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PRESS RELEASE
November 17, 2011
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Media Contact: Chris Rancier
cell: 505-263-2959
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New Mexico Philharmonic Season Opens December 10th
Gala Opening Concert at Popejoy Hall Features
Tchaikovsky and Copland
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALBUQUERQUE, NM, November 17, 2011-Thanks to the determination of community members and musicians, Albuquerque will once again have the privilege of hearing a symphonic orchestra in Popejoy Hall. The 2011-2012 Season of the New Mexico Philharmonic will open with music that evokes the passions of Russia and the familiar and comforting sounds of Americana. On Saturday, December 10th at 6 p.m. a crowd of classical music fans will stream into Popejoy Hall to await the signature moment when the lights dim, the conductor raises his baton, and the opening notes are played. The season opening features Tchaikovsky’s Symphony #5 and Aaron Copland’s Rodeo and Old American Songs conducted by Robert Tweten, with soprano soloist Kirsten Lear. Canadian native and Santa Fe resident Maestro Robert Tweten has conducted for a number of opera companies in both the U.S. and Canada, and currently serves as Assistant Conductor for Chicago’s Lyric Opera and Head of Music Staff for the Santa Fe Opera. His stellar career has included the roles of Chorus Master and Head Coach of the Canadian Opera Company, conductor for the Musical Theater Studio Ensemble as well as a coach for the Opera and Musical Theater Program for the Banff Center of Fine Arts, as well as a stint with the Houston Grand Opera. While he has had a very active career as a conductor, he is equally at home as a piano recitalist, performing with many of today’s most prominent singers in venues such as New York’s Lincoln Center, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, Los Angeles’ Disney Hall, Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu, La Monnaie in Brussels, the Zurich Opera House, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, London’s Wigmore Hall, and the Salzburg Festival. Mezzo soprano Kirsten Lear’s performing career has included opera, musical theater, recital and soloist with symphony orchestras. After graduating Magna cum Laude from both Carnegie-Mellon University in Theater, and Syracuse University in Musical Theater, she went on to perform with the Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Canadian Opera, and the Pacific Opera in Victoria, BC. She played the role of Giry in the Toronto Broadway production of Phantom of the Opera. Lear made her national television debut performing Alice in Wonderland in the Rhombus Media production of Fragments of Alice that was broadcast on PBS.Lear grew up on a ranch in northern New Mexico and is well-known in the Santa Fe area, often performing with the Santa Fe Symphony, as well as the Taos Chamber Music Group, Theaterworks’ “The Sound of Music” at the Lensic, and with Albuquerque’s modern ensemble, Chatter.Details on the remaining concerts in the 2011-2012 Season and information on ticket sales can be found on New Mexico Philharmonic’s website, www.nmphil.org. |
The New Mexico Philharmonic was formed in the spring of 2011 by a group of professional musicians and supporters whose goal it is to present exceptional live performances of classical music to audiences in Albuquerque and throughout New Mexico. The New Mexico Philharmonic is a non-profit corporation recognized as a charitable 501(c)(3) organization by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Contributions are tax deductible as allowed by the IRS.
To learn more about upcoming performances or to become a volunteer, please visit www.nmphil.org. Donations are gratefully accepted here. |
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