John Eliot Gardiner & ORR Launch U.S. 'Berlioz Series 2018'

Sir John Eliot Gardiner (photo: Chris Christodolou for the BBC Proms) When the Berlioz Series 2018 - their transatlantic tour in anticipation of the composer's 150th anniversary - took Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique to London's BBC Proms last month, the critical response was euphoric. Their performance scored five-star reviews in The Times of London, the Arts Desk, and the Financial Times, which concluded: "Berlioz has no idea what he missed." Now the series sees the orchestra and Gardiner - the winner of more Gramophone Awards than any other living artist - return to the States for concerts in Chapel Hill, NC (Oct 10), Ann Arbor, MI (Oct 12), and at New York's Carnegie Hall (Oct 14 & 15).

In Chapel Hill and at Carnegie Hall, the conductor leads performances of Harold en Italie, La mort de Cléopâtre, excerpts from Les Troyens, and the Corsaire overture, with solo appearances from mezzo-soprano Lucile Richardot and violist Antoine Tamestit. This program may also be heard in the "Carnegie Hall Live" series on WQXR 105.9 FM, New York's sole dedicated classical station, which will broadcast the New York performance to listeners in the city's metropolitan region and beyond on October 14 at 3pm ET.

In Ann Arbor and in their second Carnegie concert, Gardiner and the orchestra offer a pairing of the celebrated Symphonie fantastique and Lélio, the far rarer work that Berlioz considered its sequel, featuring tenor Michael Spyres, bass-baritone Ashley Riches, the National Youth Choir of Scotland, and beloved British actor Simon Callow as the narrator.

Gardiner is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, as well as of the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, collectively known as the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras (MCO). In the lead-up to the U.S. tour dates, the MCO are pleased to announce the appointment of Dinis Sousa as Assistant Conductor. Sousa's appointment represents a significant landmark for the ensembles, which have been solely directed by Gardiner since he founded the Monteverdi Choir some 54 years ago.

In his new role, Sousa will play a major part in upcoming projects with the MCO, besides leading new educational and outreach projects. The London-based Portuguese conductor and pianist is the Founder and Artistic Director of Portugal's Orquestra XXI, and has already worked closely with Gardiner, both with the MCO and with other ensembles, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, and Tonhalle Orchester Zürich. At the 2016 BBC Proms, Sousa co-conducted the Monteverdi Choir in a critically acclaimed performance of Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette that was televised on BBC4.

Sousa comments: "I am honoured to be the first recipient of this new post with the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras. John Eliot's artistic vision is uncompromising in its ambition, leading to revelatory performances and unforgettable musical experiences for all involved. His family of singers and orchestral players has built up a trust over decades which has enabled them to forge this unique identity. I feel privileged to become part of this family and I know that this opportunity will enable me to develop as a musician and, I hope, to contribute to the work of the ensembles." Gardiner adds: 'The appointment of Dinis Sousa as Assistant Conductor of our three ensembles gives me great pleasure. It links in with our Apprentices Programme that has been in existence since 2007 and it acknowledges the impressive talent of this outstanding, versatile young musician. It further cements the ties he has established with us over the past two seasons, in which he has fulfilled a number of tough assignments - like conducting the offstage choir and the onstage semi-chorus in Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette at the 2016 Proms, acting as my assistant in Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex with the Berlin Philharmonic, as well as on a number of projects with the LSO. Dinis is already launched on a career as a conductor with his own ensemble in Portugal, and I wish him all success."