Minnesota Orchestra's Season Opens With a Paulus and Paulus

The Minnesota Orchestra launches its 109th season-its ninth under Music Director Osmo Vänskä-with the world premiere of a major new work titled TimePiece, a cutting-edge composition for jazz soloists and orchestra co-written by acclaimed Minnesota-based composer Stephen Paulus and his son, 27-year-old professional trumpet player Greg Paulus. Greg Paulus himself performs as trumpet soloist in the four-movement TimePiece, which melds jazz and classical styles along with electronic elements. He is joined by pianist Bryan Nichols and three members of the improvisational ensemble Fat Kid Wednesdays: saxophonist Mike Lewis, bass player Adam Linz and drummer J.T. Bates. The program includes two additional American works rooted in jazz, George Antheil's A Jazz Symphony and John Adams' Fearful Symmetries, and concludes with Ravel's colorful fantasia on a mesmerizing theme, Boléro.

The concert is performed three times at Orchestra Hall: on Thursday, September 29, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, September 30, at 8 p.m.; and Saturday, October 1, at 8 p.m., with ticket prices ranging from $26 to $84. For tickets, call (612) 371-5656 or visit the Orchestra's website, minnesotaorchestra.org.

TimePiece: A cross-country family collaboration

TimePiece marks a new direction in the long-standing relationship between Stephen Paulus and the Minnesota Orchestra, which dates to his tenure as composer in residence from 1983 to 1987, and has yielded such works as the Concerto for Two Trumpets and Orchestra, premiered by Doc Severinsen and Manny Laureano, and the Holocaust memorial oratorio To Be Certain of the Dawn.
"I approached [Music Director] Osmo Vänskä in 2007 about the idea of a major work for top-notch local jazz performers and orchestra, and he said that's exactly the sort of thing the Orchestra should be doing," says Stephen Paulus. "Then as [my son] Greg grew as a musician and his style evolved, our ideas for the piece evolved as well. We've written a work that uses very contemporary jazz and classical languages, with some of the music improvised on the spot, along with electronic elements that will be blurred together with the live performance in a variety of ways. Osmo himself will even get into the performing act, playing a jazz clarinet solo that starts the third movement."
Comments Greg Paulus: "This is my first time collaborating creatively with my father on a large project-though we had previously spent many hours at the piano, sharing ideas and trading chord progressions and melodies. We've always wanted to work together, but we were waiting for an idea that seemed not only inspired, but natural to our respective fields."
Greg and Stephen Paulus composed the 30-minute TimePiece during a year-long collaboration spanning New York and Minnesota. The first movement, titled Rain (all day), is an expansion of Greg Paulus' piece of the same title originally written for electronic instruments. Stephen Paulus describes the other movements as including "lush harmonies, a crazy scherzo, and a finale that is tinged with nostalgia and a sense of mystery."

Stephen Paulus, composer

Stephen Paulus has written 50-plus works for orchestra, ten operas and more than 200 choral works. He has been commissioned by such ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and his operas have been performed by the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Washington Opera, Minnesota Opera and many additional companies across the U.S. Among his current projects are a violin concerto for the Cleveland Orchestra and its concertmaster William Preucil, and new operas for both the University of New Mexico and the Church of Saint Ignatius Loyola in New York City. He is a co-founder of the American Composers Forum, the nation's premier composer service organization. His music is published by his own firm, Paulus Publications, Inc., and by Schott Music Corp. of New York. For more information, visit stephenpaulus.com.

Greg Paulus, composer and trumpet soloist

St. Paul native Greg Paulus is a composer, producer and performer based in Brooklyn, New York. He tours extensively with the electronic production team No Regular Play, which performs in major clubs and electronic music venues around the world. Since 2010 he has played trumpet and keyboard in the band of electronic pop artist Matthew Dear. He also produces and performs as a solo artist, and regularly organizes concerts and events in Brooklyn. He developed skills in both jazz and classical trumpet before earning a bachelor's degree at the Manhattan School of Music.

Minnesota Orchestra Classical Concerts
VÄNSKÄ OPENS THE SEASON: BOLÉRO

Thursday, September 29, 2011, 7:30 p.m. / Orchestra Hall
Friday, September 30, 2011, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall
Saturday, October 1, 2011, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall
Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, conductor
Greg Paulus, trumpet
Mike Lewis, saxophone
Bryan Nichols, keyboards
Adam Linz, bass
J.T. Bates, drums

ANTHEIL A Jazz Symphony
S. PAULUS / G. PAULUS TimePiece for Jazz Soloists and Orchestra [World Premiere]
ADAMS Fearful Symmetries
RAVEL Boléro

Tickets: $26-$84

Music Up Close: Concert Preview with Phillip Gainsley - Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m.; Sept 30 & Oct. 1, 7 p.m.
Barrage

Individual tickets are available for purchase through Minnesota Orchestra Ticket Services at 11th and Marquette in Minneapolis, online at minnesotaorchestra.org or by calling (612) 371-5656 or (800) 292-4141. For groups of 10 or more, call (612) 371-5662 or (800) 292-4141, ext. 662. Prices listed do not include a $5.75 service charge per transaction for all phone or mail orders. Save $1 by purchasing tickets online or by having the Orchestra e-mail your tickets. There are no service charges for subscribers, group purchasers or in-person transactions at the Orchestra Hall Box Office. A non-discountable $3.50 facility fee is included in the price of each individual ticket. No refunds. Some fees and restrictions may apply to ticket exchanges. All sales are final. All programs, artists, dates and times subject to change.

Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the Minnesota Orchestra's 2011-12 season.

The Star Tribune is the Minnesota Orchestra's media partner for the 2011-12 season.

This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.