Orpheus Chamber Orchestra to Open 41st Season with Performance at Carnegie Hall, 10/9

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra opens its 41st season at Carnegie Hall with their first of four concerts tracing the evolution of the concerto over four centuries and the composer/performers who created them. Featuring the New York premiere of composer/pianist Brad Mehldau's Variations for Piano and Orchestra on a Melancholy Theme for piano and chamber orchestra, the program also includes Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes and Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, Eroica. The performance will take place at Stern Auditorium's Perelman Stage in Carnegie Hall on Wednesday, October 9 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available beginning September 4 at www.carnegiehall.org. Orpheus is honored to have the support of Berjé, Inc. as the Opening Night Sponsor.

The program focuses on composers whose careers began as performers. Beethoven, Brahms, and Mehldau made their names as pianists before revealing their talents for composition. After establishing a reputation as one of America's leading jazz pianists, Mr. Mehldau is now in demand for both his compositions and improvisational performances, and has toured and recorded extensively since the early 1990s as a collaborator, soloist, and as part of the Brad Mehldau Trio, which he formed in 1994. He performs repertoire from original compositions to jazz standards and arrangements of contemporary songs. Variations for Piano and Orchestra on a Melancholy Theme presents a new, fully orchestrated arrangement by Mr. Mehldau that features extensive instrumental dialogue and improvisation in the styles of Mozart, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff. Orpheus and Mr. Mehldau have performed the concerto in Europe including the cities of Berlin, Düsseldorf, Moscow, Munich, and Vienna. Mr. Mehldau, who draws inspiration from classical works in his jazz compositions and performances, says his Variations for Piano and Orchestra on a Melancholy Theme sounds "as if Brahms woke up one day and had the blues."

Orpheus is recognized for being the first ensemble of its kind to institute democratic leadership, not only by holding open forum rehearsals and rotating concertmasters for each piece but also for its rotating election of artistic leaders. This season Orpheus' change in leadership includes violinist Laura Frautschi and violist Dov Scheindlin, who will join cellist Jonathan Spitz as artistic directors beginning September 1, 2013.

Ms. Frautschi has toured extensively both as a concertmaster with Orpheus and as a soloist and chamber musician. She has given world premiere performances of works by contemporary American composers including Lee Hyla and Augusta Read Thomas, and performs regularly with her trio Intersection.

In addition to performing with Orpheus, Mr. Scheindlin is an associate member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and has performed as a member of the Arditti, Penderecki, and Chester String Quartets. He has also appeared as soloist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin, the Paris Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Munich Philharmonic.

Mr. Spitz is an active soloist and chamber musician having toured across the United States with his Leonardo Trio. He has soloed with the New Jersey Symphony, Riverside Sinfonia, and Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and was recently appointed solo cellist of the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra.

Orpheus' Executive Director, Krishna Thiagarajan, will enter his first full season with the orchestra. Since beginning with Orpheus in January 2013, the orchestra's season has grown from 20 concerts last year to 36 concerts during 2013-14. In an effort to restore Orpheus' reputation as an internationally touring orchestra, Dr. Thiagarajan is working to expand Orpheus' international presence by working with new presenters in Europe and Asia for tours and performance opportunities.

Dr. Thiagarajan said, "We are so excited for our upcoming tour to Japan and our return to Colombia especially since both tours are already sold out. Orpheus belongs to the world but the only city we could call home is New York, and this is wonderfully reflected by inviting international soloists to join us on the Carnegie stage."

Later this season, Orpheus welcomes internationally renowned soloists to their Carnegie Hall concerts including clarinetist Martin Fröst, pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, and violinist Christian Tetzlaff. Orpheus will take up residency at the Cartagena Festival Internacional de Música in Colombia in January and embark on a major international tour with the winner of the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Nobuyuki Tsujii, to Japan for a ten-concert tour in February. During a five-concert domestic tour, Orpheus will perform with Japanese-American violinist Ryu Goto.

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has over its 41-year history revolutionized how audiences think about classical music and orchestral leadership. By abandoning traditional hierarchies, Orpheus conforms to a democratic model holding rehearsals that encourage artistic discussion, rotating seating assignments for each piece, and performing works from the classical to contemporary without a conductor. The orchestra has recorded over 70 albums including the Grammy Award-winning Shadow Dances: Stravinsky Miniatures, and to date has commissioned and premiered more than 40 original works. In addition to its annual concert series at Carnegie Hall, Orpheus has established an international reputation with tours to Europe, Asia, and South America. The ensemble has trademarked its signature mode of operation with the Orpheus Institute, founded in 2003 to educate the next generation of musical entrepreneurs with residencies at the University of Maryland, University of Connecticut, Dartmouth College, and the Interlochen Arts Academy.

Orpheus' educational outreach Access Orpheus program provides free learning opportunities for thousands of New York City public school students each year. Schools in each of the five boroughs receive free classroom visits from Orpheus musicians, as well as free tickets and educational material for each of Orpheus' concerts. Students are also invited to attend Orpheus' open forum rehearsals. For more information, visit www.orpheusnyc.com.

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