Ailyn Peréz Replaces Susanna Phillips in New Century Chamber Orchestra's Opening Performances

Soprano Ailyn Peréz will step in for Susanna Phillips who has had to withdraw from New Century Chamber Orchestra's 2015-2016 season opening performances September 17-20. Ms. Peréz graciously agreed to travel to San Francisco between her performances in the role of Mimi in
La Bohème at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, and the world premiere of Jake Heggie and Terrance McNally's
Great Scott at the Dallas Opera. The program showcases masterworks by Russian composers and will feature Ms. Peréz as soloist for Tchaikovsky's "Letter Scene" from
Eugene Onegin and Rachmaninoff's
Vocalise.
Highly sought after by the world's leading opera houses, Ailyn Peréz has been hailed as a "major soprano" (
The New York Times) and an artist "who truly seems to have it all" (
Opera News). As the first Hispanic winner in the 35-year history of the prestigious Richard Tucker Award, Ms. Perez went on to win the 15th annual Placido Domingo Award in the same year. A firm favorite in the Bay Area, Ms. Perez is a graduate of both the San Francisco Opera's Merola program (2005) and Adler Fellowship. In her 2014 role as Violetta in the San Francisco Opera production of
La Traviata, Joshua Kosman of the
San Francisco Chronicle said "Her singing was full-bodied and rich in color, with long-breathed phrases sumptuously sustained and an emotional depth to everything she undertook" and praised her as "the evening's brightest luminary." Ms. Perez recently made her Metropolitan Opera debut in February 2015 in a highly successful performance as Micaëla in Bizet's
Carmen and looks forward to upcoming appearances with Teatro alla Scala, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera before returning again to the Metropolitan Opera.
New Century Chamber Orchestra and Music Director Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg recently announced the 2015-2016 season including four subscription weeks in venues across the Bay Area. The ensemble's 24th season, Nadja's eighth as music director, includes a World Premiere commission by Pulitzer prize-winning Featured Composer Jennifer Higdon, British violinist Daniel Hope as Guest Concertmaster leading a program of works in tribute to his mentor Yehudi Menuhin, a debut solo appearance by internationally acclaimed klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer and a repeat collaboration with the San Francisco Girls Chorus. The season repertoire encompasses a broad range of masterworks from the string ensemble repertoire including a program of works by Russian masters Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich, an entire program of dance works by Strauss, Stravinsky and Khachaturian, contemporary works by Pärt, Takemitsu, Glass and Bechara El-Koury in addition to Christmas and Hanukah holiday favorites.
For complete information, visit
http://ncco.org/
--Brenden Guy, New Century Century Orchestra
California Symphony and Donato Cabrera Open 2015-16 Season Sept. 20 in Walnut Creek, CA
The California Symphony and Music Director Donato Cabrera open their 2015-16 season Sunday, September 20 at 4 pm at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California with "Passport to the World," a musical tour of work by composers including Dvorák, Rimsky-Korsakov, Grieg, Debussy, Elgar, Falla, Vaughan Williams, Glière, and Sibelius's Karelia Suite and Finlandia, on the anniversary of the great Finnish composer's death. Following the concert, the orchestra and Cabrera welcome the audience to mingle with the artists at a special Opening Night Party, a benefit reception (Opening Night Party tickets sold separately).
"The idea is that it will be like watching a movie – you buy a ticket, the lights dim, and you're transported to another place," said Cabrera, who will introduce the music and its global origins between compositions. In addition to the Sibelius works, the program includes well-known orchestral music by Vaughan Williams (
Fantasia on "Greensleeves"), Elgar's
Pomp and Circumstance, and Debussy's
Clair de Lune, as well as Rimsky-Korsakov's
Procession of the Nobles, Glière's
Dance of Russian Sailors, Dvorák's
Slavonic Dances, Falla's
Ritual Fire Dance, Debussy's
Girl with the Flaxen Hair and Grieg's
The Last Spring.
The orchestra is entering its third season with Cabrera, and is expanding its regional base in Northern California, performing concerts in three new venues. The orchestra, based in Walnut Creek, CA, will perform at its home at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, the Napa Valley Performing Arts Center's Lincoln Theater in Yountville, CA, and at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, CA, as well as a recent performance with Postmodern Jukebox at the Kaiser Center Roof Garden in Oakland, CA. The orchestra is focused on American repertoire, nurturing new American composers as part of its Young American Composer in Residence program, and bringing music to people in new and unconventional settings as well as performing the most revered core classical repertoire.
In May 2016, the orchestra and guitarist Jason Vieaux perform the world premiere of the orchestra's new concerto commission by Dan Visconti, current Young American Composer in Residence, in concert in Walnut Creek and Yountville. Other season highlights include an American Roots program with pianist Charlie Albright performing Gershwin's
Rhapsody in Blue, a showcase of two California Symphony principal musicians in a little-heard R. Strauss double concerto, performances of Beethoven's
Symphony No. 7, and Brahms's
Symphony No. 2, and holiday music with Pacific Boychoir, in Walnut Creek and Yountville, CA.
Individual tickets to "Passport to the World" on September 20 are $42-$72, and go on sale Friday, August 21 at
www.californiasymphony.org. All other individual 2015-16 California Symphony concerts are also on sale August 21. Tickets for the Opening Night Party following the September 20 concert are $75 (all proceeds benefit the California Symphony; $50 of ticket price is tax-deductible). Subscription ticket package prices range from $168 to $288 for the California Symphony's 2015-16 season and are on sale now to renewing subscribers and the general public. Tickets can be purchased through the California Symphony's Web site at
www.californiasymphony.org and at 925-280-2490.
For more information, visit
http://www.californiasymphony.org/
--Jean Shirk, Jean Shirk Media
Cal Performances Presents the Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra
Cal Performances' diverse 2015–2016 dance season begins with five performances by the renowned Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra, performing the West Coast premiere of a signature work in its repertoire, Alexei Ratmansky's Cinderella. Commissioned by the Mariinsky in 2002, this
Cinderella helped launch Ratmansky's career as one of the world's most in-demand ballet makers, earning him a reputation for revitalizing classic works with wit and sophistication. Gavriel Heine conducts the Mariinsky Orchestra in Prokofiev's inventive, expansive score. Performances take place Thursday–Saturday, October 1–3 at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, October 3, at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday, October 4, at 3:00 p.m. in Zellerbach Hall. Opening night will feature the "heart-stoppingly beautiful" (
The Guardian, London) Diana Vishneva as Cinderella dancing with Konstantin Zverev as the Prince.
As part of Cal Performances' Berkeley RADICAL programming, pre-performance talks are planned on Thursday, October 1, and Saturday, October 3, from 7:00–7:30 p.m., in Zellerbach Hall. The talks launch a series of season-long "Thematic Explorations" focusing on the enduring musical legacy of Sergei Prokofiev, and related programming continues later in the season with pianist Yefim Bronfman's performances of Prokofiev's complete sonata cycle (January 24, March 4, and March 6), and pianist Daniil Trifonov's performance of Prokofiev's
Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (March 26).
Tickets for the Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra's Cinderella, Thursday–Saturday, October 1–3, at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, October 3, at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday, October 4, at 3:00 p.m. in Zellerbach Hall range from $45.00 to $175.00 and are subject to change. Half-price tickets are available for UC Berkeley students. Tickets are available through the Ticket Office at Zellerbach Hall, at (510) 642-9988, at
www.calperformances.org, and at the door. For more information about discounts, go to
http://calperformances.org/buy/discounts.php.
--Christina Kellogg, Cal Performances
St. Charles Singers Announces 2015-2016 Concert Season
The St. Charles Singers, a professional chamber choir dedicated to choral music in all its forms, has announced details of its 2015-2016 concert season. For its 32nd season, the mixed-voice choir, conducted by founder and music director Jeffrey Hunt, will present three different concert programs.
The season will open on September 11 in Elgin and September 13 St. Charles, Ill., with the tenth installment of the St. Charles Singers' ambitious Mozart Journey, a multi-year initiative to perform the complete sacred choral music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
This will be the St. Charles Singers' first-ever concert in Elgin, IL. The choir, accompanied by the Metropolis Chamber Orchestra, will offer Elgin choral music lovers a Mozart Journey concert in 2015, 2016, and 2017, thanks to a three-year, $5,000 annual grant from the Florence B. and Cornelia A. Palmer Foundation. The foundation supports the visual and performing arts in Elgin.
The choir's traditional "Candlelight Carols" Christmas program in December, an audience favorite, will offer some traditional carols along with an intriguing array of off-the-beaten path songs of the season.
"Choral Eclectic," the St. Charles Singers' season-finale program in April, will present a panorama of choral music spanning the 15th to the 21st centuries, including an unusual English Renaissance work that's rarely performed because of its difficulty, Hunt says.
Single tickets for St. Charles Singers concerts are $35 adult general admission, $30 for seniors 65 and older, and $10 for students.
Tickets and general information about the St. Charles Singers are available at
www.stcharlessingers.com or by calling (630) 513-5272. Tickets are also available at Townhouse Books, 105 N. Second Ave., St. Charles (checks or cash only at this ticket venue). Tickets may also be purchased at the door on the day of the concert, depending on availability. Group discounts are available.
For more information, visit
www.stcharlessingers.com or call (630) 513-5272
--Nathan J. Silverman Co. PR
"Name That Tune" Faculty Concert Opens Music Institute 15-16 Season
The Music Institute of Chicago opens its 2015–16 season showcasing its stellar faculty in an engaging concert program, "Name That Tune: Classical Gems with Memorable Monikers," Saturday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston, IL.
Members of the Music Institute's impressive faculty, now numbering more than 150, perform classical favorites that have become known by their musical nicknames.
"Name That Tune: Classical Gems with Memorable Monikers" takes place Saturday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for students, available at
musicinst.org/faculty-guest-artist-series or 847.905.1500 ext. 108. All programming is subject to change. For more information, visit
musicinst.org.
--Jill Chukerman, JAC Communicatons
One Week, Five Concerts!
Green Music Center - Sonoma State University, 1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA 94928. 1.866.955.6040.
Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club: Adiós Tour
Sunday, August 16 at 4pm
Chris Isaak
Tuesday, August 18 at 7:30pm
Steve Martin & Steep Canyon Rangers
Thursday, August 20 at 7:30pm
Dwight Yoakam
Friday, August 21 at 7:30pm
Colbie Caillat & Christina Perri, with Special Guest Rachel Platten
The Girls Night Out, Boys Can Come Too Tour
Sunday, August 23 at 5pm
For more information, visit
http://gmc.sonoma.edu/
--Green Music Center