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The soprano continues to make international debuts, from the Paris Opera to the Hong Kong Philharmonic to the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing Majeski also returns to major opera houses around the world including the Metropolitan Opera and Santa Fe Opera

Amanda Majeski Announces her 2017-2018 Season

For immediate release - New York, NY - Soprano Amanda Majeski is proud to announce her 2017-18 season, which takes her to institutions where she is already a fan favorite -- the Metropolitan Opera and Santa Fe Opera, -- and also holds long-awaited debuts with the Paris Opera, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China, among others. Having made her Metropolitan Opera house role debut as Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni last season, Majeski returns to the opera house for the composer’s Così fan tutte. Alongside Kelli O’Hara under Maestro David Robertson, the soprano will appear as Fiordiligi, a role in which she was hailed as “stunning” by Opera News. Majeski will also bring her Mozartean expertise to the Paris Opera, where she makes her debut as Vitellia in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito in Willy Decker’s acclaimed production. Majeski’s talent for making audiences smile will be showcased in her portrayals of the Composer in Richard Strauss’ comic and enchanting Ariadne auf Naxos at Santa Fe Opera, and Eva in Richard Wagner’s humorous Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China, in Kasper Holten’s new production from Covent Garden, conducted by Myung-Whun Chung. From Wagner’s only comedy, the soprano then turns her attention to the role of Gutrune in his Götterdämmerung. This occasion will mark Majeski’s debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and will be recorded for release as part of a full Ring Cycle on Naxos Records. Majeski will also return to her alma mater the Curtis Institute of Music, to perform Strauss’ Four Last Songs at Verizon Hall, accompanied by the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and conducted by fellow alumna Karina Canellakis. Highlights from last season included Majeski’s appearance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic last season at the Hollywood Bowl in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, with conductor Gustavo Dudamel, as well as exalted performances as the Countess in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro at Washington National Opera, Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare at the Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires, Argentina), and as the title role in Stanisław Moniuszko’s rarely-performed Halka at the Bard Music Festival. Full 2017-2018 season information below and at: http://www.amandamajeski.com/season Amanda Majeski 2017-18 Season Dates November 15-December 25, 2017 Paris Opera MOZART: La clemenza di Tito (Vitellia / house debut) January 18-21, 2018 Hong Kong Philharmonic WAGNER: Götterdämmerung (Gutrune) March 15-April 19, 2018 Metropolitan Opera MOZART: Così fan tutte (Fiordiligi) April 29, 2018 Philadelphia, PA | Verizon Hall STRAUSS: Four Last Songs (with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra) May 31-June 7, 2018 National Centre for the Performing Arts Beijing, China WAGNER: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Eva) July 28-August 23, 2018 Santa Fe Opera STRAUSS: Ariadne auf Naxos (Komponist)

In addition to featuring the episode on Samsung VR, Opera On Tap will participate in a special evening of screenings, performances, and interactive video art projections at Samsung VR Presents: An Evening in 360 on October 19, 2017 The Parksville Murders will also be featured at NYC’s VR Conference, the Future of StoryTelling (FoST), curated by Women in VR New York for FoST Summit and Festival, from October 6-8, 2017   Additionally, Opera On Tap partnered with Salem Classical’s Richard Guérin for a series of viewings and installations at the Salem Horror Fest

Opera On Tap to release Episode 1 of the world’s first Virtual Reality Horror Opera Series, “The Parksville Murders,” October 20 exclusively on Samsung VR

New York, NY — Opera on Tap is proud to announce the release of Episode 1 of the world’s first virtual reality horror opera, entitled The Parksville Murders, on October 20 exclusively on Samsung VR. The episode will be featured exclusively on the Samsung VR app on Gear VR with Controller powered by Oculus and at samsungvr.com. The release will coincide with a special screening at Samsung VR Presents: An Evening in 360 (event page here) in San Francisco on October 19, which will include new operatic content from the series by Kamala Sankaram and Jerre Dye performed by Benjamin Bloomfield, with interactive video art projections by Cari Ann Shim Sham* and costumes by Ramona Ponce. Additionally, The Parksville Murders will be featured at the Future of StoryTelling (FoST) conference in NYC from October 6-8, following a series of viewings and installations at the Salem Horror Fest earlier this month. The piece, directed by Cari Ann Shim Sham* and featuring music by Kamala Sankaram and libretto by Jerre Dye, is being produced by Shim Sham*, Opera On Tap’s Anne Hiatt, and former Blue Man Group creative director Todd Perlmutter with VR production by Light Sail VR. Episode 1 received the Best Virtual Reality Video award at this year’s NYC Independent Film Festival, and was also an official selection of the Topanga Film Festival ABOUT THE OPERA: Inspired by the genre-bending horror classics from Cronenberg, Lynch and others, The Parksville Murders places viewers in a dimly-lit kill room in the Catskills, NY, standing amidst a group of mysterious, hooded “watchers” as they gaze upon two terrified young women, one paralyzed, lying in a bathtub full of dead leaves. The episode stars Kacey Cardin as Corinne, Mikki Sodergren as Sarah, and features ensemble members of Opera on Tap's New Brew series. Sankaram’s music for the piece will be largely diegetic, consisting of sounds ranging from sharpening knives to TV static to footsteps. Sankaram says of the project: “Opera has had a problematic relationship with its female characters: in general, if you’re powerful, you must die and/or go crazy at the end. Horror works under a similarly stringent set of rules—behave or you will die—so, an operatic horror movie is the perfect medium to address these issues.” In addition to being shot on a "dark corner" video camera rig at cutting-edge (and appropriately-named) Beaverkill Studio, the producers will incorporate a groundbreaking audio setup with live, omnidirectional sound design, in order to create a 3-D audio experience to accentuate Kamala’s composition, and which will essentially adjust the soundscape on the fly depending on where the viewer is looking. The sound for The Parksville Murders has been mixed by HEAR360 and its audio parts were recorded using an 8 Ball microphone created by HEAR360. Users will be able to experience immersive 3D binaural sound effects whenever they rotate their heads. Says Shim Sham* of the project: “We want to involve the audience, give them a role, allow them to make choices, and to be implicated in the scene, perhaps as a killer or as a witness, which serves as a greater metaphor for what is in our future of VR: being “watchers” of a new and addictive form of immersive media.” Explaining how the project is a fit for Opera On Tap, Hiatt says: “Our company has always focused on finding new ways to make opera more accessible, specializing in ‘opera up close.’ The Parksville Murders allows us to take the next logical step in bringing opera to new and broader audiences, and we couldn’t be more excited.” THE PARKSVILLE MURDERS is made possible with the support of OPERA America’s Building Opera Audiences grant program supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. ABOUT OPERA ON TAP Opera on Tap has always been dedicated to making opera more accessible to a broader audience through intimate, immersive performances. Born in 2005 at Freddy’s Bar and Backroom in Brooklyn, what began as a small monthly gathering of ambitious, classically trained singers looking for more performance opportunities has grown into a vibrant producing organization with 20 national (and international) chapters. An early leader in the movement towards bringing opera directly to new audiences in alternative venues, Opera on Tap has proven over and over that opera can be a transformational and meaningful experience for audiences, regardless of venue. ABOUT CARI ANN SHIM SHAM* Cari Ann Shim Sham* is a Manhattan based prestidigitator who loves living a wild artist’s life. A newly anointed Associate Arts Professor of Dance & Technology at NYU, TISCH School of the Arts Dance Department, she is attracted to things that sparkle, a collector of antique doorknobs and a lover of champagne. Her awards include Best VR as the Director of the Parksville Murders from NYC Indie Film Fest, Best Director from the First Glance Film Festival & Best Short Doc from St. Louis & Oxford Film Festivals for her film SAND and Best Experimental Short from the New Orleans Film Festival for her Cinematography & Editing on Two Seconds After Laughter. Her live work and video art has shown at notable venues such as Jacob's Pillow, PS 21, Peak Performances, the Joyce Soho, Krannert, Clarice Smith Art Center, Danspace in NYC, Dance Place, DC and REDCAT, her film work has screened at Laemmle Sunset 7, Mann Chinese Theater, and the United Nations General Assembly, and 200+ festivals internationally including Cannes, Austin, Seattle, Dance Camera West and DFA. Shim Sham* was the first video artist to redesign the set/sound and video art for Rauschenberg's Shiner as part of a revival of Set & Reset by Trisha Brown at NYU Tisch Dance and is delighted to be the lead Filmmaker/Photographer for the Translucent Borders Project of the NYU Global Institute of Advanced Study. Her curatorial practice is a decade deep and engages audiences through dance film, virtual reality, and interactive technologies at play. www.cariannshimsham.com ABOUT KAMALA SANKARAM Praised as “strikingly original” (NY Times), and a “new voice from whom we will surely be hearing more” (LA Times), Kamala Sankaram has received commissions from Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Beth Morrison Projects, the PROTOTYPE Festival, Opera Memphis, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, among others. She is the recipient of a Jonathan Larson Award from the American Theater Wing, and has received grants from Opera America, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kevin Spacey Foundation, and the MAP Fund. Residencies and fellowships include the MacDowell Colony, the Watermill Center, the Civilians, HERE Arts Center, CAP21, Con Edison/Exploring the Metropolis, the Hermitage, and American Lyric Theater. As a resident artist at HERE Arts Center, Kamala created MIRANDA, which was the winner of the New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical. Her opera, THUMBPRINT (written with librettist Susan Yankowitz), premiered in the 2014 PROTOTYPE Festival, and was featured on NPR, Agence France Presse, and media outlets around the world. THUMBPRINT has since received productions at LA Opera and Opera Ithaca. As a performer, Kamala has been hailed as "an impassioned soprano with blazing high notes" (Wall Street Journal). She has performed and premiered pieces with Beth Morrison Projects, Anthony Braxton, and the Wooster Group, among others, and is the leader of Bombay Rickey, an operatic Bollywood surf ensemble whose debut was named Best Eclectic Album by the Independent Music Awards Vox Pop. Bombay Rickey’s opera-cabaret on the life of Yma Sumac premiered in the 2016 PROTOTYPE Festival and was most recently presented in London at Téte á Téte Opera’s Cubitt Sessions. Bombay Rickey has been selected for the 2017/18 season’s Mid-Atlantic Arts touring roster, and will release their sophomore album in the spring of 2018. In addition to her musical pursuits, Kamala has been a voice actor on Comedy Central’s Superjail and Cartoon Network’s Golden Age. She holds a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the New School for Social Research, for which she received the Irvin Rock Memorial Award for Outstanding Dissertation. ABOUT JERRE DYE Jerre Dye is a Chicago-based playwright, opera librettist, director, and actor. He is the recipient of the Award for Dramatic Literature from the Fellowship of Southern Writers. His plays include: DISTANCE, CICADA, SHORT/STORIES, THREADS, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HANSEL AND GRETEL, WILD SWANS, SID AND THE MAGIC BOX and an adaptation of Stravinsky’s A SOLDIER’S TALE with Iris Orchestra. His opera librettos include: GHOSTS OF CROSSTOWN for Opera Memphis (featured at the Opera America Annual Conference as part of the New Works Sampler 2014 and 2015), PARKSVILLE MURDERS, a filmed, episodic, virtual reality opera for Opera On Tap/New York, THE FALLING AND THE RISING with The US Army Soldiers’ Chorus (co-commission for Arizona Opera, Seattle Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Memphis, Seagle Music Colony, and Texas Christian University), CHAUTAUQUA STORIES for Chautauqua Opera in Chautauqua, NY, BY/IN for Opera Memphis, TAKING UP SERPENTS for Washington National Opera and an upcoming commission for Opera Philadelphia. ABOUT LIGHT SAIL VR Light Sail VR is a Hollywood-based VR production company taking the helm of the evolving field of cinematic virtual reality storytelling. At the entertainment-savvy studio, creative producers and 360 writer-directors collaborate on live-action experiences, bringing compelling narratives, dynamic characters and entrancing visuals to every kind of VR project. From powerful original content to high-profile branded pieces for the likes of Google, ABC, GoPro and Paramount, Light Sail VR’s work captivates audiences and garners millions of views on the web. Experts in this emerging technology, Light Sail VR continues to steer new ways to capitalize on VR’s ability to inspire, innovate and engage. ABOUT BEAVERKILL STUDIO Inspired by nature, fueled by state of the art technology, Beaverkill Studio features a fully equipped green screen studio in the heart of the Catskills - a working retreat for creatives who need to get the job done, offering pre-production, production, and post-production in one place.

Concerts at Saint Thomas celebrates the Christmas season with Handel’s timeless “Messiah” performed by the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys and New York Baroque Incorporated on December 5 &amp; 7 The holiday tradition continues with Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols” for boys’ voices on December 14, with Bridget Kibbey on harp

Concerts at Saint Thomas presents a pair of Christmas concerts in December 2017

New York, NY – Concerts at Saint Thomas continues its decades long New York City holiday tradition of performing Handel’s Messiah at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue at West 53rd Street on December 5 & 7 at 7:30pm. Daniel Hyde conducts the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys in their ongoing partnership with New York Baroque Incorporated, along with soloists Ellie Dehn, Clare McNamara, Lawrence Jones, and Jesse Blumberg. Hailed by The New York Times as “king among the innumerable [Messiah] performances in New York,” it is the only Messiah in the city performed with men and boys’ choir, and is considered by many to be the start of the Christmas Season. On Thursday, December 14 at 5:30pm, Britten’s transcendent and ethereal A Ceremony of Carols provides a meditative respite from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Season. Daniel Hyde conducts the Boys of the Saint Thomas Choir along with award-winning harpist Bridget Kibbey. The piece, written for harp and boys’ choir, unifies the various carols of the Christmas story with a blend of starkness and shivering beauty. The program will also feature works for choir and harp by Ireland and Hadley, as well as pieces for solo harp by Bach, Britten, and Agócs. LISTING INFORMATION DECEMBER 5 & 7, 2017 | TUESDAY & THURSDAY at 7:30 pm Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue at West 53rd Street HANDEL: Messiah The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, with New York Baroque Incorporated Ellie Dehn, soprano Clare McNamara, mezzo-soprano Lawrence Jones, tenor Jesse Blumberg, bass Daniel Hyde, conductor TICKETS REQUIRED DECEMBER 14, 2017 | THURSDAY at 5:30 pm Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue at West 53rd Street BACH: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565 (solo harp) IRELAND: The holy boy (choir and harp) BRITTEN: Suite for Harp, Op. 83 (solo harp) HADLEY: I sing of a maiden (choir and harp) AGÓCS: Love is come again (solo harp) BRITTEN: A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28 (choir and harp) The Boys of the Saint Thomas Choir Bridget Kibbey, harp Daniel Hyde, conductor TICKETS REQUIRED TICKET INFORMATION All concerts take place at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue at West 53rd Street. Tickets may be purchased at www.SaintThomasChurch.org/music/concerts, by calling the Concerts Office at (212) 664-9360, by email at concerts@SaintThomasChurch.org or in person at the Concerts Office at One West 53rd Street at Fifth Avenue (enter through the Parish House). ABOUT BRIDGET KIBBEY According to the New York Times, harpist Bridget Kibbey “…made it seem as though her instrument had been waiting all its life to explode with the gorgeous colors and energetic figures she was getting from it.” In demand as a soloist and chamber musician alongside today’s top artists, harpist Bridget Kibbey is a recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist Award, a Salon de Virtuosi Grant, the only harpist to win a position with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society II, a winner of Concert Artist Guild’s International Competition, Astral Artist Auditions, and Premiere Prix at the Journées de les Harpes Competition in Arles, France. Ms. Kibbey’s solo performances have been broadcast on NPR’s Performance Today, on New York's WQXR and Q2 Radio, WNYC’s Soundcheck, WETA’s Front Row Washington, WRTI’s Crossover, and A&E’s Breakfast with the Arts. She has toured and recorded with Dawn Upshaw and Placido Domingo for SONY Records and Deutsche Grammaphon; and, her own solo debut album, Love is Come Again, was named one of the Top Ten Releases by Time Out New York. Bridget is featured annually with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Knights Chamber Orchestra, and Camerata Pacifica. She has appeared as featured soloist and chamber artist at the Bravo!Vail, Santa Fe, Spoleto, Chamber Music Northwest, Bridgehampton, Aspen, Bay Chamber, Pelotas, Savannah Music Festival, Music@Menlo Festivals, among others. With a passion for expanding the scope and platform of the harp, Bridget spearheads and tours cross-genre collaborations that reignite an ancient instrument. This season Bridget presents J.S. Bach’s most iconic keyboard works adapted on the harp alongside the Sebastians, “New York’s leading early music ensemble (New York Times).” She travels across the country with a special appearance at the Colombian Embassy with Chalaca, a new trio exploring the cross-pollination of folk music in South America, alongside Colombian clarinetist Benito Meza, and percussionist Samuel Torres. Bridget recently spear-headed a five orchestra concerto-commissioning consortium with Juno-Award winning composer Vivian Fung. Bridget performed five world-premiere performances with The Karlsruhe Badische Symphoniker (Germany), The Phillips Camerata in Washington, DC, The Alabama Symphony, The San José Chamber Orchestra, and the Metropolis Ensemble. This season Bridget announces a new concerto consortium, with participating orchestras launching performance in 2019/2020, featuring a new harp concerto by Brazilian-born João Luiz Rezende. Bridget maintains harp studios at Bard Conservatory, The Juilliard School Pre-College Program, and The Curtis Young Artist Institute. ABOUT DANIEL HYDE Born in the UK, Daniel Hyde began his education as a chorister at Durham Cathedral and later continued his studies at Oakham School. While at school he was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at the age of 17, and won the organ scholarship to King’s College, Cambridge. During his time at Cambridge University, he served under Dr. Stephen Cleobury, performed worldwide with the renowned King’s College Choir and studied the organ with Dame Gillian Weir and Nicolas Kynaston. Upon graduation with First Class Honours in Music, he was appointed as Director of Music at Jesus College, Cambridge, serving five very happy years developing the College’s music program consisting of a choir of men and boys and a mixed-voiced choir. From 2009 until 2016, he held the post of Informator Choristarum at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was also an Associate Professor in the University’s Faculty of Music. In September 2016 he took up the post of Organist and Director of Music at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York. Alongside his roles in Oxford and Cambridge, Daniel is in increasing demand as a choral and orchestral conductor, and has worked with the London Bach Choir, the Britten Sinfonia, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and the City of London Sinfonia. Daniel’s broad-ranging discography can be found on the Opus Arte, Linn, Naxos and EMI labels. As an organist, Daniel has performed across the UK and the world. Recital engagements have taken him to the USA, Vienna, Finland, Germany, Holland and also Australia, where he has performed at all the major venues including the Sydney Opera House and Adelaide Town Hall. He has been a concerto soloist with the BBC Philharmonic, and with the Britten Sinfonia he has performed the Poulenc Concerto a number of times, and has recorded the Hindemith Concerto to great critical acclaim. He was awarded Second Prize and the Audience Prize in the Royal College of Organists Performer of the Year 2002 competition. A regular accompanist to the BBC Singers on Radio Three, he has appeared at the BBC Proms on numerous occasions, and he made his solo debut there in 2010, performing Bach’s Canonic Variations at the organ of the Royal Albert Hall. In the 2014/15 season, he performed the complete organ works of J S Bach on the new Dobson organ in Merton College, Oxford. As an ensemble player he has appeared with Phantasm, the Britten Sinfonia, Aurora Orchestra, Gabrieli Consort and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields amongst others. www.danielhyde.co.uk ABOUT THE SAINT THOMAS CHOIR OF MEN AND BOYS The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys is considered by many to be the leading ensemble of its kind in the Anglican choral tradition in the United States. The Choir performs regularly with Orchestra of St. Luke’s as part of its own concert series. Its primary raison d’être is to provide music for five choral services each week. Live webcasts of all choral services and further information concerning recordings, tours and concerts given by the Choir may be found at www.SaintThomasChurch.org Alongside its choral services and concert series spanning the past four decades, the Choir has toured throughout the U.S. and Europe with performances at Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, King’s College, Cambridge, Windsor, Edinburgh, St. Albans, the Aldeburgh Festival and the Vatican. In February 2012, the Boys of the Choir traveled to Dresden to give the premiere of Lera Auerbach’s Dresden Requiem with the Dresden Staatskapelle in the Frauenkirche and Semper Oper. Later in 2012, the Choir was invited to perform in the Thomaskirche at the Leipzig BachFest, a highlight of their June 2012 tour to Germany and Copenhagen. Domestically, the Choir most recently toured the Southeastern United States and was a featured performer at the National AGO Convention in Houston, Texas. In addition to the annual performances of Handel’s Messiah, concerts at Saint Thomas Church have included Requiems by Fauré, Brahms, Mozart, Duruflé, Victoria and Howells; J.S. Bach’s two Passions, Mass in B Minor and Motets; the lesser-known St. John Passion of C.P.E. Bach; the U.S. premiere of John Tavener’s Mass; the U.S. premiere of Nico Muhly’s work My Days with viol consort Fretwork; Handel’s Israel in Egypt; a program of Handel and Purcell’s baroque masters conducted by John Scott and Richard Egarr along with Juilliard 415 and MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross, conducted by David Hill. In 2014, the Boy Choristers performed in Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion at the Park Avenue Armory as part of Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival with the Berliner Philharmoniker under the direction of Peter Sellars and conductor Sir Simon Rattle. In September 2016, a special concert in memorial of John Scott was performed with Orchestra of St. Luke’s under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle. The Gentlemen of the Saint Thomas Choir are professional singers; the Boy Choristers attend the Saint Thomas Choir School. The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys is represented by Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc. (www.concertorganists.com) and records exclusively for Resonus Classics (www.resonusclassics.com) ABOUT THE SAINT THOMAS CHOIR SCHOOL Founded in 1919, the Saint Thomas Choir School is the only boarding school solely for choristers in the United States, and one of only three schools of its type remaining in the world today. The Choir School offers a challenging pre-preparatory curriculum, interscholastic sports and musical training for boys in grades three through eight. Following graduation, boys move on to highly competitive independent boarding and day schools across the country. The Saint Thomas Choir School is committed to training and educating talented musicians without regard to religious, economic, or social background. Generous financial aid is available to all successful applicants. Inquiries from interested families are sought throughout the year. Do you know a boy who loves to sing? We want to hear from you at admissions@choirschool.org. To learn more about the exceptional opportunity provided by a Choir School education, consult our website: www.choirschool.org. ABOUT NEW YORK BAROQUE INCORPORATED Hailed as “truly excellent” and “studded with stars in the making” (New York Times), New York Baroque Incorporated (NYBI) is a conductorless orchestra of period instruments in New York City, bringing vital, informed, and fresh performances of a wide range of 17th and 18th-century repertoire, as well as creating a vibrant landscape for collaborations between historical performance and living composers. NYBI has collaborated with renowned soloists including Richard Egarr, Vivica Genaux, Monica Huggett, and has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Spoleto Festival USA. Striving to make period instruments a living art form, NYBI has premiered works by Nico Muhly, Hollis Taylor, and Huang Ruo. The orchestra also dedicates itself to bring to life unknown works of the Baroque, and has revived and presented modern-day premieres of Cavalli’s Veremonda (1652), Aliotti’s Santa Rosalia (1687) and Seckendorff’s Proserpina (1777). NYBI’s 2017-18 season highlights include Handel’s Messiah with The Saint Thomas Choir, a program of French dance music with baroque violist Robert Mealy at the Met Museum, and an American premiere of “M Stabat Mater” with Inbal Oshman Dance Group presented by Peak Performances. For information, visit www.NYBaroque.org.

The season opens October 21 with a recital featuring award-winning carillonneur Julie Zhu and Saint Thomas’s Organist and Director of Music Daniel Hyde playing a program of North German and Dutch music October 26 is the first ticketed concert with the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, accompanied by Orchestra of St. Luke’s, singing music by Pärt, Rutter, and Vaughan Williams

Concerts at Saint Thomas presents a pair of October 2017 performances

New York, NY – Concerts at Saint Thomas will open its 2017-18 season with a pair of October performances at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue at West 53rd Street. The opening concert, Saturday, October 21 at 1:15pm, will feature award-winning carrillonneur Julie Zhu playing a carillon prelude on the twenty-six church bells that ring out over Fifth Avenue, followed immediately by Organist and Director of Music Daniel Hyde playing a program of North German and Dutch music by the precursors to J.S. Bach: Sweelinck, Scheidt, Buxtehude, Böhm, and Bruhns. The concert is part of the sixth bi-annual New York Early Music Celebration. On Thursday, October 26 at 7:30pm, Daniel Hyde conducts The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and soloists Krista Bennion Feeney, Sara Cutler, Clara Rottsolk, and Adrian Timpau in Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, John Rutter’s Visions, Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus, and Vaughan Williams’s great plea for peace, Dona Nobis Pacem. Arvo Pärt’s achingly simple Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten sets the scene for the English pastoral radiance of John Rutter’s Visions – a recent work for solo violin, boys voices, and strings. Rutter’s utopian ideal of heavenly peace will give way to Vaughan Williams’s folksy Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus, before concluding with his 1936 cantata Dona Nobis Pacem, a plea for peace inspired by recent wars during the growing fears of a new one. LISTING INFORMATION OCTOBER 21, 2017 | SATURDAY at 1:15 pm Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue at West 53rd Street KEYBOARD MUSIC FROM HOLLAND AND FLANDERS: J.S. BACH, SWEELINCK, SCHEIDT, BUXTEHUDE, BÖHM, AND BRUHNS 1:15 pm | Julie Zhu, bells 2pm | Daniel Hyde, Loening-Hancock organ NO TICKETS REQUIRED, DONATION SUGGESTED OCTOBER 26, 2017 | THURSDAY at 7:30 pm Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue at West 53rd Street PÄRT: Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten RUTTER: Visions VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Dona Nobis Pacem The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, with Orchestra of St. Luke’s Krista Bennion Feeney, violin Sara Cutler, harp Clara Rottsolk, soprano Adrian Timpau, baritone Daniel Hyde, conductor TICKETS REQUIRED TICKET INFORMATION All concerts take place at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue at West 53rd Street. Tickets may be purchased at www.SaintThomasChurch.org/music/concerts, by calling the Concerts Office at (212) 664-9360, by email at concerts@SaintThomasChurch.org or in person at the Concerts Office at One West 53rd Street at Fifth Avenue (enter through the Parish House). ABOUT JULIE ZHU Julie Zhu, the carillonneur at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, recently took first prize in the 2015 Zwolle Carillon Competition Contest for a piece entitled Circle in Square. After graduating from Yale University with degrees in mathematics and art, Julie studied carillon performance and composition at the Royal Carillon School ‘Jef Denyn’ in Belgium. Her thesis project was a year-long art installation of scroll / scores and animation at the top of St. Rombouts tower in Mechelen, Belgium. Julie then played at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel carillon at the University of Chicago while she was an economic consultant in Chicago. She is now pursuing her MFA in visual art at Hunter College and teaches painting / drawing / design in Sitka, Alaska during the summer. As a touring carillonneur, Julie has performed throughout Europe and America and spent some months at Bok Tower, Florida, on a fellowship studying under renowned carillonneur and composer Geert D’hollander. ABOUT DANIEL HYDE Born in the UK, Daniel Hyde began his education as a chorister at Durham Cathedral and later continued his studies at Oakham School. While at school he was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at the age of 17, and won the organ scholarship to King’s College, Cambridge. During his time at Cambridge University, he served under Dr. Stephen Cleobury, performed worldwide with the renowned King’s College Choir and studied the organ with Dame Gillian Weir and Nicolas Kynaston. Upon graduation with First Class Honours in Music, he was appointed as Director of Music at Jesus College, Cambridge, serving five very happy years developing the College’s music program consisting of a choir of men and boys and a mixed-voiced choir. From 2009 until 2016, he held the post of Informator Choristarum at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was also an Associate Professor in the University’s Faculty of Music. In September 2016 he took up the post of Organist and Director of Music at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York. Alongside his roles in Oxford and Cambridge, Daniel is in increasing demand as a choral and orchestral conductor, and has worked with the London Bach Choir, the Britten Sinfonia, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and the City of London Sinfonia. Daniel’s broad-ranging discography can be found on the Opus Arte, Linn, Naxos and EMI labels. As an organist, Daniel has performed across the UK and the world. Recital engagements have taken him to the USA, Vienna, Finland, Germany, Holland and also Australia, where he has performed at all the major venues including the Sydney Opera House and Adelaide Town Hall. He has been a concerto soloist with the BBC Philharmonic, and with the Britten Sinfonia he has performed the Poulenc Concerto a number of times, and has recorded the Hindemith Concerto to great critical acclaim. He was awarded Second Prize and the Audience Prize in the Royal College of Organists Performer of the Year 2002 competition. A regular accompanist to the BBC Singers on Radio Three, he has appeared at the BBC Proms on numerous occasions, and he made his solo debut there in 2010, performing Bach’s Canonic Variations at the organ of the Royal Albert Hall. In the 2014/15 season, he performed the complete organ works of J S Bach on the new Dobson organ in Merton College, Oxford. As an ensemble player he has appeared with Phantasm, the Britten Sinfonia, Aurora Orchestra, Gabrieli Consort and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields amongst others. www.danielhyde.co.uk ABOUT THE SAINT THOMAS CHOIR OF MEN AND BOYS The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys is considered by many to be the leading ensemble of its kind in the Anglican choral tradition in the United States. The Choir performs regularly with Orchestra of St. Luke’s as part of its own concert series. Its primary raison d’être is to provide music for five choral services each week. Live webcasts of all choral services and further information concerning recordings, tours and concerts given by the Choir may be found at www.SaintThomasChurch.org Alongside its choral services and concert series spanning the past four decades, the Choir has toured throughout the U.S. and Europe with performances at Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, King’s College, Cambridge, Windsor, Edinburgh, St. Albans, the Aldeburgh Festival and the Vatican. In February 2012, the Boys of the Choir traveled to Dresden to give the premiere of Lera Auerbach’s Dresden Requiem with the Dresden Staatskapelle in the Frauenkirche and Semper Oper. Later in 2012, the Choir was invited to perform in the Thomaskirche at the Leipzig BachFest, a highlight of their June 2012 tour to Germany and Copenhagen. Domestically, the Choir most recently toured the Southeastern United States and was a featured performer at the National AGO Convention in Houston, Texas. In addition to the annual performances of Handel’s Messiah, concerts at Saint Thomas Church have included Requiems by Fauré, Brahms, Mozart, Duruflé, Victoria and Howells; J.S. Bach’s two Passions, Mass in B Minor and Motets; the lesser-known St. John Passion of C.P.E. Bach; the U.S. premiere of John Tavener’s Mass; the U.S. premiere of Nico Muhly’s work My Days with viol consort Fretwork; Handel’s Israel in Egypt; a program of Handel and Purcell’s baroque masters conducted by John Scott and Richard Egarr along with Juilliard 415 and MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross, conducted by David Hill. In 2014, the Boy Choristers performed in Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion at the Park Avenue Armory as part of Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival with the Berliner Philharmoniker under the direction of Peter Sellars and conductor Sir Simon Rattle. In September 2016, a special concert in memorial of John Scott was performed with Orchestra of St. Luke’s under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle. The Gentlemen of the Saint Thomas Choir are professional singers; the Boy Choristers attend the Saint Thomas Choir School. The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys is represented by Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc. (www.concertorganists.com) and records exclusively for Resonus Classics (www.resonusclassics.com) ABOUT THE SAINT THOMAS CHOIR SCHOOL Founded in 1919, the Saint Thomas Choir School is the only boarding school solely for choristers in the United States, and one of only three schools of its type remaining in the world today. The Choir School offers a challenging pre-preparatory curriculum, interscholastic sports and musical training for boys in grades three through eight. Following graduation, boys move on to highly competitive independent boarding and day schools across the country. The Saint Thomas Choir School is committed to training and educating talented musicians without regard to religious, economic, or social background. Generous financial aid is available to all successful applicants. Inquiries from interested families are sought throughout the year. Do you know a boy who loves to sing? We want to hear from you at admissions@choirschool.org. To learn more about the exceptional opportunity provided by a Choir School education, consult our website: www.choirschool.org. ABOUT ORCHESTRA OF ST. LUKE’S Orchestra of St. Luke’s (OSL) is one of America’s most versatile and distinguished orchestras, collaborating with the world’s greatest artists and performing approximately 80 concerts each year—including its Carnegie Hall Orchestra Series, Caramoor Summer Season, and new Resonance Chamber Music Festival debuting in June 2017. In its 42-year history, OSL has commissioned more than 50 new works, has given more than 175 world, U.S., and New York City premieres; and has appeared on more than 100 recordings, including four Grammy Award winners and seven releases on its own label, St. Luke’s Collection. Pablo Heras-Casado is OSL’s principal conductor and the orchestra’s fourth titled conductor; previous music directors and principal conductors are Sir Roger Norrington, Sir Charles Mackerras, and Donald Runnicles. OSL grew out of a chamber ensemble that began giving concerts at the Church of St. Luke in the Fields in Greenwich Village in 1974. Today, the 21 virtuoso musicians of St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble make up OSL’s artistic core. OSL owns and operates The DiMenna Center for Classical Music in Midtown Manhattan, sharing a building with the Baryshnikov Arts Center. The DiMenna Center is New York City’s premier venue for classical music rehearsal, recording, and learning, renowned for its superb acoustics, beautiful state-of-the-art facilities, and affordability. Since opening in 2011, The DiMenna Center has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors, including more than 400 ensembles and artists such as Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Itzhak Perlman, Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Valery Gergiev, James Levine, James Taylor, and Sting. OSL hosts hundreds of neighbors, families, and schoolchildren at its home each year for free community events. Through its Education & Community programs, OSL has introduced audiences across New York City to live classical music. OSL brings free chamber concerts to the five boroughs; offers free interactive music programs at The DiMenna Center; provides chamber music coaching for adult amateurs; and engages 10,000 public school students each year through its Free School Concerts. In 2013, OSL launched Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s (YOSL), an intensive in- and after-school instrumental instruction program emphasizing musical excellence and social development, in partnership with community organizations and public schools in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. For more information, visit OSLmusic.org.

ROCO’s Unchambered series kicks off October 8 &amp; 10 with Nik-NAK, a wind trio program of works by female composers, including a world premiere commission by Alyssa Morris The Connections series opens with a Musical Trick or Treat October 26, taking listeners on a progressive tour of four historic buildings in the Houston Heritage Society, with a musical performance in each In another Connections concert, ROCO continues its annual Musical &amp; Literary Ofrenda, a free celebration of the Day of the Dead that integrates musical performance, literature and poetry reading, art and Spanish language

ROCO October 2017 Concerts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – ROCO (River Oaks Chamber Orchestra) continues its thirteenth season, themed “Cultivate Curiosity,” with a series of October concerts, including chamber music by female composers, a riff on Halloween that takes concertgoers on a musical tour of the historical buildings in the Houston Heritage society, and their moving, multi-disciplinary celebration of the Mexican Day of the Dead that incorporates music, art, language and literature. These follow ROCO's season-opening performances this past weekend, which included the world premiere of Emmy Award-winning composer Anthony DiLorenzo's Anthem of Hope: Houston Strong. The fanfare was written as a tribute to the city’s resilience and humanity in the face of Hurricane Harvey’s devastation, and in an act of solidarity, it will be performed by more than 20 throughout the 2017-18 season, including Houston Grand Opera Orchestra at Wednesday's Houston Strong concert. Nik-NAK (Unchambered) ROCO kicks off its Unchambered series with a program called Nik-NAK, beginning with a concert tour in France followed by a pair of performances October 8 at MATCH and October 10 the Cypress Creek Foundation for the Arts & Community Enrichment (FACE). The ROCO Wind Trio — Alecia Lawyer, oboe; Nathan Williams, clarinet; and Kristin Wolfe Jensen, bassoon — will perform works by female composers, including the world premiere of Nik-NAK, a work for wind trio commissioned from composer Alyssa Morris (and named after the musicians Nathan, Alecia and Kristin). Performances will be in the round, with the three musicians facing each other. WHEN: Sunday, Oct 8 2017, 5:00pm WHERE: Matchbox 1, Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH), 3400 Main St., Houston, TX 77002 WHEN: Tuesday, Oct 10 2017, 3:00pm WHERE: Cypress Creek FACE, John Wesley United Methodist Church, 5830 Bermuda Dunes Drive, Houston, TX 770699 TICKETS: http://rocohouston.org/tickets/ LINK 1: http://rocohouston.org/performances/roco-unchambered-nik-nak/ LINK 2: http://rocohouston.org/performances/roco-unchambered-nik-nak-2/ Musical Trick or Treat ROCO’s innovative Connections series, featuring intimate, site-specific, collaborative and multi-disciplinary performances, opens on October 26 with their inaugural Musical Trick-or-Treat, where audiences will visit a series of historic buildings of Houston’s Heritage Society, stopping for a performance in each (with clarinet, cello, harp, and percussion). WHEN: Thursday, Oct 26 2017, 5:30pm Reception and 6:30pm Concert Tours Start WHERE: The Heritage Society, 1100 Bagby Street, Houston, TX TICKETS: http://rocohouston.org/tickets/ LINK: http://rocohouston.org/performances/roco-connections-musical-trick-or-treat/ Musical & Literary Ofrenda ROCO’s Connections series continues its annual celebration of the “Day of the Dead,” with a free Musical and Literary Ofrenda October 30 at the Lawndale Art Center, in partnership with Lawndale, Musiqa, Inprint and Houston Hispanic Forum. The intimate event includes five original, three-minute musical “ofrendas” (offerings) by Houston composer Marcus Maroney, are woven amongst four original prose and poetry texts by Inprint authors. The performance takes place against a backdrop of “retablos” (paintings and illustrations representing the Day of the Dead), and is followed by refreshments and a beginner Spanish lesson. WHEN: Monday, Oct 30 2017, 6:00pm (Art tour begins at 5:30pm) WHERE: Lawndale Art Center, 4912 Main St., Houston, TX 77002 TICKETS: http://rocohouston.org/tickets/ LINK: http://rocohouston.org/performances/roco-connections-musical-literary-ofrenda/ This project is generously funded by Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Windgate Charitable Foundation, Inc., and the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. ABOUT ROCO ROCO is a 40-piece professional chamber orchestra based in Houston, TX, with virtuosic musicians, conductors and composers from around the world who invite people into the ROCO experience through the language of music. ROCO presents unexpected classics, original compositions and delightful performances with the goal of increasing access for a multigenerational audience. In 12 seasons, ROCO has commissioned and world premiered 58 works with 9 more scheduled for Season 13 “Cultivate Curiosity!” and is regularly broadcast nationally on APM’s Performance Today. Website: https://rocohouston.org Public phone number: 713-665-2700 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rocohouston Twitter: @rocohouston

ROCO continues their In Concert series by honoring Veterans’ Day on November 11 with “Courageous Catalysts,” a program centering around Houston: September 12, 1962, a world premiere commission by Michael Gandolfi, that celebrates the 100th birthday of President John F. Kennedy and the courage of people who fight for change. The November 11 concert will also feature the world premiere of The Big Heart, a new fanfare for orchestra and chorus, composed by Kevin Puts, which celebrates Houston’s selflessness and caring during hard times. On November 19, the second installment in ROCO’s Unchambered series, aptly dubbed a “Musical Parfait,” will feature Maxime Goulet’s Symphonic Chocolates, in which each movement is paired with a piece of chocolate. Their third Connections performance on November 30, “A Season of Thanks” celebrates Houston philanthropists the Masterson family in their former home Rienzi, the house museum of decorative arts, which they donated to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

ROCO November 2017 Concerts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – ROCO (River Oaks Chamber Orchestra) continues its thirteenth season, themed “Cultivate Curiosity,” with a varied series of November performances, including a new commission in honor of JFK’s 100th birthday this year, a delicious evening of music paired with chocolate, as well as ROCO’s grateful tribute to the former owners of Rienzi. Courageous Catalysts (In Concert – November 11) For the second performance of their In Concert series, ROCO honors Veterans’ Day on November 11 with “Courageous Catalysts,” a program centering around Houston: September 12, 1962, a commission by Michael Gandolfi that celebrates the 100th birthday of President John F. Kennedy and the courage of people who fight for change. The program also features the world premiere of The Big Heart, a new fanfare for orchestra and chorus, composed by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts. The work explores Houston’s response to Harvey in the context of the city’s selfless sheltering of the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The piece features a lyric by renowned librettist Mark Campbell, and will be performed in collaboration with Houston Chamber Choir. Michael Stern conducts the program, which includes Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105, the composer’s final published symphony, Beethoven’s Overture to Leonore No. 3, and Bruce Adolphe’s I Will Not Remain Silent, a violin concerto inspired by the life of German-American rabbi and civil rights leader Joachim Prinz. Throughout the concerto, the violin, played by ROCO concertmaster and featured soloist, Scott St. John, represents the voice of Prinz, while the orchestra represents opposing forces —Nazi Germany in the first movement and America during the Civil Rights era in the second movement. WHEN: Saturday, Nov 11 2017, 5:00pm WHERE: The Church of St. John the Divine | 2450 River Oaks Blvd., Houston, TX 77019 TICKETS: https://roco.secure.nonprofitsoapbox.com/rocotickets?name=roco&id=2 MORE INFO: http://rocohouston.org/performances/courageous-catalyst/ Musical Parfait (Unchambered – November 19) In the next installment of ROCO’s Unchambered series, violist, Lorento Golofeev, adds “layers” of other musicians throughout “Musical Parfait”, on November 19 at MATCH. Golofeev also performs Maxime Goulet’s delectable piece, Symphonic Chocolates, during which audience members will taste a different piece of chocolate corresponding to each of the work’s four movements: Caramel, Dark, Mint, and Coffee, in collaboration with local Houston chocolatier Araya Artisan Chocolates. WHEN: Sunday, Nov 19 2017, 5:00pm WHERE: Midtown Arts & Theater Center (MATCH) | 3400 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002 TICKETS: https://roco.secure.nonprofitsoapbox.com/rocotickets?name=roco&id=2 MORE INFO: http://rocohouston.org/performances/roco-unchambered-musical-parfait/ TICKET + DINNER AT BRENNAN'S: http://rocohouston.org/performances/night-out-roco-brennans/ A Season of Thanks (Connections – November 30) ROCO’s innovative Connections series continues with a special tribute to Houston philanthropists the Masterson family on November 30, in their former home Rienzi, the house museum of European decorative arts, which they donated to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. From MFAH: “Formerly the home of philanthropists Carroll Sterling Masterson and Harris Masterson III, Rienzi was designed by prominent Houston architect John Staub in 1952. Opened to the public in 1999, Rienzi houses a substantial collection of European decorative arts, paintings, furnishings, porcelain, and miniatures. Rienzi welcomes visitors for tours, family programs, lectures, music performances, and a variety of special events.” WHEN: Thursday, Nov 30 2017, 6:30pm WHERE: Rienzi | 1406 Kirby Drive, Houston, TX 77019 TICKETS: https://roco.secure.nonprofitsoapbox.com/rocotickets?name=roco&id=2 MORE INFO: http://rocohouston.org/performances/roco-connections-a-season-of-thanks-for-the-mastersons/ ABOUT ROCO ROCO is a 40-piece professional chamber orchestra based in Houston, TX, with virtuosic musicians, conductors and composers from around the world who invite people into the ROCO experience through the language of music. ROCO presents unexpected classics, original compositions and delightful performances with the goal of increasing access for a multigenerational audience. In 12 seasons, ROCO has commissioned and world premiered 58 works with 9 more scheduled for Season 13 “Cultivate Curiosity!” and is regularly broadcast nationally on APM’s Performance Today. Website: https://rocohouston.org Public phone number: 713-665-2700 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rocohouston Twitter: @rocohouston

DiLorenzo’s Anthem of Hope: Houston Strong, was composed as a tribute to the city’s resilience and humanity in the face of Harvey’s devastation, and will be premiered by ROCO during their season opening concerts September 22 &amp; 23, with additional performances by multiple ensembles around Houston, uniting the community through music. Puts’ “The Big Heart” traces the thread of Houston’s response to Harvey back to its remarkable assistance of the victims of Katrina in 2005, and will be premiered at ROCO’s second In Concert performance November 11

ROCO to premiere two new fanfares, commissioned in response to Hurricane Harvey, composed by Emmy Award-winner Anthony DiLorenzo and Pulitzer Prize-winner Kevin Puts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Helping Houston heal from Harvey, ROCO (River Oaks Chamber Orchestra) will premiere two new fanfares commissioned in response to the city’s resilience. For the first fanfare, ROCO commissioned Emmy Award-winning composer Anthony DiLorenzo to write a fanfare to honor the strength, caring, and courage our community showed the world during rescue and now in recovery. In keeping with ROCO‘s passion for collaboration, more than 20 other performing arts groups will also perform this piece throughout the 2017-18 season as a thread of music tying our city together. DiLorenzo’s piece is entitled Anthem of Hope: Houston Strong, and will receive its world premiere performance at ROCO’s season opening concerts September 22nd at Miller Outdoor Theatre and September 23rd at The Church of St. John the Divine. Groups who will adapt and perform the work include music, dance, and theatre ensembles throughout Houston such as Stages Repertory Theatre, Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, Opera in the Heights, Mercury, Musiqa, Houston Youth Symphony, Wind Sync, Queensbury Theatre, MetDance, and Silambam Houston. The second new fanfare for chorus, composed by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts, is entitled The Big Heart, and explores Houston’s response to Harvey in the context of the city’s selfless sheltering of the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The piece features a lyric by renowned librettist Mark Campbell, and will be premiered during ROCO’s second In Concert performance on November 11. ROCO’s founder, artistic director and principal oboist Alecia Lawyer said of the premieres: “I wanted to find a way to reach across Houston’s vibrant arts community and collectively embrace our wonderful city,” and ROCO managing director Amy Gibbs added: “Our hope is for these pieces to illustrate how Houston is strengthened by our diversity and ability to build relationships to support one another.” ABOUT ROCO ROCO is a 40-piece professional chamber orchestra based in Houston, TX, with virtuosic musicians, conductors and composers from around the world who invite people into the ROCO experience through the language of music. ROCO presents unexpected classics, original compositions and delightful performances with the goal of increasing access for a multigenerational audience. In 12 seasons, ROCO has commissioned and world premiered 58 works with 9 more scheduled for Season 13 “Cultivate Curiosity!” and is regularly broadcast nationally on APM’s Performance Today. Website: https://rocohouston.org Phone: 713-665-2700 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rocohouston Twitter: @rocohouston

Including performance runs with Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona (house debut), Royal Opera House London, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Opéra National de Paris Brownlee will also premiere a newly-commissioned song cycle centered around the black male experience in America, entitled Cycles of my Being The commission will be part of a new album and spring 2018 recital tour, including performances in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Utah, Portland, Boston, Princeton, Illinois, New York’ Carnegie Hall (April 24), Virginia and Michigan

Lawrence Brownlee Announces his 2017-18 Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Lawrence Brownlee is proud to announce his 2017-18 season, continuing his presence in the major opera houses of the U.S. and Europe, and featuring the premiere of a new song cycle, entitled Cycles of my Being, centered around the black male experience in America today. The piece has been commissioned by Opera Philadelphia, and Brownlee will tour it to major venues around the U.S., including the world premiere in Philadelphia on February 21, followed by performances in San Francisco, Utah, Portland, Boston, Princeton, Illinois, New York’ Carnegie Hall (April 24), Virginia and Michigan. See below for full dates and details. 2017-18 continues the extraordinary momentum of last season, in which Brownlee received the “Male Singer of the Year” award from both the International Opera Awards and Bachtrack, joined Opera Philadelphia as their Artistic Advisor, and released a recital album Allegro Io Son, which received a Critic’s Choice from Opera News, among numerous other accolades. The season starts with a run of Rossini operas, beginning with his house debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona with Il Viaggio A Reims (Sept 13-20), followed by Semiramide at the Royal Opera House in London (Nov 19-Dec 16), before returning to Zürich for Le Comte Ory (Dec 31-Jan 9). Then Lawrence will sing Bellini’s I Puritani at the Lyric Opera of Chicago (Feb 3-28), Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier at the Bayerische Staatsoper (Mar 9-29, including a concert performance at Carnegie Hall), and then Donizetti’s Don Pasquale at Opéra National de Paris (Jun 9-Jul 12). Full 2017-2018 season information is below For more information go to www.lawrencebrownlee.com LAWRENCE BROWNLEE 2017-2018 SEASON September 13-20 Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona ROSSINI: Il Viaggio A Reims October 9 Bratislava Festival Recital with Speranza Scappucci November 19-December 16 Royal Opera House ROSSINI: Semiramide December 2 Novosibirsk Opera Theatre Orchestral Concert December 6 Orquesta Clásica Santa Cecilia Christmas Gala Concert December 31-January 9 Opera Zürich ROSSINI: Le Comte Ory February 4-28 Lyric Opera of Chicago BELLINI: I Puritani February 21 Opera Philadelphia Recital (Song Cycle World Premiere) March 9-29 Bayerische Staatsoper STRAUSS: Der Rosenkavalier March 25-26 University of North Carolina | Chapel Hill, NC Recital and Masterclass March 29 Carnegie Hall | New York, NY STRAUSS: Der Rosenkavalier (in concert with Bayerische Staatsoper) March 31 Herbst Theatre | San Francisco, CA Recital April 2-3 Brigham Young University | Provo, UT Recital and Masterclass April 4-5 Friends of Chamber Music | Portland, OR Recital and Masterclass April 7 Boston Celebrity Series | Boston, MA Recital with Eric Owens April 12 Princeton Recital | Princeton, NJ Recital April 18-19 Krannert Center | Urbana, IL Recital and Masterclass April 20-21 Wheaton College | Wheaton, IL Orchestral Concert April 24 Carnegie Hall | New York, NY Recital April 29 Waterford Concert Series | Waterford, VA Recital May 1 Gilmore Festival | Kalamazoo, MI Recital May 5 Grand Théâtre de Genève | Geneva, Switzerland Recital June 9-July 12 Opera National de Paris DONIZETTI: Don Pasquale ABOUT LAWRENCE Hailed by the Associated Press as one of “the world’s leading bel canto tenors,” American-born Lawrence Brownlee captivates audiences and critics around the world. His voice, praised by NPR as “an instrument of great beauty and expression…perfectly suited to the early nineteenth century operas of Rossini and Donizetti,” has brought him to the top of opera world, ushering in “a new golden age in high male voices” (The New York Times). Brownlee was named “2017 Male Singer of the Year” by the International Opera Awards and Bachtrack, and his recording of Virtuoso Rossini Arias was nominated for a GRAMMY™ Award, prompting New Yorker critic Alex Ross to ask “is there a finer Rossini tenor than Lawrence Brownlee?” Brownlee has performed with every leading international opera house and festival, as well as major orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Academia di Santa Cecila, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and the Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra.

Following his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra, the conductor continues to lead major orchestras across the United States (the National Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra and others), often collaborating with a star lineup of soloists. In his sixth season as Music Director of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, Gabel extends his influence across Europe as well, taking over for David Zinman as Music Director of the Orchestre Français des Jeunes (National Youth Orchestra of France), in their Summer Project 2017 and guest conducting major European orchestras.

Fabien Gabel Announces his 2017-2018 Season

For immediate release - New York, NY – Conductor Fabien Gabel launches an exciting 2017-18 season, following a highly anticipated debut with the Cleveland Orchestra (Blossom Music Festival). Returning for his sixth season as the Quebec Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director, Gabel will perform Rachmaninov’s Le rocher and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra in the opening night program. Gabel’s upcoming performances will then continue to take him across the United States and Europe. American appearances include performances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, and the San Diego Symphony. After an acclaimed debut with the Deutches Sinfonie Orchestra last season, Gabel’s European engagements will again feature concerts throughout Germany (Staatskapelle Weimar, Hessischer Rundfunk Orchester), multiple appearances at the Great Hall Pierre Boulez in Paris (including performances with the Orchestre de Paris and Measha Brueggergosman), and welcome returns to the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Helsinki Philharmonic. His programs continue to showcase a marked diversity in both repertoire and collaborators. With Gabel at the podium, the Helsinki Philharmonic welcomes trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger in a performance of Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s rare Nobody Knows De Trouble I See, a trumpet concerto written at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as the lesser-known Austrian composer Hans Rott’s Symphony No. 1. Percussion rock star Colin Currie will join Gabel with the Houston Symphony Orchestra for John Corigliano’s Conjurer for Percussionist, Strings and Brass in a program also featuring Ravel’s beloved Daphnis and Chloé. Other collaborations include pianists Marc-André Hamelin and Louis Schwizbegel, cellist Alban Gerhardt, soprano Measha Brueggergosman, among others. Recently named the new Music Director of the Orchestre Français des Jeunes (National Youth Orchestra of France), taking over for David Zinman in their Summer Project 2017, Gabel continues to inspire a new generation of young performers. The intensive summer training will culminate in a concert with the orchestra in the Grand Salle Pierre Boulez in Paris in December, with Gabel at the podium. Gabel’s exciting 2016-2017 season featured acclaimed performances in Houston, San Diego and Rochester, as well as in Europe with the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and his debut with the Deutches Sinfonie Orchester. Full 2017-2018 season information below and at: http://www.fabiengabel.com/performances Fabien Gabel 2017-18 Season Dates August 19, 2017 The Cleveland Orchestra | Juho Pohjonen, piano Cuyahoga Falls, OH | Blossom Music Center September 2, 6, 7, 9 & 10, 2017 French Youth Orchestra Tour | Alexandra Soumm, violin Includes performances at Young Euro Classic Music Festival, New Century of Lille, Laon Music Festival, and Besançon Music Festival September 20 & 21, 2017 Québec Symphony Orchestra | Alain Lefévre, piano Ville de Québec, QC | Grand Théâtre de Québec September 28, 2017 Québec Symphony Orchestra | Karen Gomyo, violin City of Québec, QC | Grand Théâtre de Québec October 10-15, 2017 Royal Flemish Philharmonic Antwerp, Belgium | Koningin Elisabethzaal October 25, 2017 Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra | Louis Schwizgebel, piano Poole, U.K. | The Lighthouse November 4, 2017 Hessischer Rundfunk Orchester | Matthew Barley, cello Stuttgart, BW | Staatstheater November 8 & 9, 2017 Québec Symphony Orchestra City of Quebec, QC | Grand Théâtre de Québec November 18 & 19, 2017 Detroit Symphony Orchestra | Bertrand Chamayou, piano Detroit, MI | Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center December 3 & 4, 2017 Staatskapelle Weimar | Alexej Gorlatch, piano Weimar, Germany | Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar December 12, 2017 French Youth Orchestra Paris, France | Great Hall Pierre Boulez January 26 & 27, 2018 Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra | Louis Schwizgebel, piano Milwaukee, WI | The Marcus Center for Performing Arts February 2, 3 & 4, 2018 Houston Symphony Orchestra | Colin Currie, percussion Houston, TX | Jones Hall February 8, 2018 National Symphony Orchestra | Alban Gerhardt, cello Washington, D.C. | Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts February 21 & 22, 2018 Québec Symphony Orchestra City of Québec, QC | Grand Théâtre de Québec February 28, 2018 Québec Symphony Orchestra City of Québec, QC | Grand Théâtre de Québec March 23, 2018 Helsinki Philharmonic | Håkan Hardenberger, trumpet Helsinki, Finland | The Helsinki Music Centre March 29, 2018 Québec Symphony Orchestra | Alexandra Dariescum piano City of Québec, QC | Grand Théâtre de Québec April 15, 2018 Québec Symphony Orchestra | Nicolas Altstaedt, cello City of Québec, QC | Grand Théâtre de Québec April 18, 2018 Québec Symphony Orchestra | Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano City of Québec, QC | Palais Montcalm April 28 & 29, 2018 Detroit Symphony Orchestra | Nicolas Altstaedt, cello Detroit, MI | Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center May 4, 2018 San Diego Symphony Orchestra San Diego, CA | Copley Symphony Hall May 23, 2018 Québec Symphony Orchestra City of Québec | Palais Montcalm May 30, 2018 Québec Symphony Orchestra | Marc-André Hamelin, piano City of Québec | Grand Théâtre de Québec May 31, 2018 Québec Symphony Orchestra City of Québec | Grand Théâtre de Québec June 9 & 10, 2018 Orchestra of Paris | Measha Brueggergosman, soprano Paris, France | Great Hall Pierre Boulez

The 2017 winner of the coveted Marian Anderson Vocal Award, countertenor John Holiday embarks on a busy season of prominent firsts, including a debut recital at the Kennedy Center, a tour with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conductor Gustavo Dudamel to LA, New York (David Geffen Hall), London and Paris, and a performance run as the lead role in Jonathan Dove’s Flight at the Des Moines Metro Opera Holiday launches his season with the world premiere of Daniel Bernard Roumain’s We Shall Not Be Moved at Opera Philadelphia, also bringing the work to New York City and London.

John Holiday Announces his 2017-2018 Season

For immediate release - New York, NY - The recipient of the 2017 prestigious Marian Anderson Vocal Award, countertenor John Holiday launches his 2017-18 season as John Blue in Opera Philadelphia’s premiere of Daniel Bernard Roumain’s We Shall Not Be Moved (a performance which saw John featured on the cover of the September issue of Opera News magazine). A tour of the opera across Philadelphia, New York City, and London is the first of several international projects upon which the vocalist embarks in the upcoming months. Holiday’s international performances also include his debut collaboration with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel in Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, in the role in which the countertenor made his acclaimed Carnegie Hall debut. The work—programmed in tribute to the composer’s centenary—will take the ensemble across the United States (Los Angeles, New York City) to London and Paris, a fitting occasion for the music’s celebration of humanity’s transcendence of international boundaries. The tour includes Holiday’s debut performance at David Geffen Hall (New York City). A debut recital awaits on February 15, 2018 at the Kennedy Center, as part of the Marian Anderson Vocal Award. This major award has previously been offered to artists such as Denyce Graves, Eric Owens, Lawrence Brownlee, and Janai Brugger. Other debuts this season include an appearance at Des Moines Metro Opera as the Refugee in Jonathan Dove’s breakthrough work Flight, inspired by the true-story of an Iranian refugee detained at Charles de Gaulle Airport for eighteen years. In addition to this poignant modern-day operatic comedy, Holiday will go on to tackle a diversity of seminal roles including the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the title role in Orfeo et Euridice at the Florida Grand Opera. The artist will also continue to traverse genres by singing jazz alongside his busy operatic career. This includes Holiday’s beloved Holiday Experience shows in his Texas hometown, which offer an eclectic mix of jazz, classical, R&B, and gospel programming featuring an all-star line-up of artists including Neeki Bey, Kristin Yost, and David Marquis. Holiday’s exciting upcoming season comes on the heels of critically acclaimed appearances at the Lincoln Center Festival (“an exceptional vocalist” –The New York Times), a return to Glimmerglass Festival in the title role of Xerxes (“a voice of warmth and beauty –Operawarhorses) and at Boston Baroque (“a bright, strong vocal presence” –The Boston Globe). Full 2017-2018 season information below, or visit: http://johnholidaylive.com/events John Holiday 2017-18 Season September 16-18, 21, 23-24, 2017 Philadelphia, PA | The Wilma Theater We Shall Not Be Moved (World Premiere, with Opera Philadelphia) Music by Daniel Bernard Roumain, directed by Bill T. Jones, conducted by Viswa Subbaraman October 6-8, 2017 New York, NY | The Apollo Theater We Shall Not Be Moved (with Opera Philadelphia) Music by Daniel Bernard Roumain, directed by Bill T. Jones, conducted by Viswa Subbaraman October 13-15, 18, 20-21, 2017 London, England | Hackney Empire We Shall Not Be Moved (with Opera Philadelphia) Music by Daniel Bernard Roumain, directed by Bill T. Jones, conducted by Viswa Subbaraman December 14-15, 2017 Minneapolis, MN | Basilica of Saint Mary Handel: Messiah Directed by Matthew Culloton, conducted by Jonathan Cohen December 16-17, 2017 St. Paul, MN | Ordway Concert Hall Handel: Messiah Directed by Matthew Culloton, conducted by Jonathan Cohen December 23, 2017 Dallas, TX | The Kessler Theater The Holiday Experience Produced by John Holiday December 24, 2017 Richmond, TX | St. Mark's Episcopal Church The Holiday Experience Produced by John Holiday February 15, 2018 Washington, D.C. | The Kennedy Center Terrace Theater Marian Anderson Vocal Award Recital March 18 & 23, 2018 Miami, FL | Florida Grand Opera Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice Company Debut, singing the lead role of Orfeo April 19-22, 2018 Los Angeles, CA | Walt Disney Concert Hall Bernstein: Chichester Psalms Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel (Company Debut) April 29, 2018 New York, NY | David Geffen Hall Bernstein: Chichester Psalms Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel (Company Debut) May 4, 2018 London, U.K. | Barbican Centre Bernstein: Chichester Psalms Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel (Company Debut) May 6, 2018 Paris, France | Philharmonie de Paris Bernstein: Chichester Psalms Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel (Company Debut) June 22-July 15, 2018 Des Moines, IA | Des Moines Metro Opera Dove: Flight Company premiere, directed by Kristine McIntyre, conducted by David Neel

On October 30, Conrad takes a break from the piano to perform a program of electronic music at Roulette, in collaboration with improviser and vocalist Charmaine Lee Conrad also makes his Lincoln Center debut with a solo piano recital on December 3, featuring music by Bach, Jason Eckardt, Rachmaninoff and Beethoven

Fall New York Performances from Conrad Tao

New York, NY – Pianist and composer Conrad Tao will have a pair of performances in New York City this fall. The first will take place on October 30 at Roulette in Brooklyn, with the premiere of a new work entitled Ceremony, developed in collaboration with improviser and vocalist Charmaine Lee. Forgoing the piano entirely, Conrad will perform on electronics, using spatialization, live signal processing, and fixed media to explore a variety of sonic environments — each a meditation on the visceral tactility of vocal and electronic sound. Ceremony is a celebration of hybridity, weaving together diverse influences from ASMR, drone, ambient, and the 80s power ballad. Following that, Conrad will make his Lincoln Center debut on December 3 with a program that fuses Baroque, Romantic and Contemporary music. The mood is set with J.S. Bach’s virtuosic and improvisational Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue, which paves the way for Jason Eckardt’s richly dissonant Echoes’ White Veil, Rachmaninoff’s hauntingly beautiful Etude-Tableau in A minor, Op. 39 No. 2, and Beethoven’s tragic yet euphoric Piano Sonata in A-flat Major, Op. 110. LISTING INFORMATION OCTOBER 30, 2017 | MONDAY at 8:00 pm Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn CERMONY WITH CHARMAINE LEE INFO: http://www.roulette.org | 917.267.0368 TICKETS: General Admission $20; Members/Students/Seniors $15; $25/20 Tickets at the door (tickets can be purchased online or at the door) DECEMBER 3, 2017 | SUNDAY at 11:00 am Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater | 165 W 65th St, New York, NY 10023 SOLO PIANO RECITAL: BACH, ECKARDT, RACHMANINOFF, & BEETHOVEN INFO: http://www.lincolncenter.org/show/conrad-tao-piano | 212.721.6500 TICKETS: $22 ABOUT CONRAD TAO Conrad Tao has appeared worldwide as a pianist and composer, performing to universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike. His accolades and awards include being a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, a YoungArts gold medal-winner in music, a Gilmore Young Artist, and an Avery Fisher Career Grant-winner. With each passing year, the former prodigy continues to emerge as a mature, thoughtful and thought-provoking artist, confidently pushing boundaries as a leading performer, composer, curator, and commissioner, championing new music while continuing to present core repertoire in a new light.

The pianist and composer will make his Lincoln Center debut, be Artist in Residence with the Utah Symphony, and have debut engagements with the Atlanta Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, and Seattle Symphony. Conrad will also head overseas to Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Finland, and Malaysia. Conrad’s commissions will be performed at Washington Performing Arts Society and ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. This busy season comes after recent performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Stéphane Denève (Conrad’s SPAC debut), Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival with Carlos Kalmar, and premieres of his commissions by the Pacific Symphony, the Atlantic Classical Orchestra, and Jaap van Zweden and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Conrad also had an on-stage performance role in the world premiere of David Lang’s the loser at BAM and an acclaimed recital in Unison Media’s Crypt Sessions series.

Conrad Tao Announces his 2017-18 Season

For Immediate Release: Pianist/composer Conrad Tao is proud to announce a 2017/18 season that will take him from major U.S. orchestras to tours across the world. The former prodigy continues to emerge as a mature, thoughtful and thought-provoking artist, confidently pushing boundaries as a leading performer, composer, curator, and commissioner, championing new music while continuing to present core repertoire in a new light. Conrad makes his Lincoln Center debut with a solo recital including a work by American composer Jason Eckhardt (December 3), and will also both perform in his own recital and have his solo violin commission performed by Paul Huang at Washington Performing Arts Society (April 21 & 27). As Artist in Residence with the Utah Symphony, Conrad will perform both Bernstein’s Age of Anxiety (February 23-24) and Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto no. 2 (April 6-7) with Karina Canellakis & Thierry Fischer. Conrad also opens ProMusica Chamber Orchestra’s season with a commission and world premiere performance in Ohio (October 8). Additionally, a new multimedia work, Ceremony, developed with vocalist Charmaine Lee, will receive its premiere at Brooklyn’s Roulette (October 30). Conrad will be performing Bernstein and Gershwin with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (February 2-3) and the Buffalo Philharmonic (March 11). Other notable U.S. appearances include at the New Jersey Symphony with Xian Zhang, Seattle Symphony, and Atlanta Symphony with Christian Arming. Outside of the U.S., Conrad has been re-invited to perform with the Berner Symphoniker and Mario Venzago in Switzerland (September 2-3), and will also make his debut with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and James Gaffigan (April 27). He will also return to Italy with the Orchestra Verdi Milano and Vladimir Fedoseev, and Malaysia with the Malaysian Philharmonic and Eiji Oue. Full 2017-2018 season information is below For more information go to http://conradtao.com/ CONRAD TAO 2017-18 SEASON DATES September 2 & 3, 2017 Berner Symphoniker Bern, Switzerland | Kursaal September 23, 2017 Plano Symphony Plano, TX | Eisemann Center October 8, 2017 ProMusica Chamber Orchestra Columbus, OH | Southern Theatre October 19, 2017 Eugene Symphony Eugene, OR | Hult Center for the Performing Arts October 21 & 22, 2017 Spokane Symphony Spokane, WA | Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox October 30, 2017 Performance with vocalist Charmaine Lee New York, NY | Roulette November 2, 3, 4 & 5, 2017 New Jersey Symphony Newark, NJ | New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Richardson Auditorium, State Theatre New Jersey November 11, 2017 Mississippi Symphony Jackson, MS December 3, 2017 Lincoln Center Debut Solo Recital New York, NY | Lincoln Center - Walter Reade Theatre December 7, 2017 Berkeley Symphony Berkeley, CA | Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley January 14, 2018 Solo Recital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur City Centre January 12-13, 2018 Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra with Eiji Oue (Bernstein: Age of Anxiety) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur City Centre January 18, 2018 Seattle Symphony Seattle, WA | Benaroya Hall January 27 & 28, 2018 Santa Fe Pro Musica Santa Fe, NM | Lensic Performing Arts Center February 2 & 3, 2018 Charleston Symphony Charleston, SC | The Gaillard Center February 12-19, 2018 Recital Tour in Italy February 23 & 24, 2018 Utah Symphony Salt Lake City, UT | Abravanel Hall March 10 & 11, 2018 Buffalo Philharmonic Buffalo, NY | Kleinhans Music Hall March 18-24, 2018 Buffalo Philharmonic Tour of Poland April 6 & 7, 2018 Utah Symphony Salt Lake City, UT | Abravanel Hall April 10, 2018 Symphony of the Americas Boca Raton, FL | Broward Center for the Performing Arts April 12 & 14, 2018 Atlanta Symphony Atlanta, GA | Atlanta Symphony Hall April 19, 2018 Hamilton Philharmonic Hamilton, ON | FirstOntario Concert Hall April 21, 2018 Washington Performing Arts Society - Recital Washington, D.C. | Kennedy Center Terrace Theater April 27, 2018 Washington Performing Arts Society - Premiere of Commission for Solo Violin Washington, D.C. | Kennedy Center Terrace Theater April 27, 2018 Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra Helsinki, Finland | Helsinki Music Centre

Performances feature the world premiere commission of Paul Lansky’s Five Views of an Unfamiliar Tune, a concerto for percussion featuring Matt McClung, where each movement explores a different instrument: vibraphone, marimba, bongos, tom-toms, and children’s toys The program, conducted by Victor Yampolsky, also features Kurt Weill’s Symphony No. 2, Hindemith’s Cupid and Psyche, and Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks

ROCO Launches its 2017-18 Season with “To The Beat of a Different Drummer” September 22 & 23

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – ROCO (River Oaks Chamber Orchestra) launches its 2017-18 “In Concert” series with “To the Beat of a Different Drummer,” September 22nd at Miller Outdoor Theatre and September 23rd at The Church of St. John the Divine. The program features the world premiere commission of Five Views of an Unfamiliar Tune, a percussion concerto by pioneering computer-music composer, Paul Lansky. Written to highlight the technical skills and expressive gifts of ROCO’s principal percussionist, Matthew McClung, each movement of the work explores a different instrument: vibraphone, marimba, bongos, tom-toms, and – in an inspired move - children’s toys. This follows ROCO’s practice of both choosing its soloists from its principal musicians, and offering them a chance to either commission a new work or perform one from the existing repertoire. Victor Yampolsky, one of ROCO’s favorite artistic partners, returns to conduct. The rest of the program features the rarely-performed Symphony No. 2 by Kurt Weill, along with Paul Hindemith’s Cupid and Psyche, Igor Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks, and, as usual, some additional ROCO surprises. This performance is funded in part by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc., New York, NY. LISTING INFO WHAT: ROCO in Concert “To The Beat of a Different Drummer” WHEN: September 22, 2017, 8pm WHERE: Miller Outdoor Theater, 6000 Hermann Park Dr., Houston, TX 77030 WHAT: ROCO in Concert “To The Beat of a Different Drummer” WHEN: September 23, 2017, 5pm WHERE: The Church of St. John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks Blvd., Houston, TX 77019 TICKETS: http://rocohouston.org/tickets/ LINK: http://rocohouston.org/ PHOTO: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/f5omwj9m8itldod/AAA89kHu1J5utxwaQky3o0Jia?dl=0 ABOUT ROCO ROCO is a 40-piece professional chamber orchestra based in Houston, TX, with virtuosic musicians, conductors and composers from around the world who invite people into the ROCO experience through the language of music. ROCO presents unexpected classics, original compositions and delightful performances with the goal of increasing access for a multigenerational audience. In 12 seasons, ROCO has commissioned and world premiered 58 works with 9 more scheduled for Season 13 “Cultivate Curiosity!” and is regularly broadcast nationally on APM’s Performance Today. Website: https://rocohouston.org Public phone number: 713-665-2700 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rocohouston Twitter: @rocohouston