AtlAnta Symphony Orchestra Debut In Orange County With Nathalie Stutzmann San Francisco Symphony Performs With Esa-pekka Salonen

Two world-renowned American orchestras-Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony-will perform in Orange County this March at Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall presented by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County. Nathalie Stutzmann, the newest Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and the second woman in history to lead a major American orchestra, will be at the helm conducting ASO in their Orange County debut with Dvořák's "New World" Symphony. Pianist Haochen Zhang, the 2009 Cliburn Gold medalist, will join ASO to perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5. This concert will take place on Thursday, March,7, 2024.

Composer, conductor, and the current Music Director of San Francisco Symphony (SFS) Esa-Pekka Salonen will lead SFS through an all-Sibelius program, including the tone poem Finlandia and his Symphony No. 1. Violinist Lisa Batiashvili, praised by The Guardian as "fearless... and technically immaculate" will join SFS to perform Sibelius' Violin Concerto. This concert will take place on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

Both concerts are Sponsored by the Donna L. Kendall Classical Series with additional support from The Segerstrom Foundation.

Under the leadership of Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra offers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that unite, educate, and enrich the community through the engaging and transformative power of orchestral music. Now in its 79th season, the Orchestra's range and depth are featured in more than 150 concerts each year, including the flagship Delta Classical Series, Movies in Concert, Family Concerts, Coca-Cola Holiday series and many community and education concerts. Outside of the concert hall, ASO's Behind the Curtain video concert series enables the Orchestra to reach audiences beyond city limits.

Stutzmann has also been the Principal Guest Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra (TPO) since 2021. Nathalie Stutzmann's first season of partnership with TPO has attracted outstanding accolades from the press with praise for her "memorable reading" (Bachtrack) of Tchaikovsky's Pathétique Symphony and "terrific ideas" (The Philadelphia Inquirer) in Schubert's Great Symphony.

Nathalie has also established a strong reputation as an opera conductor, leading celebrated productions of Wagner's Tannhäuser in Monte Carlo and Boito's Mefistofele at the Orange Festival. In addition, as one of today's most esteemed contraltos, she studied the German repertoire with Hans Hotter, and has done more than 80 recordings and received many prestigious awards. Her last album released in January 2021, Contralto, was awarded Scherzo's 'Exceptional' seal, Opera Magazine's Diamant d'Or and radio RTL's Classique d'Or.

Since his gold medal win at the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009, Haochen Zhang has captivated audiences in the United States, Europe, and Asia with a unique combination of deep musical sensitivity, fearless imagination, and spectacular virtuosity. In 2017, Haochen received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, which recognizes talented musicians with the potential for a major career in music.

Haochen has already appeared with many of the world's leading festivals and orchestras including the BBC Proms with Long Yu and the China Philharmonic; the Munich Philharmonic with the late Lorin Maazel in a sold-out tour in Munich and China; The Philadelphia Orchestra with Yannick Nézet-Séguin; the Sydney Symphony and David Robertson in a China tour; and the NDR Hamburg and Thomas Hengelbrock in a tour of Tokyo, Beijing, and Shanghai.

Highlights of this season include performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Nathalie Stutzmann, a U.S. tour with the Atlanta Symphony also with Stutzmann, a debut with the Melbourne Symphony, performances with Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestra Santa Cecilia, a tour of Asia with Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and extensive recital and orchestral performances throughout China.

The San Francisco Symphony is among the most adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the United States, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, active touring, award-winning recordings, and standard-setting education programs. Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony, along with violinist Lisa Batiashvili, embark on a three-concert Southern California tour March 20-22. The tour launches March 20 at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, followed by engagements in Palm Desert and Los Angeles.

As Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, Esa-Pekka Salonen works alongside eight Collaborative Partners from a variety of disciplines, ranging from composers to roboticists. He is also the Conductor Laureate of the Philharmonia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. As a member of the faculty of the Colburn School, he directs the pre-professional Negaunee Conducting Program. Salonen has also co-founded, and until 2018, served as the Artistic Director of the annual Baltic Sea Festival.

Lisa Batiashvili is a Georgian-born German violinist. This season she takes up residency with the Berlin Philharmonic and performs with the Munich Philharmonic and Netherlands Philharmonic. She tours with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and cellist Gautier Capuçon, including a San Francisco Symphony Great Performers Series recital last October. Recent appearances include the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, London Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Vienna Philharmonic as a featured artist at the Vienna Konzerthaus. She made her San Francisco Symphony debut in January 2006.

Recording exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon, Ms. Batiashvili's latest album, Secret Love Letters, was released in August 2022 with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Her discography also includes Visions of Prokofiev, which won an Opus Klassik Award and was shortlisted for the 2018 Gramophone Awards.

Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall is located at 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Ticket prices for each concert start at $38 and are available at the Philharmonic Society box office at (949) 553-2422, or online at www.philharmonicsociety.org.

ABOUT THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY:

Founded in 1954 as Orange County's first music organization, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County presents national and international performances of the highest quality and provides dynamic and innovative music education programs for individuals of all ages to enhance the lives of Orange County audiences through music.

Since its inception, the Philharmonic Society has evolved and grown with the county's changing landscape, presenting artists and orchestras who set the standard for artistic achievement from Itzhak Perlman, Gustavo Dudamel, Yo-Yo Ma, and Renée Fleming to the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and many others. In addition, the Philharmonic Society celebrates multi-disciplinary performances under its Eclectic Orange brand and embraces music from a wide range of countries with its World Music performances. Its celebrated family concerts introduce children to classical music with creative and inspiring performances, instilling music appreciation for future generations.The Philharmonic Society's nationally recognized Youth Music Education Programs, offered free of charge, engage more than 100,000 students annually through curriculum-based music education programs that aim to inspire, expand imaginations, and encourage learning at all levels. These programs are made possible by the Committees of the Philharmonic Society comprised of 500 volunteer members who provide more than 90,000 hours of in-kind service each year. As a key youth program, the exceptional Orange County Youth Symphony and String Ensemble provide top-tier training to the area's most talented young musicians through multi-level ensemble instruction, leadership training, touring opportunities, challenging professional repertoire, and performances in world-class venues. The Philharmonic Society also promotes life-long learning by connecting with colleges and universities to conduct masterclasses and workshops and providing pre-concert lectures.

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