Orchestra of St. Luke's Performs World Premiere By Bryce Dessner at Carnegie Hall

The closing concert of Orchestra of St. Luke's 2017-2018 Carnegie Hall Series will take place on Thursday, February 15 at 8 PM at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. Robert Spano leads the Ensemble in a program highlighted by two works considered signal achievements of their respective forms: Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor," with guest artist Jeremy Denk. The world premiere of Bryce Dessner's Voy a dormir features mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor making her Orchestra of St. Luke's debut, in a work Dessner created for her.

The Orchestra of St. Luke's Robert Spano, Conductor Kelley O'Connor, Mezzo-Soprano Jeremy Denk, Piano Beethoven's "Emperor" with Denk MOZART Symphony No. 40 BRYCE DESSNER Voy a dormir (World Premiere*) BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor" *Co-commissioned by Orchestra of St. Luke's, Carnegie Hall, and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018, 8 PM WHERE Carnegie Hall - Stern Auditorium, Perelman Stage 57th Street and Seventh Avenue TICKETS Priced from $16.50 to $95, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, or at carnegiehall.org

Mozart's Symphony No. 40 opens in a state of nervous agitation and culminates in an edge-of-your-seat finale that Wagner called "exuberant with rapture and audacity." Robert Spano, whom The New York Times declared, "has that great skill in a conductor of making every performance radiate joy," leads St. Luke's Orchestra in this performance. Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto is grandly virtuosic and heroic in spirit - a towering landmark in which the master pianist and symphonist are brilliantly fused. It will be performed by acclaimed pianist Jeremy Denk who last appeared with the Ensemble in 2012.

The Orchestra will be joined by the GrammyAward-winning, "musically seductive, palpably charismatic" (Washington Post) mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor for the world premiere of Bryce Dessner's Voy a dormir set to poems by early-20th-century Swiss-Argentine writer and feminist Alfonsina Storni. He composed the work with O'Connor in mind and both collaborated on the choice of poems. Dessner, known to many as a guitarist with The National, is a much-sought-after composer and active curator on the new music scene.

He has received commissions from Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Metropolitan Museum of Art (for the New York Philharmonic), Kronos Quartet, BAM Next Wave Festival, Barbican Centre, and New York City Ballet, among others. Voy a dormir was co-commissioned by Orchestra of St. Luke's, Carnegie Hall as part of Carnegie Hall's 125 Commissions Project, and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. About Orchestra of St. Luke's Orchestra of St. Luke's began in 1974 as a group of virtuoso musicians performing chamber music concerts at Greenwich Village's Church of St. Luke in the Fields.

Now in its 43rd season, the Orchestra performs diverse musical genres at New York's major concert venues and has collaborated with artists ranging from Renée Fleming and Joshua Bell to Bono and Metallica. In the fall of 2018, internationally celebrated expert in 18th-Century music, Bernard Labadie, will join the Orchestra as Principal Conductor, continuing the Orchestra's long tradition of working with proponents of historical performance practice.

OSL's signature programming includes a subscription series presented by Carnegie Hall, now in its 31st season; an annual multi-week collaboration with Paul Taylor American Modern Dance at Lincoln Center; an annual summer residency at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts; and a chamber music festival featuring appearances at The Morgan Library & Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center. The Orchestra has participated in 118 recordings, four of which have won Grammy Awards, has commissioned more than 50 new works, and has given more than 175 world, U.S., and New York City premieres. Nearly half of OSL's performances each year are presented free of charge through its education and community programs, reaching over 10,000 New York City public school students.

Additionally, OSL provides free instrumental coaching and presents student performances through its Youth Orchestra of St. Luke's and its Mentorship Program for Pre-Professional Musicians. OSL built and operates The DiMenna Center for Classical Music in Hell's Kitchen, New York City's only rehearsal, recording, education, and performance space expressly dedicated to classical music. The Center serves more than 500 ensembles and more than 30,000 musicians each year. For more information, including schedule and tickets for performances through June 2018, visit OSLmusic.org.