata Tickets: $30–$98 Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. SERGEI PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25, “Classical” Tickets: $30–$98 Thursday, June 6, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. BACH: MUSIC OF THE SPIRIT ALL-J.S. BACH PROGRAM Presented by: Orchestra of St. Luke’s in association with Carnegie Hall. Tickets available in January 2019 Thursday, June 13, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. VIRTUOSIC BACH: MUSIC OF THE COURT ALL-J.S. BACH PROGRAM Presented by: Orchestra of St. Luke’s in association with Carnegie Hall. Tickets available in January 2019 Thursday, June 20, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (arr. Bernard Labadie; US Premiere) Presented by: Orchestra of St. Luke’s in association with Carnegie Hall. Tickets available in January 2019 Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.
Photo at top of release by © 2017 Steve J. Sherman. |
