Hans Graf & BSO to Perform Perform Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with Ray Chen, 5/22-24

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) will welcome internationally-renowned guest conductor Hans Graf and violinist Ray Chen, winner of the International Yehudi Menuhin and Queen Elizabeth competitions, in a performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto on Thursday, May 22 and Friday, May 23 at 8 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and Saturday, May 24 at 8 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore. The BSO will also perform Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 in E minor, op. 27. Please see below for complete concert details.

On Thursday, May 22 at 10 am at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, serious music students in middle, high school and college can register to attend a "behind-the-scenes" working BSO rehearsal of Ray Chen performing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto. Open rehearsals at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall are free, but seating is limited to 500 attendees. Please note that some of the works on the concert program may not be rehearsed at the open rehearsal. To reserve tickets for Open Rehearsals, please call 410.783.8118 or email education@bsomusic.org.

COMPLETE PROGRAM DETAILS
Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto
Thursday, May 22, 2014 at 8 p.m. - Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Friday, May 23, 2014 at 8 p.m. - JMSH
Saturday, May 24, 2014 at 8 p.m. - The Music Center at Strathmore

Hans Graf, conductor
Ray Chen, violin

Tickets range from $29 to $94 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.

Known for his wide range of repertoire and creative programming, the distinguished Austrian conductor Hans Graf is one of today's most highly respected musicians. Appointed music director of the Houston Symphony in 2001, Mr. Graf concluded his tenure in May 2013 and is the longest serving music director in the orchestra's history. He currently holds the title of conductor laureate.

Hans Graf is a frequent guest with all of the major North American orchestras. His recent and upcoming guest engagements include appearances with the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Boston, San Francisco, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Detroit, Dallas, Baltimore, Vancouver, Milwaukee and National symphonies and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Graf made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Houston Symphony in January 2006 and returned to Carnegie leading the Orchestra of St. Luke's in March 2007. He and the Houston Symphony were re-invited to appear at Carnegie Hall in January 2010, at which time they presented the New York premiere of The Planets, featuring the orchestra playing Holst's work accompanied by high definition images from NASA. Mr. Graf and the Houston Symphony returned to Carnegie Hall again in May 2012 to participate in the Spring for Music festival with an all-Shostakovich program.

In Europe, Mr. Graf has conducted the Vienna and London Philharmonics, Vienna Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra as well as the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphony Orchestra Berlin, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic among others. He is also a regular guest with the Sydney Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Seoul Philharmonic.

Winner of the Queen Elisabeth and Yehudi Menuhin Competitions, Ray Chen is among the most compelling young violinists today.

Ray has released three critically acclaimed albums on Sony: a recital program "Virtuoso" of works by Bach, Tartini, Franck, and Wieniawski, and the Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky concertos with Swedish Radio Orchestra and Daniel Harding. Following the success of these recordings, Ray was profiled by The Strad and Gramophone magazines as "the one to watch". "Virtuoso" was distinguished with the prestigious ECHO Klassik award. His third recording, an all-Mozart album with Christoph Eschenbach and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, was released in January 2014.

In 2012, Ray was the youngest soloist to perform at the televised Nobel Prize Concert for the laureates, heads of state and the Swedish Royal Family. Last year, he made his debuts with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.

Followed by nearly one million people on SoundCloud, Ray Chen looks to expand the classical music audience by increasing its appeal to the young generation via all available social media platforms.

Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, Ray was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15, where he studied with Aaron Rosand. He plays the 1702 "Lord Newlands" Stradivarius violin on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation.

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