FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Lois Cohn Associates
Lois Cohn, 917.733.8252, lcohn@lcohnpr.com
Christine Keeler, 954.856.1372, press@lcohnpr.com
The Opening Night Concert of the 2014 Caramoor Summer Music Festival
Featuring violinist Joshua Bell and Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Led by Cristian Macelaru
SATURDAY, JUNE 21 at 8:30 PM
KATONAH, NY – On Saturday, June 21, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts opens its 69th annual Summer Music Festival with an evening of dazzling performances by celebrated violinist Joshua Bell and Orchestra of St. Luke’s, led by conductor Cristian Macelaru, who has quickly earned praise for his thoughtful interpretations, poise, and energetic conviction. The concert features two dramatic and colorful works —the Sibelius Violin Concerto, in the skilled hands of Mr. Bell, and Ligeti’s Concert Românesc. The program closes with Bizet’s Symphony No. 1, written at age 17, a boisterous masterpiece of sophistication beyond the composer’s years.
CARAMOOR AND WQXR
As part of a new collaboration between Caramoor and WQXR, several concerts including Opening Night with Joshua Bell, Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia starring Angela Meade and closing night featuring Alisa Weilerstein and the Orchestra of St Luke’s led by Pablo-Heras Casado, will air on WQXR 105.9 FM, New York City’s sole classical station; its sister station, WQXW 90.3 serving Central and Northern Westchester; and online at www.wqxr.org – reaching online audiences across the region and around the globe.
TICKETS
Tickets for Caramoor’s Opening Night concert are $15, $35, $45, $55, $70, $80, and $100. To order tickets, call the Box Office at 914.232.1252 or visit www.caramoor.org. Groups of 16 or more may purchase discounted tickets by contacting Sal Vaccaro at 914.232.5035 ext. 256 or sal@caramoor.org.
PRESS TICKETS
For press tickets, artist bios and/or images, please contact Lois Cohn at 917.733.8252/212.874.7624 or lcohn@lcohnpr.com.
PROGRAM
OPENING NIGHT: Joshua Bell, Orchestra of St. Luke’s
SATURDAY, JUNE 21 AT 8:30 PM IN THE VENETIAN THEATER
$15, $35, $45, $55, $70, $80, $100
Joshua Bell, violin
Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Cristian Maelaru, conductor
Ligeti Concert Românesc
Sibelius Violin Concerto in d, Op. 47
Bizet Symphony in C
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Cristian Macelaru, conductor
Cristian Macelaru, who is currently Associate Conductor to Yannick Nézet-Séguin at the Philadelphia Orchestra, will make his Caramoor debut on opening night. Macelaru was one of three conductors selected by Pierre Boulez to conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in his absence. His 2013-14 season opened with a subscription week in Philadelphia, and included a debut with the National Symphony Orchestra and a return to the Chicago Symphony. He recently made two successful appearances with the Chicago Symphony as a replacement for Pierre Boulez, which had the Chicago Sun-Times exclaiming: “Macelaru is the real thing, displaying confidence without arrogance and offering expressiveness without excess demonstration.”
JOSHUA BELL, violinist
Often referred to as the “poet of the violin,” Joshua Bell is one of the world’s most celebrated violinists. He continues to enchant audiences with his breathtaking virtuosity, tone of sheer beauty, and charismatic stage presence. His restless curiosity, passion, universal appeal, and multi-faceted musical interests have earned him the rare title of “classical music superstar.” Recently named the Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Bell is the first person to hold this post since Sir Neville Marriner formed the orchestra in 1958. Bell serves on the artist committee of the Kennedy Center Honors and the Board of Directors of the New York Philharmonic.
ORCHESTRA OF ST. LUKE’S
Now in its 40th season, Orchestra of St. Luke’s (OSL) is one of America’s foremost and most versatile orchestras, regularly collaborating with the world’s greatest artists and performing approximately 70 concerts each year—including its Carnegie Hall Orchestra Series, Chamber Music Series at The Morgan Library & Museum and Brooklyn Museum, and summer residency at the Caramoor Music Festival. OSL has commissioned more than 50 new works; given more than 150 world, U.S., and New York City premieres; and appears on more than 90 recordings, including four Grammy Award-winning albums and seven releases on its own label, St. Luke’s Collection. Pablo Heras-Casado is the orchestra’s Principal Conductor.
ABOUT CARAMOOR
Caramoor is a performing arts center located on a unique 90-acre setting of Italianate architecture and gardens in Westchester County, NY. It enriches the lives of its audiences through innovative and diverse musical performances of the highest quality. Its mission also includes mentoring young professional musicians and providing educational programs for young children centered around music. Audiences are invited to come early to explore the beautiful grounds, tour the historic Rosen House, enjoy a pre-concert picnic, and discover beautiful music in the relaxed settings of the Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, Music Room of the Rosen House, and the magnificent gardens. To learn more, visit caramoor.org.
CONCERT VENUES & GARDENS
Summer concerts take place in two outdoor theaters: the 1,714-seat, acoustically superb Venetian Theater and the more intimate, romantic 558-seat Spanish Courtyard. In the fall and winter all concerts are presented in the magnificent Music Room in the Rosen House. Caramoor’s gardens, also used for concerts, are also well worth the visit and include nine unique perennial gardens. Among them are a Sense Circle for the visually handicapped, the Sunken Garden, a Butterfly Garden, the Tapestry Hedge, and the Iris and Peony Garden.
“In the Garden of Sonic Delights” (Sonic Delights) is a major open-air sound art exhibition presented by Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. Opening June 7, and continuing through the fall season, the exhibition, led by Curator and Artistic Director Stephan Moore, will include fifteen site-specific sound artworks. Caramoor commissioned sixteen established and emerging sound artists to choose distinctive locations at Caramoor and five partner organizations throughout Westchester County. In the Garden of Sonic Delights at Caramoor will be open Thursday-Sunday, 10AM-3PM. Admission is $10.00 (children 12 and under are free), including all-day access to the Caramoor grounds for the exhibit, picnics, and walks.
GETTING TO CARAMOOR
By car from the West Side of Manhattan and New Jersey, take the Saw Mill River Parkway north to Katonah. Exit at Route 35/Cross River. Turn right and, at the first traffic light, make a right turn onto Route 22 south. Travel 1.9 miles to the junction of Girdle Ridge Road. Follow the signs to Caramoor. (For detailed directions call 914.232.5035 and press 4, or online at www.caramoor.org). Parking at Caramoor is free.
By train, take the Harlem Division of the Metro-North Railroad to Katonah, New York. Taxi service from the station to Caramoor (5 minutes away) is available.
The 2014 Summer Music Festival is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Performances are made possible, in part, by ArtsWestchester with funds from Westchester County Government.
Performances are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is located at 149 Girdle Ridge RD, Katonah, NY
ALL PROGRAMS AND ARTISTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
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