Midori Returns to The Bushnell with Boston Symphony Orchestra
Contact: Jennifer Gallagher (860) 987-6082; e-mail: jennifer_gallagher@bushnell.org
January 23, 2003, HARTFORD, CT - Heralded as one of the world's foremost violinists, Midori will join the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a concert at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, February 13, 2003. The concert will be held in The Bushnell's Mortensen Hall as part of the Webster Classical Series. Alan Gilbert will conduct. The program includes Kirchner's Music for Orchestra II, Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D minor, Opus 47 featuring Midori, and Schumann's Symphony No. 3 in E-flat, Opus 97, Rhenish. Tickets for the performance, which starts at 7:30 p.m., are available by visiting The Bushnell Box Office, located at 166 Capitol Avenue in Hartford, or by calling (860) 987-5900. Tickets are also available online at www.bushnell.org.
About Midori - In the 2002-03 season, violinist Midori will celebrate her 20th year of performing before the public. Her performing schedule, balanced between recitals with Robert McDonald and appearances with the most prestigious symphonic ensembles, will take her to the great concert stages of Europe, North America and the Far East. The new season also marks the 10th anniversary of Midori & Friends, the non-profit organization Midori founded to bring free music instruction programs throughout the school year to thousands of children who need them.
From January 23-28, 2003, Midori will celebrate her 20th anniversary by performing with the orchestra and conductor with whom she made her U.S. debut at the age of 11 - the New York Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta. Among the European orchestras Midori will perform with this season will be the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Berlin Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and Bayerischer Staatsorchester. In 2002-03 Midori will do three recital tours. Two will take her to Europe, with performances in Vienna, Barcelona, Madrid, London, Hamburg and Brussels. In March of 2003, she visits eight cities on the East Coast of the U.S., culminating in a recital at New York's Carnegie Hall on March 29, 2003. In the nearly two decades of her career, Midori has worked with artists such as Claudio Abbado, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Emanuel Ax, Jonathan Biss, Daniel Barenboim, Leonard Bernstein, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph Eschenbach, Nobuko Imai, Mariss Jansons, Yo-Yo Ma, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Sir Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zukerman. In past seasons, she has also appeared with such orchestras as the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, NDR Symphony Orchestra (Hamburg), Orchestre de Paris, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Orchestra and Vienna Philharmonic.
Midori's commitment to education extends beyond her foundation to her work with young violinists in master classes all over the world. This is in addition to lessons with students at the Manhattan School of Music, where Midori became a member of the violin faculty in 2001. Midori's unique talents and lively personality have brought her wide recognition in the media. Her television appearances have ranged from the 1992 Winter Olympic games telecast and several CNN programs to "CBS Sunday Morning," A&E's "Breakfast with the Arts," "Sesame Street" and "The Tonight Show."
Midori was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971 and began studying the violin with her mother, Setsu Goto, at a very early age. In 1982, when Zubin Mehta first heard her play, he was so impressed that he invited her to be a surprise guest soloist for the New York Philharmonic's traditional New Year's Eve concert, on which occasion she received a standing ovation and the impetus to begin a major career.
About The Boston Symphony Orchestra - The Boston Symphony Orchestra, now in its 122nd season, gave its inaugural concert on October 22, 1881 and has continued to uphold the vision of its founder, the philanthropist, Civil War veteran, and amateur musician Henry Lee Higginson, for more than a century.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra has performed throughout the United States, as well as in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, China and South America, and reaches audiences numbering in the millions through its performances on radio, television and its numerous recordings. It plays an active role in commissioning new works from today's most important composers; its summer season at Tanglewood is regarded as one of the world's most important music festivals; it helps develop the audience of the future through BSO Youth Centers and through a variety of outreach programs involving the entire Boston community; and, during the Tanglewood season, it sponsors the Tanglewood Music Center, one of the world's most important training grounds for young composers, conductors , instrumentalists and vocalists. The orchestra's virtuosity is reflected in the concert and recording activities of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, one of the world's most distinguished chamber ensembles made up of a major symphony orchestra's principal players. The activities of the Boston Pops Orchestra have established an international standard for the performance of lighter kinds of music. Overall, the mission of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is to make and present music at the highest possible level of achievement.
James Levine was appointed the 14th music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in October of 2001, succeeding Seiji Ozawa's 29-year tenure. Levine has acted as music director designate since September of 2002, and will become Music Director beginning with the 2004-2005 season.
Ticket and Performance Information - The Boston Symphony Orchestra featuring Midori will perform as part of the Webster Classical Series on Thursday, February 13, 2003 at 7:30 p.m. in the Mortensen Hall at The Bushnell. Tickets are available by calling (860) 987-5900 or online at www.bushnell.org. Tickets are also available at The Bushnell Box Office, located at 166 Capitol Avenue in Hartford. Ticket prices range from $28.00 to $75.00. Groups of 10 or more should call (860) 987-5959. The Box Office TTY number is (860) 987-6097.
About The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts - The Bushnell is Connecticut's premier performing arts center, hosting more than 450 events yearly, including major Broadway tours, symphony orchestras, family presentations, local arts and community events. In November 2001, The Bushnell completed a $45 million expansion project that added a second, 908-seat theater to the existing historic structure. The new, state-of-the-art performance hall allows for expanded arts, entertainment and community offerings. The Bushnell's nationally-recognized arts-in-education program, PARTNERS (Partners in Arts and Education Revitalizing Schools), is a cross-community educational effort serving 40 schools in 17 districts throughout the Greater Hartford area. The Bushnell opened in January 1930 and is a non-profit organization. For more information, call The Bushnell at (860) 987-6000, The Bushnell Box Office at (860) 987-5900 or visit our website at www.bushnell.org.