92Y Presents Cellist Steven Isserlis In Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Debut

On Sunday, December 9, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. at Kaufmann Concert Hall, 92nd Street Y presents Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with 2017 Grammy-nominated British cellist Steven Isserlis in C.P.E. Bach's Cello Concerto in A Major, H. 439, part of a growing partnership between Orpheus and 92Y. The concert marks Isserlis's long-awaited Orpheus debut.

The program, titled Bleeding Hearts, also features the US premiere of the 100-year-old Symphony for String Orchestra in A-Flat Major by Hans Rott and Mahler's arrangement of Schubert's highly emotional Death and the Maiden. The program will be premiered on December 8, 2018 at The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College in Purchase, NY.

Program Information
Bleeding Hearts
Sunday, December 9, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.
92nd Street Y | Kaufmann Concert Hall
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Steven Isserlis, cello

Rott: Symphony for String Orchestra in A-Flat Major (US Premiere)
CPE Bach: Cello Concerto in A Major, H. 439
Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden" (arr. Gustav Mahler)

Ticket Information
Subscriptions are available at orpheusnyc.org or by calling (212) 896-1704. 92Y single tickets can be purchased at 92Y.org or by calling (212) 415-5500.

About Steven Isserlis
Acclaimed worldwide for his profound musicianship and technical mastery, British cellist Steven Isserlis enjoys a unique and distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, author and broadcaster.

As a concerto soloist he appears regularly with the world's leading orchestras and conductors. Unusually, he also directs chamber orchestras from the cello in classical programmes. As a chamber musician, he has curated series for many of the world's most famous festivals and venues, including the Wigmore Hall, 92Y in New York, and the Salzburg Festival.

He also takes a strong interest in authentic performance. In recital, he gives frequent concerts with harpsichord and fortepiano. He is also a keen exponent of contemporary music and has premiered many new works including John Tavener's The Protecting Veil, Thomas Adès's Lieux retrouvés, Stephen Hough's Sonata for Cello and Piano, Les Adieux, Wolfgang Rihm's Concerto in One Movement, David Matthews' Concerto in Azzurro, and For Steven and Hilary's Jig by György Kurtág.

Writing and playing for children is another major enthusiasm. He has written the text for three musical stories for children - Little Red Violin, Goldiepegs and the Three Cellos, and Cindercella. Steven Isserlis' books for children about the lives of the great composers have been translated into multiple languages. As an educator Steven Isserlis gives masterclasses all around the world, has been Artistic Director of the International Musicians' Seminar at Prussia Cove in Cornwall since 1997. As a writer and broadcaster, he contributes regularly to publications including Gramophone, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian, has guest edited The Strad magazine, and makes regular appearances on BBC Radio.

The recipient of many awards, Steven Isserlis's honours include a CBE in recognition of his services to music, the Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau, and the Piatigorsky Prize in the USA. He is also one of only two living cellists featured in Gramophone's Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was awarded the Glashütte Original Music Festival Award in Dresden, the Wigmore Hall Gold Medal, and the Walter Willson Cobbett Medal for Services to Chamber Music. He gives most of his concerts on the Marquis de Corberon (Nelsova) Stradivarius of 1726, kindly loaned to him by the Royal Academy of Music. Learn more at http://stevenisserlis.com/.

About Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra creates extraordinary musical experiences that enrich lives and empower individuals through collaboration, innovation, education, and a passion for artistic excellence. Orpheus strives to be the world's premier chamber orchestra by performing music at the highest level without a conductor, challenging artistic boundaries, inspiring the public to think and work with new perspectives, and building a broad and active audience in New York City and around the world.

Orpheus was founded in 1972 by a group of like-minded young musicians determined to combine the intimacy and warmth of a chamber ensemble with the richness of an orchestra. Orpheus performs without a conductor, rotating musical leadership roles for each work with a focus on presenting diverse repertoire through collaboration and open dialogue. The ensemble has commissioned and premiered 48 original works. Orpheus recordings include the Grammy Award-winning Shadow Dances: Stravinsky Miniatures for Deutsche Grammophon, and over 70 other recordings for DG, Sony Classical, EMI Classics, BMG/RCA Red Seal, Decca, and others, including its own label, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Records.

Orpheus presents an annual concert series in New York City featuring performances at Carnegie Hall and the 92nd Street Y, as well as an intimate Twilight chamber series in the elegant instrument showroom at Tarisio Fine Instruments and Bows in midtown Manhattan. The orchestra also tours extensively to major national and international venues. The 2018-19 season features five new-to-Orpheus artists and Now Hear This!, a new initiative dedicated to reimagining musical gems of the past with new orchestration by top-notch composers. Beloved Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii opens the Carnegie Hall series with Chopin's Second Piano Concerto. Orpheus welcomes vibrant mandolin and accordion duo Avi Avital and Ksenija Sidorova, who will treat audiences to a reinvention of their time-honored instruments in a novel rearrangement of Bach. Spanish pianist Javier Perianes joins Orpheus for Mozart's last Piano Concerto No. 27. Orpheus' American Notes initiative welcomes Golden Globe-, GRAMMY- and Emmy-nominated composer Benjamin Wallfisch and New York favorite James Matheson for two new works commissioned by Orpheus. British cellist Steven Isserlis opens Orpheus' new 92Y series to explore the thrilling emotions of C.P.E. Bach's Concerto in A Major. The season ends with a flourish: Richard Strauss' rendering of a fabled trickster, played in a lively arrangement for chamber ensemble. Iranian harpsichord virtuoso Mahan Esfahani juggles tradition and disruption in a chamber symphony reworking of Mozart's Quintet for Piano and Winds by Jean Françaix.

About Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Engagement Initiatives
Orpheus has trademarked its signature mode of operation, the Orpheus Process, an original method that places democracy at the center of artistic execution. It has been the focus of studies at Harvard University and of leadership seminars at IBM, Morgan Stanley, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital, among others. Orpheus aims to bring this unique approach to students of all ages through its worldwide education and engagement programs: Access Orpheus-NYC, Orpheus Music Academy, Orpheus Leadership Institute, and Orpheus Reflections.

Access Orpheus-NYC shares the orchestra's collaborative music-making process with K-12 public school students from all five boroughs in New York City. While New York is among the cultural capitals of the world, many schoolchildren are underserved in arts participation. Access Orpheus-NYC helps to bridge this gap with in-class visits, invitations to working rehearsals, instrument petting zoos, public masterclasses, and underwritten tickets for performances at Carnegie Hall.

Orpheus Music Academy encompasses Orpheus' programs for intermediate and advanced music students. Orpheus musicians share their artistry, expertise, and collaborative approach to music-making through masterclasses with Orpheus musicians and guest artists, side-by-side workshops, and residencies on tour.

Orpheus Leadership Institute brings the Orpheus Process to the private and nonprofit sectors and educational institutions to empower the leaders of tomorrow through collaborative management training. Teams of all kinds participate in customizable programs to gain insight from Orpheus' democratic process and develop essential skills in communication, collective ownership, and creative problem solving.

Orpheus Reflections brings the transformative power of music to people with Alzheimer's Disease and dementia as well as their caregivers. Trained by CaringKind, New York City's leading expert on dementia, Orpheus musicians lead intimate performances and conversation with audiences impacted by these challenging diseases. For more information about Orpheus, please visit orpheusnyc.org or call 212.896.1700.

*Photo of Steven Isserlis by Satoshi Aoyagi