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ANNAPOLIS SYMPHONY CELEBRATES COMMUNITY

THROUGHOUT 2010-2011 SEASON

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The award-winning Annapolis Symphony Orchestra’s 2010-2011 season will be particularly meaningful as it celebrates music and community like never before, with performances that address issues relevant to our lives and our surroundings. This community spirit will be the hallmark of the season, with a full series of concerts at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts led by Music Director José-Luis Novo. Concertgoers can purchase a variety of packages from a full Classic Concert Series or flexible three or four-concert packages, with special student rates also available. First-time subscribers receive a 25% discount on all Classic Series subscriptions. As the premiere performing arts organization in Anne Arundel County, the ASO’s orchestra members include some of the finest musicians from throughout Maryland and the mid-Atlantic, and regularly features internationally acclaimed guest artists.

2010-2011 LEXUS CLASSIC SERIES

The season opens on October 1 and 2, 2010 with Celebrating Hispanic Heritage featuring renowned Latin American works and artists, including one of the preeminent performers from the tango orchestra world, Daniel Binelli on the unique bandoneón. The internationally renowned master of the bandoneón, the Argentinian Binelli is widely acclaimed as the foremost exponent and torchbearer of the music of Astor Piazzolla. He will be performing the celebrated “Aconcagua” Concerto for Bandoneón. Other selections include Gabriela Frank’s Three Latin American Dances, Gershwin’s Cuban Overture, and Ginastera’s Estancia Suite.

In Side by Seaside on November 5 and 6, the ASO teams up with the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra, one of the nation's finest collegiate orchestras, to focus on the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Featuring Debussy’s La Mer, Britten’s Peter Grimes: Four Sea Interludes, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, these seafaring and pastoral works demonstrate the importance of our Chesapeake Bay environs and the influence of the seas on composers.

The ASO will highlight the importance of the arts in our community with Pure Artistry on February 18 and 19, 2011. This performance features Mozart’s quintessential Symphony No. 40 in G Minor along with works by Ravel and Harbison that showcase the extraordinary artistry of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. Violinist Elena Urioste, one of today’s most extraordinary emerging artists, will also join the ASO for Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, considered one of the greatest violin concertos of all time. Urioste has been hailed by critics and audiences for her rich tone, nuanced lyricism, and commanding stage presence. She performs on a distinguished Gagliano violin (c. 1706, Naples) on loan from the private collection of Annapolitan Dr. Charles E. King.

On March 25 and 26 the ASO puts things in perspective with To Good Health, examining three composers whose short lives might have resulted in even greater output with today’s much debated health care. Bartók, Schubert, and Mozart all left an extraordinary opus of work despite their relatively short lives. The acclaimed pianist Jeremy Denk, winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21. The New York Times has described Denk’s playing as "bracing, effortlessly virtuosic and utterly joyous,"

The 2010-2011 Lexus Classic series will conclude with Recycling Redefined on May 6 and 7, 2011. The innovative program demonstrates the resourcefulness of composers reusing musical material, as showcased in Brahm’s Variations on a Theme by Haydn and Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances. Plus the exceptional Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman performs the demanding Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto on the Leopold Auer Stradivarius, the violin for which the concerto was written.

ASO HOLIDAY POPS AND FAMILY CONCERTS

Other much loved concert choices are the seasonal Holiday Pops concert on December 17, 2010, with the Capitol Quartet, and the ASO’s Family Concerts for young families which will present the out-of-this-world Symphony in Space on October 23, 2010.

The Holiday Pops will feature the acclaimed Capitol Quartet performing with the ASO. This DC-based yet world-traveled saxophone quartet is one of the most exciting ensembles performing today. Their high-energy holiday show will get you in the spirit for the season with holiday classics and swinging arrangements.

The 2010 Family Concert will integrate music and science as students embark on a journey with the ASO and experience the celestial sounds of Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra, Holst’s The Planets, and famous themes from movies like Star Trek and E.T. Audiences of all ages will learn how the sky above has inspired composers to create music as vast and awe-inspiring as the stars themselves. Orchestra musicians will also demonstrate their instruments and play selections in “Meet the Musicians” before and after each concert.

2010 LEXUS SUMMER SERIES AT QUIET WATERS PARK

The ASO is excited to announce that the 2010 Annapolis Symphony Lexus Summer Series will return to Labor Day Weekend with a concert celebrating the 20^th Anniversary of Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis. The Quiet Waters Park Celebration will be presented free of charge on September 5, 2010 at the Quiet Waters Park amphitheater. (Due to venue changes at Anne Arundel Community College, the ASO will be unable to present its Fourth of July concert this summer.)

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

The ASO continues to offer its free Bank of America Pre-Concert Lectures by University of Maryland musicologist Dr. Rachel Franklin at 6:45 p.m. prior to all Lexus Classic Series concerts. In addition, children and families may “Meet the Musicians” at 1:00 and 4:30 p.m. on the day of Family Concerts. The ASO’s education and outreach programs—including the ASO Music Van, Adopt-A-School program, Orfeo Alliance, Educational Concerts and more—also continue throughout the season.

MAESTRO JOSÉ-LUIS NOVO

In just a few years at the helm of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, José-Luis Novo has managed to instill a new artistic vision and leave his personal imprint. A continuous drive for artistic excellence, innovative thematic programming, and collaborations with some of today’s most respected guest artists, have resulted in unprecedented artistic growth, enthusiastic reviews and a general sense of excitement. Some of the ASO’s highlights during Maestro Novo’s tenure include a 2006 debut concert appearance at Strathmore Hall, a 2008 ASCAP Adventurous Programming Award, and the recent launching of the ASO’s first professionally produced CD commemorating the 300^th anniversary of the signing of Annapolis’ Royal Charter. The successful partnership between Mr. Novo and the ASO has received consistent critical acclaim:

“This entire evening was a series of glorious musical experiences that demonstrated the level of musical sophistication the ASO has attained.” - The Capital.

“Novo's feeling for Bartók's arch form unified it all and gave this performance a sweep and power that were truly memorable.” - The Washington Post.

“…the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra unleashed a nasty, unremittingly exciting Shostakovich 10^th that showed off the strengths of the ensemble that already has been reconfigured during Novo's brief tenure.” - The Baltimore Sun.

Subscriptions for the 2010-2011 season are now on sale. Single tickets will go on sale August 30, 2010. For tickets, subscriptions, or further information, call the ASO Box Office at 410-263-0907 or visit and order online at www.annapolissymphony.org.

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Photos of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Music Director José-Luis Novo, and soloists Daniel Binelli, Elena Urioste, Jeremy Denk, Vadim Gluzman, and the Capitol Quartet are available upon request.

The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra is supported in part by the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, and the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. Funding for the Maryland State Arts Council is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, which believes that a great nation deserves a great art.