February 10, 2014
For more information, please contact:
General:Jim Taylor, ticket sales § 941-955-0040
Media: Su Byron § [email protected]
Sarasota Concert Association Presents The
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin, Conductor
Olga Kern, Guest Pianist
March 3, 2014 § Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
The 2014 Great Performers Series concludes with an evening of exceptional music performed by the celebrated Detroit Symphony, under the baton of Leonard Slatkin, and an appearance by the dynamic young Russian pianist Olga Kern.
“There was no mistaking the man of the hour. It was the man on the podium. The audience response was visceral, exuberant, crazily embracing. Leonard Slatkin has arrived, and there’s joy in DSO-ville.”–The Detroit News
(Sarasota, Florida) The Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) concludes its 2014 season with the stellar Detroit Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Slatkin, and with guest piano soloist Olga Kern,on Monday, March 3, 2014, 8 p.m. The concert, part of SCA’s “Great Performers Series,” will feature works by Copland, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s south Florida tour has been made possible with the generous support of the GM Foundation. The concert is at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, in Sarasota. Individual tickets are $45, $55, $65, and $75. Tickets and information for the Great Performers Series are available by calling 941-955-0040 or visiting www.scasarasota.org. To purchase tickets online, visit www.scasarasota.org.
When a group of local musicians and prominent citizens joined forces in 1887 to create the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, they planted the seeds for what would become one of the nation’s most beloved, longest-running and innovative orchestras. Today, the internationally acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra continues to gather renown for its trailblazing performances, visionary maestros, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists and unwavering commitment to the city of Detroit.
Conductor Leonard Slatkin is famed for his ability to instill confidence and conviction in his musicians. He assumed leadership of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 2008, bringing with him critical and popular acclaim and a long list of accolades and awards. Named by the Los Angeles Times as “America’s Music Director,” Slatkin has served at the helm of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and is currently also the music director of the Orchestre National de Lyon. He has held principal guest conductor positions with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. Slatkin has received such prestigious awards as the National Medal of Arts, the League of American Orchestra’s Gold Baton Award, France’s Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, and several ASCAP awards, including its 2013 Deems Taylor Special Recognition Award for, Conducting Business: Unveiling the Mystery Behind the Maestro, Slatkin’s memoir and enlightening behind-the-scenes glimpse of the classical music world. Slatkin has also made more than 100 recordings, which have won him seven Grammy awards and 64 nominations.
Recognized as one of her generation’s great pianists, Olga Kern burst onto the classical music scene in 2001 when she won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition with her performance of the “Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3,” making her the first woman to achieve this distinction in 30 years. Her second catapulting triumph came in New York City in 2004, with her highlyacclaimed recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. Kern was born into a family of musicians with direct links to Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff and began studying piano at the age of five. Winner of the first Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition when she was 17, Kern is a laureate of 11 international competitions and has toured throughout Russia, Europe, Japan, South Africa, South Korea and the United States. With her vivid stage presence, passionately confident musicianship and extraordinary “Horowitz-like” technique, the striking young Russian pianist continues to be an artistic force to reckon with, captivating fans and critics alike.
The evening’s program will feature the sprightly “Three Latin American Sketches,” Aaron Copland’s final work for orchestra; Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini”; and Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 5, Op. 64.”
“We’re delighted to close our 2014 Great Performers Series with the highly esteemed Detroit Symphony Orchestra,” says Joy McIntyre, board president of Sarasota Concert Association. “We’re certainly ending our season on a high note.”
The SCA also presents “Munchtime Musicales,” a series of free concerts featuring performances by high-caliber, area-based artists. The series is designed to offer a wide variety of musical genres, including classical, folk, and jazz, featuring both vocal and instrumental performers. The 2014 concert season continues with Lee Dougherty Ross and Joseph Holt in “Piano Duets” (February 19, 2014); Sarasota Opera Studio Artists (March 19, 2014); and the Gloria Musicae Singers (April 16, 2014). All performances are at noon at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Seating is open; no reservations taken. For more information about Munchtime Musicales, call 941-351-7467 or visit www.scasarasota.org.
About the Sarasota Concert Association
The Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) exists to foster the development of an appreciation for the musical arts by sponsoring professional presentations that are not otherwise available in the community, through a not-for-profit, organized-audience plan. SCA aims to set reasonable fees for all performances. The organization is not designed to make a profit but does intend to be self-supporting. It provides outreach to all members of the regional community by offering a series of free concerts, Munchtime Musicales, held every year. For more information about SCA, visit www.scasarasota.org.
