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Press Releases BACH 2010 - The 32nd Annual Northwest Bach Festival SPOKANE - The 32nd Annual Northwest Bach Festival presented by Connoisseur Concerts will be held in Spokane January 30 - February 5, 2010. with two outstanding Festival events taking place, a piano recital by Christopher O'Riley and a rare performance of J.S. Bach's masterpiece, Mass in B Minor. Festival Artistic Director is Boston-based Gunther Schuller, composer, conductor and music educator, a Pulitzer Prize winner for Music and a recipient of the MacArthur Foundation's Genius Grant. In 2005 Schuller was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress and was recently inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame among his numerous awards. The Festival will open on Saturday, January 30 at 8:00pm with a piano recital performed by Christopher O'Riley at St. John's Cathedral, 127 E. 12th Avenue at Grand Boulevard in Spokane. Christopher O'Riley, one of the most outstanding pianists of our time, is a widely-engaged concertizing artist. He is also well known as host of NPR's highly-successful weekly program, From The Top, featuring young musicians. The Festival recital program will include pre-Bach music with a piano sonata by Johann Kuhnau, composer of the first piece titled "sonata" published in Germany, followed by four sonatas selected from over 500 sonatas composed by Domenico Scarlatti: Kk. 132 in C Major, Kk. 141 in D Minor, Kk. 193 in E-flat Major, and Kk. 490 in D Major. J.S. Bach is featured with his English Suite No. 6, BWV 811 followed by a post-Bach work, a piano sonata by Christian Neefe (Beethoven's teacher), and Beethoven's Grosse Fuge, Op. 134 for four hands. The Grosse Fugue for four hands, arranged by Beethoven himself, was presumed to be lost for 115 years until discovered in 2005 in Pennsylvania. The second pianist will soon be announced. A pre-concert talk by Gunther Schuller will be presented at 7:30pm. General Admission tickets are $29 ($17 for students). On Friday, February 5 at 8:00pm at St. John's Cathedral, 127 E. 12th Avenue at Grand Boulevard in Spokane Gunther Schuller will conduct J. S. Bach's Mass In B Minor, BWV 232 with the Bach Festival Orchestra and Chorus and vocal soloists Janet Brown, soprano; Katherine Growdon, mezzo; Rockland Osgood, tenor and Donald Wilkinson, baritone. A pre-concert talk by Dr. Jane Ellsworth of Eastern Washington University is scheduled for 7:30pm. General Admission tickets are $29 ($17 for students). General Admission Series tickets are available for the 2 concerts on January 30 and February 5 are available for $50 (a $58 value). Student series (no further discount) are available for $34 for the 2-concert series. All Festival tickets at TicketsWest Arena Box Office, 720 W. Mallon (M-F 10am - 6pm) and all TicketsWest outlets or by telephone: 325-SEAT (outside Spokane 800-325-SEAT) or online at www.ticketswest.com (Key word: Bach) Press Release/2010 Northwest Bach Festival For additional information about Bach 2010, check the Festival website as new information is posted at www.nwbachfest.com or telephone (509) 326-4942. 2010 Northwest Bach Festival Calendar Listing 32nd Annual Northwest Bach Festival - January 30 - February 5, 2010 Saturday, January 30 8pm Friday, February 5 8pm General Admission Series Tickets for 2-concerts on January 30 and February 5 are available Tickets at TicketsWest Arena Box Office, 720 West Mallon in Spokane Purchase tickets online at www.ticketswest.com (Key word: Bach)
SPECIAL HOLIDAY PERFORMANCES FOR ALL AGES SPOKANE - Connoisseur Concerts will present two free concerts called The Bells: A Russian Holiday Story. These special holiday programs are designed for all ages and will run just over one hour with no intermission. The performances will be Sunday, December 6, at 4pm and 7pm at St. John's Cathedral, Grand Boulevard at 12th Avenue in Spokane. No tickets are required; seating is first come, first serve. Doors will open one hour before the concerts, and ensembles of the Spokane Youth Orchestra will provide pre-concert music along with the Cathedral Handbell Choir. The program features the Spokane Youth Orchestra, Verne Windham, Music Director who will conduct the programs; the Spokane Area Children's Chorus, Kristina Ploeger, Artistic Director; the Cathedral Handbell Choir, Dr. Janet Ahrend, Director; Darnelle Preston, Soprano; and a guest appearance by the Pilgrim Slavic Baptist Choir. The Cathedral carillon, played by Byrl Cinnamon, will be heard outdoors immediately following the programs. The story for The Bells: A Russian Holiday is set in the Christmas season in Russia in the 1800's. Musical selections include the well-known holiday tune Carol of the Bells (Shchedryk - sung in Russian) written by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovich and selections by Russian/American composer Sergey Rachmaninov sung in English: Night; The Angel; Captivity; Glory and The Pine Tree. The program will conclude with a stirring orchestral and choral version of Peter Il'yich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, Op. 49. These family entertainment performances are fully underwritten by The Johnston-Hanson Foundation and Elizabeth and Fred Hanson as a gift to the community at the holiday season. CALENDAR LISTING: Connoisseur Concerts presents The Bells: A Russian Holiday Story with two performances on Sunday, December 6, 2009, at 4pm and 7pm at St. John's Cathedral, Grand Boulevard at 12th Avenue in Spokane. Featuring the Spokane Youth Orchestra, Verne Windham, Music Director; the Spokane Area Children's Chorus, Kristina Ploeger, Artistic Director; Cathedral Handbell Choir, Janet Ahrend, Director; Darnelle Preston, Soprano; and the Pilgrim Slavic Baptist Choir. Cathedral carillon played by Byrl Cinnamon. FREE. No tickets needed. Underwritten by the Johnston-Hanson Foundation. First come, first serve seating. Doors open at 3pm and 6pm with pre-concert music by ensembles of Spokane Youth Orchestra.
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