ASO CELEBRATES MUSIC OF SPAIN WITH RENOWNED GUITARIST JASON VIEAUX
3/6/2009
For Immediate Release
March 6, 2009
Contact: William Martin
Phone: 410-269-1132
bmartin@annapolissymphony.org
www.annapolissymphony.org
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Under the title Music of Spain, the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra will hold its fourth concert in the Lexus Classic Series on March 27 and 28, 2009. Both performances take place at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts at 8 p.m. Maestro Novo presents a personal, musical portrait from his native homeland of Spain. The concerts will feature the Annapolis premier of internationally acclaimed guitarist Jason Vieaux in Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. In addition, the ASO is pleased to welcome Soprano Laura Choi Stuart who will be featured in De Falla’s The Three Cornered Hat. Music Director José-Luis Novo will conduct the orchestra in Turina’s Danzas Fantásticas, Gandados’ Intermezzo from Goyescas, and De Falla’s The Three Cornered Hat (Complete.). Tickets are $34-$44 with special $10 seats available for students ages 8-25. All ticket holders are invited to participate in ASO’s educational and entertaining Bank of America Pre-Concert Lecture Series featuring pianist and musicologist Dr. Rachel Franklin at 6:45 pm before each Lexus Classic Series performance.
One of America’s leading guitarists, Jason Vieaux is changing the face of guitar programming and building a solid audience and fan base along the way. As a result of his growing reputation for making “the single guitar seem like a body of instruments at work…an orchestra of sound…” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), Mr. Vieaux performs over 50 dates internationally each year. Highlights include the world premiere of a guitar concerto by renowned composer Jerod Tate with the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis, a Florida Orchestra debut, a “Carte Blanche” Series spot for the Music@Menlo Festival, and solo recitals in Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Cleveland.
Jason Vieaux has ten recordings to his credit and many more to come with his multi-record deal with Azica Records. His latest release, Images of Metheny, is a disc of music by American Jazz guitarist/composer Pat Metheny. Metheny, after listening to this landmark recording, declared: "I am flattered to be included in Jason's musical world. And I am honored that a musician of his stature has directed his considerable talents to manifest such beautiful and true renditions of these pieces in such a personal way." Sevilla: The Music of Isaac Albeniz, was rated one of the Top Ten Classical CDs of 2003 by The Philadelphia Inquirer and Cleveland’s Plain Dealer. Mr. Vieaux recorded his first CD when he was just 19; two years later this was followed by Laureate Series Guitar Recital on Naxos, which went on to sell over 40,000 copies internationally.
Mr. Vieaux is a regularly featured guest with orchestras across the United States. He has performed as concerto soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Pops, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Auckland Philharmonia, Santa Fe Symphony and San Diego Symphony, working with such conductors as Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Luis Biava, Jahja Ling, Rossen Milanov, Stefan Sanderling, Alasdair Neale, Steven Smith and Carl Topilow. As a passionate advocate of new music, Vieaux has premièred new pieces by José Luis Merlin, Eric Sessler, Arthur Hernandez, Gary Schocker and Fazil Say, and plays works by Allen Krantz, Mario Davidovsky, Augusta Read-Thomas, Roberto Sierra and John Corigliano. Aside from his duties as a performer, Mr. Vieaux is highly dedicated to the art of teaching. He currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio, where he is Head of the Cleveland Institute of Music Guitar Department, making him the youngest Department Head to serve at the prestigious conservatory.
Soprano Laura Choi Stuart is hailed as “a lyric soprano of ravishing quality” by the Boston Globe, and is at home on the operatic, concert, and recital stage. Recent performances include Gilda in Rigoletto with Commonwealth Opera, Frasquita in Carmen with Annapolis Opera, and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Opera North. Laura has performed extensively in concert and chamber settings, both in traditional repertoire such as Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’Eté, Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, and the Faure Requiem, and also in progressive works such as Louis Andriessen’s Trilogy of the Last Day and Hindemith’s Des Todes Tod. She has also gained recognition for her interpretation of art song and is currently performing on the Vocal Arts Society’s Art Song Discovery Series.
Maryland's capital city orchestra continues its 48th season under the leadership of José-Luis Novo, the ASO's sixth Music Director appointed in 2005 following a two-year national search. One of Spain’s most promising young conductors, José-Luis Novo also holds the position of Music Director and Conductor of the Binghamton Philharmonic. Prior to his appointments with the Annapolis and Binghamton orchestras, Mr. Novo held the positions of Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Music Director Emeritus Jesús López-Cobos, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Oxford (Ohio) Chamber Orchestra, and the Miami University Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the National Repertory Orchestra, Assistant Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Spain and of the Yale Symphony Orchestra. Since 1999, he has been a member of the conducting faculty at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The ASO is proud to also announce its participation in two programs benefitting the Maryland community. In partnership with the League of American Orchestras, the ASO is participating in Orchestras Feeding America, and will be collecting non-perishable food items at the March 27-28 concerts to benefit the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. The ASO is also participating in Arts Step Up In Support of State Employees. All Maryland state employees are offered a “Buy One, Get One Free” ticket offer valid for the remainder of the 2008-2009 season.
Single tickets to the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra Lexus Classic Series are $34-$44 for adults, and $10 for students ages 8 to 25. Special discounts are also available for those purchasing tickets to both this and the ASO’s final concert this season, Perchance to Dream, on May 1 and 2. For tickets, subscriptions, or further information, call the ASO Box Office at 410-263-0907 or visit and order online at www.annapolissymphony.org.
# # # Photos of José-Luis Novo, Jason Vieaux, and Laura Choi Stuart are available upon request.
