Category: gloucester

CAPE ANN SYMPHONY

THE 64^th SEASON: A SEASON TO REMEMBER

Yoichi Udagawa, Music Director

THE SYMPHONIC SPECTACULAR

Launches Cape Ann Symphony’s 64^th Seas

Cape Ann Symphony kicks off the orchestra’s 64^th Concert Season on Saturday, September 26 at 8 pm with Symphonic Spectacular featuring a sultry program of timeless favorites from superstar composers Mussorgsky, Ravel and Gershwin at the CAS performance venue at Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. 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 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 $40 for adults, $35 for senior citizens, $5 for Youth age 18 and under. For tickets and information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org.

The concert program for the Symphonic Spectacular concert features passionate masterpieces including Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, George Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Maurice Ravel’s Boléro. Conductor Yoichi Udagawa offers a sneak peek into the evening’s program, “Composed of three virtuoso showpieces for orchestra, the first concert of the Cape Ann Symphony’s 64^th season is a symphonic triumph! These fascinating pieces really give the orchestra an opportunity to demonstrate their skill, musicianship and passion for music. Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is a tour de force in particular for the brass and woodwind players, An American in Paris by legendary composer George Gershwin paints a musical portrait of a singular city in a sparking display of orchestral color and Maurice Ravel’s Boléro is one relentless, unstoppable, inescapable musical build up and massive explosion that always makes audiences go absolutely wild and crazy. It will be an exciting and thrilling way to open the orchestra’s 64th Season, and we can’t wait to present it to our wonderful audiences.” Composer Maurice Ravel provides a link to all three pieces in the program: he orchestrated Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition gave lessons to Gershwin in Paris, and he wrote Bolero.

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.

Yoichi Udagawa, Cape Ann Symphony Music Director and Conductor

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 Symphonic Spectacular is Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 8:00 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 $40 for adults, $35 for senior citizens, $5 for Youth (18 years old and under). For information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org