Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WHO: Alisa Weilerstein with the Austin Symphony Orchestra
WHEN: March 3 & 4, 2006 - 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Bass Concert Hall
TICKETS: $19-$42
CONTACT: Don Hill, Director of Public Relations - 476-6064 x 213

AUSTIN SYMPHONY SPENDS AN EVENING IN VIENNA

Season Sponsor: JPMorganChase
Concert Sponsors: Alcoa, Inc. & The Menagerie
Media Sponsors: Time Warner Cable/News 8 Austin, Austin American-Statesman and KVET 98.1 FM

"Alisa Weilerstein is nothing short of phenomenal." - The Connecticut Post

Austin audiences will continue to "Experience the Excellence" of the Austin Symphony's 95th concert season on March 3 & 4 when guest conductor Ernest Hoetzl and the ASO present an evening of Viennese classics. Young American cellist Alisa Weilerstein is the ASO's special guest artist in a night of Austrian beauty that features the music of Strauss, Haydn and Schubert. Alcoa, Inc. and The Menagerie proudly sponsor this concert.

PROGRAM
Schubert - Symphony No. 6 in C Major, D. 589
Haydn - Cello Concerto in D Major
J. Strauss, Jr. - A Night in Venice Overture
J. Strauss, Jr. - Pleasure Train (Vergnügungszug) Polka, Op. 281
J. Strauss, Jr. &
Josef Strauss - Pizzicato Polka
J. Strauss, Jr. - On the Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz, Op. 314

Maestro Hoetzl begins the evening with Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 6 in C Major. Schubert was the last of the prodigiously productive composers, writing eight symphonies between 1813 and 1818, all before he was 31, the age that Beethoven had just written his first symphony.

American cellist Alisa Weilerstein takes center stage to begin the second half of the evening. Her appearance with the Austin Symphony will feature Franz Josef Haydn's Cello Concerto in D Major. Ms. Weilerstein has won increasing recognition and critical acclaim for playing that combines natural virtuosity with impassioned musicianship. She is a graduate of the Young Artist program at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Columbia University. She was the recipient in 2000 of an Avery Fisher Career grant and was selected for two prestigious young artist programs in 2001, ECHO (European Concert Hall Organization) "Rising Stars" recital series and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Chamber Music Society Two.

The concert continues with music from "The Waltz King," Johann Strauss, Jr. Maestro Hoetzl will lead the ASO in several of Strauss' "greatest hits," including Pizzicato Polka and On the Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz.

Concert goers can enjoy "Concert Conversations" with Bob Buckalew at 7:10 pm in the 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. Also featured is "Music on the Mezzanine," a performance by the Austin Youth Orchestra's Intermezzo Orchestra.

Performances for Alisa Weilerstein with the Austin Symphony are March 3 & 4, 8:00 p.m. at Bass Concert Hall. Tickets range from $19 to $42. Student rush tickets are also available 20 minutes prior to performance for $5 cash and current student ID. Charge tickets online at www.austinsymphony.org where you will find interactive seating maps, price options and a wealth of concert information. Tickets are also available at the Austin Symphony Box Office, 11th & Red River or call 476-6064 or 1-888-4-MAESTRO (toll-free).