October 29, 2021
Please join me in welcoming to Pittsburgh our two new assistant conductors, Jacob Joyce and Moon Doh, who join us in November and January, respectively, each for a two-year term. Moon and Jacob are exceptionally talented and highly acclaimed young conductors who bring diverse backgrounds and engaging personalities both to the podium and to the community. Jacob will make his debut with the orchestra at the Light Up Night Concert on November 20, and Moon will make his podium debut in 2022. You can get to know more about them and their duties here in our press release.
- Thank you to the Committee for Employee Engagement & Belonging for the Coffee & Candy Meet-Up in the Grand Lobby on Thursday. It was a delightful way to say hello to old colleagues and new, and for a delicious midday caffeine and sugar boost.
ARTISTIC PLANNING
- It’s a double debut weekend as we present the PSO debut of Ukrainian guest conductor Kirill Karabits, along with our very own principal trumpet Micah Wilkinson, in his PSO subscription debut. At the center of our program is the colorful, fiery Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2, known as “The Little Russian,” performed this weekend on subscription for the first time in over 25 years. (The Pittsburgh Symphony recorded Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 with former Music Director Lorin Maazel in 1986.) We are pleased to feature Micah Wilkinson as soloist in two works, performing the iconic Haydn Trumpet Concerto along with the world premiere of a new arrangement of Scherzofor Trumpet and Orchestra by Anthony Plog. Anthony Plog joins us for the performances, while Stravinsky’s Suite from Pulcinella, a neo-classical glance back to the Baroque giant Giovanni Pergolesi, opens the program.
- Guest conductor Kirill Karabits, who has been described as a master of dynamic subtlety, “using minimal gestures, demonstrating exemplary precision and clarity. He makes the most of the nuances of every instrument…” Karabits has been Chief Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for 13 years, the first-ever Ukrainian conductor to be named principal conductor of a UK orchestra. He has worked regularly with many of the leading ensembles of Europe, Asia and North America, including the Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, Munich Philharmonic and the Vienna Symphony. A prolific opera conductor, Karabits has worked with the Deutsche Oper, Opernhaus Zürich, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, English National Opera and Bolshoi Theatre. He was named Conductor of the Year at the 2013 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards. Karabits spoke with WQED-fm’s Jim Cunningham at Heinz Hall this week; you can hear the conversation on WQED’s podcast page @thesymphony.
- Violinist Madeline Adkins joins us this weekend as Guest Concertmaster. Madeline currently serves as Concertmaster of the Utah Symphony Orchestra. Prior to this appointment, she was a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, performing as Associate Concertmaster from 2005-2016. A sought-after soloist, Madeline has appeared with orchestras in Europe, Asia, Africa, and in 24 of states in the U.S.
- We continue our season-long collaboration together with the Carnegie Museum of Art. This week’s pairing is Igor Stravinsky’s Suite from Pulcinella together with Salvador Dalí’s Theseus and the Minotaur, set of three stage curtains. Both works are emblematic of the many visual and musical artists connected to The Ballets Russes, the troupe having an extensive and revolutionary history of collaborating with artists across all disciplines. Dali created backdrops, costumes and curtains for the Ballets Russes Metropolitan Opera House production of Labyrinth, while Stravinsky composed Pulcinella at the request of Ballets Russes’ ground-breaking founder, Sergei Diaghilev. We invite you to learn more about the works in our program book, as well as visit the Carnegie Museum of Art to connect with the artwork directly.
MARKETING & SALES/COMMUNICATIONS:
The Brahms No. 4/MacMillan Larghetto for Orchestra CD continues to receive acclaim (including reviews in Fanfare and Classical Voice North America) and this week was named by the NYTimes classical music staff as one of the “5 Classical Albums to hear Right Now.” David Allen writes that moments are jaw-dropping (“There are moments when there is little to do but gawp at the excellence and the uses to which it is put…”) and that the recordings of Manfred and the PSO should be listened to “again and again.”
PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION:
Once again the Pittsburgh Symphony Association is planning a special house tour this year, Friday Nov 19 through Sunday, November 21. The Symphony Splendor Holiday House will feature one gilded mansion on Fifth Avenue that will be decorated on all three floors. Pittsburgh Symphony musicians will play throughout the home for the three day celebration with PSA docents welcoming visitors. There will be a special Preview Party on Thursday evening, November 18, from 6:30 to 9:00 to let guests get an early peek at the beautiful decorations, enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres, and perhaps buy a few early holiday presents at the Live Auction.
Melia Tourangeau
President & CEO
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Tel: 412.392.4863
Fax: 412.392.3305
www.pittsburghsymphony.org