Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra to Make Carnegie Hall Debut With Grammy Award-Winning Violinist Maxim Vengerov

Music Director and Founder Marios Papadopoulos will conduct the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra - praised as 'excellent' by Gramophone magazine and 'thoroughly impressive' by BBC Music Magazine - in their Carnegie Hall Debut on Tuesday, June 7 at 7:30 PM in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. Founder and General Music Director Peter Tiboris (MidAmerica Productions) proudly presents the inaugural U.S. appearance of the orchestra, which features GRAMMY Award-winning violinist Maxim Vengerov in a program of Sarasate's Navarra, Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1, and Brahms's Symphony No. 1.

World-renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov's performance with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra follows an extensive collaborative relationship with the Orchestra dating back to 2013. Over an unprecedented four-season collaboration, Vengerov performed with the Orchestra across the U.K. and together they recorded the violin concerti of Brahms and Sibelius as well as Mendelssohn's Octet.

The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra prides itself on making exceptional and unique musical experiences, bringing new and engaging interpretations to well-loved works in the classical repertoire. The Oxford Philharmonic's American branch, the American Friends of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, will include violinists Gary Kosloski, Edward W. Hardy, and Nikita Morozov, among others. An ensemble from the Juilliard pre-college division, led by Vengerov, joins the Orchestra for Sarasate's Navarra.

Tickets, ranging from $20 to $175, are available beginning today at 11 AM, and may be obtained by contacting CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th Street and 7th Avenue in New York City, or going online to carnegiehall.org. For more information, contact Molly Waymire at 917-513-3080 or molly.waymire@piptix.com. For the most up-to-date COVID protocol, including vaccination requirements, please visit carnegiehall.org.

About The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

Established in 1998, the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra is dedicated to the highest standards of artistic excellence and musical integrity, and strives to create bold musical statements with every concert it presents. Its continual search for excellence is underpinned by the uncompromising standards of its Founder and Music Director Marios Papadopoulos and maintained by some of the finest musicians in the UK.

The Oxford Philharmonic attracts some of the world's greatest artists to appear in concert, including Maxim Vengerov, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Martha Argerich, Sir András Schiff, Renée Fleming, Lang Lang, Nicola Benedetti and Vladimir Ashkenazy.

In addition to its annual concert season in Oxford, touring performances across the UK, family concerts, annual Oxford Piano Festival, and Chamber Music Series, the Orchestra is proud to present a growing list of international engagements including its debut at the Tivoli Festival in Copenhagen in June 2019, and an upcoming U.S. debut at Carnegie Hall in June 2022.

The Oxford Philharmonic was appointed the inaugural Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford in 2002, the first relationship of its kind between an orchestra and higher education institution.

World-renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov became the Oxford Philharmonic's first ever Artist in Residence following his remarkable debut with the Orchestra in 2013. Over an unprecedented four-season collaboration, Vengerov performed with the Orchestra across the UK, recorded the violin concertos of Brahms and Sibelius as well as Mendelssohn's Octet. In July 2018 Vengerov appeared at Cheltenham Music Festival and Saffron Hall with the Soloists of the Oxford Philharmonic - a tight-knit group of musicians described by The Times as 'glorious individual players' and by Jessica Duchen as 'a line-up to match any top-notch international chamber ensemble and probably beat them on their own turf'.

The Oxford Philharmonic celebrated its 20th anniversary in the 2018/19 season with a gala concert at the Barbican Centre in London, featuring a star-studded line-up including long-term collaborators Maxim Vengerov, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Martha Argerich.

In December 2020, the Orchestra recorded a concert in a tribute to all those working on developing a vaccine for Covid-19 at the University of Oxford, including the world premiere of John Rutter's Joseph's Carol, commissioned by the Orchestra for the occasion. In addition to Rutter, the Orchestra was joined in their tribute by Sir Bryn Terfel, Alexandra Lowe, chorister Alexander Olleson, and the Choir of Merton College, Oxford. The film was presented by John Suchet, and also included a special performance by Maxim Vengerov alongside tributes from Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford Louise Richardson, and HRH Princess Alexandra as the Orchestra's Royal Patron.

The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra has been firmly committed to outreach work from its earliest days, with projects taking music to areas of social and economic disadvantage, including hospitals, Special Schools, and partnerships with Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council. As Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford, the Orchestra frequently collaborates with the Faculty of Music in educational programmes with various tuition and performance opportunities for talented young musicians, including the recently launched Side-by-Side scheme, providing an opportunity for young musicians to perform within the ranks of a professional orchestra.

The Oxford Philharmonic has appeared on several recordings including works by Nimrod Borenstein for Chandos, cello concertos by Shostakovich and Mats Lidström (Solo Cello of the Oxford Philharmonic), both conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy, on BIS Records, A Merton Christmas with Merton College Choir, Haydn's The Creation with the Choir of New College, and the Handel/Mendelssohn Acis and Galatea with Christ Church Cathedral Choir. The Orchestra's most recent disc The Enlightened Trumpet with soloist Paul Merkelo was released on Sony Classical in September 2019.

A partnership with J & A Beare provides the Orchestra's distinguished members with opportunities to play on Stradivari instruments, adding a new dimension to the sound of the Orchestra.

The Orchestra and its Music Director were awarded the City of Oxford's Certificate of Honour in 2013, in recognition of their contribution to education and performance in Oxford.

About Marios Papadopoulos

Having begun his career as a concert pianist, Marios Papadopoulos founded the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra in 1998 and has continued at its helm as Music Director ever since. Under his direction the Orchestra has gone from strength to strength, performing regularly in Oxford and beyond, and forging a strong relationship with the University of Oxford.

Described by The Times at his 1975 piano recital debut as having 'all the attributes of one of the world's greatest players', Papadopoulos has gone on to enjoy an international career both as pianist and conductor.

He has appeared as soloist with and conducted many of the world's greatest orchestras and worked with a host of eminent musicians including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Hélène Grimaud, Nicola Benedetti, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Maria João Pires, Menahem Pressler, Maxim Vengerov, Renée Fleming, Vadim Repin, Martha Argerich and Lang Lang. His recordings of the Beethoven sonatas have been set on a level with Schnabel, Brendel, Barenboim and Wilhelm Kempff (Daily Telegraph, Classic FM Magazine Critics' Choice).

Papadopoulos has conducted the complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies and directed from the keyboard the five piano concertos on three separate occasions so far - at the Oxford Philharmonic's 2008 Beethoven Festival, at the Orchestra's 15th anniversary celebrations in the 2013/14 concert season, and throughout the Oxford Beethoven Festival 2020 which celebrated the composer's 250th birthday across two seasons.

Marios Papadopoulos has appeared as guest conductor and soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, European Union Chamber Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as well as a 2015 UK tour with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Alison Balsom. In March 2018, Papadopoulos appeared with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra at the prestigious Xinghai Concert Hall in China, where he directed a Mozart Piano Concerto Cycle from the keyboard over the course of three weeks.

In the summer of 2021, Papadopoulos published his first book - a memoir titled Beyond Dreams and Aspirations: My Journey to Oxford which charts his early career, the creation of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, and his thoughts on musical interpretation.

A prolific recording artist, Papadopoulos's catalogue includes his critically acclaimed Beethoven sonatas, performances of Stravinsky's Concerto for Piano and Wind with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Hyperion), works by Mozart, Mussorgsky, César Franck and the 24 Preludes and Fugues by Shostakovich. He conducts the Oxford Philharmonic in new recordings of the Brahms and Sibelius violin concertos with Maxim Vengerov as soloist. As a pianist, he and Vengerov have recorded the complete Brahms violin sonatas and also performed these in a recital at Vienna's Musikverein in September 2016. In 2020, Papadopoulos released two new recordings on the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra record label: Classical Favourites and Piano Favourites, featuring well-known works by Liszt, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and more.

Papadopoulos is dedicated to nurturing young talent and imparts knowledge to young artists through his vast experience, particularly during the annual Oxford Piano Festival which he founded in 1999. He served on the jury of the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2015, as well as that of the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in 2016.

Marios Papadopoulos holds a doctorate in music from City University and is both a member of the Oxford University Faculty of Music and Fellow by Special Election of Keble College, Oxford. He became an Honorary Fellow of the Worshipful Company of Musicians in 2010 and was awarded Oxford City's Certificate of Honour in 2013. Papadopoulos was awarded an MBE in the Queen's 2014 New Year's Honours List for services to music in Oxford.

About Maxim Vengerov

Universally hailed as one of the world's finest musicians, and often referred to as the greatest living string player in the world today, Grammy award winner Maxim Vengerov also enjoys international acclaim as a conductor and is one of the most in-demand soloists.

Born in 1974, he began his career as a solo violinist at the age of five, won the Wieniawski and Carl Flesch international competitions at ages 10 and 15 respectively, studied with Galina Tourchaninova and Zakhar Bron, made his first recording at the age of 10, and went on to record extensively for high-profile labels including Melodia, Teldec and EMI, earning among others, Grammy and Gramophone artist of the year awards.

In 2007 he followed in the footsteps of his mentor, the late Mstislav Rostropovich, and turned his attention to conducting and in 2010 was appointed the first chief conductor of the Gstaad Festival Orchestra. June 2014 saw Mr Vengerov graduate with a Diploma of Excellence from the Moscow Institute of Ippolitov-Ivanov with Professor Yuri Simonov and he has since finished a further 2-year program of opera conducting.

In the last few seasons Maxim Vengerov has performed as soloist and/or conductor with all major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Chicago, Montreal and Toronto Symphony Orchestras and toured extensively around the world in recital.

Highlights of 18/19 saw Mr Vengerov opening the season of the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala with Maestro Chailly, a residency with Monte Carlo Philharmonic and the Philharmonie in Paris. In January of last year, Maxim Vengerov became Classic FM's first solo Artist in Residence and released a new recording of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with conductor Myung-Whun Chung and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, coupled with works by Saint-Säens and Ravel as well as a live recital from Carnegie Hall. Further recordings will follow to coincide with Maxim Vengerov's celebration of 40 years on stage at the Royal Albert Hall, originally planned for June 12, but now rescheduled to September 2022. He will be joined by his colleagues Misha Maiski, Martha Argerich, the Oxford Philharmonic with its Music Director Marios Papadopoulos and students from the Royal College of Music London.

As one of Mr Vengerov's greatest passions is the teaching and encouraging of young talent, he has held various teaching positions around the world. He currently holds the Stephan and Viktoria Schmidheiny Stiftungs professor at the Mozarteum University Salzburg and since September 2016 he is also the Polonsky Visiting Professor of Violin at the Royal College of Music in London. In 2018 Maxim Vengerov became the Goodwill Ambassador of the Musica Mundi School - a unique institution, which supports young talents. With the vision of democratising the access of music learning, he launched his own online platform in January 2021: www.maximvengerov.com and created an impact across 170 countries and reached over 190 million people. His first year programmes include partnerships with musical institutions from around the world, the Lottery Ticket program, guest artist series inaugurated with Brett Yang from TwoSet Violin, as well as his new global community group whose initiatives include the world leading Mentoring program, rural musical communities initiative and the Musical Pen Pals program for children.

Mr Vengerov has been profiled in a series of documentaries, including Playing by Heart, which was recorded by Channel Four Television and screened at the Cannes Television Festival in 1999, and Living the Dream, which was released worldwide and received the Gramophone Award for Best Documentary in 2008.

Mr Vengerov has received prestigious fellowships and honours from a number of institutions. In 2012 he was awarded an Honorary Visiting Fellowship at Trinity College Oxford and in 2019 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal College of Music London and in 2019 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal College of Music London and the Order of Cultural Merit from the Palace Monte Carlo.

Mr Vengerov has also received numerous awards including Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (with Orchestra) (2003), two Gramophone awards (1994, 1995), a Classical Brit Award (2004), five Edison Classical Music Awards (1995, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2004), two ECHO awards (1997, 2003) and a World Economic Forum Crystal award (2007) - honouring artists who have used their art to improve the state of the world.

He plays the ex-Kreutzer Stradivari (1727).