KGW8: Meet two talented young musicians performing with The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra this weekend
KGW8 talks to two Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA Gold Medal Winners and Maestro Salvador Brotons in advance of VSO USA’s Young Artist Competition concert.
KGW8
KGW8 talks to two Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA Gold Medal Winners and Maestro Salvador Brotons in advance of VSO USA’s Young Artist Competition concert.
Watch the video here.
The Columbian: Vancouver Symphony Orchestra rides wave of enthusiasm into 45th year, opens season with Prokofiev
Eager to build on the success of August’s Vancouver Arts & Music Festival that drew crowds to Esther Short Park, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is loading up a panoply of terrific concerts for its 45th season.
Music Director Salvador Brotons has scheduled a vibrant mix of beloved gems and less familiar works. That should appeal to patrons and attract newbies to Skyview Concert Hall, where the hometown orchestra has performed since 1999.
The Columbian
By James Bash
Eager to build on the success of August’s Vancouver Arts & Music Festival that drew crowds to Esther Short Park, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is loading up a panoply of terrific concerts for its 45th season.
Music Director Salvador Brotons has scheduled a vibrant mix of beloved gems and less familiar works. That should appeal to patrons and attract newbies to Skyview Concert Hall, where the hometown orchestra has performed since 1999.
This weekend, the orchestra will kick off the season with Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 4 and two pieces that are favorites of classical music audiences: Ravel’s “Bolero” and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, which will feature virtuoso Antonio Pompa-Baldi.
A native of Italy, Antonio Pompa-Baldi started playing on a toy piano when he was just 3. The following year he began piano lessons and quickly excelled on the keyboard. As a young teenager, he won several competitions in Italy before winning the Cleveland International Piano Competition in 1999 and the silver medal at the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Read more here.
Photo Credit: Paul Quackenbush
Northwest Reverb: Inaugural Vancouver Arts and Music Festival a smash hit!
The inaugural Vancouver Arts and Music Festival turned Esther Short Park into a magical, canopied landscape (August 4 -6). Kids jumped, climbed, slid, ran, and had a blast at the playground. People strolled into avenues of artisanal food vendors and galleries promoting the visual arts. The weather was downright perfect, and that contributed to the big turnout. The large lawn in front of the main stage was chock a block with blankets, low-profile chairs, and lots of people eager to hear the Vancouver Symphony and a lineup of international artists.
The orchestral portion of the festival featured Time for Three on Friday night (August 4), violinist Anne Akiko Meyers on Saturday evening (August 5), and pianist Orli Shaham on Sunday afternoon (August 6). VSO Music Director Salvador Brotons led the first concert, and Gerard Schwarz helmed the second and third concerts.
Northwest Reverb
By James Bash
The inaugural Vancouver Arts and Music Festival turned Esther Short Park into a magical, canopied landscape (August 4 -6). Kids jumped, climbed, slid, ran, and had a blast at the playground. People strolled into avenues of artisanal food vendors and galleries promoting the visual arts. The weather was downright perfect, and that contributed to the big turnout. The large lawn in front of the main stage was chock a block with blankets, low-profile chairs, and lots of people eager to hear the Vancouver Symphony and a lineup of international artists.
The orchestral portion of the festival featured Time for Three on Friday night (August 4), violinist Anne Akiko Meyers on Saturday evening (August 5), and pianist Orli Shaham on Sunday afternoon (August 6). VSO Music Director Salvador Brotons led the first concert, and Gerard Schwarz helmed the second and third concerts.
Introductory comments by prominent sponsors, including Lorin Dunlop of the Murdock Charitable Trust, which provided most of the funding for the extravaganza, welcomed festival goers to Vancouver’s living room. An historic airplane loudly buzzed overhead during before Brotons took the stage.
An ebullient Brotons led the hometown band in the “Candide Suite,” an arrangement by Charlie Harmon of music from Berstein’s opera. It aptly concluded with the expansive message of “Let Your Garden Grow,” a perfect tune to kick off the festival.
Warren Black from All Classical Radio introduced Time for Three, the energetic, genre-defying string trio that won the 2023 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo.
Read more here.
Classical Voice North America: Blazing New Pathways In Washington, Oregon
PERSPECTIVE — A lot of attention has been directed to the out-migration from cities like San Francisco in recent years. This phenomenon is turning out to be more complex than the cliché of “urban exodus” offered by pandemic-related stories. All of that redistributed energy has to flow somewhere — and with it the impetus to improve the cultural institutions of the destination cities.
Like Boise, Vancouver in southwest Washington State presents another striking example of a smaller city that has become a magnet by offering increased affordability along with a less-stressful lifestyle. Vancouver’s leaders want to establish the city’s identity as not just a bedroom community to Portland but a desirable alternative on its own merits.
Vancouver and the surrounding region rank among the fastest-growing areas in the state. This newfound attractiveness is stimulating a fresh sense of promise and ambition for the arts. As the city’s largest performing arts organization, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA has been a presence for decades.
Classical Voice North America
Thomas May
Editor’s Note: This is the second report in a two-part series about regional orchestras in America’s Northwest.
PERSPECTIVE — A lot of attention has been directed to the out-migration from cities like San Francisco in recent years. This phenomenon is turning out to be more complex than the cliché of “urban exodus” offered by pandemic-related stories. All of that redistributed energy has to flow somewhere — and with it the impetus to improve the cultural institutions of the destination cities.
Like Boise, Vancouver in southwest Washington State presents another striking example of a smaller city that has become a magnet by offering increased affordability along with a less-stressful lifestyle. Vancouver’s leaders want to establish the city’s identity as not just a bedroom community to Portland but a desirable alternative on its own merits.
Vancouver and the surrounding region rank among the fastest-growing areas in the state. This newfound attractiveness is stimulating a fresh sense of promise and ambition for the arts. As the city’s largest performing arts organization, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA has been a presence for decades.
Read more here.
Broadway World: Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA to Present Inaugural Vancouver USA Music And Arts Festival in 2023
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA will present its inaugural Vancouver USA Music and Arts Festival celebrating music and art inspired by America, spanning three days from Friday, August 4 through Sunday, August 6.
The multidisciplinary art festival features performances from the VSO conducted by VSO Music Director, internationally renowned composer and conductor Maestro Salvador Brotons and Maestro Gerard Schwarz. Known as a champion of American composers, Gerard Schwarz has received hundreds of honors and accolades in his five decades as a respected classical musician and conductor including 9 Emmy Awards, 14 GRAMMY nominations, 8 ASCAP Awards, and numerous Stereo Review and Ovation Awards, in addition to being the first American named Conductor of the Year by Musical America. Renowned guest soloists include violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, pianist Orli Shaham, and the genre-defying trio Time for Three. Presented in close collaboration with the city of Vancouver and Vancouver Downtown Association, the Festival is made possible by the $600,000 grant awarded to the VSO by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust for program expansion to engage performing and visual arts patrons.
Broadway World
By Chloe Rabinowitz
The three-day multidisciplinary celebration of American and American-adjacent music and art will take place August 4-6, 2023.
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA will present its inaugural Vancouver USA Music and Arts Festival celebrating music and art inspired by America, spanning three days from Friday, August 4 through Sunday, August 6.
The multidisciplinary art festival features performances from the VSO conducted by VSO Music Director, internationally renowned composer and conductor Maestro Salvador Brotons and Maestro Gerard Schwarz. Known as a champion of American composers, Gerard Schwarz has received hundreds of honors and accolades in his five decades as a respected classical musician and conductor including 9 Emmy Awards, 14 GRAMMY nominations, 8 ASCAP Awards, and numerous Stereo Review and Ovation Awards, in addition to being the first American named Conductor of the Year by Musical America. Renowned guest soloists include violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, pianist Orli Shaham, and the genre-defying trio Time for Three. Presented in close collaboration with the city of Vancouver and Vancouver Downtown Association, the Festival is made possible by the $600,000 grant awarded to the VSO by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust for program expansion to engage performing and visual arts patrons.
Read more here.
The Columbian: Vancouver Symphony Orchestra set for 44th season
Two American concertos featuring pianist Michelle Cann will kick off the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s 44th season this weekend at the Skyview Concert Hall.
The Columbian
By James Bash
Pianist Cann featured; conductor Brotons returns for 32nd year.
Two American concertos featuring pianist Michelle Cann will kick off the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s 44th season this weekend at the Skyview Concert Hall.
Read more here.
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Gala with World-Renowned Piano Virtuoso Orli Shaham
Maestro Brotons and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Celebrates the Generosity of the Community and the Resiliency of Music
Maestro Brotons and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Celebrates the Generosity of the Community and the Resiliency of Music
[Vancouver, WA. August 11, 2021] – Following one of the most dramatic, artistically ambitious and critically acclaimed seasons in its history, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will kick-off its 43rd season with the highly anticipated hybrid Gala. VSO Music Director, Maestro Salvador Brotons and the Orchestra’s Board of Directors will welcome in-person guests at the beautiful Discovery Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in historic downtown Vancouver, Washington. The entire event will also be live-streamed on the VSO website.
Internationally acclaimed pianist Orli Shaham will return by popular demand as the Gala’s Guest of Honor. Shaham will team up with VSO concertmaster and principal players in live performances of music by Mozart, Dvorak, Chopin and others.
What: Gala 2021: Resiliency Through the Arts
When: Friday, September 17, 2021
12:00pm - 6:00pm PDT: Virtual Music Celebration from the VSO Archive
6:30pm PDT: Live Event/Streaming (pre-show begins at 6:00pm PDT)
Where: The in-person event will be held at the Vancouver Hilton, 301 W. Street Vancouver, Washington. Virtual guests can enjoy the live-streamed event on any viewing device.
Tickets: In-person tickets are available for $100. Space is limited, RSVP by September 8. Virtual tickets are free to anyone around the world at www.vancouversymphony.org
Gala festivities will begin at 12:00pm PDT with a virtual music celebration featuring past performances from the VSO archive. During this free event, available on the VSO website, guests will be able to bid on auction items, donate, and support the VSO while enjoying some of Orchestra’s best performances of all time.
The 2021 auction features five, once-in-a-lifetime VIP experiences which includes tickets and VIP backstage access to the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Seattle Symphony and amazing trips to New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Barcelona, and Hawaii. All proceeds raised at the Gala will support the VSO’s artistic programming and will help advance the Symphony’s educational outreach initiatives.
About the VSO
The VSO, now in its 43rd season, has been a cornerstone of Southwest Washington's arts community, providing symphony music of the highest caliber in live performances and through music education in schools, concert halls, and throughout the community. For more information, please visit vancouversymphony.org.
About Orli Shaham
The 2021 Gala will be Orli Shaham’s fourth appearance with the VSO. Shaham has established an impressive international reputation as one of today’s most gifted pianists. Praised by critics on four continents, Shaham is hailed for her interpretations of both traditional and modern repertoire. The New York Times called her a “brilliant pianist”, the Chicago Tribune referred to her as “a first-rate Mozartean”, and the London Guardian said Shaham’s playing at the Proms was “perfection”. Shaham has performed with most major orchestras in the United States, and many significant ensembles internationally, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Orli Shaham is on faculty at The Juilliard School, Artistic Director for Pacific Symphony’s Chamber Music Series in Costa Mesa, California, and Artistic Director of “Bach Yard”, an interactive children’s concert series. She also serves on the juries of the Cliburn International Piano Competition and the Honens International Piano Competition. She has previously served on the juries of the Cliburn International Junior, New York International, Sydney International, Virginia Waring International, and Hilton Head International piano competitions.
About Salvador Brotons
Maestro Salvador Brotons returns to Vancouver for his 31st season as Music Director and Conductor of the VSO. In addition to the VSO, he has been the Music Director and Conductor of the Orquestra Simfònica de les Illes Balears “Ciutat de Palma” (1997-2001, 2009-2013) and the Orquesta Sinfónica del Vallés (1997-2002). He is presently the Conductor of the Barcelona Symphonic Band. In 2005, he received the “Arts Council” award from Clark County and the City of Vancouver as well as the Kiwanis Rose Award. Brotons has guest-conducted orchestras in countries such as the United States, Israel, France, Germany, China, Poland, South Korea, Mexico, Uruguay, and Colombia.
About our Sponsors
The VSO is generously supported by individual donors, The M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, All Classical Portland, Oregon Public Broadcasting, The Community Foundation of Southwest Washington, The Columbian, Dick Hannah, PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Foundation, Propel Insurance, MedicareHelpNow, Opsahl Dawson CPAs, Burnt Bridge Cellars, Clark Public Utilities, the VIC, Realvest Corporation, and Michelle’s Pianos.