Four days after performing at President-elect Barack Obamas inauguration, piano sensation Gabriela Montero will join the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for a Jan. 24 concert at West Virginia University .
The Canady Symphony Series concertconducted by Pittsburgh Symphony concertmaster Andrés Crdenesbegins at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre of the Creative Arts Center .
This is the second of three concerts the Pittsburgh Symphony will perform in Morgantown this year.
The series is the cornerstone of a partnership between WVU s College of Creative Arts and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. It is made possible, in part, through the generosity of title sponsors Dr. William and Loulie Canady in memory of their daughter, Valerie, and series sponsor BB&T.
The Jan. 24 concert will feature Montero as the soloist in George Gershwins popularRhapsody in Blue.She will perform a few of her own improvisations on the spota talent that has made her famous. The program also includes Samuel Barbers Symphony No. 1 and Felix MendelssohnsReformationSymphony.
Monteros visionary interpretations and unique improvisational gift have won her a devoted following around the world.
Engagements include her acclaimed New York Philharmonic debut with Lorin Maazel, the Hollywood Bowl, the Boston Philharmonic with Benjamin Zander, Stuttgart Philharmonic, the Lanaudiere Festival and the Philharmonia Orchestra. She also works regularly with Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Orchestra.
Montero will perform with violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, clarinetist Anthony McGill and composer-arranger John Williams as part of the presidential inauguration celebration Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C.
Grammy-nominated Crdenes has garnered international acclaim from critics and audiences alike for his compelling viola and solo violin performances, conducting, chamber music, concertmaster work and recorded performances.
Since capturing second prize in the 1982 Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition in Moscow, the Cuban-born Crdenes has appeared as a soloist with more than 100 orchestras on four continents, including those of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Moscow, Bavarian Radio, Helsinki, Shanghai, Caracas and Barcelona.
He was appointed concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 1989 and holds the Rachel Mellon Walton Endowed Concertmaster Chair.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been a vital part of the city of Pittsburghs heritage for more than 100 years. With its history of the finest conductors and musicians and its strong commitment to artistic quality and excellence, audiences around the world have claimed the Pittsburgh Symphony as their orchestra of choice.
Beginning in the early 1900s with frequent performances in Canada, the Pittsburgh Symphony confirmed its ranking as a world-class orchestra, earning critical acclaim for each tour abroad. Its 29 international tours include 15 European tours, seven trips to the Far East and two to South America. In January 2004, it became the first American orchestra to perform for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican as part of the Pontiffs Silver Jubilee celebration.
September 2008 marked the arrival of the orchestras ninth music director, Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck.
The final Canady Symphony Series concert March 28 will feature violinist Nikolaj Znaider performing the Violin Concerto by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, a Viennese master who later became renowned for classic film scores of the 1940s. Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda will bring Franz Schuberts Great C Major Symphony to the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre for a rousing finale.
Single tickets are $39 for the general public and $12 for students. All tickets, including subscriptions, are available through the Pittsburgh Symphony box office. They may be purchased by calling 800-743-8560 or going online at www.pittsburghsymphony.org .