CONDUCTOR PETER OUNDJIAN TO REPLACE CRISTIAN MĂCELARU IN CONCERTS THIS WEEK
MASTERWORKS PROGRAM FEATURES THE SEATTLE PREMIERE OF ANNA CLYNE’S WITHIN HER ARMS, FELIX MENDELSSOHN’S SYMPHONY NO. 3 AND CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PIANIST BEATRICE RANA PERFORMING ROBERT SCHUMANN’S PIANO CONCERTO
SEATTLE, WA – Peter Oundjian will replace Cristian Măcelaru in conducting the Seattle Symphony’s Schumann Piano Concerto program on Thursday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, October 26 at 8 p.m, and Untuxed program on Friday, October 25 at 7 p.m. Măcelaru has regrettably withdrawn from the performances due to illness.
These performances will mark Oundjian’s first return to the Seattle Symphony since his debut in
April 2012, when he conducted works by Rouse, Tchaikovsky and the Dvořák Violin Concerto with Seattle favorite Augustin Hadelich.
This week’s Delta Air Lines Masterworks program begins with Anna Clyne’s Within Her Arms, a somber and deeply felt meditation on life and loss for string orchestra, composed as a tribute to her mother. The work takes its title and inspiration from verses by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. At only 26 years old, critically acclaimed pianist Beatrice Rana will perform Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto. Lauded by the New York Times for her ability to enrapture audiences, Rana was named Gramophone’s “Young Artist of the Year” in 2017. Felix Mendelssohn’s Third Symphony concludes the program, which revisits the awe he felt as a young man beholding the ruined castle of Mary, Queen of Scots in Edinburgh.
The Friday night Untuxed concert conducted by Oundjian is a short, no intermission and casual performance of Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 with engaging insights and wit from host and Seattle Symphony bass Jonathan Green.
SCHUMANN PIANO CONCERTO
DELTA AIR LINES MASTERWORKS SEASON
Thursday, October 24, at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 26, at 8 p.m.
Peter Oundjian, conductor
Beatrice Rana, piano
Anna Clyne Within Her Arms
Robert Schumann Piano Concerto
Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3, “Scottish”
Pre-concert Talk presented one hour prior to each performance. Free with ticket purchase.
Ask the Artist to follow the Thursday night concert. Free with ticket purchase.
Beatrice Rana’s performances are generously underwritten by Stephen Whyte and Rebecca Ralston through the Seattle Symphony’s Guest Artist Circle.
TICKETS FROM: $24
MENDELSSOHN UNTUXED
UNTUXED SERIES
Friday, October 25, at 7 p.m.
Peter Oundjian, conductor
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3, “Scottish”
TICKETS FROM: $18
PETER OUNDJIAN CONDUCTOR
Recently named conductor emeritus of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Peter Oundjian has been hailed as a masterful and dynamic presence in the conducting world. Oundjian has developed a multi-faceted portfolio as a conductor, violinist, professor, and artistic advisor. He has been celebrated for his musicality, an eye towards collaboration, innovative programming, and an engaging personality.
Oundjian’s fourteen-year tenure as Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra has been marked by a reimagining of the TSO’s programming, international stature, audience development, touring and a number of outstanding recordings. Credited for his long association with the orchestra, Oundjian helped establish the TSO as one of the world’s top ensembles and served as a major creative force for the city of Toronto. Oundjian led the orchestra on several international tours, to Europe and the USA, and he conducted the first performance by a North American orchestra at Reykjavik’s Harpa Hall in 2014. Oundjian and the TSO’s recording of Vaughan Williams’ Orchestral Works won a JUNO Award for Best Classical Album: Large Ensemble in 2019.
From 2012-2018, Oundjian served as Music Director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra during which time he implemented the kind of collaborative programming that has become a staple of his directorship. Oundjian led the RSNO on several international tours, including North America, China, and a European festival tour with performances at the Bregenz Festival, the Dresden Festival as well as in Innsbruck, Bergamo, Ljubljana, and others. His final appearance with the orchestra as their Music Director was at the 2018 BBC Proms where he conducted Britten’s epic War Requiem.
Highlights of past seasons include appearances with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Detroit, Atlanta, Saint Louis, Baltimore, Indianapolis and New Zealand Symphony Orchestras, with visits to Cincinnati and Milwaukee planned for winter 2020. In January 2019 he transitioned from Artistic Advisor to Music Director for the Colorado Music Festival, commencing a five-year tenure.
Oundjian has been a visiting professor at Yale University’s School of Music since 1981, and in 2013 was awarded the school’s Sanford Medal for Distinguished Service to Music. A dedicated educator, Oundjian conducted the Yale and Juilliard Symphony Orchestras and the New World Symphony during the 18/19 season.
An outstanding violinist, Oundjian spent fourteen years as the first violinist for the renowned Tokyo String Quartet before he turned his energy towards conducting.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Led by Music Director Thomas Dausgaard, the Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has garnered five Grammy Awards, 26 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 500,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts.
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