Grand Rapids Symphony

GR Symphony Announces 2008-2009 Season

2008-02-24

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Feb. 22, 2008–Today the Grand Rapids Symphony announced its 2008-2009 Season–the tenth season under the dynamic leadership of Music Director David Lockington. The Symphony’s 79th Season will be a celebration of this remarkable milestone. Under Lockington’s direction the orchestra has received greater acclaim for its heightened artistic excellence, debuted at Carnegie Hall, recorded four CDs and was nominated for a Grammy Award.

“I’m thrilled to announce this extraordinary season¬–marking my tenth year with the Grand Rapids Symphony–filled with great music and internationally-renowned guest artists,” David Lockington said. “In the last decade the orchestra has consistently reached a higher level of artistic excellence and become more connected to the community. I’m very proud of my accomplishments with this orchestra. The musicians deserve to be congratulated, as well as this community, which has supported them.”
Lockington’s tenth year will be celebrated throughout this exciting season, beginning with a Gala Special Event concert featuring one of today’s great violinists, Joshua Bell, on Tuesday, Sept. 9. The Richard and Helen DeVos Classical Series will begin and conclude with spectacular concert programs chosen for this special anniversary season, and many of Lockington’s favorite musical works will be performed during the Classical Series concerts.

Gala Special Event with Joshua Bell, Sept. 9, 2008

Adding to the celebratory theme of the 2008-2009 Season will be a Gala Special Event concert, Tuesday, Sept. 9, featuring a performance by the Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell. His career has earned him the rare title of “classical music superstar.” Along with regularly appearing with major orchestras worldwide, Bell performed the virtuosic solos on the soundtrack of John Corigliano’s Academy Award-winning score for the 1999 film, “The Red Violin.” At age 14 he gained national attention following his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Bell will join the orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto.” The concert will also feature Ravel’s “Bolero,” Smetana’s “Moldau” and Philip Sawyers’ “Gale of Life.” Adding to this special evening will be a pre-concert dinner in DeVos Place and post-concert reception with Joshua Bell. More information about these events is available by calling Evette at 616/454-9451, Ext. 124.

Blockbuster Celebration Concerts
David Lockington’s tenth anniversary season will also be celebrated with a pair of blockbuster concerts beginning and concluding the Richard and Helen DeVos Classical Series. The Symphony will “raise the roof” in a stunning season-opening concert, Sept. 12 and 13, 2008 featuring one of its own musicians. Principal timpanist Shannon Wood will perform as a soloist for Michael Daugherty’s “Raise the Roof.” This compelling work calls for the drums to be struck with regular mallets, as well as wire brushes, maraca sticks and bare hands. The program also features one of David Lockington’s favorites, Prokofiev’s powerful “Symphony No. 5, as well as Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances,” from “West Side Story.”

Concluding this season of celebration will be an unforgettable performance featuring the Symphony and Grand Rapids Ballet Company, May 8 and 9, 2009. The orchestra will perform Rouse’s “Bonham” and Beethoven’s “Grosse Fuge,” while dancers provide a visual interpretation of the music. Choreography will be composed by the Ballet’s Artistic and Executive Director Gordon Peirce Schmidt. This will mark the second time in two years the Symphony will collaborate with the Ballet for a Richard and Helen DeVos Classical Series concert. In February of 2007, dancers and a jazz trio performed with the orchestra to a full house for a jazz interpretation of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons.” Fitting for the conclusion of this spectacular season, the concert will also feature Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” Gabrieli’s “Brass Fanfare” and Respighi’s “Roman Festivals.”

RICHARD AND HELEN DEVOS CLASSICAL SERIES
At the core of the Symphony’s eight series is the Richard and Helen DeVos Classical Series presented at DeVos Performance Hall. Each year, this ten-concert series features timeless, orchestral masterpieces and dynamic works by living composers. Audiences will also experience some of the world’s finest conductors and internationally- acclaimed guest soloists. 2008-2009 Season highlights include:

Audience Favorites
Audience members will enjoy works they know and love including: Ravel’s “Bolero,” Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances” derived from the music of “West Side Story,” Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9,” Holst’s “The Planets,” Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” Sibelius’ “Finlandia” and Copland’s “Appalachian Spring.”

Renowned Guest Artists
Winner of the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competition, acclaimed pianist Garrick Ohlsson will perform Rachmaninoff’s “Concerto No. 3,” with the orchestra, Oct. 3 and 4, 2008. This will mark his sixth appearance with the Grand Rapids Symphony. Last season he opened the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, which was broadcast live across the country.

Called “one of the most significant artists of his generation,” rising star violinist Stefan Jackiw (pron. Jack-eve) will perform Wieniawski’s “Legende” and Saint-Saëns’ “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso” with the orchestra Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 2008. Following Jackiw’s debut with the London Philharmonia Orchestra, The Strad reported, “a 14 year-old violinist took the London music world by storm.”

Polish soprano Joanna Kozlowska will join the orchestra for Arvo Pärt’s “Berlin Mass” Jan. 9 and 10, 2009. She first gained international attention by winning the top prize in the Benson and Hedges International Voice Competition in London and the International Vocal Competition in Rio de Janeiro.
Pianist Awadagin Pratt makes his third appearance with the orchestra Feb. 20 and 21, 2009. He won the Naumberg International Piano Competition in 1994 and was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant two years later. With his virtuosic talent he has become a favorite of local audiences and will perform Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 23, K. 488.”

Hailed by The New York Times as a harpist with “powerful playing and musicianly energy” Yolanda Kondonassis is recognized as one of the world’s foremost harpists. She will perform Bright Sheng’s “Harp Concerto,” April 3 and 4, 2009. After her debut at age 18 with the New York Philharmonic, Kondonassis has appeared with major orchestras throughout the United States and beyond. Bright Sheng will conduct the orchestra for the performance of his composition, which has been commissioned by the Grand Rapids Symphony along with three other orchestras. This performance will mark the Michigan premiere of this work.

Celebrating their 27th year on the concert stage, the members of the Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet continue to set the standard for expression and virtuosity among guitar ensembles. With more than a dozen recordings over the last two decades, they’ve become known as masters of the classics, as well as contemporary styles. The Quartet will join the orchestra for Rodrigo’s “Concierto Andaluz,” April 17 and 18, 2009.

Breathtaking Planetary Images Highlight Classical Performance
Audience members will take an awe-inspiring visual and musical journey during Holst’s “The Planets,” Feb. 20 and 21, 2009. While the orchestra performs Holst’s extraordinary work, above the stage on a large screen, concertgoers will see dramatic film and photo images from NASA’s unmanned spacecraft-Mariner 10, Vikings I and II, Magellan, Voyagers 1 and 2, and Hubble Space Telescope. Concertgoers will take flight through the rings of Saturn, journey through a valley on Mars that’s four times deeper than the Grand Canyon and tour other planets.
Annual Focus on Mahler

The Symphony will continue its tradition, started by Music Director David Lockington, of performing one major work each season by Mahler. The orchestra will perform Mahler’s “Symphony No. 4,” Jan. 9 and 10, 2009.

Internationally Acclaimed Guest Conductors
Audiences will have the opportunity to experience the orchestra’s sound under the direction of two acclaimed guest conductors during the 2008-2009 Richard and Helen DeVos Classical Series. Leading the orchestra, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 2008 will be Edwin Outwater, music director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in Ontario, Canada. He has also served as resident conductor of the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. A rising star in the constellation of brilliant young Finnish conductors, Hannu Lintu will lead the Grand Rapids Symphony April 17 and 18, 2009. He was recently appointed chief conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic in Finland and will begin his duties there in August of 2009.
The assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra and music director of the Cleveland Youth Orchestra, Jayce Ogren will lead the orchestra during the Rising Stars Series Oct. 23, 24 and 25, 2008. A native of Hoquiam, Washington, Ogren formerly served as a conducting apprentice with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.

New Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Choruses
The 2008-2009 Season marks the inaugural season of the Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Chorus presented by Legacy Trust. Led by director Sean Ivory and comprised of ninth through twelfth graders from across West Michigan, the 50-voice Youth Chorus is an affiliate organization of the Grand Rapids Symphony. Participation in the group offers youth the rare experience of singing with a full-time, professional orchestra. A Junior Chorus, led by Jackie Sonderfan Schoon, including local third through eighth graders serves as a training group for the Youth Chorus. This season the Youth Chorus will join the orchestra for Arvo Pärt’s “Berlin Mass,” Adams’ “On the Transmigration of Souls,” and the Fifth Third Holiday Pops.

Three Major Choral Presentations
On Nov. 21 and 22, 2008 the Symphony will present Beethoven’s much-loved “Symphony No. 9” featuring the dramatic “Ode to Joy” finale. This powerful piece will feature four vocalists and the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus. On Jan. 9 and 10, 2009 the Symphony will perform Arvo Pärt’s powerful “Berlin Mass” written in 1990 to commemorate the re-unification of Germany. Joining the orchestra will the Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Chorus, as well as members of the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus. Pärt, who hails from Estonia, has a growing following and is largely known for his minimalist style. This work features a meditative sound with serene choral harmonies and lovely orchestral accompaniment. On March 13 and 14, 2009 the orchestra will perform John Adams’ evocative “On the Transmigration of Souls.” Commissioned by the New York Philharmonic to mark the first anniversary of the September 11th tragedy, this work will feature the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus and Grand Rapids Symphony Youth Chorus. Rather than focus on the events of 9/11, Adams centered the piece on those left behind and used their words from posters hung near ground zero as the choral text.

FOX MOTORS POPS SERIES
Top-notch talent, beautiful melodies, traditional songs and time-honored favorites comprise the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Fox Motors Pops Series presented in DeVos Performance Hall.

The series begins on an enchanted journey with the Magical Music of Walt Disney, Sept. 19-21, 2008. The orchestra will perform the music of more than ten Disney movies, including “The Little Mermaid,” “Mary Poppins,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” “Mulan” and “The Lion King” will see images from the films are projected above the stage. Grand Rapids’ own Diane Penning will lend her voice to this family-friendly program that will have concertgoers singing “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah,” and “Chim Chim Cher-ee.”
Audience members can “Take the A Train,” when the Duke Ellington Orchestra rolls into town Nov. 14-16, 2008. The 12-member Orchestra will perform tunes from the legendary Duke Ellington including “Mood Indigo,” “Sophisticated Lady,” “Satin Doll,” “It Don’t Mean A Thing, If It Ain’t Got that Swing” and “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.” The Duke Ellington Orchestra has entertained listeners across the globe.

The Symphony will usher in the wonder and splendor of Christmas during the Fifth Third Holiday Pops, Dec. 4-Dec. 7, 2008. Audience members will enjoy their favorite holiday music, a visit by Santa, the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus and audience sing-alongs. This year’s performance will also feature the debut of the Grand Rapids
Symphony Youth Chorus at this concert.

Though its winter outside DeVos Performance Hall will heat-up with the program “Hot! Hot! Hot! A Night at the Copa” Jan. 16-18, 2009. This program will feature Latin dance, music and romance. A pair of dancers will wow audience members with salsa, afro-cuban, cha-cha, tango, samba, mambo, meringue and more. If you like passionate music and dance, it’s a show not-to-be-missed.

Natalie MacMaster first picked up a fiddle at age nine and never looked back. Acclaimed for taking Celtic music to new heights, MacMaster will bring her feverish fiddling and mesmerizing step dancing to Grand Rapids March 20-22, 2009. Two of her CDs made it on Billboard’s Top 20 selling World Music charts, while four of her five CDs went gold in her native Canada.

The orchestra will take a spin on the musical roulette wheel with “Pops Goes Vegas,” May 15-17, 2009. A tribute to the biggest songs and stars of the Las Vegas strip, the cast of high rollers includes folk who look a lot like Frank Sinatra and Liberace. Showgirls will also be on-hand for this dazzling program including the tunes: “Luck Be A Lady,” “Hey Big Spender,” “The Lady is a Tramp,” and “Fly Me to the Moon. ”

CONTINUING COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
The Grand Rapids Symphony is committed to diversity, which is reflected in the guest artists it presents, as well as the music it performs. The following artists of color will join the Symphony during the Richard and Helen DeVos Classical Series: pianist Awadagin Pratt, (African-American) Feb. 20 and 21, 2009 and composer Bright Sheng, (Asian-American) April 3 and 4, 2009. The Fox Motors Pops Series will feature the Duke Ellington Orchestra (African-American) Nov. 14-16, 2008.
Continuing its tradition of bridging cultures through a shared appreciation of music, the Symphony will present the eighth annual “Symphony with Soul,” Feb. 28, 2009 in DeVos Performance Hall. Headlining the concert will be the male choral-group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The Grammy-nominated group is known for mixing the rhythms and harmonies of the members’ native South Africa with the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music. “Symphony with Soul” also features local, gifted artists of color and the Grand Rapids Community Gospel Chorus.

RISING STARS SERIES
The Rising Stars Series at St. Cecilia Music Center features performances by emerging talent in a more intimate setting. Additionally, concertgoers will enjoy talk from the stage and free post-concert receptions. Whether an up-and-coming soloist conductor or composer, Grand Rapids Symphony musicians, or works by great composers written during the early years of their careers, this series gives concertgoers the opportunity to discover these rising stars and become their biggest fans.
The series opens Sept. 25 and Sept. 26, 2008 with Grand Rapids Symphony Principal Horn Richard Britsch as a soloist for Strauss’ “Horn Concerto No. 1.” The program will also include Schumann’s “Symphony No. 4” and Gabriela Frank’s “Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout.”

Guest conductor Jayce Ogren, assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, will lead the Symphony for a program featuring Berwald’s “Overture to Estrella de Soria,” Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin” and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 4.” The concerts are Oct. 23 and 24, 2008.

On Jan. 29 and Jan. 30, 2009, French pianist Lise de la Salle will join the orchestra for Ravel’s “Piano Concerto.” De la Salle gave her first public concert at age nine and today has several recordings to her name. Last season in Cologne, Germany, she performed under the baton of former Grand Rapids Symphony Music Director Semyon Bychkov. Concertgoers will also enjoy Carter Pann’s “Dance Partita,” and selections from Handel’s “Water Music.”

Cellist Julie Albers takes center stage for Shostakovich’s “Cello Concerto No. 1,” March 5 and 6, 2009. Albers made her major orchestral debut with the Cleveland Orchestra in 1998 and since then has joined orchestra’s in the United States, Europe, Korea, Taiwan and New Zealand. The program will also include Haydn’s “Symphony No. 79.”
The Rising Stars Series will conclude with a Bach Festival program, April 23 and April 24, 2009. Programming and guest artists have yet to be announced.

LAKESHORE RISING STARS SERIES
The Lakeshore Rising Stars Series will feature two concerts in the DeWitt Auditorium at Zeeland East High School and two concerts in Hope College’s Dimnent Memorial Chapel. The Lakeshore Rising Stars Series concerts at Zeeland East High School will be Sept. 27, 2008 and Jan. 31, 2009, and the Lakeshore Rising Stars Series concerts in Dimnent Memorial Chapel will be March 7, 2009 and April 25, 2009. Lakeshore Rising Stars Series concerts feature a coffee and cookie reception.

EDWARD JONES COFFEE CLASSICS SERIES
The Symphony’s Friday morning, one-hour Edward Jones Coffee Classics will feature musical highlights of the Rising Stars Series concerts with commentary from the stage about the music. Audience members are invited to enjoy pre-concert complimentary coffee and pastries available at 9 a.m. This series is perfect for retirees, students, downtown workers, or anyone who enjoys great music at this time of the day. Edward Jones Coffee Classics Series concerts will be presented, Sept. 26, 2008, Jan. 30, 2009 and March 6, 2009 at St. Cecilia Music Center. Performances begin at 10 a.m.

DTE ENERGY FOUNDATION FAMILY SERIES
The Symphony’s Family Series concerts are perfect for kids of all ages. These hour-long concerts feature a full orchestra and are presented Sunday afternoons. The two-concert series will be in Forest Hill’s Fine Arts Center. Audience members can sit close to the stage and take advantage of free parking. The concerts are designed to ignite a child’s imagination and create a lifelong passion for music.

The 2008-2009 Family Series will feature “Beethoven! Beethoven!” Oct. 5, 2008. In this musical story a young girl, Elise, learns about the wonder of music when she meets Beethoven himself. She thinks his music is old and boring until his surprise visit leads to a change of heart. The performance will feature Grand Rapids Symphony Principal Keyboardist Deborah Gross and the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus. “Cinderella” with Enchantment Theatre, Feb. 22, 2009 transports young audiences to the magical world of Prokofiev’s “Cinderella.” Featuring masks, life-sized puppets, scenery changes and surprising costume effects, this classic tale comes to life as never before.

SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2008-2009 Richard and Helen DeVos Classical, Fox Motors Pops, Rising Stars, Lakeshore Rising Stars, DTE Energy Foundation Family Series and Edward Jones Coffee Classics go on sale beginning February 25, 2008. Current subscribers have until April 21, 2008 to secure their seating. New subscribers are encouraged to place their order early, because they will be seated after renewing subscribers in priority order established by the date of their order.

WHY SEASON TICKETS?
Aside from enjoying great music year round, there are many reasons to become a Grand Rapids Symphony season ticket holder. Season ticket holders save up to 40 percent off from single ticket prices. Season ticket holders always get the best seats in the house and enjoy upgrade privileges for future seasons. Tickets are mailed to season ticket holders’ doorsteps. No waiting in lines to purchase tickets. Ticket exchange is an exclusive season ticket holder benefit. There are no service fees for additional single ticket purchases by season ticket holders. Season ticket holders enjoy priority seating and should a season ticket holder lose their tickets, replacement tickets are easily issued. Season ticket holders receive a quarterly newsletter featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the music, musicians and classical music trends; discounts to local restaurants and attractions, and an invitation to an open rehearsal and backstage tour.

SEASON TICKET PRICING:
NEW THIS YEAR
• Pricing for DeVos Performance Hall events has been simplified for customer convenience, offering five price categories compared to the previous eleven, while maintaining an accessible low price point.

• Balcony seating will no longer be available on a subscription basis. Subscribers who currently sit in these areas will get an upgrade in seating and an enhanced experience, by moving to similar-priced seating closer to the stage.

• Renewing subscribers have opportunities to maintain their same price category as last year and upgrade their seating location.

• New price categories are now available on both the orchestra and mezzanine levels, offering options to patrons.

• Accessibility has been improved through the addition of more low-priced seating on the prime, main-floor seating area.



Richard and Helen DeVos Classical Series. Season ticket prices for the ten-concert Classical Grand Series range from $108 to $540. Season tickets for the five-concert Classical Highlights or Showcase Series are $72 to $360.

Fox Motors Pops Series. Season ticket prices for the six-concert Fox Motors Pops Series range from $90 to $450.
Rising Stars Series. Subscriptions to the five-concert Thursday evening concerts in Grand Rapids, including the post-concert reception, are $135 and $153.
Lakeshore Rising Stars four-concert series tickets are $64-$91.

DTE Energy Foundation Family Series. Two subscription packages are available for the Family Series: a two-concert package with the two Sunday performances, OR a three-concert package with the two Sunday performances, plus the Saturday, Fifth Third Holiday Pops matinee. Season tickets for the two-concert Family Traditional Series package are $27 for adults and $15 for children 15 years and under. Season tickets for the three-concert Family Plus Series, including main floor seats for the Saturday matinee Fifth Third Holiday Pops performance, are $59 for adults and $31 for children.

Edward Jones Coffee Classics Series. Subscriptions to this three-concert series are $30.

SUBSCRIBERS ONLY SPECIAL EVENTS
The following concerts are on sale now to 2008-2009 Season subscribers only.
Joshua Bell, Tuesday, Sept. 9. One of the world’s greatest violinists, Bell’s career has earned him the rare title of “classical music superstar.” He will join the orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto.” Tickets start at $18.

Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9” “Ode to Joy” Nov. 21 and 22, 2008. Audience members will experience one of this genius composer’s finest works. Tickets start at $18.
Fifth Third Holiday Pops: Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m., and Dec. 6, 3 p.m. 2008 at DeVos Performance Hall. Tickets start at $18.

HOW TO PURCHASE SEASON TICKETS
For a free season brochure about the Grand Rapids Symphony’s 2008-2009 Season, contact the Symphony office at 616/454-9451, Ext. 6. Season tickets may be ordered by calling 616/454-9451, Ext. 4., Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., or by stopping by the Symphony office at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100. Order forms and information is available at www.grsymphony.org.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
Tickets remaining after season ticket package sales will be made available for purchase on an individual event basis. Individual tickets go on sale in late summer or early fall at a date still to be determined.

These concerts are supported by the Michigan Council for the Arts and
Cultural Affairs, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the arts.

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