This just in from Heidi Dallin:
CHARLES FLOYD’S WORLD PREMIERE
PIANO CONCERTO AT CAPE ANN SYMPHONY ON SUNDAY MARCH 23
Cape Ann Symphony presents the world premiere Concerto for Piano and Orchestra by renowned pianist and composer Charles Floyd on Sunday, March 23 at 2:00 pm at the Cape Ann Symphony Performance Venue, Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. The March concert program also features the orchestra performing Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” and Brahms’ Tragic Overture. The Cape Ann Symphony concerts are held at the Manchester-Essex High School auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium is handicapped accessible. Ticket prices are $35 for adults, $30 for senior citizens, $20 for Young Adults (19-24 years old) and Free for children age 18 and under.
Cape Ann Symphony’s Open Rehearsal of the concert is Saturday, March 22 at 7:30 pm. at the Manchester-Essex High School auditorium. The public is invited to the Open Rehearsal during which Conductor Udagawa, guest artist Charles Floyd and the orchestra is scheduled to work on the music in the Sunday afternoon concert. Conductor Udagawa will take questions from the audience following the Open Rehearsal. Admission to the Open Rehearsal is $10 for Adults and Free for Children 18 and under. For tickets and information about the concert or the open rehearsal, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org
Following Charles Floyd’s acclaimed CAS debut in March 2012 with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, Maestro Udagawa and the Cape Ann Symphony commissioned Floyd to compose a world premiere Concerto for Piano and Orchestra for the Cape Ann Symphony. Maestro Udadgawa stresses the importance of commissioning new works, “We have a great repertoire of acknowledged masterpieces, but that alone is not enough to move orchestral forward. Every generation should be given a chance to participate in the creation and hearing of new works as they are the foundation of a healthy and lively symphonic musical culture. Would anyone say that all the great books or movies or paintings or dances or buildings have been created and there’s no reason to have any new ones? I wouldn’t think so. And if that is the case, why would we say that about orchestral music? The entire Cape Ann Symphony organization is committed to commissioning new works because we believe that that is a fundamental part of our mission to bring great orchestral music to our wonderful and supportive audiences.”
Born in Chicago, Charles Floyd has been heard in concert with over 500 orchestras since 1991 – including every Oregon Symphony Gospel Christmas concert since their annual performances began in 1999. Mr. Floyd is an annual guest conductor of the Boston Pops. Since 1993 his performances have included Gospel Night at Pops at Boston’s Symphony Hall, where his programs have featured such diverse artists as Grace Bumbry, Sting, Elton John, James Taylor, Jennifer Holliday, Doc Severinsen, Chris Botti, Stevie Wonder and Wynona Judd. In 1998 he was music director for the nationally broadcast PBS holiday special A Cathedral Christmas with Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves at the National Cathedral in Washington. Floyd’s eleven-year partnership with singer Natalie Cole included such projects as the multiple Grammy Award-winning tribute to Nat King Cole, Unforgettable, With Love; the Emmy Award-winning PBS Great Performances concert video of the same title; and the Grammy-winning releases Take a Look and Stardust.
As a composer, Mr. Floyd’s compositions range from chamber music to large orchestral and vocal works. A tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, One Man’s Dream, for narrator and orchestra was premiered by the Charlotte Symphony in 2001. His Four Spirituals for soprano and orchestra was premiered at Boston’s Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra in 1995, and his oratorio Hosanna for gospel chorus and orchestra premiered there in 2000. In July 2005 he conducted Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings Symphony at the request of the composer. In January 2009 he was the conductor for We Are One, the pre-inaugural celebration for President Barack Obama at the Lincoln Memorial.
Founded in Gloucester in 1951, the Cape Ann Symphony is a professional orchestra of over 70 players from throughout the New England area. They perform a subscription season of four concerts per year plus several Pops and youth concerts. The Symphony Board of Directors named Yoichi Udagawa the Music Director and Conductor of the Cape Ann Symphony in the summer of 2000 after a yearlong search. In addition to his leadership of Cape Ann Symphony, he is Music Director and Conductor of the Melrose Symphony Orchestra, and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra and a cover conductor at the Boston Pops Orchestra. Mr. Udagawa is on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory where he teaches conducting. Frequently invited to guest conduct, Mr. Udagawa has worked with many different orchestras including the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Nobeoka Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Indian Hill Symphony, the Garden State Philharmonic, the Brown University Orchestra, the Syracuse Society for New Music, the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, the Newton Symphony, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Mid-Texas Symphony.
Mr. Udagawa is at home in popular and contemporary music as well as the standard symphonic repertoire. He is known for his relaxed manner and ability to speak from the podium which has helped new audiences as well as enthusiasts gain a greater appreciation for symphonic music. His programs often include premieres of new works – some specially commissioned for the orchestra — as well as great orchestral works across the symphonic repertoire and lively Pops programs. He is also an integral part of the Cape Ann Symphony Youth Outreach programs to area schools.
Yoichi Udagawa, the son of a nuclear physicist father and singer/artist mother, was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. His family immigrated to the United States soon thereafter. He began playing the violin at age four and made his conducting debut at age fifteen. After receiving a music degree from the University of Texas at Austin, he continued advanced studies in conducting with Gunther Schuller, Seiji Ozawa, Morihiro Okabe, and Henry Charles Smith. A fan of many different styles of music, Mr. Udagawa also enjoys performing gospel music in addition to his conducting activities. He is also an accomplished violinist and an avid fan of exercise and yoga.
The Cape Ann Symphony’s 62nd season continues with the Piano Concerto World Premiere Concert Program on Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 2:00 pm at the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium is handicapped accessible. Ticket prices are $35 for adults, $30 for senior citizens, $20 for Young Adults (19-24 years old) and Free for children 18 years old and under. The Open Rehearsal is Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 7:30 pm at the Manchester-Essex High School auditorium. Admission for the Open Rehearsal is $10 for Adults and Free for Children 18 years old and under. For information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org
Good Morning Gloucester 