Music Academy of the West to Present Concerto Night July 21
For Immediate Release June 29, 2007
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA - As musical treats go, the Music Academy of the West's annual Concerto Night concert is about as special as they come. This rare showcase for accomplished instrumental soloists features upwards of five Academy young artists performing concerti with the Academy Festival Orchestra. Conducted by Edwin Outwater, this year's Concerto Night concert will take place at 8 pm Saturday, July 21, in the Lobero Theatre. Tickets will cost $51. The public also is invited to attend a dress rehearsal for Concerto Night at 9:30 am on July 21. Admission to the latter event will cost $23.
Concerto Night will feature the winners of this year's Concerto Competition, which will initially involve some 60 Academy young artists vying for the opportunity to compete in the finals. The 2007 Concerto Competition Finals will take place July 7, when as many as five Academy young artists will be selected to perform on Concerto Night. This year's judges are Mr. Outwater, music director of the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony; Carey Bell, principal clarinetist with the San Francisco Symphony; and violist Paul Coletti, a faculty member at UCLA and the Colburn School.
Mr. Outwater previously served as resident conductor of the San Francisco Symphony. He has appeared as guest conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, and the Houston, Seattle, Colorado, San Diego, Indianapolis, and Santa Barbara symphonies, among others. Internationally, he as appeared with the Winnipeg Symphony, Orchestre de Bretagne, Adelaide Symphony, and the National Youth Orchestra of New Zealand. He has also served as resident conductor of the Florida Philharmonic, associate conductor of the International Festival-Institute at Round Top, principal conductor of the Adriatic Chamber Music Festival in Italy, and assistant conductor of the Tulsa Philharmonic. Formerly music director of the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony, Mr. Outwater has been hailed for "lyric sensibility and a gift for blending high drama with subtle, convincing emotion (The Boston Globe).
The Lobero Theatre is located at 33 East Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara.
The Music Academy of the West is celebrating its 60th anniversary with an unprecedented 2007 season program featuring numerous classical music luminaries. The Academy will present more than 190 events over the course of this year's Summer School and Festival, which concludes on August 11. Highlights include an ambitious production of La Bohème, performances by baritone Thomas Hampson, violinist Gilles Apap, and the Takács Quartet, and conducting turns by David Robertson, Jeffrey Tate, and Alexander Lazarev.
For tickets and information, call 969-8787. Information is also available online at www.musicacademy.org.
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, as well as guest conductors and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and students receive full scholarships. Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many have established themselves as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 175 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and students; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
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