ProMusica Chamber Orchestra and Music Director David Danzmayr announce 40th Anniversary Season
(Columbus, OH) – ProMusica’s 2018-19 (40th anniversary) season will feature a roster of world-renowned guest artists, present its 66th and 67th commissions, and complete its Beethoven Symphony Cycle that began during the 2017-18 season. The popular NAKED CLASSICS concert series returns for the third season, and ProMusica collaborates with Opera Columbus for the co-production and world premiere of a new chamber opera.
“It is an honor to lead ProMusica into its 40th anniversary, and to continue our exciting musical path with our supporters and audience,” said Music Director David Danzmayr. “It’s important in this year to highlight the unique qualities that are distinct to ProMusica: commissions and world premieres, artistic collaborations, and our mix of innovative and traditional programming. We will bring you another year of great concerts.”
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
COMMISSIONS AND WORLD PREMIERES:
- Venezuelan pianist and composer Gabriela Montero joins the orchestra for the world premiere of her concerto “Babel,” ProMusica’s co-commission with the internationally renowned Scottish Ensemble, as part of the “Composer/Performer” project.
- ProMusica and Opera Columbus will present the world premiere of The Flood, a co-commission and co-production of a new chamber opera based on the impact of the Ohio Flood of 1913. Composer Korine Fujiwara, librettist Stephen Wadsworth, and conductor Steven Osgood join co-producers Peggy Kriha Dye and Janet Chen for this innovative collaboration.
NAKED CLASSICS:
- The popular series continues for its third season with London-based presenter and host Paul Rissmann for two performances. The series explores classical music in a fresh and accessible format, investigating the construction of a masterwork to reveal fascinating aspects of the piece and its composer’s life and times. The work is then performed in its entirety in the second half of the concert, offering a new perspective of the work.
BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY CYCLE:
- Music Director David Danzmayr completes the two-year Beethoven Symphony Cycle, presenting Symphonies No. 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9; as well as the sketches of what would be Beethoven’s Symphony No. 10, completed by Barry Cooper.
NEW TWIST ON AN OLD FAVORITE:
- The prolific British composer Max Richter re-imagines a classic work by Vivaldi with The Four Seasons Recomposed, performed by violinist Alexandra Soumm.
GUEST ARTISTS:
- An impressive roster of major soloists to appear with the orchestra will include Tine Thing Helseth, trumpet; Gabriela Montero, piano; Alexandra Soumm, violin; Mark Kosower, cello; Angela Yoffe, piano; LancasterChorale along with guest vocalists including Kathrin Danzmayr, Abigail Nims, Lawrence Wiliford, Aaron Wardell; and ProMusica’s Creative Partner and Principal Guest Artist violinist Vadim Gluzman.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
- “CODA: Post-Concert Conversations” –– audiences are invited to stay and share insights with Danzmayr, guest artists and host Boyce Lancaster of WOSU Classical 101 FM, following all Southern Theatre regular series performances.
- Free, family-friendly concerts hosted in partnership with the Columbus Metropolitan Library (dates to be announced).
- Play Us Forward collaboration with four Columbus charter middle schools (United Schools Network – Main and Dana Campuses, The Graham Family of Schools, and KIPP Columbus) providing violin instruction and instruments to students from underserved communities at no cost to them.
“This anniversary season will be a landmark year,” said Executive Director Janet Chen. “In addition to showcasing the incredible artistry of David and our musicians, we are also celebrating a new image and new message! We are proud of ProMusica’s trajectory and growing recognition in our industry as a leading chamber orchestra. We want the 40th season to signify our belief that Columbus deserves to be known as having one of the top orchestras in the world.”
SUBSCRIPTION SERIES AT THE SOUTHERN THEATRE
October 2018 –– Opening Night
Music Director David Danzmayr and Creative Partner violinist Vadim Gluzman join forces to open the 40th anniversary season on Oct. 14. Mark Kosower, principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra, and pianist Angela Yoffe will also be featured artists.
The program includes Beethoven’s mastery with his Concerto for Violin, Cello, Piano and Orchestra, Op. 56 (Triple Concerto) and Symphony No. 2. The concert opens with Charles Ives’ Three Places in New England, a distinctly American work that is one of the first pieces Danzmayr conducted in his inaugural season in the role of Music Director in 2013.
November 2018 –– 66th Commission and World Premiere
On Nov. 10 and Nov. 11, Gabriela Montero, Venezuelan pianist and activist, known for her real-time improvisation of complex musical pieces as well as for performances of standard classical repertoire, presents the world premiere of her new piece Babel. Co-commissioned with the renowned Scottish Ensemble, Montero’s appearance continues the “Composer/Performer” project for its sixth season. In addition, Montero will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 14, K. 449 conducted by David Danzmayr.
Two Beethoven symphonies will be presented: Symphony No. 8, and Symphony No. 10, a which was completed by Barry Cooper in 1988, working from sketches and fragments that Beethoven had written.
December 2018 –– Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Recomposed
The Dec. 8 and Dec. 9 concerts will feature Max Richter’s The Four Seasons Recomposed; a reinterpretation of Vivaldi’s classic, The Four Seasons. Although Richter said that he discarded 75% of Vivaldi’s original material, the parts he does use are phased and looped, emphasizing his grounding in postmodern and minimalist music. Violinist Alexandra Soumm, who first worked with David Danzmayr in Scotland at the young age of 16, will perform as soloist with the orchestra. The concert concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4.
January 2019 –– Trumpet featured on January concert
David Danzmayr will lead the Jan. 26 and Jan. 27 concerts, featuring Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth. Rapidly establishing herself as one of the foremost trumpet soloists of our time, Helseth is the leader of an all-female brass ensemble, tenThing and, in 2011, was named a “Superstar of Tomorrow” by BBC Music Magazine.
Helseth will perform Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto and MacMillan’s Seraph for Trumpet and String Orchestra. The program will close with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral.”
April 2019 –– Gluzman, Bach and the Russians
On Apr. 6 and Apr. 7, ProMusica’s Creative Partner and violinist Vadim Gluzman will lead the orchestra with two works by Bach –– his Violin Concerto No. 2 and Concerto for Two Violins –– in addition to Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.
The 20-year-old violinist Alina Kobialka makes her debut with ProMusica in collaboration with the North Shore Chamber Music Festival’s Stars of Tomorrow! program. At the age of 13, Alina won the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra’s Concerto Competition and performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the orchestra.
May 2019 –– Beethoven 9 to close the Season
David Danzmayr closes the 40th anniversary season on May 11 and May 12 with the Beethoven’s massive Symphony No. 9. Vocalists Kathrin Danzmayr, Abigail Nims, Lawrence Wiliford, and Aaron Wardell combined with LancasterChorale are featured for an exciting conclusion to the 2018-19 season. The concert includes Mozart’s Allegri Miserere and select Schubert songs orchestrated by Max Reger.
THE WORTHINGTON SERIES
The Worthington Series –– a four-concert series at the intimate setting of the Worthington United Methodist Church –– showcases both the full orchestra and smaller chamber ensembles of ProMusica’s musicians.
- Four Seasons Recomposed features violinist Alexandra Soumm, listed above, on Dec. 8.
- Norwegian trumpet soloist Tine Thing Helseth joins the orchestra (program listed above) on Jan. 26.
- On Mar. 2, ProMusica concertmaster Katherine McLin and principal horn Stephanie Blaha, with guest pianist Andrew Campbell will perform Brahms’ Horn Trio and other selected works.
- The final concert of this series, on Apr. 27, explores Beethoven’s Cello Sonatas, featuring ProMusica principal cellist Marc Moskovitz and guest pianist Larry Todd. Moskovitz and Todd co-authored the recently released book published by Boydell & Brewer, Beethoven’s Cello: Five Revolutionary Sonatas and Their World.
SPECIAL EVENTS
The annual holiday tradition continues with the Messiah Side-by-Side Sing-Along on Dec. 7, hosted by the Ohio State University’s Director of Choral Studies, Robert J. Ward at the Southern Theatre. Raise your voice in song with friends, family, and church choirs, and sing selections from Handel’s Messiah. Orchestra students and area music directors join ProMusica musicians on stage for this joyful community event.
On Feb. 8, 9, and 10, ProMusica collaborates with Opera Columbus to present a newly commissioned chamber opera. The Flood tells a story of human connection through loss and shared tragedy, centered around the devastation of Columbus’ Franklinton neighborhood in the Great Ohio Flood of 1913. The Flood is co-produced by ProMusica Executive Director Janet Chen and Opera Columbus Artistic Director Peggy Kriha Dye. Stephen Wadsworth is the librettist and director. Korine Fujiwara is the composer, with Steven Osgood conducting the orchestra.
The annual ProMusica Soirée on Feb. 23 begins with a pre-concert party in the historic ballroom of The Westin Columbus. Mix and mingle with friends and then head to the Southern Theatre for a collaborative concert, led by music director David Danzmayr, featuring a guest artist to be announced.
The NAKED CLASSICS series will return, by popular demand, for a third season. Paul Rissmann –– renowned music educator, composer and presenter will host the first half of the program. The series explores classical music in a fresh, accessible format; investigating the construction of a single masterwork to reveal fascinating aspects of the piece and its composer’s life and times. In the second half, David Danzmayr (for the October concert) and Vadim Gluzman (for the April concert) and the orchestra will perform the work in their entirety, giving the audience new insight into the piece.
NAKED CLASSICS: Homeland –– Bartók, Ives, & Vaughan Williams
On Oct. 12, Rissmann and Danzmayr explore how three diverse composers embraced the use of folk music in their writing.
NAKED CLASSICS: Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony
On Apr. 5, Rissmann and Gluzman will lead the orchestra through a fascinating journey of this deeply intense work, both musically and politically.
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SEASON SUBSCRIPTION (AND SINGLE TICKET) INFORMATION
Subscription and Series packages for the 2018-19 season –– ranging from $62 to $282 –– will go on sale on Apr. 30. Special events are also available as add-ons to subscription packages. Single tickets will go on sale on Aug. 30. Subscriptions, single tickets and more information are available through the ProMusica office (614-464-0066 ext. 101; www.promusicacolumbus.org) or through Ticketmaster.
ABOUT PROMUSICA
Under the artistic leadership of Music Director David Danzmayr and Creative Partner, renowned violinist Vadim Gluzman, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra is dedicated to raising the national profile of Columbus through world-class performances and creative approaches to community outreach and education.
Comprised of 37 musicians, ProMusica is the resident orchestra of the historic Southern Theatre in downtown Columbus. The orchestra also reaches audiences beyond the I-270 outerbelt through regular performances at the Worthington United Methodist Church. ProMusica presents an annual outdoor Summer Music Series, open and free to the public in collaboration with Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Special events such as NAKED CLASSICS and the annual Soirée broadens our audience by showcasing crossover artistry, with recent guests including Leslie Odom, Jr., Steep Canyon Rangers, and 14-time Grammy winner, Ricky Skaggs. Recognized for its commitment to performing new and contemporary repertoire, ProMusica has commissioned 67 new works and presented more than 110 world and regional premieres.
Beyond the concert hall, the orchestra is equally at home throughout the community, serving thousands of individuals through key education and outreach programs. In June 2017, ProMusica made its Chicago debut to perform for a sold-out crowd at the North Shore Chamber Music Festival in Chicago. Known for its dual traditions of artistic integrity and fiscal responsibility, ProMusica is now in its 40th season.
ProMusica is funded in part through the Greater Columbus Arts Council, The Columbus Foundation, the Ohio Arts Council, Nationwide, and the ProMusica Sustaining Board. Media support is provided by WOSU Classical 101 FM.
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4/27/2018
