He will debut with the National Symphony Orchestra and will present four performances with the Chicago Symphony.
With a warmth to his playing that outwardly reflects his engaging personality, Orion Weiss will begin his 2023-2024 season with a full slate of engagements across the United States and Canada, including performances with the Chicago and National Symphony Orchestras under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas, a North American recital tour with violinist Augustin Hadelich, chamber music with the Ariel Quartet, a performance at Carnegie Hall with the David Virelles Nosotros Ensemble, and a residency at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, CA.
Weiss began his 2023/24 season with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra on September 15, 2023 and September 16, 2023 in Duluth, MN. The program, titled Across the Northern Sea, featured works from Anna Clyne and Amy Beach, with Weiss performing Grieg's Piano Concerto. The season-opening performance marked the ten year anniversary of Weiss's first performance with the Duluth Superior Symphony, in which he performed the same concerto.
Weiss began a residency at the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles, CA on September 18, going through September 24, 2023. Following a series of masterclasses during his residency, he will perform a recital program on September 24, 2023, including Poulenc's Trio for Bassoon, Oboe, and Piano, Mozart's Piano Quartet in G minor, Turina's Círculo for Piano Trio, and Korngold's Piano Quintet in E Major.
Weiss performs with frequent collaborators, the Ariel Quartet, in two concerts at the Schubert Club in St. Paul, MN on October 1 and 2, 2023. The program includes Shostakovich's Piano Quintet in G minor and a composition suite titled American Dream, featuring new and unannounced works from Walker, Matan Porat, Bartók, Price, and others.
He embarks on a North American tour with GRAMMY-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich on October 10, 2023 at Tuesday Evening Concert Series in Charlottesville, VA with a program of Beethoven, John Adams, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Prokofiev, and Amy Beach. They continue their performances of this program together in Toronto, ON on October 13, 2023, with Weiss' debut at the Royal Conservatory of Music, and end at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on October 15, 2023.
From October 23, 2023 to October 27, 2023, Weiss joins the North Carolina Symphony for a program including Bizet's Symphony No. 1, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12, and Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice. The performances will be led by Grant Llewellyn and will take place at The Wilson Center in Wilmington, NC and at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh, NC.
On November 3, 2023, Weiss makes his Newport Classical debut with acclaimed violinist William Hagen in Newport, RI. The program consists of Dvořák's Four Romantic Pieces, Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 7, Schumann's 3 Romances, and Brahms' Violin Sonata No 3.
Weiss performs with Chamber Music Sedona in Sedona, AZ on November 5, 2023. Performing with fellow pianist Roman Rabinovich, the two join forces for a program of both of Rachmaninoff's virtuoso piano suites.
Weiss returns to Washington, D.C. and the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts on November 16, 2023 and November 18, 2023 for his debut performance with the National Symphony Orchestra. Led by superstar maestro, composer, and Kennedy Center Honoree Michael Tilson Thomas, Weiss will join a program consisting of Olly Wilson's Shango Memory, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12, and Brahms' Piano Quartet, orchestrated by Schoenberg.
Once again led by Michael Tilson Thomas, Weiss performs four concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from November 30, 2023 to December 5, 2023. He will again perform Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12 after the CSO opens the evenings with Mozart's Six German Dances.
Weiss performs with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in Connecticut, led by conductor Gerard Schwartz, on December 8, 2023 to December 10, 2023 at the Belding Theater at The Bushnell. The program, titled Beethoven 5+5, includes Hailstork's Four Hymns Without Words and Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, with Weiss joining the orchestra for Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor".
From January 3, 2024 to January 6, 2024, Weiss will perform with the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth in Fort Worth, TX in a program titled No Barriers. The evening will include Suk Elgie's Fauré Piano Quartet No. 1 and Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 2. Violinists Gary Levinson and Michael Klotz and cellist Ani Aznavoorian will join Weiss as soloists for the concert.
Weiss then rejoins Ariel Quartet at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, on January 7, 2024. The concert will take place at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall as part of their annual Winter Chamber Music Festival, a seasonal gathering of performances beginning on January 5, 2024, that will also include Dover Quartet, Calder Quartet, and Parker Quartet until its conclusion on January 19, 2024.
From February 2, 2024 to February 4, 2024, Weiss performs with the Seattle Chamber Music Society alongside soloists James Ehnes, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, and Zlatomir Fung. Over three evenings, they will perform William Walton's Piano Quartet, Ralph Vaughn Williams' Violin Sonata, and Clara Shumann's 3 Romances for Violin and Piano. The program is part of Seattle Chamber Music Society's Winter Festival 2024 and will take place in the Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall.
On March 3, 2024, Weiss joins Chamber Music in Oklahoma in Oklahoma City to perform a six-piece solo recital with works from Matinu, Brahms, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and Prokofiev. Next, on March 21, 2024, Weiss performs at the ECHO Chamber Music Series with violinist James Ehnes in San Diego, CA, before performing again with Ehnes at the Maestro Chamber Music Society in Santa Monica, CA on March 23, 2024, in a program including Bach's Sonata for Violin and Keyboard No. 3 and No. 4, Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 8, and Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No. 2.
Next, on April 4, 2024, Weiss performs in Florida with the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach. Featuring Gina Cuffari on bassoon, James Austin Smith on oboe, David Byrd-Marrow on horn, and Jose Franch-Ballester on clarinet, the program includes Mozart's Quintet in E-flat Major and Beethoven's Quintet in E-flat.
He debuts with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra in Pensacola, FL, on April 20, 2024 for their 23/24 season finale, led by conductor Peter Rubardt. The performance will include Ralph Vaughn Williams' A London Symphony, George Gershwin's Concerto in F, and Wang Lu's Surge.
To finish his exciting 23/24 season, Orion Weiss performs at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall on May 21, 2024, joining "limitless" (DownBeat) pianist David Virelles and percussionist Dafnis Prieto for a program curated by Tania León that celebrates the wide-ranging influence of Cuban rhythms across multiple genres of music. In a brand new commission, Virelles explores pulses, cycles, and tonalities inspired by the rhythmic language and counterpoint of the three ritual batá drums. Also featured is a piece by Virelles's mentor, NEA Jazz Master Henry Threadgill. The program opens with León's propulsive duo for piano and percussion, A la par.
September 15 to 16, 2023
Duluth Superior Symphony
Duluth, MN
Link: https://dsso.com/concert/across-the-northern-sea/
September 18 to September 24, 2023
Colburn School Residency
Los Angeles, CA
Link: www.colburnschool.edu/calendar/events/colburn-chamber-music-society-orion-weiss-piano/
October 1, 2023
Schubert Club with Ariel Quartet
St. Paul, MN
Link: https://schubert.org/event/ariel-quartet-with-orion-weiss-piano/
October 10, 2023
Tuesday Evening Concert Series with Austin Hadelich
Charlottesville, VA
Link: https://tecs.org/concert_season/hadelich-weiss/
October 13, 2023
The Royal Conservatory of Music with Austin Hadelich
Toronto, ON
Link: www.rcmusic.com/events-and-performances/augustin-hadelich-with-orion-weiss
October 15, 2023
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with Austin Hadelich
Washington, D.C.
Link: www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/explore-by-genre/fortas/2023-2024/augustin-hadelich/
October 23 to October 27, 2023
North Carolina Symphony
Wilmington, NC
Link: https://www.ncsymphony.org/events/582/mozart-bizet/
November 3, 2023
Newport Classical with Will Hagen
Newport, RI
Link: https://newportclassical.org/event/william-hagen/
November 5, 2023
Chamber Music Sedona
Sedona, AZ
Link: https://chambermusicsedona.org/2023-rachmaninoff-a-two-piano-celebration/
November 16 and November 18, 2023
National Symphony Orchestra
Washington, D.C.
Link: www.kennedy-center.org/nso/home/2023-2024/thomas-weiss/
November 30 to December 5, 2023
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago, IL
Link: https://cso.org/performances/23-24/cso-classical/mtt-conducts-mozart/
December 8 to December 10, 2023
Hartford Symphony
Hartford, CT
Link: https://hartfordsymphony.org/portfolio-items/beethoven5/
January 3 to January 6, 2024
Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth
Fort Worth, TX
Link: www.cmsfw.org/no-barriers/
January 7, 2024
Northwestern University with Ariel Quartet
Evanston, IL
Link: https://www.music.northwestern.edu/events/ariel-quartet-orion-weiss-piano?eventdate=1704661200
February 2 to February 4, 2024
Seattle Chamber Music Festival
Seattle, WA
Link: https://www.seattlechambermusic.org/artists/orion-weiss/
March 3, 2024
Chamber Music in Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, OK
Link: http://cmok.org/cmok.org/2019-2020-concert-programs
March 21, 2024
ECHO Chamber Music Series with James Ehnes
San Diego, CA
Link: https://www.echochambermusic.org/concerts/2024/03/21
March 23, 2024
Maestro Chamber Music Society with James Ehnes
Santa Monica, CA
Link: https://www.maestrofoundation.org/concerts/
April 4, 2024
Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach
Palm Beach, FL
Link: https://www.cmspb.org/23-24-season/dynamic-winds/
April 19 to April 20, 2024
Pensacola Symphony Orchestra
Pensacola, FL
Link: https://pensacolasymphony.com/product/season-finale-2024/
May 21, 2024
Carnegie Hall
New York, NY
Link: www.carnegiehall.org/calendar/2024/05/21/david-virelles-nosotros-ensemble-featuring-dafnis-prieto-0730pm
About Orion Weiss
One of the most sought-after soloists and chamber music collaborators of his generation, Orion Weiss is widely regarded as a "brilliant pianist" (The New York Times) with "powerful technique and exceptional insight" (The Washington Post). With a warmth to his playing that outwardly reflects his engaging personality, Weiss has dazzled audiences with his passionate, lush sound and performed with dozens of orchestras in North America including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and New York Philharmonic.
Highlights of Weiss's 2023/2024 season include concerts led by conductor Michael Tilson Thomas with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra, both featuring programs of Mozart and Brahms. In concerts at the Kennedy Center, as well as Toronto's Royal Conservatory of music and at Charlottesville, Virginia's Cabell Hall, Weiss performs alongside violinist Augustin Hadelich. He also appears in a May 2024 performance at Carnegie Hall. Other appearances this season include engagements at the Schubert Club, the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, Hong Kong Premiere Performances, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Northwestern University, Chamber Music in Oklahoma, a West Coast tour with violinist James Ehnes and numerous concerto appearances with orchestras across the country. He also mentors and performs with students during a weeklong residency at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.
Recent seasons have seen Weiss in performances for the Lucerne Festival, the Denver Friends of Chamber Music, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center's Fortas Series, and the 92nd Street Y, and at summer music festivals including Aspen, Bard, Ravinia, Seattle, and Grand Teton, among others. Highlights also include his third performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a live-stream with the Minnesota Orchestra, a performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the release of his recording of Christopher Rouse's Seeing, the first two installments of his critically acclaimed Arc recital trilogy, a recording of Korngold's Left Hand concerto and other works with Leon Botstein and TON, and recordings of Gershwin's complete works for piano and orchestra with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and JoAnn Falletta.
Known for his affinity for chamber music, Weiss performs regularly with Hadelich, as well as fellow violinists William Hagen, and James Ehnes; pianists Michael Brown and Shai Wosner; cellist Julie Albers; and the Ariel, Parker, and Pacifica Quartets. As a recitalist and chamber musician, Weiss has appeared across the United States at venues and festivals including Sheldon Concert Hall, the Broad Stage, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Music Society SummerFest, the Schubert Club, Chamber Music Northwest, Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, Spivey Hall, and many more.
In the summer of 2011, Weiss made his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood as a last-minute replacement for Leon Fleisher. In recent seasons, he has also performed with the San Francisco Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and in duo summer concerts with the New York Philharmonic at both Lincoln Center and the Bravo! Vail Valley Festival. In 2005, he toured Israel with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Itzhak Perlman.
Weiss can be heard on the Naxos, Telos, Bridge, First Hand, Yarlung, and Artek labels in recordings such as The Piano Protagonists with The Orchestra Now, led by Leon Botstein; Scarlatti's Complete Keyboard Sonatas; a disc of Bartók, Dvorák, and Prokofiev; Brahms Sonatas with violinist Arnaud Sussmann; a solo album of J.S. Bach, Scriabin, Mozart, and Carter; and a recital disc of Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Schumann, Massenet, and Piatigorsky with cellist Julie Albers. In March 2022, First Hand Records released the first album of Weiss's Arc Trilogy - Arc I: Granados, Janáček, Scriabin - a recording exploring the omens and tension oof the period preceding World War I. Gramophone Magazine praised the album as "expansive, colourful, and texturally varied." Arc II, featuring the music of Ravel, Brahms, and Shostakovich, was released in November 2022. Over recent years, he has also raised his profile through video, assembling a broad and growing YouTube videography that includes the Goldberg variations, the Op. 39 Rachmaninoff etudes, and Grieg's Lyric Pieces, among many others.
Weiss's impressive list of awards includes the Classical Recording Foundation's Young Artist of the Year, Gilmore Young Artist Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Gina Bachauer Scholarship at The Juilliard School, and the Mieczyslaw Munz Scholarship. He won the 2005 William Petschek Recital Award at Juilliard and made his New York recital debut at Alice Tully Hall that April. Also in 2005, Weiss made his European debut in a recital at the Musée du Louvre in Paris. From 2002-2004, he was a member of Lincoln Center's The Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two), which included his performance of Ravel's La Valse with Shai Wosner in the opening concert of the Society's 2002-2003 season at Alice Tully Hall.
A native of Lyndhurst, Ohio, Weiss attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Paul Schenly, Daniel Shapiro, Sergei Babayan, Kathryn Brown, and Edith Reed. In February 1999, Weiss made his Cleveland Orchestra debut performing Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1. The next month, with less than 24 hours' notice, Weiss stepped in to replace André Watts for a performance of Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and was immediately invited to return for a performance of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto in that October. In 2004, he graduated from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Emanuel Ax. Learn more www.orionweiss.com.
Photo Credit: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco
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