9/11 TEN YEAR COMMEMORATION CONCERT @ Utah Symphony (SLC: Sept 9-10)

Media Contact:
Hilarie Ashton, Public Relations Manager
hashton@usuo.org, (801)869-9027

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2011

UTAH SYMPHONY OPENS 2011-2012 SEASON WITH 9/11 TEN YEAR COMMEMORATION CONCERT
Thierry Fischer conducts Beethoven’s Ninth and Adams’ “On the Transmigration of Souls”

SALT LAKE CITY – Music Director Thierry Fischer will conduct the Utah Symphony in its opening concerts of the 2011-2012 season, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the September 11 tragedy with a solemn musical tribute and a triumphant celebration of life: Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.”

They will also perform John Adams’ Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning “On the Transmigration of Souls,” an homage to the victims of the September 11 attacks, Friday, September 9 and Saturday, September 10 at 8 p.m. in Abravanel Hall with the Utah Symphony Chorus and choristers of the Madeleine Choir School. Vocal soloists Erin Morley, Jill Grove, Garrett Sorenson and David Pittsinger will also be featured with the Utah Symphony Chorus in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and its famous “Ode to Joy” finale, providing a triumphant launch to Maestro Fischer’s season-long countdown of all nine Beethoven symphonies.

“Beethoven's life and his art can be envisaged as a search for Elysium, for ‘one day of pure joy,’ for fraternal and familial harmony, as well as for a just and enlightened social order,” said Beethoven scholar Maynard Solomon in an address in Denver, “With the “Ode to Joy” of the Ninth Symphony that search found its symbolic fulfillment.”

The Ninth Symphony is considered by critics to be one of Beethoven’s greatest masterpieces, and includes some of the most recognizable melodies in classical music history. As a grand, unabashed affirmation of the universal human spirit, it embraces a world of emotional expression and serves as an ideal coupling with John Adams’ “On the Transmigration of Souls.”

The New York Philharmonic approached John Adams in late January 2002 with a commission for a commemorative work to be performed on the opening concert of their 2002-03 season, almost exactly one year after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Adams was later awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in music for the piece, and its premiere recording received the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition.

“If pressed, I'd probably call the piece a 'memory space’ … a place where you can go and be alone with your thoughts and emotions,” Adams said in an interview published by the New York Philharmonic. “I hope that the piece will summon human experience that goes beyond this particular event."

Single tickets for the performances range from $25 to $75 and can be purchased starting August 30 by calling (801) 355-ARTS (2787), in person at the Abravanel Hall ticket office (123 W. South Temple) or by visiting www.utahsymphony.org. Discounted student tickets will be available on the date of the performance. Season ticket holders and those desiring group discounts should call (801) 533-NOTE (6683). Ticket prices will increase $5 when purchased on the day of the performance.

Maestro Fischer and Toby Tolokan, Utah Symphony Vice President of Artistic Planning, will present a free pre-concert lecture each night, 45 minutes prior to the start of the performance in the First Tier audience seating area of Abravanel Hall.

Press photos available by logging in at http://www.utahsymphony.org/about/press-and-reviews/itemlist/category/35-media-kit. (Username: usuoimages, Password: media).

About Erin Morley, Soprano
Soprano Erin Morley, a member of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program from 2007 to 2010, is one of today's most promising coloratura sopranos. Recently, her Marguerite de Valois in Les Huguenots at the Bard Festival was described by the New York Times as a “formidable performance”.

In concert, Morley has performed in New York’s Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall; she has been featured as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Utah Symphony, and Mormon Tabernacle Choir; she has also appeared in concert in China and Italy. She won 1st Place in the Licia Albanese - Puccini Foundation Competition in 2006, and 3rd Place in the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition in 2009.

A native of Salt Lake City, Morley completed her Artist Diploma at the Juilliard Opera Center in May 2007, a recipient of the Florence & Paul DeRosa Prize. Opera roles sung at Juilliard include Sandrina in La Finta Giardiniera, Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Adele in Die Fledermaus, and the Fire and Nightingale in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges. Ms. Morley earned her Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, and her Bachelor of Music degree from Eastman School of Music.

About Jill Grove, Alto
Renowned for her distinctive dramatic voice and passionate artistry, American mezzo soprano Jill Grove has won critical raves throughout America and Europe for her distinguished portrayals of the heroines of German and Italian opera. She is equally at home with the world's leading orchestras and in recital.

Grove is the winner of a 2003 ARIA award, a 2001 Richard Tucker Foundation Career Grant, a 1999 George London Foundation Career Grant, a 1997 Sullivan Foundation Career Grant, and the 1996 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is also the recipient of a 1996 Richard Tucker Foundation Study Grant and a 1995 Richard F. Gold Career Grant.

Grove was a member of the Merola Program at San Francisco Opera and the Houston Grand Opera Studio. She has also sung with the Opera Theater of St Louis. She attended the Music Academy of the West, the New England Conservatory and Stephen F. Austin State University. She received a Distinguished Alumna Award from the latter university in 2006. She currently resides in Los Angeles and studies with Patricia McCaffrey.

About Garrett Sorenson, Tenor
American tenor Garrett Sorenson has been praised as an artist of unique promise, drawing critical interest for a rich lyric voice of beauty and power. Sorenson’s 2010-11 season began with an appearance at the Tanglewood Festival performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony under the baton of Kurt Masur. Other concert appearances include Verdi’s Requiem with the Houston Symphony under Thomas Dausgaard, and also with the Temple University Symphony under Luis Biava. His opera performances are highlighted by his European Operatic debut, in a role and house debut as Gabriele Adorno with the English National Opera, in a new production by Dmitri Tcherniakov and conducted by Edward Gardner. He will also appeared as Don Jose in Carmen with Arizona Opera.

Among his honors and awards, Sorenson was the winner of the Opera Birmingham Young Singer Contest and the Sorantin Young Artist Award. Mr. Sorenson was also a finalist in the Loren L. Zachary Society Contest for Young Opera Singers and The Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition’s Southwest Region. Recently, Mr. Sorenson was named a winner at the 2003 George London Foundation Competition and a Sara Tucker Study Grant Winner. This was followed by a 2004 Richard Tucker Foundation Career Grant. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University, and he resides in Kentucky with his wife Elizabeth Batton and his sons.

David Pittsinger, Bass
Bass-baritone David Pittsinger has sung with the world’s major orchestras under the batons of such conductors as James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Leonard Slatkin, William Christie, Richard Bonynge, Robert Spano, and Nicholas McGegan.

His acclaimed portrayal of Emile de Becque in South Pacific at the Kennedy Center last season was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor. At Glimmerglass Opera in summer 2011, Pittsinger and his wife, soprano Patricia Schuman, sang the world premiere of A Blizzard at Marblehead Neck, an opera by Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner, based on the marriage of Eugene O’Neill and Carlotta Monterey.

In the 2011-2012 season, Pittsinger returns to the Metropolitan Opera as the Comte des Grieux opposite Anna Netrebko in Manon, conducted by Fabio Luisi, in a new production by Laurent Pelly that will also be seen live in high definition in cinemas around the world. He also appears in a double bill of Iolanta and Francesca da Rimini at Theater an der Wien, returns to San Francisco Opera as The Speaker in The Magic Flute, and sings the Count in Le nozze di Figaro at Portland Opera. David Pittsinger is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and the Yale School of Music.

About the Madeleine Choir School
Located in downtown Salt Lake City, The Madeleine Choir School is a mission of The Cathedral of the Madeleine, serving young people in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade Eight. Modeled after the historic cathedral schools in Europe, the Choir School offers a rigorous academic program, strong character formation and activities designed to nurture the whole child. The Choir School provides every student an exceptional musical education, including two years of violin study, music theory and history and intensive vocal training. The choristers assist with the worship life of the Cathedral and participate in The Choir of the Cathedral of the Madeleine’s Annual Concert Series. In addition, the choristers sing regularly with local organizations including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Utah Symphony and Opera. In total, the choristers perform over 180 times during the school year, ranging from liturgical services to stage performances. The Choir also broadcasts on radio and television, airing both concert and liturgical performances. They have four CD recordings available. National and international performance tours are an integral part of every student’s experience at The Madeleine Choir School; past tours encompassed performances in Rome, Assisi, Florence, Madrid, Sevilla, Brussels, Munich, and Vienna – including St. Peter’s Basilica, and Notre Dame de Paris. Past engagements of soloists and choristers with the Utah Symphony and Opera include Orff’s Carmina Burana, Puccini's La Bohème, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Bizet's Carmen, and Bernstein's Mass.

Choristers of The Madeleine Choir School
Soprano 1
Victoria Stevens
Katherine Morelli
Erik Steenburgh
Genevieve Kierulf
Thomas Kearns
Keenan Lins
Soprano 2
Olivia Pratt
Brennen Schultz
Nathan Maudlin
Caroline Vashisth
Sophia Zuno
Jessica Graham
Alto 1
Kendall Thorsen
Todd Wolfe
Hannah Leary
Djivan Black
Grace Bardugon
Kate Klassen
Alto 2
Megan Wolfe
Caroline Yanelli
Harry Pendergrast
Sophie Gross
Ally Ioannides
Eadan McCarthy
Musical Preparation: Melanie Malinka, Director of Music, The Madeleine Choir School

About Utah Symphony | Utah Opera
Utah Symphony | Utah Opera is dedicated to providing Utah residents and visitors with great performances that engage, educate and enrich lives. The Utah Symphony, which performs at Abravanel Hall, and Utah Opera, which performs at the Capitol Theatre, reach 450,000 citizens in Utah and the Intermountain region, with educational outreach programs serving more than 175,000 students annually. The organization employs 60 staff and 83 full-time musicians, presenting four full opera productions and more than 70 symphony performances in each regular season as well as a summer season at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. For more information please visit www.usuo.org.

Program
In honor of the heroes and in memory of the victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001

John Adams
On the Transmigration of Souls
Utah Symphony Chorus
Choristers of the Madeleine Choir School

INTERMISSION


Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus 125, "Choral"
I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
II. Molto vivace
III. Adagio molto e cantabile
IV. Presto - Allegro assai - Allegro assai vivace
Utah Symphony Chorus

About UBS, Utah Symphony Season Sponsor
UBS is proud to continue as the Season Sponsor of the Utah Symphony through the 2011-2012 season. The firm has partnered with the symphony since 2004.

Headquartered in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland, UBS is a global firm providing services to private, corporate and institutional clients. Its strategy is to focus on international wealth management and the Swiss banking business alongside its global expertise in investment banking and asset management. In Switzerland, UBS is the market leader in retail and commercial banking.

UBS is a significant supporter of orchestral music globally. In addition to its season sponsorship of the Utah Symphony, the firm currently sponsors several outstanding symphony orchestras such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra. These partnerships reflect UBS's dedication to supporting the communities where it operates, as well as a philosophy of working collaboratively with its clients to deliver the customized solutions that help them pursue their goals.

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Hilarie Ashton
Public Relations Manager
801.869.9027 office
801.335.9387 cell