Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WHO: Minneapolis Guitar Quartet with The Austin Symphony Orchestra
WHEN: April 4 & 5, 2008 - 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Michael & Susan Dell Hall
TICKETS:$19 - $48
CONTACT: Don Hill, Director of Public Relations - 476-6064 x 213

ASO OPENS LONG CENTER WITH GUITAR GROUP

Season Sponsor: JPMorgan Chase
Concert Sponsor: Frost Bank and Slack & Davis, LLP
Media Sponsors: Time Warner Cable/News 8 Austin, Austin American-Statesman and Majic 95.5 FM

"Flawless, musical and witty, this quartet is able to do anything it sets its mind on.”– Classical Guitar Magazine (England)

Austin audiences are “Continuing the Journey” through the Austin Symphony’s 97th concert season on April 4 & 5 at the new Long Center for the Performing Arts Michael & Susan Dell Hall. Maestro Peter Bay joins the ASO in welcoming the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet in an evening of music by Spanish composers. Frost Bank and Slack & Davis, LLP proudly sponsor this concert.

PROGRAM
Berio - Four Original Versions of The Night Retreat from Madrid by Boccherini
Granados – Goyescas: Intermezzo
Rodrigo – Concierto Andaluz
Falla - El sombrero de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat)

Maestro Peter Bay opens this all-Spanish concert with pieces by Luciano Berio and Enrique Granados. To conclude the first half of the concert, Maestro Bay welcomes the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet to center stage for a performance of Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto Andaluz.

With the passion, style, and musical sophistication borrowing from the best chamber music and string quartet traditions, the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet (MGQ) has successfully made its case as one of the world's leading guitar ensembles since its founding in 1986. The MGQ has performed throughout the United States both in recital and concerto appearances, balancing a dizzying array of first-rate repertoire ranging from Renaissance and Baroque to Spanish, Latin American, and Romantic, to highly imaginative existing and commissioned contemporary works. Cutting-edge composer/performer Daniel Bernard Roumain, one of more than 20 composers commissioned by the MGQ, calls the group "more than a guitar quartet, more than superb musicians, and more than a great chamber group. They are ambassadors of sound, style, and substance."

After a short intermission, Maestro Bay returns to continue the ASO’s evening of Spanish music with a performance of Manuel de Falla’s ballet, El sombrero de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat). Mezzo-soprano Liz Cass joins the ASO as guest artist for this performance.

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.

Performances for Minneapolis Guitar Quartet with the Austin Symphony are April 4 & 5, 8:00 p.m. in Michael & Susan Dell Hall of the Long Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets range from $19 to $48 and go on sale March 10. 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 and Red River or call 476-6064 or 1-888-4-MAESTRO (toll-free).