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Phoenix Symphony Performs Favorites Chosen "By Request"
Symphony Subscribers Voted for their Favorites Last Fall - Winning Selections Performed in Concerts Across the Valley
(PHOENIX) - The Phoenix Symphony performs concerts entitled "By Request" throughout the Valley, April 10-12. Last fall, symphony subscribers voted for their classical favorites, and the winning selections are featured on the weekend's program. These performances, led by Music Director Michael Christie, include American Pianists Association Classical Fellow Spencer Myer performing Rachmaninoff's dazzling Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. The Thursday evening concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and is sponsored by the Arizona Republic. A Friday night performance at the Mesa Arts Center begins at 8 p.m. Saturday evening's concert at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix begins at 8 p.m. and is sponsored by Wells Fargo.
This weekend of concerts, conceived by Music Director Michael Christie, features popular selections chosen by audiences last fall. More than a thousand ballots were distributed to symphony patrons around the Valley, and the winning works are represented on the weekend's concerts. The performances will include Beethoven's titanic Symphony No. 7, Mozart's lively Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, and Smetana's tone poem The Moldau. Internationally prize-winning pianist Spencer Myer performs Rachmaninoff's demanding and beloved Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Internationally acclaimed, Mr. Myer has won competitions around the globe and performed as soloist with orchestras in North America and Asia.
Tickets to hear The Phoenix Symphony perform "By Request" across the Valley range from $19-$52 and can be purchased by calling the Phoenix Symphony Box Office at 602.495.1999 or online at www.phoenixsymphony.org.
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About pianist Spencer Myer: Spencer Myer is the 2006 Christel DeHaan Classical Fellow of the American Pianists Association. In 2004, he captured First Prize in the 2004 UNISA International Piano Competition in South Africa, and has also garnered First Prizes in the 2002 Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition and the 2003 Artists International New York Debut Auditions. Mr. Myer's performances as a recitalist, chamber musician and soloist with orchestra have taken him around the globe, performing with the symphony orchestras of Indianapolis and Montreal, as well as the China National Symphony Orchestra. His solo and chamber recitals have appeared in such venues as Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and London's Wigmore Hall. A recent graduate of the Juilliard School as a student of Julian Martin, Myer also studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Stony Brook University.
About Music Director Michael Christie: Michael Christie begins his third season as the Virginia G. Piper Music Director of The Phoenix Symphony with the 2007-08 season. He also serves as Music Director of the Colorado Music Festival and of the Brooklyn Philharmonic. He has appeared with orchestras across the United States, Europe, and Canada, as well as with the Finnish National Opera, Queensland Opera, and Zürich Opera. In 1995, Mr. Christie was awarded a special prize at the First International Sibelius Conductor's Competition. Following the competition, he became an apprentice conductor with the Chicago Symphony. Michael Christie graduated from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music with a bachelor's degree in trumpet performance. His conducting teachers have included Daniel Barenboim, Robert Spano, Eiji Oue, and Peter Jaffe.
About The Phoenix Symphony: Celebrating its 60th Anniversary Season, The Phoenix Symphony has been proudly serving the citizens of the Phoenix metropolitan area and Arizona since 1947. What began as an occasional group of musicians performing a handful of concerts each year (in a city of fewer than 100,000 people) today serves more than 300,000 people annually, with 275 concerts and presentations throughout the greater Phoenix area and beyond.
Under the artistic leadership of Michael Christie as the Virginia G. Piper Music Director and administrative leadership of President Maryellen H. Gleason, the orchestra is overseen by the non-profit Phoenix Symphony Association under Board Chairman Ed Wolf.
The 76-member Phoenix Symphony presents an annual season from September through the beginning of June, featuring full-length Classical and Pops concerts at Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix, along with a variety of symphonic and community performances in Mesa, Prescott, Scottsdale, and throughout central Arizona. The Symphony performs for more than 50,000 students and children, helping to introduce music to new generations through a variety of education and youth-engagement programs.
BY REQUEST Scottsdale, Mesa, Orpheum Concerts No.5
April 10 - Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts April 11 - Friday evening at 8:00 p.m. Mesa Arts Center April 12 - Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m. Orpheum Theatre
THE PHOENIX SYMPHONY Michael Christie, conductor Spencer Myer, pianist American Pianists Classical Fellow
Last fall, audiences across the Valley eagerly voted for their favorite Classical selections, and now, the results are in! Join Michael Christie as he conducts a program of beloved selections including Mozart's Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, Smetana's The Moldau, and Beethoven's titanic Symphony No. 7. American Pianist Spencer Myer will also dazzle you with Rachmaninoff's daring Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Performed across the Valley, this concert of favorites is one not to be missed!
The Scottsdale Signature Series is sponsored by the Arizona Republic. The Symphony Orpheum Series is sponsored by Wells Fargo.
SCOTTSDALE: $28, $40, $52 ORPHEUM: $19, $29, $39, $49 MESA: $21, $31, $41, $51
--------------------------------------------------------- The Phoenix Symphony's 2007-08 Media Sponsors are The Arizona Republic and KAET.
