Outstanding Cast of Soloists Join The Phoenix Symphony for Haydn's Creation

Composer Spotlight on Haydn Illuminates his Choral Masterpiece

PHOENIX - For the second weekend of Classics concerts of the 2008-09 Season, Celena Shafer, Gregory Kunde and Philip Cutlip join The Phoenix Symphony performing Franz Joseph Haydn's oratorio, The Creation October 2-5. Widely considered - both in his day and our own - as one of his masterpieces, Haydn's The Creation is the first of three stops on The Phoenix Symphony's Spotlight Composer tour throughout the season. Virginia G. Piper Music Director Michael Christie leads these performances of The Creation, sung in English, which feature the Phoenix Symphony Chorus and a trio of acclaimed vocalists. Thursday evening's concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and is sponsored by US Bank. Saturday evening's concert, sponsored by Physicians for The Phoenix Symphony, begins at 8 p.m.; both performances are at Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix. A Sunday matinee performance will begin at 2 p.m. at the American Lutheran Church in Sun City.

Haydn's Creation is highlighted by a stellar cast of world renowned soloists. Among them, soprano Celena Shafer has appeared with the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and most recently performed with The Phoenix Symphony in last season's performances of Brahms' German Requiem. Gregory Kunde, tenor, performs regularly in such opera venues as the Metropolitan in New York and Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Among his many accolades, Mr. Kunde has performed on both the Gramophone 2005 DVD of the Year and Opera Recording of the Year. Philip Cutlip, baritone, has garnered praise for his 2006 performance in The Phoenix Symphony's Hansel and Gretel. Highlights of his performance engagements have included performances with the New York Philharmonic and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as well as opera roles with Arizona, San Francisco and Seattle Operas.

Tickets for "Haydn: The Creation" range from $22 to $72 and can be purchased by calling the Phoenix Symphony Box Office at 602-495-1999 or by visiting www.phoenixsymphony.org. Other highlights of The Phoenix Symphony's 2008-09 Season include superstar performances by Joshua Bell, Lang Lang, and the return of Valley favorite Doc Severinsen.

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About Music Director Michael Christie: Michael Christie begins his fourth season as the Virginia G. Piper Music Director of The Phoenix Symphony with the 2008-09 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: 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, in Scottsdale, in Prescott, 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.

For detailed biographies on Celena Shafer, Gregory Kunde and Philip Cutlip, contact The Phoenix Symphony's marketing department at 602-495-1117.

HAYDN: THE CREATION
Symphony Classics Concert No. 2

October 2 - Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m.
October 4 - Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m.
Symphony Hall
October 5 - Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.
American Lutheran Church
17200 Del Webb Boulevard, Sun City

THE PHOENIX SYMPHONY
Michael Christie, conductor
Celena Shafer, soprano
Gregory Kunde, tenor
Philip Cutlip, baritone
Phoenix Symphony Chorus

HAYDN - The Creation (performance in English)

Considered his greatest masterpiece, Haydn's work for orchestra and chorus dazzles listeners with beauty and grace, celebrating the many mysterious wonders of creation.

Tickets: $22, $32, $42, $52, $62, $72

PHOENIX SYMPHONY BOX OFFICE: 602-495-1999 or www.phoenixsymphony.org