NEWS RELEASE
Robert Porco leads The Cleveland Orchestra, Choruses,
and soloists in concerts featuring Orff’s “Carmina Burana”
at Severance Hall on May 6, 7, and 8
CLEVELAND, April 20, 2010 – Cleveland Orchestra Director of Choruses Robert Porco will conduct The Cleveland Orchestra in concerts featuring Orff’s Carmina Burana at Severance Hall on Thursday, May 6; Friday, May 7; and Saturday, May 8, at 8:00 p.m. Vocal soloists will be soprano Lisette Oropesa, tenor Christopher Pfund, and baritone Ljubomir Puskaric, each making their Cleveland Orchestra debut. The program also includes Boito’s Prologue to Mefistofele, with bass Raymond Aceto as soloist. Taking part in the performances of both works will be the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, prepared by Director of Choruses Robert Porco, and the Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus, prepared by its director, Ann Usher.
The program begins with Arrigo Boito’s Prologue to Mefistofele (“Prologue in the Heavens”). After intermission, the program concludes with Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Secular Cantata for Solo Voices, Choruses, and Orchestra.
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These concerts are sponsored by The Plain Dealer, a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence.
Raymond Aceto’s appearance with The Cleveland Orchestra is made possible by a contribution to the Orchestra’s Guest Artist Fund from the Margaret R. Griffiths Trust.
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The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2009-10 season at Severance Hall is sponsored by UBS. Headquartered in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland, UBS is a global firm providing services to private, corporate and institutional clients. Its strategy is to focus on international wealth management and the Swiss banking business alongside its global expertise in investment banking and asset management. In Switzerland, UBS is the market leader in retail and commercial banking.
UBS is a significant supporter of orchestral music globally. In addition to its season sponsorship of The Cleveland Orchestra, the firm currently sponsors several other outstanding symphony orchestras, such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra. These partnerships reflect UBS’s dedication to supporting the communities where it operates, as well as a philosophy of working collaboratively with its clients to deliver the customized solutions that help them pursue their goals.
Biographical information on Robert Porco follows. Biographical information on Lisette Oropesa, Christopher Pfund, Ljubomir Puskaric, and Raymond Aceto is available on request.
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Ticket Services
Ticket Prices (Add $5 for Saturday): Orchestra: $77, $51; Dress Circle: $101, $60; Balcony: $77, $60, $40.
The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard.
Severance Hall Ticket Office Hours
M-F 9-6
Sat. 10-6
Closed Sundays and major holidays, except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office opens three hours prior to the performance start time.
To charge tickets by telephone on American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, and Visa, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at (216) 231-1111 (Cleveland) or 800-686-1141 during the regular ticket office hours listed above. Subscriptions and single tickets are also available online. The website offers secure ticket transactions with any major credit card and provides complete concert listings.
Free Concert Previews
Concert Previews will be given in Reinberger Chamber Hall prior to the May 6, 7, and 8 concerts, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The Previews, titled “Of Monks, Mugs, and Maidens,” will be given by Hugh Floyd, director of choral activities at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. Concert Previews are designed to enrich the concert-going experience by providing historical background and critical insight into the music performed at each concert. This series is funded by a generous endowment gift from Dorothy Humel Hovorka.
Parking
For evening subscription concerts at Severance Hall, parking can be purchased for $10 per vehicle, when space permits, in the Campus Center Garage (the underground garage located directly behind Severance Hall). Pre-paid parking for the Campus Center Garage can be purchased in advance through the Ticket Office at the cost of $14 per concert (this includes City of Cleveland parking tax and handling fee). The pre-paid parking ensures patrons a parking space, but availability of these pre-paid parking passes is limited.
For further information, or to order pre-paid parking, patrons should call the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Office during regular office hours at (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141. Pre-paid parking passes are also available online.
Calendar Listings
Thursday, May 6, at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, May 7, at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 8, at 8:00 p.m.
Severance Hall
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
ROBERT PORCO, conductor
LISETTE OROPESA, soprano
CHRISTOPHER PFUND, tenor
LJUBOMIR PUSKARIC, baritone
RAYMOND ACETO, bass
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA CHORUS
Robert Porco, director
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA CHILDREN’S CHORUS
Ann Usher, director
BOITO Prologue to Mefistofele
ORFF Carmina Burana
Ticket Prices: $40-$106 – Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com
Season Sponsor: UBS
Concert Sponsor: The Plain Dealer, a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence
Guest Artist Fund: Margaret R. Griffiths Trust (Raymond Aceto)
Concert Previews, in Reinberger Chamber Hall, beginning at 7:00 p.m.: “Of Monks, Mugs, and Maidens”
Preview Speaker: Hugh Floyd, director of choral activities at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music
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Contacts: Jennifer Schlosser, (216) 231-7518; Email: jschlosser@clevelandorchestra.com
Ana Papakhian, Office: (216) 231-7476; Cell phone: (216) 370-2595; Email: anap@clevelandorchestra.com
Robert Porco
Director of Choruses
The Cleveland Orchestra
Frances P. and Chester C. Bolton Endowed Chair
Robert Porco became director of choruses for The Cleveland Orchestra in 1998, following in a line of distinguished Cleveland choral leaders that has included Boris Goldovsky, Robert Shaw, Margaret Hillis, Robert Page, and Gareth Morrell. In addition to preparing the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and the Blossom Festival Chorus for performances, Mr. Porco conducts the Orchestra’s annual series of Christmas concerts at Severance Hall and guest conducts both at Severance Hall and at the Blossom Festival.
During the 2009-10 Severance Hall season, Mr. Porco has prepared the Chorus for performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), Handel’s Messiah, Boito’s Prologue to Mefistofele, and Orff’s Carmina Burana.
Throughout his career, Mr. Porco has been active as a conductor of opera and of choral-and-orchestral works. He is a regular guest conductor and the director of choruses for the Cincinnati May Festival, and has guest-conducted the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and other orchestras in the United States and Europe. Mr. Porco has prepared choruses for such prominent conductors as Pierre Boulez, James Conlon, Andrew Davis, Christoph von Dohnányi, Paavo Järvi, Erich Kunzel, Raymond Leppard, James Levine, Jesús López-Cobos, Zubin Mehta, André Previn, Kurt Sanderling, Robert Shaw, Leonard Slatkin, and Franz Welser-Möst.
Highlights of Mr. Porco’s Cleveland tenure in recent seasons have included preparing the Chorus for a February 2009 Carnegie Hall performance of Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass and Debussy’s Nocturnes and for its May 2009 debut in the Cincinnati May Festival, performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 (“Symphony of a Thousand”). He prepared the Chorus for April 2008 performances of Vaughan Williams’s A Sea Symphony, which he conducted, and January 2007 performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, conducted by Mr. Welser-Möst and recorded and released on compact disc by Deutsche Grammophon. During the 2005 season, Mr. Porco prepared the Chorus for appearances with the Orchestra at the Lucerne Festival and the London Proms.
Ohio native Robert Porco served as chairman of the choral department at Indiana University School of Music from 1980 to 1998, and as artistic director and conductor of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir from 1989 to 1998. He has directed the Cincinnati May Festival Chorus since 1989.
