Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Appoints Three New Staff Members

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra announced three senior-level appointments: Matthew Spivey, vice president of artistic operations; Deborah Broder, vice president, BSO at Strathmore; Cheryl Goodman, OrchKids director of fundraising and administration.

17-year-old Conductor Ilyich Rivas Debuts with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Oct. 14-16

Continuing this season’s focus on youth, 17-year-old BSO-Peabody Bruno Walter Assistant Conductor Ilyich Rivas makes his subscription concert debut with Shostakovich’s First Symphony, written when the composer was only 18. Joining Rivas is young German pianist Markus Groh, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2. The program also includes Brahms’ collegiately inspired Academic Festival Overture and Mahler’s Blumine in celebration of this season’s other theme: the life and music of Gustav Mahler.

Prodigy Stefan Jackiw Joins Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, Sept. 30 - Oct. 3

Jackiw last appeared with the BSO in 2008 when he performed Brahms’ Violin Concerto to rave reviews. Music Director Marin Alsop will also lead the BSO in John Adams’ Doctor Atomic Symphony and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.”

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Opens 2010-2011 Season, Sept. 24-25

In the 2010-2011 season, the BSO explores the genius of Mahler through his compositions and arrangements of works by other legendary composers. The program begins with the BSO premiere of Mahler’s arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Suite, which includes the well-known “Air on a G-String.” The program concludes with Mahler’s Seventh Symphony, which was selected by the BSO musicians as a “Musicians’ Pick.”

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s 2010 Gala Concert Features Violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Sept. 11

Heralding the start of Baltimore’s social season, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will hold its annual Gala Celebration and Concert on Saturday, September 11, 2010 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The Gala Concert features Music Director Marin Alsop leading the BSO and world-renowned violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg in Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. Continuing the tradition of showcasing local artists at the Gala Concert, soprano Jennifer Edwards will sing Villa-Lobos’ “Aria” from Bachiana brasileira No. 5, and guitarists Petrit Ceku, Marco San Nicolas, Jeremy Lyons and Gonzalo Arias Contreras will play Rodrigo’s Allegretto from Concierto Andaluz. Washington, D.C.-based flamenco dancers Anna Menendez and Edwin Aparicio will perform to excerpts from Bizet’s Carmen. In addition to kicking off the 2010-2011 season, the Gala Concert’s music and artists celebrate the upcoming National Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins September 15.

Marin Alsop Leads Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 2010-2011 Season Highlights, Sept. 10

Music Director Marin Alsop will lead the BSO in excerpts from the wide variety of classical programs featured throughout the 2010-2011 season. This season celebrates the dual themes of youth and beauty in music represented by the young guest artists destined to become leading stars in the field. This season also celebrates the 2010-2011 Gustav Mahler double jubilee, marking the 150th anniversary of his birth and the centennial of his death. Seventeen-year-old BSO-Peabody Bruno Walter Assistant Conductor Ilyich Rivas will conduct the BSO for the first time in public in “Blumine” from Mahler’s original Symphony No. 1.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Announces “Rusty Musicians with the BSO” Concert, September 21

Amateur musicians are invited to join members of the BSO on stage to rehearse and perform Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture and the finale from the 1919 version of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite led by BSO Music Director Marin Alsop.