What’s on the Program? Cape Ann Symphony this weekend!

Heidi Dallin shares a reminder about this weekend’s gorgeous concert program:

CAPE ANN SYMPHONY 71st SEASON

March 19, 2023 2:00 PM

Brahms, Dvorak

& featuring special guest soloist, Blaise Déjardin  – Boston Symphony Orchestra Principal Cellist

Cape Ann Symphony’s 71st Concert Season continues on Sunday, March 19 at 2 pm with Brahms, Dvorak & Déjardin featuring the CAS return of Boston Symphony Orchestra Principal Cellist Blaise Déjardin at the CAS performance venue, Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. For tickets or information, call 978-281-0543 or visit http://www.capeannsymphony.org

The orchestra opens the concert with Brahms’ powerful Symphony No. 1 in c minor, a piece which Brahms struggled with for years to complete. Cape Ann Symphony welcomes back Boston Symphony Orchestra Principal cellist Blaise Déjardin to close the concert with Dvorak’s stirring Cello Concerto. Déjardin made his CAS debut in March 2017 with his acclaimed performance of Saint-Saens’ elegant Cello Concerto.

“Our concert on March 19th will feature two great works and one amazing soloist,” points out CAS Music Director and Conductor Yoichi Udagawa.

“The Brahms Symphony No. 1 took almost 20 years for Brahms to write and is full of passion and struggle. It’s a fiery piece, and a perfect match for the passionate Cello Concerto by Dvorak. Dvorak wrote this concerto here in America and is full of gorgeous melodies – one after another. Our soloist, Blaise Déjardin is the principal cellist of the Boston Symphony, and he is an incredible musician. The musicians of the orchestra and I are really looking forward to presenting this concert to our wonderful audience!”

Yoichi Udagawa

About Blaise Déjardin

Born in Strasbourg, France, cellist Blaise Déjardin made his orchestra debut at age fourteen, performing Haydn’s C Major Concerto at the Corum of Montpellier, France. He was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester, as well as a founding member of A Far Cry. A dedicated chamber musician, he spent two summers at Ravinia’s Steans Institute for Young Artists prior to joining the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2008. That same year, he gave the US premiere of Les formes du vent for cello solo by French composer Edith Canat de Chizy.

In 2010, he founded the acclaimed Boston Cello Quartet with three of his colleagues from the BSO cello section. The Boston Cello Quartet’s diverse playlist and fresh style quickly drew an international following ranging from seasoned symphonic audiences to modern music lovers who had never attended a chamber music concert.

An accomplished and in demand arranger as well, he has written numerous pieces for cello ensembles, which led to three consecutive ASCAP Plus Awards. Commissions include Yo-Yo Ma, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and A Far Cry. In 2013 he launched Opus Cello, his online sheet music publishing company.

A prizewinner at numerous international competitions, including a First Prize at the Maurice Gendron International Cello Competition (2005), he has performed as soloist with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, the French Camerata, and many others.

In 2019 Déjardin released the album MOZART New Cello Duos with cellist Kee-Hyun Kim, featuring his own transcriptions. He also appears on both Boston Cello Quartet albums Pictures and The Latin Project. His first album as principal cello of the BSO, Ades Conducts Ades, was released by Deutsche Gramophone in 2020.

Mr. Déjardin holds a First Prize of Cello with highest honors from the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique of Paris, as well as a Master of Music Diploma and a Graduate Diploma from the New England Conservatory in Boston. His main teachers were Philippe Muller, Laurence Lesser and Bernard Greenhouse. He now teaches privately and is on the faculty of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School and the Tanglewood Music Center. He has served as Artistic Director of the Boston Cello Society since its creation in 2015.

About Cape Ann Symphony and Maestro Udagawa

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. Maestro. Udagawa is on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory where he teaches conducting. Frequently invited to guest conduct, Maestro 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. Maestro 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 Initiative.

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 an accomplished violinist and an avid fan of exercise and yoga.

The Cape Ann Symphony’s March concert: Brahms, Dvorak & Déjardin is Sunday, March 19, 2023 at 2:00 pm at the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium is handicapped accessible. Ticket prices are $45 for adults, $40 for senior citizens, $5 for Youth (12 years old and under). For information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org