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Contact:
Public Relations Director
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
Phone: 407/896-6700 x 223
Fax: 407/896-5512
gmiller@orlandophil.org
www.orlandophil.org |
Orlando, FL – September 23, 2004
- The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra announces the Opening
Night concert of its 2004 – 2005 Orlando Sentinel
Phil at Carr Series, titled A Royal Opening.
The concert is held on Saturday, October 23, at 8:30
PM at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, 401 W. Livingston
Street, Orlando. A Royal Opening is sponsored by Orlando
Marriott Downtown and Delta Air Lines. The Title Sponsor
for the season is Orlando Sentinel Communications.
Pianist Jon Kimura Parker joins Music Director Hal
France and the Philharmonic to present this regal performance
featuring the music of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. The
program begins with Beethoven’s Fidelio Overture,
op. 72b.
Following, Mr. Parker takes the stage to perform Beethoven’s
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 73 (Emperor),
with the Philharmonic. David Glerum, Music Director
of WMFE-FM/NPR, Orlando, writes of this concerto, “Even
though Beethoven was only 39 years old when he wrote
the Emperor and some 18 years of life remained ahead
of him, this was to be his last concerto. Therefore,
the Emperor serves as the culmination of Beethoven’s
work in the concerto form. And what a culmination it
is! It is the largest in scale of all Beethoven’s
concertos and can be argued to be the Classical concerto
at its most noble.”
The program concludes with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony
No. 4 in F Minor, op. 36. With its theme of “the
power of fate,” this symphony displays a strong
and passionate range of emotions. “Tchaikovsky
moves us deeply because he wrote with such confession
and honesty,” writes Glerum.
Guest artist Jon Kimura Parker has become a pianist
of international acclaim. Born and raised in Vancouver
and a true Canadian ambassador of music, Mr. Parker
has given two command performances for Queen Elizabeth
II, and has performed for the Prime Ministers of Canada
and Japan, and for the United States Supreme Court.
A remarkably versatile artist, Mr. Parker has, in
recent seasons, performed in Carnegie Hall (with the
Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Warsaw Philharmonic and
the Philadelphia Orchestra), Chicago's Orchestra Hall,
the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, London's Queen Elizabeth
Hall and the Sydney Opera House; toured the Canadian
Arctic as part of "Piano Six" performing the
music of Beethoven, Chopin, Nirvana, and Alanis Morissette
on an electronic keyboard for over 1,000 Inuit school
students; jammed with Doc Severinsen and the original
Tonight Show Orchestra; been profiled in "Newsweek"
magazine in Australia.
Philharmonic Executive Director David Schillhammer,
who has worked with Mr. Parker in the past, shares his
enthusiasm about his upcoming performance, “Jon
Kimura Parker (Jackie) is an artist of rare talent and
abilities, more than deserving of opening night gala
status. From jazz to Mozart to contemporary works, Jackie
has gained an international reputation as one of the
most gifted artists performing today. I was fortunate
early in my career to serve as the tour manager for
a month-long European tour with the Saint Paul Chamber
Orchestra for which Jon Kimura Parker was piano soloist.
Night after night, major city after major city, Jackie
was greeted with superstar status, both before he performed
and most certainly after. Orlando audiences will hear
Jackie perform one of the literature’s great solo
works, Beethoven's Emperor Concerto. Mr. Parker is among
piano ‘royalty,’ and this is a performance
not to be missed.”
The Philharmonic’s Opening Night Celebration
begins with a gala dinner celebration, hosted by the
Friends of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. The gala
begins with a Triumphant Fanfare and Royal Feast
dinner party in the Ballroom of the Orlando Marriott
Downtown. This season kick-off celebration features
a "Royal Feast" - dinner, cocktails, and music.
Opening Night Dinner guests will be registered to win
an exclusive "Royal for a Day" prize package.
The cost of the dinner event is $80 per person, and
includes the pre-concert opening night dinner and post-concert
reception. (Tickets to the concert, A Royal Opening,
are sold separately.) To make reservations, phone 407-896-6700
x 223, or mail a check to The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra,
Attn: Gretchen Miller Basso, 812 E. Rollins Street,
Suite 300, Orlando, FL 32803. Reservations are limited,
so be sure to order your tickets early.
Share the excitement of Opening Night of the Philharmonic’s
2004-2005 season at A Royal Opening.
Single tickets to the concert are presently on sale
for $12, $25, $35, $45 and $55. (Students with valid
ID receive half price tickets in select areas.) Season
subscriptions are also available, with choices of three
through nine concert packages. Subscription prices range
from $40 - $360. Tickets and subscriptions can be purchased
by phoning the Orlando Philharmonic at 407/896-6700,
on our website at www.orlandophil.org, or through Ticketmaster
at 407/839-3900.
A Royal Opening is dedicated to the memory of Carol
Pierson, one of the Philharmonic’s most beloved
volunteers, who passed away in June.
There is something for everyone at the Orlando Philharmonic’s
2004-2005 Orlando Sentinel Phil at Carr Series. We hope
you will “Celebrate The Music” with the
Orlando Philharmonic all season long!
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