The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia Presents All Mozart, 5/5-7

In a program that epitomizes the evolution of a great composer and the artistry of two exceptional musicians, Elissa Lee Koljonen and Roberto Diaz join Music Director Dirk Brossé and The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia for All Mozart on Sunday, May 5, Monday, May 6, and Tuesday, May 7, 2013.

A founding resident company of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Chamber Orchestra's May 5 2:30 p.m. and May 6 7:30 p.m. concerts will be performed in the Kimmel Center's intimate Perelman Theater. The May 7 7:30 p.m. concert will be performed at the Temple University Performing Art Center's Lew Klein Hall on North Broad Street.

Tickets for Chamber Orchestra performances are $24 to $81. The Sunday matinée performance will be followed by "Classical Conversations," a brief question-and-answer session with Maestro Brossé, Ms. Koljonen and Mr. Diaz.

Burt Bacharach, the Chamber Orchestra's 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award Gala Honoree, will be in attendance at the Sunday, May 5 concert, and will autograph copies of his new memoir, Anyone Who Had a Heart: My Life and Music, following the performances (at approximately 4:30pm). The book signing will take place outside the Perelman Theater, in the Commonwealth Plaza of the Kimmel Center. Copies will be sold on-site in the Commonwealth Plaza, during intermission and following the concert.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546
Writing a "strict" fugue was rare form for a composer whose usually independent musical lines have interwoven flawlessly in all of his works. Written originally for two keyboards, Mozart's satisfaction with his Fugue in C minor inspired him to arrange it for strings five years later, when he also added the Adagio introduction to the work heard on this occasion.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major, K. 364
Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major for violin, viola, and orchestra is the greatest work in his vast repertoire for concerts of two or more solo instruments and orchestra. His knowledge of the violin from past studies and his love for the viola are evident in this piece, with both instruments complementing each other through soaring phrases and intense passages combining virtuosity, elegance and emotional power.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201
Symphony No. 29 was the earliest of Mozart's symphonies that has won a place in the standard orchestral repertoire. It is one of his more serious works with ambitious horn parts, bold rhythmic motifs and the breaking up of musical ideas due to enjambment, requiring poised and polished technique from the musicians of the orchestra. His 29th Symphony is rich in harmonic texture and expressivity, and a remarkable work for his time.

Violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen is one of the most celebrated violinists of her generation. She was the first recipient of the prestigious Henryk Szeryng Foundation Award and the silver medalist of the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition, and has garnered worldwide acclaim for her musicianship. Ms. Koljonen has upcoming engagements with the world's most prestigious orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, and the Helsinki Symphony, and has performed under the baton of noted conductors such as James Judd, Rossen Milanov, and James DePreist. Also a recitalist and chamber musician, her performances have taken her internationally to the world's finest concert halls. She is a protégé of the great Aaron Rosand at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Violist Roberto Diaz is internationally known for his impact on American musical life as a performer and educator. He is currently the President and CEO of the Curtis Institute of Music, and was the former PrincipAl Viola of The Philadelphia Orchestra and National Symphony. He has performed with orchestras all over the world, including the National Symphony, Orquestra Sinfònica del Principado de Asturias, and Orquestra Filharmônica de Minas Gerais, under celebrated conductors Roberto Abbado, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, and Peter Oundjian, among others. Mr. Diaz also collaborates with 20th and 21st century composers on viola repertoire, records extensively on the Naxos label, and is also an active chamber musician.

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