Courtney Lewis conducts Schumann concerto, English masterworks; Ingrid Fliter solos

Minnesota Orchestra’s associate conductor Lewis leads concerts Feb. 23 and 26; Argentine pianist Fliter returns as soloist in Schumann’s Piano Concerto

Program also includes Elgar’s overture In the South, Walton’s First Symphony

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(January 30, 2012) The Minnesota Orchestra’s Associate Conductor Courtney Lewis conducts concerts February 23 and 26 in which Schumann’s Piano Concerto bookends English masterworks.  Pianist Ingrid Fliter, a winner of the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award, returns to the solo spotlight in a follow-up to her debut with the Orchestra in April 2010.  Elgar’s energetic overture In the South opens the program, which closes with Walton’s emotional First Symphony, a tempestuous journey that ends in jubilation.

The concert is performed twice at Orchestra Hall: on Thursday, February 23, at 11 a.m., and Sunday, February 26, at 2 p.m., with tickets priced from $22 to $70.  For tickets, call (612) 371-5656 or visit minnesotaorchestra.org.

Courtney Lewis, conductor
Belfast native Courtney Lewis, who became the Minnesota Orchestra’s associate conductor in fall 2010 after a year as assistant conductor, has worked with orchestras and chamber ensembles on three continents. 

This season, in addition to leading all of the Orchestra’s Young People’s and family concerts, he debuted on the subscription series, leading fully staged performances of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel in November.  He will conduct the Orchestra’s annual Guarantors’ Concert in April, and in July 2012 he will lead the Orchestra’s outdoor Symphony for the Cities concert series as well as a patriotic Star-Spangled Salute to America, the latter held at Ted Mann Concert Hall.

Lewis is one of four conductors from around the world selected by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for its 2011-12 Dudamel Fellowship program.  He will lead that ensemble in multiple performances in March 2012 and will work with students in the orchestra’s education programs.  In an additional role, he founded and directs Boston’s acclaimed Discovery Ensemble, which introduces inner-city school children to classical music while bringing new and unusual repertoire to established concert audiences.

Ingrid Fliter, piano
Ingrid Fliter performs regularly with major orchestras throughout the world.  Since winning the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award for pianists in 2006, she has been engaged by such ensembles as the Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Sydney Symphony and London Philharmonia.  She also gives frequent recitals worldwide.

This season Fliter performs with orchestras including the National Symphony, Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic and Orchestre Nationale de Lille.  She will appear in recital in Buenos Aires, Santiago (Chile) and Prague, and at Duke University.  Her most recent recording is an all-Beethoven CD, released in June 2011; she has also recorded two CDs of Chopin works.

An ode to Italy, virtuosic piano concerto and lyrical symphony
On his first trip to Italy, Elgar enjoyed a blissful stroll in the tiny republic of Andorra.  A pastoral scene on the old Roman Way—a shepherd near the ancient ruins of a chapel—inspired his concert overture In the South, whose images contrast the shimmering beauty of the hilly countryside with vast battles once waged by Roman armies.

Solo and orchestral parts are intimately entwined in Schumann’s Piano Concerto.  At the core of the opening movement is a tender discourse between piano and clarinet; the understated Intermezzo leads to a celebratory finale.

Walton’s splendid First Symphony shows the traits that distinguish the composer’s music: sensuous lyricism, a tonal orientation spiked with dissonance, hard-edged brilliance, a fondness for major/minor ambiguities, and rhythmic virility sometimes tinged with jazz.

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Minnesota Orchestra Classical Concerts
SCHUMANN’S PIANO CONCERTO

Thursday, February 23, 2012, 11 a.m. / Orchestra Hall
Sunday, February 26, 2012, 2 p.m. / Orchestra Hall

Minnesota Orchestra
Courtney Lewis, conductor
Ingrid Fliter, piano

ELGAR                  In the South
SCHUMANN        Piano Concerto
WALTON              Symphony No. 1

Tickets: $22-$70

Music Up Close:  Concert Preview – Feb. 23, 10:30 a.m.; Feb. 26, 1 p.m.

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Individual tickets are available for purchase at the Minnesota Orchestra Box Office at 11th and Marquette in Minneapolis, online at minnesotaorchestra.org or by calling (612) 371-5656 or (800) 292-4141. For groups of 10 or more, call (612) 371-5662 or (800) 292-4141, ext. 662. Prices listed do not include a $5.75 service charge per transaction for all phone or mail orders. Save $1 by purchasing tickets online or by having the Orchestra e-mail your tickets. There are no service charges for subscribers, group purchasers or in-person transactions at the Orchestra Hall Box Office. A non-discountable $3.50 facility fee is included in the price of each individual ticket. No refunds. Some fees and restrictions may apply to ticket exchanges. All sales are final. All programs, artists, dates, times and prices subject to change.

Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the Minnesota Orchestra’s 2011-12 season.

The Star Tribune and 830 WCCO-AM are the Minnesota Orchestra’s media partners for the 2011-12 season.

This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the State’s general fund and its arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

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PRESS CONTACTS:
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Sandi Brown, Public Relations Coordinator
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