Tag: BSO

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

Posted on by Catherine

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

Photos 1 :  BSO Principal Cellist Blaise Dejardin, Guest Artist for March 19 Concert; Courtesy Photo
Photo 2: CAS Music Director and Conductor Yoichi Udagawa   
Photo 3: BSO Principal Cellist Blaise Dejardin, Guest Artist for March 19 Concert; Photo Credit: Toby Oft

Cape Ann Symphony Concert: A world Premiere! BSO Guest artists! Charles Floyd, Brahms, Beethoven, Lucia Lin and Owen Young March 20th

Posted on by Catherine

Heidi Dallin shares a reminder about Cape Ann Symphony 70th season spring concert which sounds incredible!

Cape Ann Symphony’s 70th Concert Season continues on Sunday, March 20, 2022, at 2:00 pm at the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA., featuring guest artists BSO violinist Lucia Lin and BSO cellist Owen Young, a poignant new work written for CAS by composer Charles Floyd, and classic works by Beethoven and Brahms. There will be no requirement for proof of vaccination nor Covid tests at this concert. The wearing of masks will be up to the individual. Single ticket prices are $45 for adults, $40 for senior citizens, $20 for students of any age; $5 for youth 12 years old and under. For information, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org

Cape Ann Symphony Music Director and Conductor Yoichi Udagawa looks forward to the eclectic program on March 20,

“We are so excited to bring our audience not only masterpieces of classical music from Beethoven and Brahms, but also the world premiere of a Charles Floyd work commissioned by Cape Ann Symphony. What an exciting afternoon of music!”

Yoichi Udagawa, Cape Ann Symphony Music Dir. & Conductor

Violinist Lucia Lin and cellist Owen Young return to CAS to perform Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra. Maestro Udagawa points out,

“The Brahms’ Double Concerto is the last major work for orchestra that the great composer wrote, and it’s a masterpiece. The way he weaves the violin and cello parts together with each other and the orchestra is beyond compare, and it has some of the most beautiful melodies he ever wrote. We are thrilled to be performing this with violinist Lucia Lin and cellist Owen Young of the Boston Symphony.”

Udagawa is also eager to share Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 with CAS audiences,

“The Beethoven Symphony No. 7 is one of his most popular works, and it combines everything about the music of Beethoven we love. His rhythmic drive, dramatic gesture, energy as well as lyricism and humor.”

About Composer, conductor, pianist Charles Floyd

Composer, conductor and pianist, Charles Floyd has been heard in concert with more than 500 orchestras in classical and pops performances, including annual appearances with the Boston Pops Orchestra. His eleven-year partnership with singer Natalie Cole included the multiple GRAMMY® Award- winning tribute to Nat King Cole entitled “Unforgettable, With Love;” Also the Emmy Award-winning PBS Great Performances concert video of the same title. Charles Floyd last appeared with CAS in 2015 when he performed the world premiere of his Piano Concerto to a sold-out audience and two standing ovations.  CAS Board President Fran White remembers the concert well, “The atmosphere in the building was electric! The audience would not let him leave the stage. Maestro Udagawa brought him back to the piano for an encore and he played an arrangement of America the Beautiful which he improvised as he played it! He received another standing ovation!”

About Hymn for the Fallen by Charles Floyd

Charles Floyd’s latest composition “Hymn for the Fallen” written for the Cape Ann Symphony is part of a larger work: The Fallen.

“Charles Floyd has written an incredible piece for Cape Ann Symphony. We are so proud to premiere this touching piece on March 20. Charles describes it so much better than I ever could, but I will say that we are really looking forward to preparing it and presenting it to our audience. Charles is a composer who has an amazing ability to create works that touch our hearts.”

Floyd wrote “Hymn for the Fallen” to highlight the sense of isolation and helplessness experienced since 2020. He describes the work as follows:

“Hymn for the Fallen” begins in isolation with violins commencing a tuneful exposition that is later joined by violas and cellos. The harmonies that build are bittersweet, but quite tonal in nature. Polytonality (the simultaneous use of two or more keys) plays a big role as a vehicle to prevent the emotional affect from feeling too ‘settled’ or too ‘sweet’. This is to reflect the notion that the emotional aspects of the past two years remain largely unsettled and unresolved. The final result is a haunting melody that is as sing-able as a hymn which (hopefully) does not gloss over the gravity of sadness rather than to honor with reverence the loss of a loved one. The rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and the insurmountable loss of life as a result of it, various riots, fear, brutality, extremism, civil unrest, confusion, grief, and violence inspired me to create a series of works called The Fallen of which “Hymn for The Fallen” is one. The series is not intended to be performed in one sitting. Rather it is a collection of works on a series of difficult topics.”

Charles Floyd on his beautiful work, Hymn for the Fallen, commissioned by CAS

About BSO violinist Lucia Lin

BSO violinist Lucia Lin made her debut performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the age of 11. Since then, she has been a prizewinner of numerous competitions, including the 1990 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. She has performed many solo recitals for the Cape Ann Symphony and throughout the U.S., making her New York debut at Carnegie Recital Hall in March 1991, and has appeared with the Boston Pops Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria. Ms. Lin is a member of the Muir String Quartet, the quartet in residence at Boston University. She is also a founding member of the Boston Trio and the chamber group Innuendo. Ms. Lin joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1985 and served as assistant concertmaster from 1988 to 1991 and 1996 to 1998.

About BSO Cellist Owen Young

Cellist Owen Young joined the BSO in August 1991. He is a frequent collaborator in chamber music concerts and festivals; he has also appeared as concerto soloist with numerous orchestras. One of the Cape Ann Symphony’s regular soloists, he also has appeared in the Tanglewood, Aspen, Banff, Davos, Sunflower, Gateway, Brevard, and St. Barth’s music festivals and is a founding member of the innovative chamber ensemble Innuendo. He has performed frequently with singer/songwriter James Taylor, including the nationally televised concert “James Taylor Live at the Beacon Theatre” in New York City. Mr. Young was formerly on the faculties of the Boston Conservatory, the New England Conservatory Extension Division, and the Longy School of Music; is currently on the faculty of Berklee College of Music; and is active in Project STEP (String Training and Education Program for students of color)

About Cape Ann Symphony

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.

About Yoichi Udagawa

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.

Buy tickets

Cape Ann Symphony’s Floyd, Beethoven, Brahms, Lin and Young Concert is Sunday, March 20, 2022, at 2:00 pm at the Manchester-Essex High School Auditorium on 36 Lincoln Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts.  Single ticket prices are $45 for adults, $40 for senior citizens, $20 for students of any age; $5 for youth 12 years old and under. There will be no requirement for proof of vaccination nor Covid tests at this concert. The wearing of masks will be up to the individual. They will not be required. For information or tickets, call 978-281-0543 or visit www.capeannsymphony.org