November 17, 2011
February 1
February 10
March 10, 2012
May 17, 2012
Now celebrating its Fifth Anniversary Season, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County proudly announces the phenomenal lineup for the John S. and James L. Knight 2011-12 MASTERWORKS SEASON – SANFORD AND DOLORES ZIFF CLASSICAL MUSIC SERIES! The season features five of the world’s most superb soloists – all titans of classical music – and an array of superlative symphonic ensembles in five vibrantly diverse concerts.
Master violinist Itzhak Perlman and protégés, introduce the rising stars from The Perlman Music Program, will kick off the series with a brilliant showcase of young, virtuosic talent in a thrilling chamber music program performed by the next generation on November 17, 2011.
Internationally renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performs with Russia’s Tschaikowski St. Petersburg State Orchestra on February 1, 2012.
Grammy Award-winning piano virtuoso Garrick Ohlsson performs with Poland’s superb Wroclaw PhilharmONic Orchestra on February 10, 2012.
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of her professional debut, acclaimed violinist Midori performs with the venerable Minnesota Orchestra in an exciting program on March 10, 2012.
The grand finale of the classical season features a one-night-only solo piano recital by the inimitable classical music superstar Lang Lang on May 17, 2012.
“Our Masterworks season’s classical music offerings have helped to establish a new cultural tradition in Miami,” said M. John Richard, president and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center. “The magnificent lineup of the titans of classical music – featuring the world’s pre-eminent soloists and the finest symphonic ensembles — highlights the Adrienne Arsht Center’s ongoing commitment to presenting extraordinary classical music throughout the season in our acoustically superb Knight Concert Hall.”
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
Season ticket prices for the five-concert SANFORD AND DOLORES ZIFF CLASSICAL MUSIC SERIES range from $237.50 to $635 – a savings of up to 15% off regular prices. Subscription sales begin on May 1, 2011. Current subscribers and new subscribers may purchase season tickets by visiting the Adrienne Arsht Center box office, located at 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami, or by calling the box office at (305) 949-6722. Season renewals are also available online at www.arshtcenter.org. Please have your account number, renewal invoice and credit card available. Renewal period ends June 10, 2011.
To become a season ticket holder, please visit www.arshtcenter.org or call the box office at (305) 949-6722.
Priority group seating for 15 or more people may be arranged by calling the Adrienne Arsht Center at (786) 468-2326.
PROGRAM/ARTIST INFORMATION AND SHOW TIMES:
The Perlman Music Program, with Itzhak Perlman, violin
November 17, 2011 AT 8 P.M.
Itzhak Perlman, widely considered one of the most renowned violin virtuosi of the 20th century, will appear in a special concert featuring the exceptionally gifted protégés who are graduates of Perlman Music Program. The New York Times hails their “fiery and propulsive” performances. Started by Itzhak and Toby Perlman, the Perlman Music Program welcomes young musicians of rare talent into a richly supportive musical community and serves as a vivid example of the power of mentorship to nurture young musicians’ abilities. In what began as a summer music school, the program now runs throughout the year, offering unparalleled musical training and performance opportunities for students ages 12 to 30, who play the violin, viola, cello, bass, and piano. The program further reiterates why Perlman is beloved throughout the world not only for his remarkable artistry, but is also treasured for his commitment to the next generation of musicians and sharing his irrepressible joy of making music. Throughout his illustrious career, Itzhak Perlman has garnered 15 Grammy Awards. In 2008, he was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Piano
Tschaikowski St. Petersburg State Orchestra
Roman Leontiev, Music Director and Chief Conductor
February 1, 2012 AT 8 P.M.
Known for his profound and poetic artistry, piano virtuoso Jean-Yves Thibaudet is highly sought-after by today’s foremost orchestras, conductors, and collaborative musicians for his enlightened interpretations and charismatic performances. Thibaudet has been hailed as “one of the best pianists in the world,” and is featured as soloist on the Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning soundtrack of Atonement and the Oscar-nominated Pride and Prejudice. A native of Lyon, France, he entered the Paris Conservatoire at age 12, where he studied with Aldo Ciccolini and Lucette Descaves, a collaborator of Ravel. At age 18, he won the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York City and soon after began a series of sensational debuts around the globe. Today, the Grammy-nominated artist continues to captivate audiences with his thrilling performances. Highlights of his 2010-11 season include engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of its legendary young maestro Gustavo Dudamel, a tour of China with the London Symphony Orchestra, and a two-continent recital tour.
The Tschaikowski St. Petersburg State Orchestra was founded in the years following World War II and since then has received broad acknowledgement and gained increasing popularity throughout Russia and abroad. Throughout its history, the symphonic ensemble has worked with many of the outstanding conductors from the St. Petersburg Conducting School as well as the most distinguished Russian soloists such as Montserrat Caballé, Sviatoslav Richtner, Yuri Egorov and Viktor Tretyakov. The orchestra is currently led by Music Director and Chief Conductor Roman Leontiev, who is widely regarded as one of the pre-eminent Russian conductors of his generation. Considered one of Russia’s finest artistic ambassadors, the Tschaikowski St. Petersburg State Orchestra has led many successful concert tours throughout Europe and Asia and next year will embark on its inaugural trans-continental tour of the U.S. Over the past decade, the orchestra has steadily become an ensemble with unlimited musical possibilities, expanding its repertoire as well as regularly commissioning and premiering new works, a testament to the high standard of the orchestra.
Garrick Ohlsson, Piano
Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra
Jacek Kaspszyk, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor
February 10, 2012 AT 8 P.M.
Since his triumph in 1970 as the first American to win the prestigious Chopin International Piano Competition, Garrick Ohlsson has established himself worldwide as a musician of magisterial interpretive and technical prowess. In recognition of his outstanding achievements, he was awarded the coveted Avery Fisher Prize in 1994. Although long regarded as one of the world’s leading Chopin exponents, Ohlsson commands an enormous repertoire which ranges over the entire piano literature, including some 80 concertos. Among the highlights of his 2010-2011 season are a Carnegie Hall concert with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, followed by return visits to the orchestras of Cleveland, Philadelphia, National Symphony. A prolific recording artist, Ohlsson won a Grammy Award in 2008 for “Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra)” for his Beethoven Sonatas, Vol. 3 (Bridge Records). At the Knight Concert Hall, OHLSSON will play Chopin’s brilliant, virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 2.
The Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra was established in 1954 and from the beginning has drawn on the rich musical traditions of its home city which has played host to such great artists as Wagner, Brahms, and Mahler. The orchestral soloists are graduates of the most prestigious European music academies and its players represent several generations, forming a truly unique ensemble of passionate aficionados of music. In addition to its more than 100 concerts annually, the orchestra also performs high- profile engagements in renowned concert halls throughout the world, including Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York, the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, as well as a concert in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral in memory of Pope John Paul II. Major soloists appearing with the philharmonic have included Martha Argerich, Midori, and Krystian Zimerman. The orchestra’s Artistic Director since 2006, Maestro Jacek Kaspszyk is former Artistic and General Director of the Polish National Opera and a leading guest conductor with the London Symphony and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, among others.
Midori, Violin
The Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, Music Director
March 10, 2012 AT 8 P.M.
Midori celebrates the 30th anniversary of her professional debut performing with the Minnesota Orchestra as guest soloist in Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor. The violinist is recognized not only for the evolution and scope of her meteoric career — which took off when the legendary conductor Zubin Mehta invited her at the age of 11 to be a surprise guest soloist for the New York Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve concert — but also as one of the most dazzlingly gifted performers before the public. Midori continues to enthrall audiences worldwide with her impressive technique and increasingly mature interpretations of violin masterworks. In addition, she is increasingly recognized for her innovative community engagement initiatives worldwide.
The Minnesota Orchestra, currently led by esteemed Music Director Osmo Vänskä, is widely considered one of America’s most treasured symphonic ensembles. Renowned for its extraordinary music making, the orchestra boasts a distinguished history of riveting performances in the greatest concert halls of the world. In response to a recent Carnegie Hall engagement, The New Yorker music critic Alex Ross wrote “…the Minnesota Orchestra sounded, to my ears, like the greatest orchestra in the world.” Since being named the orchestra’s 10th music director in 2003, Finnish Maestro Vänskä and the orchestra have forged an outstanding partnership garnering significant artistic success and critical praise for performances both at home and abroad. Together they have also completed several notable recording projects, including a two-CD set of Tchaikovsky’s piano and orchestra works with Stephen Hough and a five-disc cycle of the complete Beethoven symphonies. The orchestra’s recording of the Ninth Symphony was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008 in the “Best Orchestral Performance” category. For its Adrienne Arsht Center debut, the orchestra will play one of Beethoven’s most profound works, the Fifth Symphony.
Lang Lang, Solo Piano Recital
May 17, 2012 AT 8 P.M.
Heralded as the “hottest artist on the classical music planet” by The New York Times, the 28 year-old Lang Lang has become an international phenomenon, playing sold out recitals and concerts in every major city in the world. He was the first Chinese pianist to perform with the Vienna and Berlin philharmonic orchestras as well as all of the top-tier American orchestras. In 2008, he was seen by more than five billion people when he performed in the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. He has played for numerous international dignitaries and was recently invited to perform for President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jin-tao at the White House State Dinner. The superstar pianist’s influence and status in China has helped to inspire over 40 million Chinese children to learn to play piano – a phenomenon dubbed by NBC’s The Today Show as “the Lang Lang effect.” Testimony to his success, Time magazine included Lang Lang in its 2009 list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.” His latest CD, Lang Lang: Live in Vienna, features a live recording of his 2010 recital at Vienna’s legendary Musikverein.