The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra Presents SCHEHERAZADE This Weekend

The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra's 70th Anniversary season continues at 8:00 p.m. tonight, October 18 at The Vets, 1 Avenue of the Arts in Providence. The Philharmonic welcomes guest conductor DANIEL HEGE to the podium for a program including Shostakovich's Festive Overture, Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and Beethoven's Second Piano Concerto, featuring pianist JON NAKAMATSU. Resident Conductor FRANCISCO NOYA presents an informal talk about the program in the auditorium before the concert from 7:00?7:25 p.m. Tickets (starting at $15) are available attickets.riphil.org, and the RIPO box office at 401.248.7000. The Amica Rush Hour Concert takes place Friday October 17 at 6:30.

Music Director LARRY RACHLEFF said: "My colleague and good friend Dan Hege, as guest conductor, comes with a wonderful program featuring the great pianist Jon Nakamatsu, who will play Beethoven's glorious Second Piano Concerto. The concert opens with Shostakovich's electrifying Festive Overture, which asks the orchestra to play at such a high pace and speed it will leave the audience gasping, I'm sure; and closes with Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade, the musical story of 1,001 Nights. This great work, featuring so many of our solo instruments, is a colorful masterpiece that will sound so familiar to you."

Conductor DANIEL HEGE is widely recognized as one of America's finest conductors, earning critical acclaim for his fresh interpretations of the standard repertoire and for his commitment to creative programming. He served for eleven seasons as the Music Director of the Syracuse Symphony and in 2009 was appointed Music Director of the Wichita Symphony. Hege received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1987 from Bethel College, Kansas. He received a Master of Music degree in orchestra conducting from the University of Utah, where he founded the University Chamber Orchestra and served as Assistant Conductor of the University Orchestra and Music Director of the Utah Singers.

Pianist JON NAKAMATSU makes his Rhode Island Philharmonic debut in this concert. Since his dramatic 1997 Van Cliburn Gold Medal triumph, Jon Nakamatsu's brilliant but unassuming musicianship and eclectic repertoire have made him a clear favorite throughout the world both on the concert circuit and in the recording studio. He has performed widely in North America, Europe, and the Far East and has collaborated with such conductors as James Conlon, Philippe Entremont, Marek Janowski, Raymond Leppard, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Michael Tilson Thomas and Osmo Vänskä. His recital tours throughout the United States and Europe include appearances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Paris, London, and Milan. Mr. Nakamatsu is a graduate of Stanford University.

Season 70 offers symphonies by Beethoven, Prokofiev and Sibelius; concerti by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Saint-Sa?ns and Tchaikovsky; and popular favorites Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Ravel's Boléro and Orff's Carmina Burana. Twentieth-century highlights include works by Adams, Orff, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Sibelius, Strauss, Stravinsky, and Weill. The season's final concert features the world premiere of a commissioned work by the New England native composer Pierre Jalbert in honor of the Orchestra's 70th Anniversary. Several well-known guest artists will perform with the orchestra, including returning violinistsAugustin Hadelich and Jennifer Koh, cellist Alban Gerhardt, mezzo-soprano Susan Lorette Dunn, and pianists Ilya Yakushevand Joyce Yang. Pianist Jon Nakamatsu will be making his debut with the Rhode Island Philharmonic. The Providence Singers,Christine Noel, artistic director, will share two performances with the Philharmonic: Handel's Messiah in December and Carmina Burana in May, which also features the Rhode Island Children's Chorus (also directed by Ms. Noel).

The Philharmonic's season features eight Classical concerts on Saturday nights at The Vets. Four are preceded by Amica Rush Hour concerts on Friday, and four have Friday Open Rehearsals. The Amica Rush Hour Series offers an early start time - 6:30pm- on Fridays October 17, November 14, April 10 and May 8. These shorter, informal, accessible concerts feature full performances of select repertoire from the Saturday Classical concerts. Open Rehearsals, on Fridays January 16, February 20 and March 20 at 5:30pm, offer insight into the collaboration between the conductor, guest artists and orchestra musicians as they prepare for the upcoming classical concert. Subscriptions and individual concert tickets are on sale now. Call the Philharmonic box office at 401.248.7000, or visit tickets.riphil.org.

Photo Courtesy of The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.

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