Czech National Symphony Orchestra Comes To Lincoln With Spectacular Guest Soloists

The Czech National Symphony Orchestra takes the Lied Center stage with a breathtaking program including American pianist Maxim Lando and the Nebraska return of superstar violinist Sandy Cameron. 

PROGRAM

Jan Václav Hugo Voříšek, Sinfonia Re Maggiore, 1st Movement Allegro Noc Brio 

Felix Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64

Intermission

Antonin Dvořák, Piano Concerto G,  Op. 33.

Antonin Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 “From The New World” 

PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE

About the Artists

Czech National Symphony Orchestra

Under the direction of Music Director Steven Mercurio, the CNSO celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023. Recognized as one of Europe's first-rank symphonic ensembles and renowned for its versatility, the orchestra annually presents a broad program ranging from classical music concerts to contemporary genres, film scores, jazz and musicals. Since 2005 the Czech National Symphony Orchestra has also organized the summer Prague Proms Festival, which with its impressive array of prominent international performers, appeals to a diverse audience year in year out. 

Composers, conductors, and performers such as Ennio Morricone, Lalo Schifrin, James Morrison, Branford & Wynton Marsalis, Pino Donnagio, Giuliano Taviani, José Carreras, Danny Elfman, Vince Mendoza, Giuseppe Tornatore, Carl Davis, Steven Mercurio, Marcello Rota, Christian Lindberg, Chick Corea, Vladimir Cosma repeatedly come back to Prague to either record with the orchestra or perform in the beautiful Smetana Hall at Prague's Municipal House, the home concert stage of the orchestra. Highlights from recent concert seasons include a European tour with the legendary Ennio Morricone, and a Prague concert with Anna Netrebko. 

 Meanwhile in the studio the orchestra worked on recording Plácido Domingo and Vittorio Grigolo's new Christmas album, also collaborating with Ennio Morricone on his score for the new western film The Hateful Eight directed by Quentin Tarantino. Ennio Morricone then went on to win an Oscar after 500 movie credits! The soundtrack was recorded live and launched by Tarantino, Morricone, and the CNSO at Abbey Road Studios in December 2015. Following on from the collaboration with Columbia Artists Management Inc., the orchestra toured the USA in February and March 2016. In 2017, the orchestra toured extensively with Ennio Morricone and James Newton Howard. 

The CNSO has also renewed its longstanding cooperation with Andrea Bocelli, plus accompanied Rolando Villazon and Jonas Kaufmann. The orchestra has collaborated with some of the most prominent pop artists, such as Sting, George Michael, Natalie Cole, Dianne Reeves, Angélique Kidjo, Denise Donatelli, Ute Lemper, and great instrumentalists, such as James Morrison, Branford & Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Shew, Joe Lovano, John Abercrombie, John Patitucci, Dave Weckl, Chick Corea and many more.  

Sandy Cameron, Violin

Declared “brilliant” by the Washington Post, violinist Sandy Cameron is one of the most strikingly unique artists of her generation. Since her debut at the age of 12 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, Ms. Cameron has performed extensively as a soloist throughout the world. 

Ms. Cameron has been recognized on stages worldwide and in a variety of settings. The White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Adelaide Festival of the Arts in Australia are among a number of unique performance experiences Ms. Cameron has had. She has appeared at venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany, and the Sydney Opera House. Ms. Cameron has collaborated with numerous orchestras, including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Kirov Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, and Tokyo Philharmonic. 

The most noteworthy, and a truly rewarding experience of Ms. Cameron's career as a concert soloist is Danny Elfman's Violin Concerto, "Eleven Eleven". Mr. Elfman wrote this concerto for Ms. Cameron, and she had the great pleasure and honor of presenting the world premiere with conductor John Mauceri at the Prague Proms in June 2017. It was received with great success, and Ms. Cameron continues to enjoy performing the piece for audiences worldwide. Other recent special stage appearances include her partnership with Marco Beltrami on Bach by Beltrami, as well as performances for Cirque du Soleil, Tan Dun's Martial Arts Trilogy, and Danny Elfman's Music from the Films of Tim Burton. Ms. Cameron is also featured in performances with renowned jazz trumpeter-composer Chris Botti, with whom she has toured globally. Additionally, Ms. Cameron has written and performed her own musical arrangements for a number of productions at the Hollywood Bowl, including Disney's The Nightmare Before Christmas Live in Concert, Disney's The Little Mermaid Live in Concert, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Live in Concert, and Disney's Beauty and the Beast Live in Concert. 

Maxim Lando, Piano

American pianist Maxim Lando has been described as a “dazzling fire-eater” (ARTS San Francisco) and “a total musical being” (The New Criterion). He was lauded by Anthony Tommasini in the New York Times as displaying “brilliance and infectious exuberance” combined with “impressive delicacy” and a “wild-eyed danger.” 

Maxim first made international headlines performing together with Lang Lang, Chick Corea, and The Philadelphia Orchestra led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Carnegie Hall's 2017 Opening Night Gala. Since then, he has performed with major orchestras around the world including Pittsburgh Symphony, Russian National Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Hawaii Symphony, and many others. 

 A recipient of the prestigious Gilmore Young Artist Award, Maxim is also First Prize winner in both the 2022 New York Franz Liszt International Competition and The Vendome Prize 2021/22. He continues to garner international attention on the largest stages, this past year returning to Carnegie Hall to perform Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 with Orchestra of St. Luke's led by Gabor Hollerung. As winner of the 2021 Juilliard Concerto Competition, he made his Alice Tully Hall debut performing Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Juilliard Orchestra led by Xian Zhang. 

Steven Mercurio, Music Director

Maestro Steven Mercurio is an internationally acclaimed conductor and composer who is currently the Music Director of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Notably, Mercurio also served as Music Director of the Spoleto Festival for five years and Principal Conductor for the Opera Company of Philadelphia. A sought after collaborator for many award winning recordings, arrangements and film projects. 

For the stage, he has conducted more than sixty different operas in seven different languages. His engagements have taken him to many of the world's best loved opera houses. In addition to Maestro Mercurio's operatic repertoire, his symphonic appearances have spanned the globe appearing throughout Europe, Australia, the Far East and broadly throughout the United States. 

Maestro Mercurio has conducted countless operatic and symphonic television broadcasts including the internationally acclaimed, ”Christmas in Vienna" series highlighted by the best-selling “Three Tenors” (Carreras – Domingo – Pavarotti). Distinguished telecasts have also included Maestro Mercurio conducting the RAI's production of “Christmas from the Church of San Francesco in Assisi,” or Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 with his own Czech National Symphony Orchestra for ARTE in commemoration of the Beethoven 250th Anniversary celebration. 

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