Uri Mayer returns for Beethoven’s 5th
RENOWNED MAESTRO RETURNS TO CONDUCT AWARD WINNING CELLIST
LONDON – Orchestra London welcomes past music director Uri Mayer as conductor of one of the greatest classical works of all time, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, at Centennial Hall on Saturday, December 1 at 8pm. As an added treat, renowned cellist Shauna Rolston will take your breath away on Elgar’s beloved Cello Concerto.
Mayer was music director of Orchestra London from 1988 until 1994 and has led the Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor since 2011. Mayer could not be happier about his long awaited return to London:
“Orchestra London and I have a long history—dating back to my first guest conducting engagement with them in 1979,” Mayer reminisces.
“I felt then and on each occasion since that it is an ensemble that continuously performs at a very high standard,” he adds. “I was always grateful for their commitment to wonderful music making and touched by their spirit. It will be a great pleasure to collaborate with them again.”
Mayer is doubly excited to perform with Rolston in a new setting; they have played together before with the Edmonton Symphony. “She is one of Canada’s most gifted cellists,” extols Mayer. “She is an exciting virtuoso and a sensitive, seasoned performer who will without doubt shine in the Elgar concerto. I am delighted to accompany her.”
The feelings are likewise for Rolston who holds Mayer and Elgar in equal regard:
“Elgar’s concerto is a cornerstone of the solo cello repertoire and a beautifully contemplative, emotional piece of music,” says Rolston. “I’m very much looking forward to performing this work with Orchestra London’s fine musicians and the renowned maestro, Uri Mayer.”
Current Music Director Alain Trudel is thrilled about the concert’s mix of Orchestra London’s illustrious past and bold future.
“Mayer and Rolston represent the full breadth of talent Orchestra London wishes to present on stage,” says Trudel. “Uri’s strong command of the classical repertoire and Shauna’s astounding technique will make for a night of music both memorable and moving.”
Tickets for the Beethoven’s 5th can be purchased at Orchestra London’s Box Office at 609 Wellington Street, (519) 679-8778, or at orchestralondon.ca.
CONCERT DETAILS
What:
Beethoven’s 5th: Orchestra London’s Masterworks Series featuring past Music Director Uri Mayer and cellist Shauna Rolston. Selections include Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 and Elgar’s Cello Concerto.
Pre-concert chat with conductor at 7pm in the hall.
Where:
Centennial Hall
550 Wellington St.
Who:
Orchestra London, Conductor Uri Mayer, Cellist Shauna Rolston
When:
Saturday, December 1, 2021 at 8pm
Cost:
Adults $34-55; Students $15; Family Pass $76
(all prices plus applicable taxes and service charge)
For more information:
Orchestra London Box Office (519) 679-8778 or visit orchestralondon.ca
Orchestra London Season Sponsors: Lerners, Canada Council of the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, City of London, Best Western, VIA Rail Canada.
About Shauna Rolston
Award-winning Canadian cellist Shauna Rolston is considered by peers and fans alike to be one of the most compelling and unique musical voices on the stage today. Since receiving a mini cello for her 2nd birthday, Shauna has appeared around the world, performing in the world’s major concert halls including Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and was the featured artist at the 1988 Olympics.
Praised for her blazing technique and her ability to touch the heart of each audience member, Shauna continues to astonish and delight with her concerts, recordings, and world premieres. Her passion for the music of our time has led to the commission and creation for her of more than 50 works for cello, including concertos by Canada’s leading composers. Recent projects include recordings, performances, and commissions including four cello concertos, a whistling concerto, and three groundbreaking double concertos: one for improvising cello and contemporary jazz piano by jazz sensation David Braid, one for cello and piano by Heather Schmidt, and another for cello and flute by Karen Tanaka, as well as “Wildfire”, a film for BRAVO with music by Heather Schmidt.
The diversity of Shauna’s artistry is reflected in the many honours received including an invitation to join the Governor-General’s State Delegation to Finland and Iceland, her appointment as Canadian Music Centre Ambassador for her commitment to the performance of Canadian music, and most recently, the Oskar Morawetz Award for Excellence in Music Performance.
Shauna is also devoted educator, much in demand as a guest master class artist. She is Professor of Cello and Head of Strings at the University of Toronto and a Visiting Artist for the Music and Sound Programs at The Banff Centre. Shauna earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Yale University and a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music where she studied with the distinguished cellist and pedagogue, Aldo Parisot.
About Uri Mayer
Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Toronto Philharmonic, Uri Mayer was born in Romania and grew up in Israel, where he studied viola and conducting at the University of Tel Aviv. On the recommendation of Leonard Bernstein, he continued to further his education at the Juilliard School of Music in New York; there he was awarded a Post Graduate Diploma with a double major in orchestral conducting and viola. An accomplished violist he won prizes at the Munich and Geneva International Viola Competitions and was Principal Viola of the American Symphony in New York under Leopold Stokowski and the Montreal Symphony under Raphael Frühbeck de Burgos and Charles Dutoit. He has also received important prizes at the International Conducting Competitions in Budapest, Hungary and Katowice, Poland.
Mayer has served as Principal Conductor of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra in Osaka, Japan; Artistic Director of the Israel Sinfonietta; and Music Director of the Edmonton Symphony as well as Orchestra London.
Mayer has appeared as guest conductor in more than 20 countries. Noted for his strong command of a broad repertoire, he has conducted in the past several years the philharmonic orchestras of Hungary, Israel, Slovakia, Belgrade, Brabants, Sofia and the Northern German Radio in Hannover, the Budapest, Maastricht, Odense, Montreal, Utah, Honolulu, SABC Johannesburg, NHK Tokyo and Osaka Symphonies, the London Mozart Players and English Symphony Orchestra.
Uri Mayer has recorded for the Arabesque, CBC, Denon Japan, Hungaroton and Koch labels. He has also taped numerous concerts for television companies in Canada, Germany, Hungary, Israel and Japan. Some of the distinguished soloists who have collaborated with him include Ely Ameling, Kathleen Battle, Frederica von Stade, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Yo-Yo Ma, Janos Starker, Mstislav Rostropovich, Emanuel Ax and Andras Schiff.
About Orchestra London:
Orchestra London has been making music in the London Community since 1937. Officially incorporated in 1957, Orchestra London performs over 50 concerts each season across six different series. Education & Outreach programs have introduced the orchestra to more than 30,000 schoolchildren since 2000 and the community at-large. Orchestra London welcomed Alain Trudel as Music Director in 2011.
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For more information, please contact:
Terri Anne Moses, Sales and Marketing Manager
Phone 519.679.8558 x 241 or email [email protected]
