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BEETHOVEN: THE LATE GREAT PR PSOC 13 14 Season Page 1 of 6
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Chantel Chen Uchida Marie Songco-Torres
(949) 553-2422, ext. 231 (949) 553-2422, ext. 230 [email protected] [email protected]
PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY’S SEASON FINALE FEATURES BEETHOVEN’S NINTH SYMPHONY & WEST COAST PREMIERE OF MARK-ANTHONY
TURNAGE’S FRIEZE
IRVINE, CA— The Philharmonic Society of Orange County is pleased to present the final concert in
its 2013-14 season, featuring a program of Beethoven’s iconic Ninth Symphony and the West Coast
premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Frieze on Thursday, May 15, 2014, 8pm, at the Renée and
Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. A cast of more than 300 artists will appear onstage—comprised of
the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Chapman Orchestra, choirs from Chapman
University and the University of California, Irvine, pianist Marc Yu and four vocal soloists. This
concert is part of the Society’s Beethoven: The Late Great celebration, sponsored by The Segerstrom
Foundation, with additional support from Joann Leatherby and Dr. Greg Bates, Drs. Adeline and
Robert Mah, and an anonymous patron. This performance also marks the last concert of
Philharmonic Society President and Artistic Director Dean Corey’s 21-year tenure.
Beethoven: The Late Great is a musical exploration curated by Dean Corey into the final
transcendence of one of the greatest composers of all time. After watching the play 33 Variations,
which recounts the story of a terminally ill musicologist racing against her own mortality while she
tries to figure out why Beethoven wrote 33 variations of Anton Diabelli’s waltz when he was only
commissioned to write one, Mr. Corey was inspired to curate a number of Beethoven performances
from his late period for the Philharmonic Society so audiences could explore this curious time in the
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composer’s life. Over the past few seasons, the Society has presented all of Beethoven’s late works.
This season’s Beethoven: The Late Great celebration featured community-wide events showcasing
Beethoven and his inspirational genius through film screenings of a new documentary by filmmaker
Kerry Candaele, Following the Ninth, an “Ode to Joy” art and sound installation by the artist
Trimpin, the publication of Dean Corey’s book Beethoven: The Late Great—Thirty-Three Personal
Variations, an exhibit of rare Beethoven artifacts at the Bowers Museum, and an exhibit on Charles
M. Schulz’ Peanuts comic strip featuring the character Schroeder and his muse Beethoven. The
Segerstrom Foundation provided a generous challenge grant to support the multi-year Beethoven:
The Late Great celebration.
“Beethoven & Schroeder” Exhibit
Charles Schulz, the famous creator of Peanuts, included excerpts from Beethoven compositions in
many of his cartoon strips, which featured a serious young pianist named Schroeder whose love from
the composer and his music was all-consuming. Schulz was careful to accurately portray
Beethoven’s music and key parts of his life in the strips, and included subtle themes that would be
particularly meaningful to Beethoven fans. This exhibit is drawn from a larger joint exhibition by the
Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University and the Charles M. Schulz
Museum in Santa Rosa. Accompanying the exhibit will be a Yamaha Disklavier, a piano famously
known for its self-playing ability, which will provide patrons with an up-close mini performance of
Beethoven’s challenging Hammerklavier Sonata featured in the strips. Part of the Society’s ongoing
Beethoven: The Late Great celebration, “Beethoven & Schroeder” is a traveling exhibit and is
available for viewing at the following Philharmonic Society concerts: Pinchas Zukerman & Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra (Jan. 22, 2014, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall); Mandelring
Quartet (Feb. 23, 2014, Irvine Barclay Theatre); Scharoun Ensemble Berlin (Mar. 21, 2014, Irvine
Barclay Theatre); and Beethoven: The Late Great – The Finale (May 15, 2014, Renée and Henry
Segerstrom Concert Hall).
The Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra has given world-class pre-professional musical
education to young musicians for more than four decades, introducing classical music to more than
500,000 students through its youth education programs and performances. Under Musical Director
Daniel Alfred Wachs, the OCYSO was awarded the American Prize in Orchestral Performance—
Youth Orchestra Division in 2012. Performances in Austria, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Hong
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Kong, the People’s Republic of China, Japan and at the United Nations and Carnegie Hall have been
lauded by critics and audiences alike.
Conductor Daniel Alfred Wachs began his studies with the late Enrique Barenboim in Tel Aviv
before pursuing studies at the Zürich Academy and graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music and
the Juilliard School. Wachs emerged on the international scene following his debut with the
Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg in November 2010, leading a world premiere by Toshio Hosokawa
at the Grosses Festspielhaus. The Austrian press praised: “Engaging, rhythmically inspired, precise in
its execution, the ‘Mambo’ was equal to a performance by Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar
Youth Orchestra!” Wachs has served as cover conductor for the Houston Symphony and the
Rotterdam Philharmonic, and has guest conducted the Pacific Symphony, the Auckland
Philharmonia, the National Symphony Orchestra (as part of the National Conducting Institute), the
Sarasota Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony, Sinfonia Gulf Coast, the Oakland East Bay
Symphony, the Monterey Symphony, the Spartanburg Philharmonic, and the New York City Ballet
at Lincoln Center. Wachs has also served as assistant conductor at the Cincinnati Opera and for the
French premiere of Bernstein’s Candide at the Théâtre du Châtelet, a co-production with La Scala
and the English National Opera, directed by Robert Carsen.
Pianist Marc Yu, the youngest recipient of the prestigious Davidson Fellowship, made his orchestral
debut at age six, playing a piano concerto and a cello concerto on the same evening. Since then, he
has appeared as a soloist with symphony orchestras around the world, as well as appearances with his
childhood idol Lang Lang. His first appearance with Lang Lang took place in June 2007 in Las
Vegas. Since then, they have performed to sold-out crowds at the BBC Proms, in London's Royal
Albert Hall, and in New York’s Carnegie Hall. Beyond his early success on the concert stage, Marc
Yu has made for himself a second career as well, leading his generation in speaking out for cultural
and planetary concerns. After being presented to Vice Premier of China, Wang Qi-Shan, Marc
addressed an assemblage that included Condoleezza Rice, Henry Paulson and other members of the
U.S. Cabinet at the 2008 Bi-Annual U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue. His speech was a plea
for urgency in the matter of global warming. Marc was honored with the Most Innovative Person
Award at the World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship held in Dubai in 2008. He is
currently a piano student of Robert Ward in Los Angeles, California.
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Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, is located at 615
Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Ticket prices for Beethoven: The Late Great – The
Finale start at $25 and are available at the Philharmonic Society box office at (949) 553-2422,
online at www.PhilharmonicSociety.org, and at the Center box office at (714) 556-2787. A
limited number of box seats are also available for purchase. Call for pricing and availability.
About the Philharmonic Society:
Founded in 1954, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County is Orange County’s oldest and most
recognized music organization, presenting the world’s most acclaimed symphony orchestras,
chamber ensembles, performing organizations and artists. A catalyst for cultural and educational
development throughout its region, the Philharmonic Society is a key resident company in the Renée
and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
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CONTACT: Chantel Chen Uchida Marie Songco-Torres
(949) 553-2422, ext. 231 (949) 553-2422, ext. 230 [email protected] [email protected]
WHAT: BEETHOVEN: THE LATE GREAT—THE FINALE Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra Daniel Alfred Wachs, conductor The Chapman Orchestra Choirs from Chapman University and UCI Marc Yu, piano Jessica Rivera, soprano Renee Tatum, mezzo-soprano Nicholas Phan, tenor Craig Colclough, bass
WHEN: Thursday, May 15, 2014, 8pm
PROGRAM: Pre-concert conversation with Dean Corey and John Koshak, 7pm
TURNAGE: Frieze (U.S. West Coast premiere) BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 1 (first movement) BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
WHERE: Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
Segerstrom Center for the Arts 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
TICKETS: Ticket prices start at $25. Limited number of box seats available for purchase. Call for pricing and availability. Available at the Philharmonic Society box office (949) 553-2422,
or online at www.philharmonicsociety.org. Tickets are also available at the Center’s box office at (714) 556-2787.
FOR CALENDAR
EDITORS
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INFORMATION: Call (949) 553-2422 or visit www.PhilharmonicSociety.org