TSO to Close 2013-14 Season with Light Classics Program Featuring Ravel, Copland, Gershwin and More

In the final month of the 2013/2014 season, TSO musicians will claim the spotlight in an engaging Light Classics programme that includes the electrifying crescendo of Ravel's famous Boléro and Brahms's merry medley of German student songs. Led by RBC Resident Conductor Shalom Bard, Niccolò Paganini's Sonata per la gran viola will provide the dazzling showpiece for Principal Viola Teng Li, while Principal Oboe Sarah Jeffrey will steal the spotlight in Calla Lilies by Canadian composer Marjan Mozetich.

Named as one of "five classical shows that should not be missed" this season by The Globe & Mail, Songs for Soprano features the achingly nostalgic songs that form Richard Strauss's last musical will and testament. The German composer's Four Last Songs will be brought to life by soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, hailed by The New York Times for singing "with unflinching honesty and uncommon intensity." Under the baton of TSO Music DirectorPeter Oundjian, the Orchestra will perform Suites Nos. 1 & 2 from Ravel's atmospheric and sumptuous Daphnis et Chloé, with RBC Resident Conductor Shalom Bard taking to the podium to lead the Orchestra in Mozart's Overture to Don Giovanni.

The last of this season's Exposed: What Makes it Great? Series showcases American composer Aaron Copland's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece,Appalachian Spring. Conductor and commentator Rob Kapilow will take audiences behind the scenes of Copland's iconic work, conjuring a joyful pre-wedding celebration in early 19th century New England. On an episode of NPR Music, Kapilow noted: "Copland's Appalachian Spring has a million things in it, but at its heart is one chord, which is not only the essence of Appalachian Spring but in my mind Copland's entire vision of America."

While last year's first annual Music Mob at the Luminato Festival drew in crowds of musicians young and old, Mother Nature took a turn for the worse by flooding David Pecaut Square with rain and putting a damper on the otherwise enthusiastic gathering. This year the Music Mob goes major league, indoors at the Air Canada Centre - with participants taking a crack at Maurice Ravel's Boléro, side-by-side with members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Co-hosted by TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian and Luminato Festival Artistic Director Jorn Weisbrodt, everyone is welcome to join what could possibly be the biggest orchestra Toronto has ever seen! No musical experience necessary, just plenty of enthusiasm, a keen sense of adventure and, of course, an instrument.

After performing with the Orchestra at the TSO's inaugural Chinese New Year concert this past February, Yuja Wang returns to the Roy Thomson Hall stage in June for another exciting concert. At a TSO performance last season, the Toronto Star observed that "Wang displayed technique to burn with almost supernatural precision." This time, she will bring her virtuosity and poetic insight to Beethoven's stormy C-minor concerto. TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian will then guide the Orchestra through Shostakovich's stirring Fifth Symphony, which mingles triumph and tragedy in one unforgettable work.

One of the most anticipated TSO Luminato Festival events, this year's Late Night concert boasts an evening of celebration and exceptional classical music. TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian will lead the Orchestra in Shostakovich's mighty Symphony No. 5, a powerfully emotive masterpiece so beloved that it ranks as his most popular symphony. Sharing the bill with Shostakovich is an equally bold pioneer, American composer Mason Bates. The TSO will be among the first to present his new Garages of the Valley, a clever, all-acoustic celebration of Silicon Valley's tech visionaries.

Audiences can kick off the Late Night festivities by attending the TSO's annual pre-concert Tailgate Party, hosted in the Roy Thomson Hall parking lot by the TSO's Impresarios Club, a young patron programme for donors ages 25 to 40. Party-goers will enjoy cocktails and food from Caplansky's Delicatessen and Smoke's Poutinerie food trucks, while mingling with fellow music lovers. Following the powerful performance of Shostakovich 5, the audience will be invited to stay for a late-night party in the lobby with TSO musicians!

For the third consecutive year, the Luminato Festival comes to a grand finale with a free outdoor concert featuring the TSO on the David Pecaut Square stage. Led by TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian, the concert will celebrate the upcoming PanAm/Parapan Am Games, hosted by the City of Toronto in 2015. Musically touring the Western Hemisphere, this melodic salute will include works by Canadian composer John Weinzweig, American composer John Williams, Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, Brazil's Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Alberto Ginastera from Argentina.

Last June, versatile pianist and conductor Bramwell Tovey played triple-duty as host, conductor and pianist, guiding audiences through George Gershwin's masterpiece, Rhapsody in Blue. This year, Tovey brings the best of Gershwin back to the TSO, featuring the music from iconic musical masterpieces An American in Paris and Porgy & Bess. In their TSO débuts, sopranos Marquita Lister and Lisa Daltirus, contralto Gwendolyn Brown, tenor Jermaine Smith, and baritone Alfred Walker will be joined by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir to breathe life into such classic Gershwin hits as Summertime, It Ain't Necessarily So, and Bess, You Is My Woman Now.

About the TSO: Founded in 1922, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is one of Canada's most important cultural institutions recognized internationally as an outstanding orchestra. Currently celebrating his 10th season as Music Director, Peter Oundjian continues to lead the Orchestra with a commitment to innovative programming and audience development with performances that range from Masterworks to New Creations, Young People's Concerts to Pops, all showcasing the exceptional talents of the Orchestra along with a roster of distinguished guest artists and conductors. In addition to the concert season, the TSO serves the larger community with TSOUNDCHECK, the original under-35 ticket programme, the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and through music education and outreach programmes which connect students with acclaimed curriculum-based programming.

Website: TSO.CA
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All concerts at Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. unless otherwise noted
All artists, programmes, dates, prices, and chats are subject to change without notice.
TSO ticket line: 416.598.3375 Chinese hotline: 416.593.0688

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