Violinist Gilles Apap to do Double Duty in Appearance with Academy Chamber Orchestra
For Immediate Release July 17, 2007
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Alexander Mickelthwate will serve as special guest conductor
Santa Barbara, CA- Adventurous. Iconoclastic. Ebullient. Jubilant. When the subjects are Gilles Apap and his brilliant violin playing, the adjectives tend to stack up rather quickly. Try as they might, though, journalists can never seem to adequately capture his unique musical radiance. Mr. Apap will give a fresh account of his gifts as a performer at 8 pm Saturday, August 4, when he conducts the Academy Chamber Orchestra in addition to playing the solo parts in concerti by Mozart and the German composer Karl Amadeus Hartmann at First Presbyterian Church. The concert will also feature a conducting turn by Alexander Mickelthwate, associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and music director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Tickets cost $40.
A former Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra concertmaster, the mercurial Mr. Apap has made a career of defying genres and easy descriptions, and in fact is celebrated worldwide for embracing a broad array of musical styles, from American bluegrass and Gypsy fiddling to standards of the classical repertoire. Recent engagements have included performances at Paris' prestigious Théâtre du Châtelet with the Pas-du-Loup Philharmonic Orchestra; with the Orchestre de Chambre de Geneve; with the WDR Radio Orchestra in Cologne, Germany; with the Bursa Symphony Orchestra in Turkey; and with the Orchestre Philharmonic de Nice. The subject of a lengthy cover feature in a recent issue of The Strad, Mr. Apap also continues to perform eclectic solo recitals throughout Europe and the United States featuring works from his latest CD, "Music for Solo Violin." In the fall of 2006 he toured the United States with internationally acclaimed Irish fiddler Kevin Burke and the Celtic Fiddle Festival.
Colors of Invention, the ensemble founded by Mr. Apap in 2000 featuring accordion player Myriam Lafar, double bassist Philippe Noharet, and cymbalist Ludovit Kovac, continues to dazzle audiences worldwide with a seamless blend of classical favorites and traditional folk and Gypsy tunes. As founder of The Transylvanian Mountain Boys, Mr. Apap explored bold interpretations of classical and traditional folk standards for violin, viola, guitar, and double bass. Yehudi Menuhin has hailed him as "the violinist of the 21st century." Mr. Apap was a guest artist at the Music Academy in 2004 and 2005. His various recordings are available on his label, Apapaziz Productions.
Mr. Mickelthwate previously was assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for two years, leading the orchestra in programs at Walt Disney Concert Hall and other venues. In his first year, he made his subscription debut on 30 minutes' notice, stepping in for Mikko Franck and leading Shostakovich's Symphony No. 12 and John Adams' Violin Concerto. In July 2005 Mr. Mickelthwate made his Hollywood Bowl debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, leading a program of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique and Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. Alan Rich of LA Weekly later wrote, "Keep your eye on Mickelthwate; he has the goods." In January 2006, following a performance of Boulez's Le Marteau Sans Maître with the Philharmonic's New Music Group, Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "No musical style seems to faze him. His technique is first rate, his beat reassuringly precise. ... Mickelthwate conducted very much in the Boulez manner: calm under pressure, sure of ever-changing meters."
As a guest conductor, Mr. Mickelthwate has appeared with the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Nashville, New Jersey, Oregon, and Toronto; the Brooklyn Philharmonic; the Chicago Civic Orchestra; the Cleveland Chamber Symphony; the Eos Orchestra; and the National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa). Mr. Mickelthwate made his European debut with the Hamburg Symphony in April 2006 and this season debuted with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo and the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra.
The program on August 4 will include Mozart's Divertimento for Strings in D Major, K. 136, and Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major, K. 218, and Hartmann's Concerto funèbre for Solo Violin and String Orchestra. The Academy Chamber Orchestra consists of some two dozen young artists from the Music Academy of the West's instrumental program. First Presbyterian Church is located at 21 East Constance Avenue in Santa Barbara. The event is supported in part by Robert W. Weinman.
The Music Academy of the West is celebrating its 60th anniversary with an unprecedented 2007 season program featuring numerous classical music luminaries. Highlights include an ambitious production of La Bohème, performances by baritone Thomas Hampson and the Takács Quartet and a conducting turn by 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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