Roberto Abbado Returns to Conduct the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, 2/11-2/13 & 2/18-2/20

Guest Conductor Roberto Abbado returns to lead the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in two weeks of programming. The first program, February 11-13, 2010 at 8:00 p.m., features the Atlanta Premiere of two Mozart Church Sonatas for Organ, the Coronation Mass, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 1. The second program, February 18-20, 2010 at 8:00 p.m., features Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1with guest soloist Leila Josefowicz, and Schubert's Symphony No. 9. Both concerts are at Atlanta Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center.

A great ASO tradition returns in the 2009-2010 season - Fanfare, the pre-concert buffet-style
dining by Restaurant Associates, will be available to all concertgoers at all Delta Classical,
Superpops, and Coca-Cola Holiday concert-evening performances from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Audiences have the opportunity to learn more about the music they'll be hearing at concerts with
free Concert Previews, hosted by ASO Insider and Program Annotator Ken Meltzer. Join Mr.
Meltzer and his special guests, composers, conductors, and musicians for lively and informative
discussions. All concert previews are located in Atlanta Symphony Hall and are free and open to all concert ticket-holders.

Acclaimed as "a conductor you want to hear again and again," Roberto Abbado's crisp, dramatic music-making, instinctive lyricism and evocative command of varied composers and styles have made him an esteemed conductor among orchestras and opera companies today.

Winner of a 2008 Sullivan Foundation grant and a finalist in the 2007 Metropolitan Opera
National Council Auditions, American soprano Kiera Duffy is recognized for both her gleaming
high soprano and insightful musicianship, and is enjoying a flourishing concert and operatic career in repertoire that spans from Handel and Praetorius to the new sounds of Elliott Carter and John
Zorn.

Hungarian-Canadian mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó has become highly sought in both North
America and Europe as an artist of supreme musicianship and stagecraft. The Chicago Tribune
exclaimed, "Krisztina Szabó stole her every scene with her powerful, mahogany voice and deeply poignant immersion in the empress' plight" after her performance of Ottavia in L'incoronazione di Poppea.

With assured musicality and the varied tonal palette of a lieder specialist, Canadian lyric tenor
Colin Balzer's 2008-2009 season includes the title role of Monteverdi's Orfeo in Edmonton,
Haydn's Die Schoepfung with Yoav Talmi and the Quebec Symphony, Haendel's Messiah with the Calgary Philharmonic and the Mozart Requiem with the National Philharmonic.

The New York Times declared that Matthew Burns "has a beautiful bass-baritone voice ... He
manages the tricky feat of portraying (Blitch) as both sympathetic and credibly bad" following
recent performances of Susannah.

Acclaimed for the beauty, precision and expressive qualities of their singing, the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra Choruses have been an important part of the Orchestra's programming
since their founding by the late Robert Shaw. Both the ASO Chorus and Chamber Chorus are
composed entirely of volunteers, who meet weekly for rehearsals and perform with the ASO
several times each season. They are also featured on the majority of the ASO's recordings, having garnered 14 Grammy awards (9 for Best Choral Performance; 4 for Best Classical Recording and 1 for Best Opera Recording).

Single tickets for these performances are $20 to $75. All single for the 2009-2010 are now
available online at atlantasymphony.org or by calling (404) 733-5000. Tickets may also be
purchased at the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office located in the Woodruff Arts Center at 15th
and Peachtree Streets. Box office hours are Monday through Friday 10am-8pm, and Saturday and Sunday 12pm to 8pm.

 

 

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