The 80-student Carolina Choir at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will perform Nov. 11 with one of Europe’s leading orchestras: the Bruckner Orchestra Linz
The 80-student Carolina Choir at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will perform Nov. 11 with one of Europe’s leading orchestras: the Bruckner Orchestra Linz.
Carolina Performing Arts at UNC fostered the pairing and will present the concert at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall. Bruckner Orchestra Linz will begin the program with “Symphonic Dances from ‘West Side Story,’” by Leonard Bernstein, and American composer Phillip Glass’ Violin Concerto, featuring violinist Renaud Capuçon.
The choir will then join the orchestra on stage for the final piece in the program, Glass’ Symphony No. 7 (“A Toltec Symphony”). The challenging piece of contemporary classical music draws its inspiration from the traditions of ancient Central America.
The collaboration speaks to the mission of Carolina Performing Arts, which emphasizes enrichment and education alongside a strong commitment to the presentation of exceptional performing artists from around the world.
“This is exactly the kind of opportunity we need to be pursuing in the arts right now,” said Emil Kang, UNC’s executive director for the arts. “The Bruckner Orchestra Linz gets to benefit from the wealth of musical talent that lies within the Carolina community while the students in the choir have the opportunity to learn from some of today’s most talented musicians.”
The choir, directed by music professor Susan Klebanow, is composed of music majors and non-majors. Choir members are excited about working with an orchestra of Bruckner’s caliber, a rare opportunity for a student vocal arrangement, she said.
“The students in Carolina Choir very much appreciate the chance to be a part of the Carolina Performing Arts series, and are especially looking forward to collaborating with the world-class Bruckner Orchestra Linz and (conductor) Dennis Russell Davies,” said Klebanow. “We are grateful to Emil Kang for including the Carolina Choir in this exciting event.”
Davies, chief conductor and music director for Bruckner Orchestra Linz, is a principal advocate for and interpreter of the works of Philip Glass, one of the most celebrated contemporary composers.
“Maestro Davies is arguably the most renowned guest artist we've worked with,” said choir member Charles Streeter. “Given the fact that he has performed this piece previously and his working relationship with Philip Glass, it promises to be a rare treat for the audience and the performers.”
Bruckner Orchestra Linz’s performance is part of a two-week North American tour that will include stops at New York City’s Brooklyn Academy of Music and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
The Chapel Hill performance is the first of three featured in Carolina Performing Arts’ Classical Ensemble series, which also includes the London Philharmonic Orchestra on March 2-3 and pianist Lang Lang with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra on March 23.
Tickets for this and all performances in Carolina Performing Arts’ 2009-10 season are available online at www.carolinaperformingarts.org, by calling (919) 843-3333 or at the Memorial Hall Box Office on Cameron Avenue, open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.
Carolina Performing Arts contacts: Harry Kaplowitz, (919) 843-3119, hkaplowitz@unc.edu
News Services contact: LJ Toler, (919) 962-8589