ARTISTS

Halekulani MasterWorks: “An American in Paris”
Honolulu Symphony Orchestra
David Alan Miller, conductor
Alisa Weilerstein, cello

CONCERTS

Friday, October 10 at 8 p.m. & Saturday, October 11 at 8 p.m.
Please note special Friday schedule and Saturday evening time.
These concerts take place at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.
               

PROGRAM

COPLAND, Appalachian Spring
BARBER, Cello Concerto
SCHWANTNER: Chasing Light… *Hawaii Premiere*
GERSHWIN, An American in Paris
 

TICKETS

$19, $26, $40, $52, $70 (including service fees)
Military and seniors receive a 20% discount.
Groups of 10 people or more are eligible for $10 flat rate tickets.
Student tickets are always $10.
Tickets are sold at Ticketmaster outlets (1-877-750-4400), Macy’s and Times supermarkets. www.ticketmaster.com
Call the Box Office at (808) 792-2000 (weekdays) or (808) 524-0815 ext. 245 (evenings) for more information.
E-mail: boxofficemngr@honolulusymphony.com
www.honolulusymphony.com
 
Honolulu – The Honolulu Symphony welcomes two renowned American artists, virtuoso cellist Alisa Weilerstein and distinguished conductor David Alan Miller, in a popular “All-American” program on Friday, October 10 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, October 11 at 8 p.m. These Halekulani MasterWorks concerts present works by four American composers and shine the spotlight on the Hawaii premiere of Joseph Schwantner’s new work, Chasing Light...

Titled after George Gershwin’s An American in Paris – a highlight of the program – the concerts showcase the incredible talents of Weilerstein in performance of Samuel Barber’s Cello Concerto. Tickets start from only $19 for this must-see event that also includes Aaron Copland’s open-hearted and inspirational Appalachian Spring. This concert is generously sponsored by ABC Stores.

On Weilerstein, New Yorker magazine recently wrote: “At 26, she’s arguably Yo-Yo Ma’s heiress apparent as sovereign of the American cello.” A natural virtuoso hailed for her heartfelt musicianship and expressive range, Weilerstein has selected the Barber Cello Concerto for her much-anticipated return to the Honolulu Symphony stage.

Weilerstein’s 2004 performance of Dvorak’s Cello Concerto left local audiences
captivated by her “exquisite delicacy and inner feeling” and “imposing technique and flawless intonation” (Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Weilerstein’s selection of the Barber Cello Concerto may have indeed raised eyebrows in the community; it is notorious for its tremendous technical demands. In the hands of an artist such as Weilerstein, the Concerto promises to be a platform for tremendous brilliance.

The Honolulu Symphony’s performance of Joseph Schwantner’s Chasing Light… is part of Ford Made in America, a partnership program of the League of American Orchestras and Meet The Composer.

Ford Made in America is made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company.

Major support is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional funding from The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts, and The Amphion Foundation.

About Chasing Light… in the words of Joseph Schwantner
One of the special pleasures of living in rural New Hampshire is experiencing the often brilliant and intense early morning sunrises, reminding one of Thoreau’s words, “Morning is when I am awake and there is a dawn in me” (Walden). Chasing Light… draws its spirit, energy and inspiration from the celebration of vibrant colors and light that penetrate the morning mist as it wafts through the trees in the high New England hills. Like a delicate dance, those images intersected with a brief original poem that helped fire my musical imagination.

The four-movement work, about eighteen minutes in duration, proceeds from one movement to the next without pause. Each movement’s subtitle is associated with a pair of lines from the poem.

Chasing Light… received its world premiere with the Reno Chamber Orchestra on September 20, 2008. For more information, please visit
http://www.fordmadeinamerica.org/

About Joseph Schwantner
Known for his dramatic and unique style and as a gifted orchestral colorist, Joseph Schwantner is one of the most prominent American composers today. He received his musical and academic training at the Chicago Conservatory and Northwestern University and has served on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, and the Yale School of Music, simultaneously establishing himself as a sought-after composition instructor. Schwantner’s compositional career has been marked by many awards, grants, and fellowships, including the Pulitzer Prize in 1979 for his orchestral composition Aftertones of Infinity and several Grammy nominations. Among his many commissions is his Percussion Concerto, which was commissioned for the
150th anniversary season of the New York Philharmonic and is one of the most
performed concert works of the past decade. Schwantner is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
 
About David Alan Miller
David Alan Miller has established a reputation as one of the leading American
conductors of his generation. Frequently in demand as a guest conductor, he has worked with most of America’s major orchestras, developing especially close relationships with the Minnesota Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has also conducted the orchestras of Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and San Francisco, as well as the New World Symphony and the New York City Ballet. Mr. Miller is also founder and Artistic Director of “New Paths in Music,” a festival in New York City dedicated to presenting the works of significant non-American composers who are not yet well known in the United States.
 
As Music Director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 1992, Mr. Miller has proven himself a creative and compelling orchestra builder. Recent honors include Columbia University’s 2003 Ditson Conductor’s Award, the oldest award honoring conductors for their commitment to American music. Additionally, Mr. Miller has received the 2001 ASCAP Morton Gould Award for Innovative Programming and, in 1999, ASCAP’s first-ever Leonard Bernstein Award for Outstanding Educational Programming.
 
About Alisa Weilerstein
American cellist Alisa Weilerstein has attracted widespread attention for playing that combines a natural virtuosic command and technical precision with impassioned musicianship. At only 26 years old, she is already a veteran on the classical music scene having performed with the nation’s top orchestras, given recitals in music capitals throughout the U.S. and Europe, and having regularly appeared at prestigious festivals. She is also a dedicated performer of chamber music, having grown up immersed in the classical music culture with a family of musicians with whom she collaborated from an early age.
 
Having begun playing the cello at age 4, Ms. Weilerstein performed her first public concert six months later. She often plays with her parents, Donald and Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, as the Weilerstein Trio, which is the Trio-in-Residence at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Her Cleveland Orchestra debut was in October 1995, at age 13, playing the Tchaikovsky “Rococo” Variations. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with the New York Youth Symphony in March 1997. 
 
Ms. Weilerstein is a graduate of the Young Artist Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Richard Weiss. In May 2004, she graduated from Columbia University in New York with a degree in Russian History. For more information, please visit www.alisaweilerstein.com

FOUR WAYS TO SAVE ON TICKETS TODAY!

 
Become a subscriber for only $99!
Halekūlani MasterWorks Trio Subscriptions are only $99 and Toyota Pops Trio
Subscriptions are only $129 for three concerts. Trios feature premium seating in the very best sections. Trio Subscriptions offer a 33% discount off the cost of single tickets and are an excellent fit for budget-savvy Symphony supporters. Trios are perfect for date nights and birthday gifts. 
 
Student Tickets are always $10
Got a student I.D. card? Do you attend middle school, high school or college? Your Symphony ticket is only $10! 
Parents and chaperones: when you buy a ticket for a student, you are eligible to purchase up to two tickets at the same $10 rate for your personal use. 
This program is designed to make it possible for more students and families to share the educational music-making experience of Symphony concerts together. 
 
Seniors and Military receive 20% off
Seniors, military and military families, including Reservists, Department of Defense Civilians, National Guard, Coast Guard and Retirees, receive a 20 percent discount off the cost of single tickets – each and every day!
 
Group Tickets – Only $10 each!
The group sales program offers premium seating and discounted rate of only $10 per ticket for groups of 10 or more. It’s a potential savings of up to 50 percent. The program is ideal for schools and seniors communities, and simplifies the process for the group organizer. Please note: exceptions apply.