NEWS RELEASE
Franz Welser-Möst leads The Cleveland Orchestra
in all-Wagner concerts at Severance Hall
on February 18, 19, and 20
Program for Thursday and Saturday features soprano Measha Brueggergosman
as soloist in Wagner’s Wesendonck Songs
Fourth evening in Fridays@7 series on February 19 includes post-concert performance
featuring oud player Simon Shaheen
CLEVELAND, February 2, 2010 – Music Director Franz Welser-Möst will conduct The Cleveland Orchestra in a program of music by Richard Wagner at Severance Hall on Thursday, February 18, at 8:00 p.m.; Friday, February 19, at 7:00 p.m.; and Saturday, February 20, at 8:00 p.m. The February 19 concert is part of the new Fridays@7 Series.
The program for Thursday and Saturday evenings begins with Wagner’s Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin, followed by the Overture to Rienzi and the Prelude and Love-Death fromTristan and Isolde. After intermission, the program continues with Wagner’s Prelude toLohengrin, followed by the Wesendonck Songs with soprano Measha Brueggergosman as soloist. The program concludes with the Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. The Fridays@7 program on February 19, performed without intermission, consists of all selections except the Wesendonck Songs.
The Wagner works will be recorded live for future release on the Deutsche Grammophon label.
Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman has been described in the San Francisco Chronicle as having “… a talent for making music sound as soulful and rapturous as possible.” The subject of a full-length feature documentary, Spirit in her Voice, aired by the CBC network, she has given a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II and has also sung for the Prince of Wales, Queen Margarethe II of Denmark, Queen Sonja of Norway, President Tarja Halonen of Finland, and Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean and numerous other leaders of Canada, as well as for Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan. Ms. Brueggergosman first performed with The Cleveland Orchestra in July 2006; her most recent appearances with the Orchestra were in performances of Wagner’sWesendonck Songs and Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass at Carnegie Hall in February 2009.
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The Cleveland Orchestra’s new Fridays@7 series offers early-evening programs that are about 75 minutes long, performed straight through, followed by informal performances of music curated by Cleveland percussionist Jamey Haddad. Doors open at 5:00 p.m., with bars open to serve drinks and light food. Each concert begins at 7 p.m. and runs without intermission. After the concert, audience members can move to the Bogomolny-Kozerefski Grand Foyer just outside the Concert Hall and sample interesting cuisine, enjoy cocktails, and mingle with musicians while listening to world music.
On February 19, internationally acclaimed oud player Simon Shaheen will be featured in a unique post-concert experience. National Public Radio called Shaheen’s playing “a staggering tour-de-force of technique and passion.” Shaheen will be joined in an East-meets-West jam session by percussionist Jamey Haddad and violinist Joel Smirnoff, along with a backup band of mixed instruments.
Final Fridays@7 program of the season: April 30, 2010: Royal Drums & Trumpets, with baroque specialist Bernard Labadie guest-conducting Handel’s Water Music.
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The February 18, 19, and 20 concerts are sponsored by Jones Day, a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence.
Measha Brueggergosman’s appearance as soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra is made possible by a gift to the Orchestra’s Guest Artist Fund from Mr. and Mrs. James P. Storer.
The Fridays@7 series is made possible in part through the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation.
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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 Franz Welser-Möst, Measha Brueggergosman, and Jamey Haddad follows at the end of this release.
Ticket Prices: (Add $5 for Saturday): Orchestra: $71, $47; Dress Circle: $93, $55; Balcony: $71, $55, $31.
Ticket Services: The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard. Single tickets for all concerts in the 2009-10 season are now on sale.
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.
Free Concert Previews: Concert Previews will be given prior to the February 18 and 20 concerts, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Reinberger Chamber Hall. The Previews, titled “Something by the Master, Perhaps?” will be given by Peter Laki, visiting associate professor at Bard College. 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 to ticket holders online.
Calendar Listings
Thursday, February 18, at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 20, at 8:00 p.m.
Severance Hall
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
FRANZ WELSER-MÖST, conductor
MEASHA BRUEGGERGOSMAN, soprano
WAGNER – Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin
WAGNER – Overture to Rienzi
WAGNER – Prelude and Love-Death from Tristan and Isolde
WAGNER – Prelude to Lohengrin
WAGNER – Wesendonck Songs
WAGNER – Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Ticket Prices: $31-$98 – Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online
Season Sponsor: UBS
Concert Sponsor: Jones Day, a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence
Guest Artist Fund: Mr. and Mrs. James P. Storer
Concert Preview, in Reinberger Chamber Hall beginning at 7:00 p.m.: “Something by the Master, Perhaps?”
Preview Speaker: Peter Laki, visiting associate professor at Bard College
Friday, February 19, at 7:00 p.m.
Severance Hall
Fridays@7 Concert
New Fridays@7 concerts are performed without intermission, last approximately 75 minutes, and are followed by food, drinks, mingling with musicians, and, on February 19, a live performance featuring oud player Simon Shaheen, percussionist Jamey Haddad, and violinist Joel Smirnoff.
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
FRANZ WELSER-MÖST, conductor
WAGNER – Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin
WAGNER – Overture to Rienzi
WAGNER – Prelude and Love-Death from Tristan and Isolde
WAGNER – Prelude to Lohengrin
WAGNER – Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Ticket Prices: $31-$93 – Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online
Season Sponsor: UBS
Concert Sponsor: Jones Day, a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence
The Fridays@7 series is made possible in part through the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation.
Media Contacts: Jennifer Schlosser, (216) 231-7518; Email; or
Ana Papakhian, Office: (216) 231-7476; Cell phone: (216) 370-2595; Email
Franz Welser-Möst
Music Director
Kelvin Smith Family Endowed Chair
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst is in his eighth year as Music Director of The Cleveland Orchestra. His long-term commitment extends to the Orchestra’s centennial in 2018. Under his direction, the Orchestra holds residencies in the United States and Europe, champions living composers, partners with Northeast Ohio public schools and conservatories, and has re-established itself as an operatic ensemble. Concurrently with his post in Cleveland, Mr. Welser-Möst becomes General Music Director of the Vienna State Opera in the autumn of 2010.
Under Mr. Welser-Möst’s leadership, The Cleveland Orchestra holds ongoing residencies at Vienna’s famed Musikverein hall and Switzerland’s Lucerne Festival, along with an annual Miami Residency. In 2011, Mr. Welser-Möst and the Orchestra launch a biennial residency at New York’s Lincoln Center Festival, featuring The Cleveland Orchestra in Vienna State Opera productions.
Under Franz Welser-Möst, The Cleveland Orchestra has presented eleven world and fourteen United States premieres. In 2009, Mr. Welser-Möst led a Zurich Opera production of The Marriage of Figaro at Severance Hall. He and The Cleveland Orchestra will continue the Mozart/Da Ponte operas in Cleveland with Mozart’s Così fan tutte in March and Don Giovanni in 2010-11.
Recent and upcoming international engagements include a new production of Wagner’sRing cycle with stage director Sven-Eric Bechtolf at the Vienna State Opera. During the 2009-10 season, Mr. Welser-Möst leads additional Ring performances, as well as Wagner’s Tannhaüser and Parsifal, with the Vienna State Opera. In the summer of 2009, Franz Welser-Möst appeared with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival, the BBC Proms, and the Lucerne Festival. He also conducted the Berlin Philharmonic at the 2009 Salzburg Easter Festival.
Following his 1989 American debut and prior to his appointment in Cleveland, Mr. Welser-Möst regularly guest-conducted the orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. Mr. Welser-Möst was music director of the London Philharmonic from 1990 to 1996. Across his decade-long tenure with the Zurich Opera, culminating in three seasons as General Music Director (2005-08), Mr. Welser-Möst led more than 40 new productions. In the spring of 2010, he leads Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten and Mozart’s Così fan tutte in Zurich.
Mr. Welser-Möst’s recordings and videos have won the Gramophone Award, Diapason d’Or, Japanese Record Academy Award, and two Grammy nominations. Mr. Welser-Möst has led The Cleveland Orchestra in video recordings of live performances of the Bruckner Symphonies Nos. 5, 7, and 9. Mr. Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra released a recording of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on Deutsche Grammophon in 2007.
Mr. Welser-Möst has been recognized by the Western Law Center for Disability Rights and is an honorary member of the Vienna Singverein. Musical America named him the 2003 Conductor of the Year.
Measha Brueggergosman
Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman has been a frequent and welcome guest artist with The Cleveland Orchestra since making her debut with the Orchestra as soloist in its Public Square concert in July 2006. She made her Severance Hall debut in January 2007 performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony that were recorded live and subsequently released by Deutsche Grammophon. Also in January 2007, she was a soloist in the Ninth Symphony with the Orchestra during the opening week of its first annual Miami Residency. Her most recent appearances with the Orchestra were at Severance Hall and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County in January 2009, and at Carnegie Hall in February 2009.
Noted by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a singer of rare gifts and artistic intensity” and by the Miami Herald for possessing “a superb voice capable of just about everything,” Measha Brueggergosman has emerged as one of the most magnificent performers and vibrant personalities of the day. She is critically acclaimed by the international press as much for her innate musicianship and voluptuous voice as for a sovereign stage presence far beyond her years. Her extraordinary versatility, intuitive musicality, and radiant star quality are reflected by an exclusive recording relationship with Deutsche Grammophon.Surprise, her first recording on the label, was released in 2007 and garnered a Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year. Night and Dreams, Ms. Brueggergosman’s second solo recording for Deutsche Grammophon, is released internationally in the present season.
A dynamic scope of repertoire coupled with a profound depth of artistic commitment bring Measha Brueggergosman together with many of the finest international orchestras and most esteemed conductors of our day. During the 2009-10 season appearances include performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 under Gustavo Dudamel for his inaugural concert as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Ravel’s Shéhérazade with Jaap van Zweden and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw, and with Ludovic Morlot and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra; Berg’s Sieben Frühe Liederwith Mark Wigglesworth and the New World Symphony Orchestra; Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with David Robertson and the Saint Louis Symphony; and Berlioz’s Les nuits d’étéwith Paavo Järvi and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The artist makes her debut with the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra in concert performances of Carmen, singing the role of Micaëla, under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, joins Bramwell Tovey and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, and returns to the Verbier Festival for a multi-concert residency. She also tours England, France, and Germany with pianist Justus Zeyen in support of her Deutsche Grammophon recital recording Night and Dreams.
During the 2008-09 season, Ms. Brueggergosman’s engagements included her Minnesota Orchestra debut with Osmo Vänskä in Vaughan Williams’s A Sea Symphony, Cage’s Aria with Renga under Michael Tilson Thomas at the debut concert of the YouTube Symphony at Carnegie Hall, Messiaen’s Poèmes pour Mi with Daniel Harding and the London Symphony Orchestra on tour in Germany, Mendelssohn’s Elijah with L’Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Berio’s Recital I for Cathy at Paris’ Cité de la musique with the Ensemble Intercontemporain and David Robertson, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Kent Nagano as well as with the Orquesta Nacional de España and Josep Pons, Strauss’s Four Last Songs with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Peter Oundjian, and New Year’s Eve gala concerts with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Pietari Inkinen.
Deeply committed to the art of song, Measha Brueggergosman has given solo recitals at Wigmore Hall in London, Roy Thomson Hall, Carnegie Hall, Spivey Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels with Roger Vignoles; in Gstaad, New York, and Verbier with Jean-Yves Thibaudet; and at Weill Hall in New York, Hertz Hall in Berkeley, and at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor with J.J. Penna. Past recital appearances also have brought her to the Edinburgh, Bergen, Tuscan Sun, and Verbier festivals, and to concert series in Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Augsburg, Berlin, Bamberg, and Barcelona among many other cities. Additionally, she participated in the Verbier Festival’s one-off presentation, Rufus Wainwright Goes Classical, sharing performances of works from the classical repertoire, with Rufus Wainwright and Angelika Kirchschlager, rearranged especially for the occasion.
On the opera stage, she has bowed as Madame Lidoine in Dialogues des Carmélitesunder Jonathan Darlington for Vancouver Opera; as Elettra in Idomeneo at Toronto’s Opera Atelier with Andrew Parrott conducting; as Juno in Joseph Martin Kraus’ Aeneas in Karthago conducted by Lothar Zagrosek at the Staatstheater Stuttgart; and as Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking and as Liù in Turandot at the Cincinnati Opera.
Ms. Brueggergosman has been honored to participate in a number of special events including the gala re-openings of Roy Thomson Hall and of the University of Michigan’s Hill Auditorium; Canada Day celebrations from Parliament Hill in Ottawa; and the opening ceremonies of the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto – her performance presented under the auspices of MAC Cosmetics – sharing the stage with Bill Gates and President Bill Clinton. She has performed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland during two consecutive years, and has given a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II. She also has sung for the Prince of Wales, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Queen Sonja of Norway, President Tarja Halonen of Finland, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, and numerous other leaders of Canada, as well as for Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan.
Beyond the great concert halls of the world, Ms. Brueggergosman lends her voice, passion, and energy to social and environmental causes as a Canadian good-will ambassador for three international organizations: African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF); Learning Through the Arts; and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Her commitments to these organizations have taken her on a broad spectrum of missions – from primary schools in New Brunswick, Canada to internally displaced persons camps of northern Uganda.
So Much to Tell, Ms. Brueggergosman’s first solo commercial recording on the CBC Records label, with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and conductor Roy Goodman, features music by Barber, Copland and Gershwin. Her second release for CBC Records,Extase, presents a sumptuous program of Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été and Massenet opera arias with Yoav Talmi and the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec.
Measha Brueggergosman is the host of the German television cultural variety show, Arte Lounge, and has been the subject of a full-length feature documentary, Spirit in her Voice, aired by the CBC network. She has starred in numerous independent short music-films including Heart, We Will Forget Him; Amor; Go Diva! and Infinite Dream. She has served as television hostess of the Toronto Variety Show and has taken center stage in Bravo! Canada’s Gemini Award-winning concert series Live at the Rehearsal Hall, performing a mixed selection of classical repertoire, gospel hymns, and jazz standards. Ms. Brueggergosman also has appeared as a special celebrity guest on television episodes of MTV Canada Cribs, Project Runway Canada, The Surreal Gourmet, and Bravo Arts & Minds.
Measha Brueggergosman has received honorary doctorates from St. Thomas University of New Brunswick and Acadia University in Nova Scotia and was awarded the Grand Prize at the 2002 Jeunesses Musicales Montreal International Competition. She also has been a prizewinner at the Dutch International Vocal Competition’s-Hertogenbosch, the Wigmore Hall in London, George London Foundation in New York, the Queen Sonja International Music Competition in Oslo, and the ARD Music Competition in Munich. She is a recipient of the prestigious Canada Council and Chalmers Performing Arts Grants. Ms. Brueggergosman studied at the University of Toronto with Mary Morrison and pursued postgraduate studies in Germany with Edith Wiens. She also has worked with such distinguished musicians as Christoph Eschenbach, Ruth Falcon, Brigitte Fassbaender, Margo Garrett, Håkan Hagegård, Jessye Norman, Rudolf Piernay, and Thomas Quasthoff.
Through an exclusive relationship, Ms. Brueggergosman’s jewelry generously is provided by Myles Mindham Jewellery Limited.
Comprehensive performance and career information may be found at www.measha.com as well as at www.deutschegrammophon.com
Jamey Haddad
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, percussionist Jamey Haddad holds a unique position in the world of jazz and contemporary music, with his musical voice transcending styles and trends. Regarded as one of the foremost world music and jazz percussionists in the United States, Mr. Haddad is an associate professor at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Recently, he performed with Paul Simon (he has been a member of Simon’s band for a decade) when this distinguished musician and songwriter was the recipient of the first annual Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Jamey Haddad has been featured in each of the post-concert performances following The Cleveland Orchestra’s Fridays@7 concerts this season. More information is available online at www.jameyhaddadmusic.com.
