ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. (June 30, 2008) - Tragic love and classical music collide on stage for the July 11 River Concert Series at St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM). The Chesapeake Orchestra, under the musical direction of Jeffrey Silberschlag, will perform Fauré's "Suite: Pelleas et Melisande"; Verdi's "La Traviata Rhapsody for flute"; Schostakovich's "Piano Concerto No. 2"; and Prokofiev's "Suites: Romeo et Juliet." Giuseppe Nova, known as one of Italy's most outstanding flautists, and pianist Brian Ganz, who has performed solo at the Kennedy Center in Washington, are the evening's featured performers.
The free outdoor concerts overlook the St. Mary's River and begin at 7 p.m., with grounds opening at 5 p.m.
Giuseppe Nova's performances have been described in international publications as "enlightened" and as having "an extraordinary musical sense" (Il Giornale). His "magic performance of virtuosity" has been hailed (Gazzetta del Sud), as well as his expertise on the flute, which has been called "musical art at its perfection" (Nice Matin).
Described as one of the most outstanding Italian flautists of his generation, Nova graduated from the Conservatory in Turin, Italy, and the Conservatoire Supérieur de Lyon, France. He made his debut in 1982 as a soloist with the RAI Symphony Orchestra. This marked the beginning of a career that has since seen him perform in major concert halls in Europe, the United States, Japan, and China.
Brian Ganz is the First Grand Prize recipient in the 1989 Marguerite Long Jacques Thibaud International Piano Competition in Paris. He was also a recipient of the 1989 Beethoven Fellowship, and a silver medalist in the 1991 Queen Elisabeth of Belgium International Piano Competition. After his performance in the finals of the Brussels competition, the music critic for La Libre Belgique wrote: "We don't have the words to speak of this fabulous musician who lives music with a generous urgency and brings his public into a state of intense joy."
Ganz has appeared as soloist with the St. Louis Symphony, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Baltimore Symphony, the National Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Memphis Symphony, the City of London Sinfonia, L'Orchestre Lamoureux, and L'Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, among others. He has performed in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Le Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, De Doelen in Rotterdam, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, L'Arena Theater in Ve-rona, and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Ganz is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, and is artist-in-residence at SMCM, where he has been a member of the piano faculty since 1986.
The goal of the River Concert Series is to assist in economically enhancing the region and cultivating a cultural tourist destination by organizing arts and historical offerings. In 1999, the Chesapeake Orchestra came into a residency relationship with SMCM with the initiation of the River Concert Series. Since then, the Chesapeake Orchestra has sought to provide musical programming to reach the broadest possible audience.
Also This Week
Movies accompany music on Wednesday evenings as part of The River Concert Series: At the Movies. The films are viewed in the Auerbach Auditorium in St. Mary's Hall at 7 p.m. and are introduced by Robin Bates, professor at St. Mary's College. The July 9 film, "Lover's of the Arctic Circle" (1998), starring Najwa Nimri and Fele Martínez, is about love, tragedy, and destiny. A performance by Shahin Firoozmand and Joshua Barnett, on guitar, will follow the film at 9 p.m.
The Rick Humphreys Jazz Trio will perform as part of River Series: Cutting Edge at Vincenzo's Mediterranean Grill in Solomons, Maryland, Saturday, July 12 at 6:30 p.m.
The Francis Bridge Jazz Quartet will perform an evening concert in Leonardtown Square for River Series: On Location at 7 p.m.
Trumpeter Michael Adams will perform selections for River Series: Up Close, Sunday, July 13, at 3:00 p.m. at the Auerbach Auditorium in St. Mary's Hall.