(NEW YORK)—Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director, today announced Carnegie Hall’s 2010–2011 season, consisting of 180 performances and extensive educational programs, featuring collaborations with many of the world’s greatest musicians and ensembles from the worlds of classical, pop, jazz, and world music, with concerts presented on Carnegie Hall’s three stages and throughout New York City. A major highlight of Carnegie Hall’s new season will be JapanNYC, an ambitious two-part citywide festival, led by Artistic Director Seiji Ozawa, exploring the incredible diversity of Japan’s arts and culture with more than 40 events at Carnegie Hall and New York partner institutions in December 2010 and spring 2011.
Mr. Gillinson also announced extended Carnegie Hall residencies by a number of acclaimed artists, representing different musical genres, including two new Perspectives series of artist-curated programs with singer/songwriter James Taylor and with renowned violinist Christian Tetzlaff, and a season-long residency by composer/pianist Brad Mehldau as holder of the Richard and Barbara Debs Composer’s Chair at Carnegie Hall—the first jazz artist to hold this position since it was established in 1995. Among other major highlights: Musicians from Norway’s Risør Chamber Music Festival will give four performances at Carnegie Hall next season, led by festival co-artistic directors, pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and violist Lars Anders Tomter.
“Collaboration is at the heart of our programming philosophy for the 2010–2011 season,” said Mr. Gillinson. “We’re focused on bringing the world’s finest artists and ensembles to Carnegie Hall’s stages, and giving them a platform on which to express themselves, developing interesting programs that stimulate, engage, and delight audiences. Through creative partnerships with other leading cultural institutions, community partners, and educators, we seek to reach even further, finding new ways to spark the curiosity of arts-lovers and working tirelessly to ensure that people have access to great music of all genres as part of their daily lives. Whether it’s through our citywide festival, fascinating Perspectives series with extraordinary artists, adventurous programs at Carnegie Hall and community venues, or creative learning projects and educational programs in the schools, we hope that this season encourages people to stretch and expand their musical horizons. How wonderful that 120 years after its doors first opened, we celebrate that Carnegie Hall not only continues to be the home of the best in music, but also an alive and vital place for all to enjoy.”
Highlights Overview Carnegie Hall launches its 2010–2011 season on September 29 with a gala all-Beethoven concert featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Pianist Lang Lang joins the orchestra on Opening Night for a program that includes Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Symphony No. 7. The concert will be recorded by Thirteen/WNET for later national broadcast on the PBS television series Great Performances. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra will perform three additional concerts during Carnegie Hall’s opening week, appearing once more under the direction of Mr. Harnoncourt and twice under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma joins the orchestra as soloist for the week’s fourth and final concert.
Carnegie Hall first opened its doors on May 5, 1891. The Hall will celebrate its 120th anniversary with gala concerts on April 12 by James Taylor paying tribute to Carnegie Hall’s history, followed on May 5 by the New York Philharmonic and Music Director Alan Gilbert, vocalist Audra McDonald, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Gil Shaham, and pianist Emanuel Ax, performing a program of Beethoven, Dvořák, Ellington, and Gershwin.
Between its September opening night and spring anniversary celebrations, Carnegie Hall presents a wide variety of programming with some of the finest classical, jazz, pop, and world music artists, including a number of special projects and residencies. Carnegie Hall’s ambitious two-part citywide festival JapanNYC—with over 40 performances and events in December 2010 and March–April 2011—explores traditional and contemporary Japan, where artists embrace the country’s unique aesthetic sensibilities while continuing to revitalize and transform its cultural landscape. JapanNYC is led by Artistic Director Seiji Ozawa, who conducts cornerstone festival performances by two major ensembles he founded, the Saito Kinen Orchestra and the Seiji Ozawa Ongaku-juku (Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Orchestra). The festival features some of the country’s great classical music artists, as well as Noh theater, Taiko drumming, manga and calligraphy, dance, art exhibitions, jazz, and traditional Japanese musical performances, with events extending throughout New York City through partnerships with fifteen local cultural institutions. Looking beyond New York City, Carnegie Hall is pleased to continue its partnership with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County with a new West Coast festival: JapanOC. Thanks to the generous support of South Coast Plaza, this collaboration will bring programming from JapanNYC to Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, and other prestigious Southern California institutions from October 2010 through April 2011.
Major highlights of Carnegie Hall’s season include two Perspectives series of artist-curated programs by singer/songwriter James Taylor and violinist Christian Tetzlaff, with Mr. Taylor presenting a four-concert residency celebrating the songs that have made him an American icon, and Mr. Tetzlaff performing in programs showcasing his versatility as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator; and the appointment of composer/pianist Brad Mehldau to the Richard and Barbara Debs Composer’s Chair at Carnegie Hall—the first jazz artist named to this position—with a season-long residency featuring premieres of new music and programs devoted to Mr. Mehldau’s unique exploration of the space between improvisation and notated composition.
Other season highlights: musicians from Norway’s acclaimed Risør Chamber Music Festival perform four programs at Carnegie Hall; conductor Riccardo Muti makes his New York debut as the new music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in three concerts; conductor Valery Gergiev leads a Mahler symphony cycle this season, including programs with the Mariinsky Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and with the London Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall (presented by Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series); a special Music of Steve Reich program celebrates the composer’s 75th birthday year with an all-star lineup of today’s leading contemporary music ensembles, including Kronos Quartet, Bang on a Can All-Stars, eighth blackbird, and So Percussion and premieres of new music by Reich; concerts by such world music stars as Angelique Kidjo, Hugh Masekela, and Gal Costa in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage; and Carnegie Hall commissioned-new music from composers Thomas Adès, Osvaldo Golijov, Stephen Hartke, Christopher Rouse, Mark Grey, Jake Heggie, and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Spring for Music, a new and innovative annual festival of concerts by North American orchestras, presented in partnership with Carnegie Hall, will make its debut in May 2011. For the inaugural festival, seven orchestras have been selected to present one concert each at Carnegie Hall over nine days from May 6 through 14, 2011: Albany Symphony, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Oregon Symphony, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Toledo Symphony. Programs will be announced in early 2011.
The extensive educational activities of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) and The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education—continue to flourish, with many offerings integrated into Carnegie Hall’s concert programming. Programs next season include a new creative learning project in which hundreds of New York City high school students will be invited to explore and perform a gospel version of Handel’s Messiah, entitled Too Hot to Handel: The Gospel Messiah, with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra led by its Music Director Marin Alsop; the 20th anniversary Carnegie Hall Choral Workshop led by Norman Mackenzie and Robert Spano, culminating in a Carnegie Hall performance of Berlioz’s Requiem; and adventurous concerts by Ensemble ACJW, the performing arm of The Academy, including programs led by Sir Simon Rattle and David Robertson.
For the sixth consecutive year, Bank of America will be Carnegie Hall’s season sponsor. “Bank of America has been a remarkable partner to Carnegie Hall, and we are very grateful for their support,” said Mr. Gillinson. “Their involvement ensures that we can continue to bring the world’s finest artists to Carnegie Hall, developing new and creative programming. It also helps us to sustain programs that provide access to great music, including performances at Carnegie Hall, in schools, and throughout the community.”
