News Release
Franz Welser-Möst conducts The Cleveland Orchestra
in Rossini’s Stabat Mater
World premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Flûte en suite will be performed by Principal Flute Joshua Smith
Fridays@7 concert includes Widmann concerto, Cleveland premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s On a Wire
with sextet eighth blackbird, and outdoor post-concert performance by bluegrass band Wayfaring Strangers
eighth blackbird also presented in concert on May 29
Release date: April 13, 2011
Thursday, May 26, and Saturday, May 28
Franz Welser-Möst
Photo by Johannes Ifkovits
Music Director Franz Welser-Möst conducts The Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus in Rossini’s Stabat Mater at Severance Hall on Thursday, May 26, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, May 28, at 8 p.m. Vocal soloists will be soprano Malin Hartelius (recently heard in the Orchestra’s production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni), mezzo-soprano Anna Bonitatibus, tenor John Tessier, and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni (in his Cleveland Orchestra debut). The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus is prepared by Director of Choruses Robert Porco.
The program for May 26 and 28 presents the world premiere performances of Jörg Widmann’s new Flûte en suite, for flute and orchestral groups. The Fridays@7 concert on May 27 is a different program that also includes the Widmann work.
The composer describes his new work as a suite of dance movements. From movement to movement, the solo flute has a specific tonal coloring heard against a different instrumental group from the orchestra, such as flutes, strings, or brass. The new work was written for Cleveland Orchestra Principal Flute Joshua Smith as soloist.
Jörg Widmann is the Orchestra’s Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellow for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. Flûte en suite was commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra with generous support from the Young Composers Endowment Fund established by Jan R. and Daniel R. Lewis.
Friday, May 27
The final Fridays@7 concert of the 2010-11 season, on Friday, May 27, at 7 p.m., features John Adams’s Doctor Atomic Symphony, Widmann’s Flûte en suite, for flute and orchestral groups, and the first Cleveland performance of Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer Jennifer Higdon’s On a Wire, concerto for sextet and orchestra, written in 2010 for the chamber ensemble eighth blackbird. The work was commissioned by a consortium of the orchestras of Atlanta, Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Toronto; the West Michigan Symphony; the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts with the Vermont Symphony; and the Cabrillo Festival. The work was premiered in June 2010 by eighth blackbird and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and their recording of the work was released in February. Jennifer Higdon studied flute performance at Bowling Green State University.
Doors for Fridays@7 open at 5 p.m., with libations and creative cuisine available for purchase in the lobbies. At about 8:15 p.m., following the Orchestra concert, bluegrass band Wayfaring Strangers will perform outside on the terrace of Severance Hall (weather permitting).
To view a video clip of eighth blackbird rehearsing On a Wire with the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, click here.
Sunday, May 29
eighth blackbird
Photo by Luke Ratray
In a program titled “Still Life,” the Grammy Award-winning sextet eighth blackbird will perform their own concert featuring a diverse selection of modern works for chamber ensemble in Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall on Sunday, May 29, at 7 p.m. The program is the same as the one that eighth blackbird performed at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall in January 2011 (see calendar listing at end of this release). It includes works by Pierre Boulez, a member of The Cleveland Orchestra’s artistic family who has conducted the Orchestra in more than 200 concerts since 1965; Philip Glass, whose work titled The Light was written for the Orchestra, which gave the world, New York, and Washington DC premieres of the piece; and Thomas Adès, from whom the Orchestra co-commissioned Overture, Waltz, and Finale from Powder Her Face and performed its United States premiere. Members of eighth blackbird are Tim Munro, flutes; Michael J. Maccaferri, clarinets; Matt Albert, violin and viola; Nicholas Photinos, cello; Matthew Duvall, percussion; and Lisa Kaplan, piano, all of whom hold degrees in music performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
FREE CONCERT PREVIEWS
Benjamin Dunlap, president of Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, will give Concert Previews on May 26 and 28 at 7 p.m. in the Concert Hall. This series is funded by a generous endowment gift from Dorothy Humel Hovorka.
SELECT YOUR OWN SEATS
Severance Hall patrons can select their own seats online. Clicking on any “Buy Ticket” button on the calendar will link to the Ticket Reservations page with seat selection options. A “Print-at-Home” option is available on the Delivery Method page during checkout.
Joshua Smith’s solo appearance with The Cleveland Orchestra is made possible by a gift to the Orchestra’s Guest Artist Fund from The Virginia M. and Newman T. Halvorson Fund. Malin Hartelius’s appearance with The Cleveland Orchestra is made possible by a gift to the Orchestra’s Guest Artist Fund from the Margaret R. Griffiths Trust. The world premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Flûte en suite was commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra with generous support from the Young Composers Endowment Fund established by Jan R. and Daniel R. Lewis.
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.
Ticket and Parking Information
May 26 and 28 Ticket Prices: (Add $5 for Saturday): Orchestra: $66, $44; Dress Circle: $87, $51; Balcony: $66, $51, $31.
May 27 Ticket Prices: Orchestra: $65, $46; Dress Circle: $87, $52; Balcony: $65, $52, $36.
May 29 Ticket Price: Orchestra: $36 (reserved seating).
Ticket Office: The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard. The Ticket Office is open 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Monday-Friday and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Closed Sundays and holidays, except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office opens 3 hours before concert start time.
Group Sales (groups of 10 or more): Call the Cleveland Orchestra Group Sales Office at Severance Hall at 216-231-7463 or email groupsales@clevelandorchestra.com for information.
Parking: For information about parking for Severance Hall concerts, click here.
Venue information: Severance Hall, which opened in 1931 as the home of The Cleveland Orchestra, is located at 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106.
Calendar Listing
Thursday, May 26, 2011, at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 28, 2011, at 8:00 p.m.
(Free Concert Preview one hour before concerts)
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Joshua Smith, flute
Malin Hartelius, soprano
Anna Bonitatibus, mezzo-soprano
John Tessier, tenor
Luca Pisaroni, bass-baritone
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
Robert Porco, director
Rossini’s Stabat Mater
Widmann: Flûte en suite (world premiere, Cleveland Orchestra commission)
Rossini: Stabat Mater
Tickets: (Add $5 for Saturday) $31, $44, $51, $66, $87
To order: 216-231-1111, 800-686-1141, or online to select your own seats and print your tickets at home
Location: Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
Friday, May 27, 2011, at 7:00 p.m.
Fridays@7
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Joshua Smith, flute
eighth blackbird
Tim Munro, flutes
Michael J. Maccaferri, clarinets
Matt Albert, violin and viola
Nicholas Photinos, cello
Matthew Duvall, percussion
Lisa Kaplan, piano
eighth blackbird
Adams: Doctor Atomic Symphony
Widmann: Flûte en suite (world premiere, Cleveland Orchestra commission)
Higdon: On a Wire
Tickets: $36, $46, $52, $65, $87
To order: 216-231-1111, 800-686-1141, or online to select your own seats and print your tickets at home
Location: Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
Sunday, May 29, 2011, at 7:00 p.m.
Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall
eighth blackbird
Tim Munro, flutes
Michael J. Maccaferri, clarinets
Matt Albert, violin and viola
Nicholas Photinos, cello
Matthew Duvall, percussion
Lisa Kaplan, piano
Still Life
Missy Mazzoli: Still Life with Avalanche (2008)
Pierre Boulez: Dérive 1 (1984)
Philip Glass: Music in Similar Motion (1969)
Philippe Hurel: ...à mesure (1996)
Thomas Adès: Catch (1991)
Stephen Hartke: Meanwhile: Incidental music to imaginary puppet plays (2007)
Tickets: $36, reserved seating
To order: 216-231-1111, 800-686-1141, or online to select your own seats and print your tickets at home
Location: Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
All artists and programs are subject to change.
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Press 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
