Warren Jones Masterclass on Tap August 1
The renowned pianist is a longtime Festival favorite
For Immediate Release July 21, 2009
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA – Accumulating plaudits from adoring reviewers is simply a regular part of Warren Jones' busy performance schedule. "Matchless" (The New York Times), "Indispensable" (The Washington Post), "Exquisitely sensitive" (The Miami Herald), and "A singer's greatest partner (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) are just a few of the superlatives that have been used to describe this dynamic pianist and accompanist. Music enthusiasts fortunate enough to have seen one or more of Mr. Jones' popular Music Academy of the West masterclasses are invariably just as impressed.
Mr. Jones will lead a vocal masterclass at 3 pm Saturday, August 1, at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. Admission costs $30. He will also lead a vocal masterclass at 3:15 pm on Tuesday, July 28, in Hahn Hall. Admission to the latter event costs $18 ($16 for students and seniors).
A member of the Music Academy faculty since 1993, Mr. Jones frequently performs with many of today's most acclaimed singers, including Stephanie Blythe, Denyce Graves, Samuel Ramey, Ruth Ann Swenson, Salvatore Licitra, Anthony Dean Griffey, Bo Skovhus, Frederica von Stade, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Richard Yongjae O'Neill, and Joseph Alessi. The San Francisco Chronicle has declared him "the single finest accompanist now working."
Mr. Jones has been a guest artist with the Juilliard, Borromeo, and Brentano string quartets, and is principal pianist with Camerata Pacifica. In 2007 Mr. Jones made his debut with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and this season toured with CMS throughout the United States. He has appeared in recital at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, as well as the festivals of Tanglewood, Ravinia, and Caramoor. His international appearances include the Salzburg Festival, Milan's Teatro alla Scala, Paris' Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and Opéra Bastille, Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the Cultural Centre in Hong Kong, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, and theaters throughout Scandinavia, Japan, and Korea. Currently a faculty member at Manhattan School of Music, Mr. Jones was assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera for 10 years and at the San Francisco Opera for three seasons. His many recordings include Grammy-nominated CDs with Samuel Ramey and Håkan Hagegård. Mr. Jones has been invited to the White House to perform at concerts honoring the president of Russia and the prime ministers of Italy and Canada, and has thrice appeared at the U.S. Supreme Court as a specially invited performer for the justices and their guests.
His masterclasses have long been a traditional favorite among Music Academy Summer Festival attendees.
The Lobero Theatre is located at 33 East Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara. The Academy's 2009 Vocal Masterclass Series is generously supported by Shirley and Seymour Lehrer.
As part of its 62nd Summer Festival, the Music Academy also will present an ambitious production of Ambroise Thomas' charming French Romantic opera Mignon, as well as a performance by conductor Leonard Slatkin. The Academy is presenting more than 190 events over the course of this year's Summer School and Festival, which began June 22 and concludes on August 15. Additional highlights will include a performance by Canadian Brass and a conducting turn by Nicholas McGegan. Featuring the Academy's exceptionally talented Fellows, together with illustrious guest performers and faculty, the events are being presented at the Academy's scenic Miraflores campus and in venues throughout Santa Barbara.
For 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 frequent performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, guest conductors, and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and Fellows receive full scholarships (tuition, room, and board). Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many enjoy careers as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 200 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and Fellows; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. The Music Academy began broadcasting live performances by the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera at Hahn Hall in October 2008. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
