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Austin Symphony Opens 98th Season with Dazzling Violinist

July 29, 2008
  • Who: Leila Josefowicz with the Austin Symphony Orchestra
  • When: September 19 & 20, 2008 - 8:00 p.m.
  • Where: Dell Hall, Long Center for the Performing Arts, 701 W. Riverside Dr.
  • Cost: $19 - $48
  • Contact: Don Hill, Director of Public Relations - 476-6064 x 213

For Immediate Release:

Season Sponsors: JPMorgan Chase & Four Seasons Residences Town Lake Austin
Concert Sponsors: UBS & ConocoPhillips
Media Sponsors: Time Warner Cable/News 8 Austin, Austin American-Statesman and Majic 95.5 FM

“Ms. Josefowicz’s musicality is as dazzling as her technique.” – The New York Times

Austin audiences will cheer the opening of the Austin Symphony’s inaugural season in the new Long Center for the Performing Arts when the ASO premieres its 98th concert season on September 19 & 20. Maestro Peter Bay and the ASO open their Classical Concert season with the dazzling technique of violinist Leila Josefowicz for concerts featuring Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, as well as a world premiere by Texas native Christopher Theofanidis. UBS and ConocoPhillips proudly sponsor this concert. Partial funding for the world premiere is also provided by the Austin Community Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Program

Wagner – Prelude to Die Meistersinger
Beethoven – Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61
Theofanidis – Field of Infinite Forms (World Premiere)
Stravinsky – Suite from The Firebird

Maestro Bay opens the evening with a prelude to Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Die Meistersinger (The Mastersingers), an opera in three acts, is one of the most popular operas in the repertory, and one of the longest still commonly performed today, usually taking around five hours.

Maestro Bay then welcomes violinist Leila Josefowicz to center stage for a performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major. Josefowicz has won the hearts of audiences around the world with her honest, fresh approach to the violin repertoire and her dynamic virtuosity. She came to national attention in 1994 when she made her Carnegie Hall debut with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and has since appeared with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras and eminent conductors. Her appearance with the Austin Symphony this season comes after a five year absence, her last appearance being in March of 2003.

After a brief intermission, the ASO returns to present the world premiere of Field of Infinite Forms, a new work by Texas native, Christopher Theofanidis. The Austin Symphony commissioned the piece from Theofanidis to celebrate the opening of its inaugural season in the new Long Center. This past June, the ASO received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to help in funding for Mr. Theofanidis’ work. Partial funding is also being provided by a grant from the Austin Community Foundation.

Maestro Bay closes the evening with a suite from Igor Stravinsky’s ballet, The Firebird.

Concert goers can enjoy “Concert Conversations” with Bob Buckalew at 7:10 p.m. in the concert hall. These discussions provide an in-depth look at the composers and works being performed, including commentary on the social climate in which they were composed.

Tickets for Leila Josefowicz with the Austin Symphony range from $19 to $48. Student rush tickets are also available 20 minutes prior to performance for $5 cash and current student ID. Charge tickets online at http://www.austinsymphony.org where you will find seating charts, price options and a wealth of concert information. Tickets are also available at the Austin Symphony Box Office, 11th and Red River, or call 476-6064 or 1-888-4-MAESTRO (toll-free).