Celebrating Bernstein, the Epic Finale to LexPhil’s 2017/18 Season
LEXINGTON, KY— The Lexington Philharmonic closes the 2017/18 season with an epic celebration of Bernstein’s musical legacy as a composer and conductor at Celebrating Bernstein, on Saturday, May 19th at 7:30 pm at the Singletary Center for the Arts. The evening begins with American composer John Corigliano’s “To Music,” followed by Bernstein’s Three Meditations from ‘Mass’ featuring cellist Joseph Johnson. The evening ends with Mahler’s expansive Symphony No. 5.
“Bernstein’s genius as a composer, conductor, and educator is the inspiration of this epic close to the season,” says Music Director & Conductor, Scott Terrell. “Bernstein was champion of the music of Gustav Mahler, and we honor that legacy by performing Mahler's iconic Symphony No. 5. With these selections, the evening celebrates the breadth of emotion and expression found in Bernstein’s life and legacy.”
Orchestras throughout the world are performing Bernstein’s works in honor of the centennial year, Bernstein at 100. The global celebration will continue in Lexington with LexPhil’s 2018/19 Season Opener, Bernstein & Gershwin, which features a semi-staged presentation of Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti. This ambitious concert will bring several familiar faces back to Lexington, including Ryan Shirar as soloist for Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and stage direction by John de los Santos.
“This October, we will continue our celebration of Bernstein’s genius with a semi-staged presentation of the not often performed Trouble in Tahiti, featuring expert stage direction by John de los Santos, who staged LexPhil’s 2013 presentation of Maria de Buenos Aires to rave reviews,” says Scott Terrell, Music Director & Conductor.
Following the concert, LexPhil will host a post-concert party, Bernstein Birthday Bash, at The Barrel Room at West Sixth Brewing. Musicians, board, and staff will all be in attendance to celebrate the close of the season. Tickets for the Bernstein Birthday Bash are $25 each, and include two beers, snacks, and cake.
In partnership with WEKU, Celebrating Bernstein will be broadcast live on WEKU 88.9, reaching LexPhil fans who otherwise aren't able to attend the concert. Roger Duvall will also provide pre-concert content, live from the Singletary Center for the Arts.
Cellist Joseph Johnson joins LexPhil as guest artist for Bernstein’s ‘Three Meditations from ‘Mass,’ a piece for cello and orchestra extracted from his multi-faceted dramatic work Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers which was commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy as part of the opening of the Kennedy Center in 1971. Joseph has been heard throughout the world as a soloist, chamber musician and educator. He has been the principal cellist of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra since the 2009/2010 season, and previously held the same position with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
A gifted and inspiring teacher, Mr. Johnson is Assistant Professor of Cello at the University of Toronto, as well as the cello coach for the Toronto Youth Symphony. He has conducted numerous master classes for a wide range of institutions and ensembles, including The New World Symphony, The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, Eastman School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Northwestern University, and the youth orchestras of the Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Toronto symphonies, as well as at The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Joseph Johnson earned his master's degree from Northwestern University. Awards and honours include a performer's certificate from the Eastman School of Music and first prize from the American String Teachers Association National Solo Competition.
Celebrating Bernstein is made possible through the generous support of Bingham, Greenebaum, Doll, LLP, Ovation Concert Partner. The 2017/18 Season Series is presented by Central Bank, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Tempur Sealy International, Inc. All LexPhil Season Series concerts start at 7:30 PM at the Singletary Center for the Arts, unless otherwise noted.
Prior to each Season Series concert, guests have the opportunity to participate in an insightful discussion of the night’s events with Maestro Terrell during LexPhil’s Inside the Score. Maestro Terrell will be joined by guest cellist, Joseph Johnson to discuss the works before the concert. Each Inside the Score starts at 6:45 PM and is held in the President’s Room for concerts at the Singletary Center for the Arts.
Valet parking is available for $10 per car at the Rose Street entrance to the Singletary Center. Capacity for valet parking has been increased. Free parking is available in any E Parking Lot on the UK campus unless otherwise noted, as well as Parking Structure 5 located at 409 S. Limestone, with entrances on S. Limestone and S. Upper Street. A shuttle will run from Parking Structure 5 before concerts beginning at 6:30 PM and after concerts until 9:30 PM to return patrons to the parking garage. In consideration of continued construction on the University of Kentucky campus, please allow for extra time to locate parking.
Tickets to Celebrating Bernstein range from $35-$85, with $11 student tickets available now by calling the Box Office, or at the Singletary Center for the Arts beginning at 6:30 pm on Saturday, May 19th. Subscriptions to the 2018/19 Season are on sale now to the public. To learn more and purchase LexPhil tickets and subscriptions, call 859.233.4226 or visit lexphil.org.
2017/18 Finale: Celebrating Bernstein
Saturday, May 19th, 2018 | 7:30 PM
Singletary Center for the Arts
John Corigliano
To Music
Bernstein
Three Meditations from ‘Mass’
Joseph Johnson, cello
Mahler
Symphony No. 5
The mission of the Lexington Philharmonic is to foster excellence and innovation in the performance and presentation of great music; to enrich the lives of our diverse citizenry; to educate current and future audiences and to bring distinction to our community through the orchestra’s presence and standing. Through LexPhil’s four core values of artistic excellence, innovation, collaboration and accessibility, LexPhil will continue to move forward, artistically and purposefully, providing world-class musical experiences and impactful educational opportunities for the Bluegrass Region and beyond.
Now in his ninth season with the Lexington Philharmonic, Music Director and Conductor Scott Terrell has led the orchestra in a significant transformation to align with the organizational values of artistic excellence, collaboration, innovation and accessibility. Scott is passionate about engaging the broadest possible community in music as listeners, musicians, composers and advocates. Through LexPhil collaborations with high schools, colleges and youth performing arts groups, Scott dedicates time and energy to educating emerging musical artists. His programming has expanded the orchestra’s repertoire and enhanced the national reputation of the organization through commissioning of new music, multi-media and interdisciplinary projects and international guest conducting.
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All Lexington Philharmonic programs are made possible through the generous support of LexArts. In 2017-2018, the Lexington Philharmonic will receive a total of $170,000 in unrestricted support.
LexPhil’s 2017-2018 Season is presented by the Dupree Initiative for Innovation, funded by the tremendous generosity of Thomas and Ann Todd Dupree.
The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, provides operating support to the Lexington Philharmonic with state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Saykaly Garbulinska Foundation, funder of the Saykaly Garbulinska Composer-in-Residence Program, generously brings renowned composer Chris Brubeck to work with the Lexington Philharmonic for the 2017-2018 season.
Special thanks to the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government for its continued partnership in ensuring a flourishing future for the arts in Lexington and central Kentucky.