American Symphony Orchestra Presents NY Premiere Of JULIETTA

American Symphony Orchestra concludes its 2018-19 season on a high note by offering an exceedingly rare performance of Bohuslav Martin 's opera Julietta at Carnegie Hall on Friday, March 22.

The presentation will mark the U.S. premiere of the work's Czech version and the New York premiere of Julietta. Based on the French play Juliette, ou La cl des songes (Juliette, or The Key of Dreams) by Georges Neveux, Martin 's operatic masterpiece Julietta is a lyric opera in three acts. One of the greatest 20th-century works for the stage, it explores the intersection of dreams and reality. The title role will be sung by American soprano Sara Jakubiak, praised by the New York Times for her plush-voiced, impressive soprano. Metropolitan Opera artist and George London Foundation Award recipient tenor Aaron Blake performs the role of Michel. The works of Czech composer Bohuslav Martin remain relatively unknown in North America, yet he stands as a key 20th-century operatic composer with 14 wide-ranging operas in his catalogue. Julietta was first staged at Prague's National Theater in 1938 and features a libretto written in French by Martin himself. Set in a seaside town, Julietta's psychological drama finds a traveling salesman, Michel, in search of a mysterious girl whose voice he has been hearing for several years. In love with Julietta and realizing he is caught in a dream world, he must decide should he stay in the dream or wake up?

Leon Botstein shares the stories behind the music in a lively 30-minute Conductor's Notes Q&A at 7 PM in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. Free for all ticket holders. The Key of Dreams Friday, March 22 7 PM Conductor's Notes Q&A 8 PM Concert, Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage Leon Botstein, conductor Sara Jakubiak, soprano: Julietta Aaron Blake, tenor: Michel David Cangelosi, tenor Alfred Walker, bass-baritone Kevin Burdette, bass Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano Philip Cokorinos, bass-baritone Tichina Vaughn, mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis, mezzo-soprano

Bard Festival Chorale James Bagwell, director Tickets, priced at $25 / $40 / $55, are available at carnegiehall.org, CarnegieCharge at 212.247.7800 or the box office at 57th St & 7th Ave. American Symphony Orchestra The American Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski with a mission of making orchestral music accessible and affordable for everyone. Music Director Leon Botstein expanded that mission when he joined the ASO in 1992, creating thematic concerts that explore music from the perspective of the visual arts, literature, religion, and history, and reviving rarely-performed works audiences would otherwise seldom hear performed live.

The Orchestra has made several tours of Asia and Europe and performed in countless benefits for organizations including the Jerusalem Foundation and PBS. Many of the world's most accomplished soloists have performed with the ASO, including Yo-Yo Ma, Deborah Voigt, and Sarah Chang. The Orchestra has released several recordings on the Telarc, New World, Bridge, Koch, and Vanguard labels, and numerous live performances are also available for digital download. In many cases, these are the only recordings of some of the rare works that have been rediscovered in ASO performances.

The ASO's online-only issue of Weber's Euryanthe, recorded at the 2014 Bard Music Festival, was reviewed by the Wall Street Journal as "Musically rich, lyrical and expansive. Leon Botstein Leon Botstein has been music director and principal conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra since 1992. He is also music director of The Orchestra Now, an innovative training orchestra composed of top musicians from around the world. He is co-artistic director of Bard SummerScape and the Bard Music Festival, which take place at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, where he has been president since 1975. He is also conductor laureate of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, where he served as music director from 2003 11. In 2018, he assumed artistic directorship of Campus Grafenegg and Grafenegg Academy in Austria. Mr. Botstein also has an active career as a guest conductor with orchestras around the globe, and has made numerous recordings, as well as being a prolific author and music historian. He is the recipient of numerous honors for his contributions to the music industry. For more information, please visit americansymphony.org.

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