SPRING FOR MUSIC
SPRING FOR MUSIC ANNOUNCES
Orchestras selected for May 2012 Festival
Change in orchestra line-up for May 2011 Festival
ORCHESTRAS SELECTED FOR 2012:
In May 2012, Spring for Music’s second annual festival season at Carnegie Hall will host 6 orchestras in six consecutive days, Monday, May 7 through Saturday, May 12, 2012. The orchestras in consecutive order are:
Houston Symphony
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Alabama Symphony Orchestra
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Nashville Symphony
The selected orchestras for 2012 range in budget size from $6.7 million to $36 million and include orchestras from Alabama, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin, as well as western Canada. Of the six orchestras, two will be making their Carnegie Hall debuts (Alabama and Edmonton). The programs, which will be announced in their entirety at a later date, include works by five living composers and will feature works such as Charles Ives’ Universe Symphony in the realization by Larry Austen, Martin?’s rarely performed Symphony No. 1, the Busoni Piano Concerto, and Qugang Chen’s hypnotic Iris dévoilée.
CHANGES FOR 2011 FESTIVAL:
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has been chosen to join the roster of seven orchestras being presented at Carnegie Hall in the inaugural festival season, May 2011, of Spring for Music (May 6 – 14, 2011). Following Orpheus’ May 6, 2011 festival opening concert will be: the Toledo Symphony (May 7); Albany Symphony Orchestra (May 10); Dallas Symphony Orchestra (May 11); Oregon Symphony (May 12); Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (May 13); and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (May 14). The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has reluctantly withdrawn due to budgetary concerns.
TICKET PRICES:
All tickets for both the 2011 and 2012 Spring for Music festivals are priced at $25 on a first come, first served basis, with a limited number of tickets available at $15. Tickets for the 2011 Spring for Music festival will go on sale on Monday, February 21, 2011, with the programs to be announced on that same day.
FUNDING:
With a budget of approximately $1.5 million per year for an anticipated four years (festivals in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014), a generous grant of $1 million has come from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with significant multi-year gifts from Daniel & Jan Lewis and Gerry & Marguerite Lenfest, along with funding from The Irving Harris Foundation. Spring for Music is absolutely committed for the 2011, 2012, 2013 festivals, with further funding still needed to support a festival in 2014.
SELECTION OF ORCHESTRAS:
Spring for Music Artistic Director Thomas W. Morris selects from among eligible orchestras (eligibility constitutes being among League of American Orchestras Groups I and II, and orchestras from Groups III and IV that have received an ASCAP Award for adventurous programming over the previous three years), on the basis of originality of repertoire, sequence of pieces, individual program elements, programmatic structure and production elements. Emphasis is placed on creativity, variety, innovation and distinctive profile. Quality of the orchestra and conductor, relationship of the orchestra’s proposal to its overall institutional identity, and the balance of orchestras by geography and size also play into the decisions. No orchestra is eligible to participate in consecutive years.
BACKGROUND:
Spring for Music, a new and innovative festival of concerts by North American symphony and chamber orchestras presented annually at Carnegie Hall to broad music-loving audiences at affordable prices, is being sold through a unique marketing structure built around adventurous and creative programs. The festival is designed to allow chosen orchestras to showcase their artistic philosophies through distinctive and creative programming in one of the world’s most competitive musical environments. Introductory presentations by each orchestra will be incorporated into the actual concerts, which will begin at 7:30 pm. The festival becomes a musical laboratory that can foster greater innovation in each orchestra’s home market.
Spring for Music was created by three music industry veterans who serve as the project’s directors: Thomas W. Morris, CEO and Artistic Director; David V. Foster, Production Director; and Mary Lou Falcone, Public Relations Director. On the Board of Trustees are Chair, Daniel R. Lewis; Treasurer, Catherine French; Secretary, Catherine Gevers; Michael Gehret; Ara Guzelimian; Joan Harris; and Lowell J. Noteboom.
For more information please visit the Spring for Music website: www.springformusic.com
Press Release Contact Name: Kristen Celek
Press Release Contact Email: [email protected]
Organization Name: Toledo Symphony