Dudamel Conducts the Vienna Philharmonic on PBS's "Great Performances"

Famed conductor and music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel returns to the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace with the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra for "Great Performances: Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2019," premiering Friday, August 9 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings),
pbs.org/gperf, and the PBS Video app. The program features popular selections from both European and American composers and is dedicated to the musical connection between continents: the old world of Europe and the new world of America.
The program includes Leonard Bernstein's overture to "Candide" and American classics such as John Philipp Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever." Renowned pianist Yuja Wang joins the orchestra for George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," and performs Chopin's
Waltz in C Sharp Minor, op. 64 #2 for an encore.
This year marks Dudamel's second time conducting the annual concert special, having led the orchestra in 2012. Past conductors include Bobby McFerrin (2004), Zubin Mehta (2005 and 2015), Plácido Domingo (2006), Valery Gergiev (2007, 2011 and 2018), Georges Prêtre (2008), Daniel Barenboim (2009), Franz Welser-Möst (2010), Lorin Maazel (2013), Christoph Eschenbach (2014 and 2017) and Semyon Bychkov (2016). The free outdoor concert is broadcast to more than 80 countries worldwide.
For complete information, visit
http://www.pbs.org/gperf and
http://www.facebook.com/GreatPerformances.
--Elizabeth Boone, WNET
Free Events at the ABS Festival
American Bach Soloists' annual Summer Festival & Academy is now expanded to include an additional weekend of performances, stunning programs of absolutely sensational musical works, ventures into new and imaginative territory, and more free public events to bring you closer to the excitement that surrounds our annual Academy, now in its 10th year. All Festival events are presented at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 50 Oak Street, San Francisco, CA.
Public Forum Series, 5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Tuesday July 30 2019
Steven Lehning
"Am I in Tune? - Practical Tuning & Temperaments"
Wednesday July 31 2019
Corey Jamason
"Seeing Ourselves: 500 Years of Musical Iconography"
Inspiration from the Visual Arts through
Images of Musicians from 1300–1800
Public Colloquium, 2:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Session I: 2:00 p.m.
"How to Form a Concert Society: (Ten) Lessons from Lyon"
Session II: 3:00 p.m.
"Le Goût Italien: Performing Italian Music in France"
Session III: 4:00 p.m.
"A(nother) Tale of Two Cities: A Dickens of a Musical Surprise"
Public Master Classes & Lectures
August 5–9 2019
Master Class Series 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The ABS Academy opens its doors to the public to witness the artistic transformations that make Master Classes so tremendously exciting, as performers and their master teachers share their knowledge and insights.
Monday August 5 2019
Harpsichord, with Corey Jamason
Tuesday August 6 2019
Violin & Viola, with Elizabeth Blumenstock & Robert Mealy
Wednesday August 7 2019
Violoncello, Viola da gamba, Violone, and Contrabass, with William Skeen, Kenneth Slowik, and Steven Lehning
Thursday August 8 2019
Winds & Brass, with Sandra Miller, Debra Nagy, and John Thiessen
Friday August 9 2019
Voice, with Judith Malafronte and William Sharp
Lecture Series 5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Join the members of the American Bach Soloists Academy for a series of enlightening and informative public lectures presented by the Academy faculty on a wide range of subjects centered on Festival themes.
Academy-In-Action "Baroque Marathon" Concerts
Monday August 5 2019 7:00 p.m. (Chamber Music)
Saturday August 10 2019 2:00 p.m. (Bach Arias)
"Coffee House" Concert
August 10 2019 7:00 p.m.
For complete details on events, visit
https://americanbach.org/sfbachfestival/index.html
--American Bach Soloists
The SMCQ at the Montreal First Peoples' Festival
For the first time in its history, as part of this year's Homage Series the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ) is partnering with Montreal First Peoples' Festival, to present two events honouring composer Katia Makdissi-Warren.
"Katia has been working with the Aboriginal community for many years," notes SMCQ Artistic Director Walter Boudreau. "And it was crucial for us to reflect this remarkable involvement on the occasion of the Homage Series in her honour." The conductor and composer also stressed the importance of this first collaboration for the SMCQ: "By providing the SMCQ with the opportunity to exchange and work with the First Peoples' Festival, Katia highlights the proven contemporaneity of Aboriginal musical traditions … An opening of unquestionable wealth for the contemporary music sector, on the path towards inclusion!"
This first collaboration will feature a major event on August 7 at 8 pm at Place des Festivals. Under the direction of choirmaster Tiphaine Legrand, both passionate amateurs as well as those who are simply curious will be invited to perform one of Katia Makdissi-Warren's choral works, Les grands espaces, (commissioned by the SMCQ in 2019), in the company of two Inuit throat singers. "An echo of [Inuit] lullabies mixed with the sounds of the wind, the rain, the cries of the geese and the hoots of the owls," the work will allow all to experience innovative choral singing in the context of Aboriginal tradition.
Katia Makdissi-Warren will be making another appearance at the Place des Festivals on August 8, from 8:30 pm, this time during a major concert (Ondes transcontinentales) presented in collaboration with the Ensemble SMCQ, Ensemble Oktoécho (Montreal) and the Orchid Ensemble (Vancouver). On the program: Inuit (Katajjaq) and Mongolian throat singing (Khoomii) gathered together in mixed compositions by Katia Makdissi-Warren and Lan Tung. An atypical encounter, where the surprising similarities between these two types of ancestral songs reproducing sounds of nature will be highlighted.
For complete information, visit
http://www.smcq.qc.ca/
--France Gaignard
JACK Quartet Announces Inaugural JACK Studio Artists
The JACK Quartet announces its 2019 JACK Studio (formerly Fulcrum Project) artists: Eduardo Aguilar (Mexico), Khyam Allami (Iraq/United Kingdom), inti figgis-vizueta (United States), Brittany J. Green (United States), Elliot Reed (United States), and Olivia Shortt (Canada). JACK received 443 applications from 34 states across the United States and 44 countries around the world, and is grateful to all of the applicants.
Each artist will receive $5,000, workshops, recording sessions, and performances with all travel expenses covered. A concert of JACK Studio works will be presented by Kaufman Music Center on May 2, 2020 as part of the 10th season of Ecstatic Music at Merkin Hall. Throughout the process, JACK will also help pair artists with mentors for additional guidance and inspiration.
For more information, visit
http://jackquartet.com/studio
--Andrew Ousley, Unison Media
Princeton University Concerts Single Tickets Now On Sale
Single tickets to all Princeton University Concerts' ("PUC") 2019-20 season events are now on sale, online at princetonuniversityconcerts.org, and by phone at 609-258-2800. Prices range from just $5-10 students and $25-55 general for concerts featuring some of the most revered musicians of our time.
Highlights include the rare opportunity to hear Philadelphia Orchestra and Metropolitan Opera Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the piano in a reimagining of Schubert's beloved song cycle
Winterreise, sung by PUC-favorite mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato; jazz legend pianist Brad Mehldau alongside tenor Ian Bostridge; and the debut of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra with the inimitable Mitsuko Uchida leading from the keyboard.
Not available as part of subscription packages, the audience-favorite Performances Up Close series—hour-long concerts with audience seated onstage—is also now available for purchase. This year's programs focus on "The Artist as Improviser," and feature live improvisations by the Vision String Quartet, pianist Gabriela Montero, and pianist Conrad Tao with tap dancer Caleb Teicher. [More info]
For a complete listing of upcoming concerts, please visit
princetonuniversityconcerts.org.
--Dasha Koltunyuk, Princeton University Concerts
Kent Nagano, the OSM, and the Grands Ballets
One last weekend at the Festival de Lanaudière! These are two great opportunities to hear the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and its great conductor Kent Nagano!
On August 2, the guest soloist and great violinist Veronica Erbele will be on the stage at the Amphitheatre and will leave with the OSM on tour in Latin America. On August 3, mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill returns, to our delight, a second time this summer.
Also, for the first time in Lanaudière, the Grands Ballets Canadiens will be on stage at the Amphithéâtre Fernand-Lindsay.
Get complete information here:
http://www2.lanaudiere.org/fr/
--France Gaignard
New York Festival of Song Announces 2019-2020 Season
Four concerts co-presented by Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center and New York Festival of Song: Merkin Hall, 129 West 67th Street, NYC. Complimentary wine receptions with the artists to follow each program.
$150-$240 subscriptions for entire series.
$20-$65 for single tickets; $10 for student tickets.
For complete information and tickets, visit
nyfos.org.
--Aleba Gartner, Aleba & Co.
Premiere and 2019-20 Tour Dates for THE DAY
World-renowned cellist Maya Beiser, legendary dancer Wendy Whelan, and seminal choreographer Lucinda Childs join forces to present the new music/dance work THE DAY, with music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang. A collaboration among legends, THE DAY is an evening-long sensory exploration of two journeys – life and the eternal, post-mortal voyage of the soul. This bold, highly collaborative work explores universal themes through the shared language of music and dance.
Cellist Maya Beiser, who conceived the piece, has been described by the
Boston Globe as "a force of nature" and by
Rolling Stone as a "cello rock star," and is a veteran of the world's most revered stages. Wendy Whelan, widely considered one of the world's leading dancers, spent 30 years as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet and originated numerous roles in new works by the world's most esteemed choreographers. The two will be onstage all evening, embodying the iconic choreography of Lucinda Childs (a Commandeur in France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and 2018 inductee in Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance) to the original music of Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lang.
Watch the trailer:
http://bit.ly/thedaypreview
More information:
www.jensenartists.com/the-day
--Christina Jensen, Jensen Artists
Final Performances at Miami Classical Music Festival
The Magic Flute by W.A. Mozart
Sunday, July 28 | 1:00 PM *Family Performance
Temple Emanu-El Synagogue
A hero on a quest and a princess finding her way encounter enchanted creatures, an evil queen and ultimately, each other – all with the help of a Magic Flute! A part of MMF's popular Family Opera series, this production is created specifically for young children and will be performed with English Dialogue and Sung in German with English supertitles. Mozart's classic "singspiel" includes both spoken and sung dialogue, with familiar melodies you'll be singing along to. Families are invited to participate in free supplementary activities for children. Allow your children to experience opera and live theater in a family-friendly setting.
Tickets and information:
https://miamimusicfestival.com/magic-flute-2019
Armide by Jean-Baptiste Lully
Sunday, July 28 | 6:00 PM
Miami Beach Woman's Club
Written by the court composer of Louis XIV and premiered for the Grand Dauphin,
Armide is the story of a Damascene Princess and the Crusader that she falls in love with. Princess Armide is a sorcerer sent to kill Renaud, an invading crusader. She falls in love with him instead, casting a spell on him so that he loves her back. When she comes to regret her decision, will anything short of divine intervention turn her heart? MMF's Opera Studio Program presents an intimate setting of this classic opera.
Tickets and information:
https://miamimusicfestival.com/armide-2019
--Miami Music Festival