New England String Ensemble Announces 2008-2009 Season

New England String Ensemble announces its 15th concert season featuring internationally renowned violinist, Irina Muresanu, The Boston Children’s Chorus, harpsichordist, Mark Kroll, and string competition winner Lydia Ding.

Wakefield, MA, August 12, 2008 --(PR.com)-- New England String Ensemble, under the leadership of Music Director, Federico Cortese, announces the 15th concert season of the orchestra.

During the 2008-2009 Season, Mr. Cortese will conduct three subscription programs in Boston's Jordan Hall and the Rogers Center for the Arts in North Andover. A fourth program featuring the Boston Children’s Chorus and harpsichordist, Mark Kroll will be held in Cochran Chapel at Phillips Academy in Andover and in Emmanuel Church in Boston. 45-Minutes prior to each concert and open to all audience members is a "Conversation with Cortese", an interactive discussion led by Maestro Cortese joined by featured artists. Following each concert is a free reception for ticket holders.

The season kicks off by welcoming back international award winning violinist Irina Muresanu for “Death and the Maiden” (Sept. 27&28). This is Ms. Muresanu’s third appearance with NESE. Of her playing the Boston Globe wrote, "Muresanu brings dramatic edge, spine-tingling brilliance and rhythmic tautness. Her playing was thrilling as well as drop-dead gorgeous.” She joins the orchestra for Schubert’s “Rondo in A” and the premiere of a new string arrangement of Enesco’s “Rumanian Rhapsody No.1”. The moodiness and melancholy of autumn take over with Lutoslawski’s rarely performed masterpiece filled with tension and mystery. The performance concludes with Schubert’s hauntingly powerful “Death and the Maiden.”

Death and the Maiden
Schubert: Rondo in A
Irina Muresanu, violin
Lutoslawski: Preludes and Fugue
Enesco: Rumanian Rhapsody No.1
Irina Muresanu, violin
Schubert: Death and the Maiden

Cortese joins the angelic voices of children with the glowing tone of NESE strings to present "Innocent Voices". (Nov. 22 & 23) Featured artist Mark Kroll has been acclaimed as one of the world's leading harpsichordists, he has performed on four continents, winning critical praise for his expressive playing and virtuosity. Joining the orchestra for Bach’s Cantata BWV 78 “Wir eilen mit schwache” and Rautavaara’s “Children’s Mass” is The Boston Children’s Chorus, a multi-racial, multi-ethnic arts education organization that uses music as a tool for social change, appearing locally, nationally and internationally. This concert, specifically the Rautavaara piece, is supported in part by a generous grant from Finlandia Foundation National.

Innocent Voices
J.S.Bach: Cantata BWV 78 “Wir eilen mit schwache”"
Boston Children’s Chorus
Górecki: Harpsichord Concerto
Mark Kroll, harpsichord
J.S.Bach: Harpsichord Concerto no.3, BW 1054 in D Major
Mark Kroll, harpsichord
Rautavaara: Children’s Mass
Boston Children’s Chorus
Beethoven: String Quartet no. 11 in F minor, Op. 95

The classical elegance of Mozart and Haydn set the stage for Osvaldo Golijov's raw passion in “Classical Devotion”. (Feb. 7 & 8) Featured artists include a soprano to be announced and the 07-08 NESE String Competition Winner, Lydia Ding. 16-year old Ms. Ding will perform Haydn’s delightfully optimistic “Concerto in G Major” following Benjamin Britten's symphony originally written as a piano piece when he was only 12-years old. In addition to winning last year’s String Competition Lydia also won the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra concerto competition. Ms. Ding has been a member of BYSO for seven years and traveled with the orchestra this summer to perform in Germany.

The NESE String Competition, sponsored in part by the George and Alice Rich Charitable Foundation, is available each year to students throughout the New England region and is designed to inspire more advanced string students to prepare, audition and compete for a solo appearance with a professional orchestra. Applications and recordings are now being accepted for the 08-09 NESE String Competition. More information is available at http://www.newenglandstringensemble.org.

Classical Devotion
Mozart: Kommet her, ihr frechen Sünder
Soprano, TBA
Britten: Simple Symphony
Haydn: Violin Concerto in G major
Lydia Ding, String Competition winner
Mozart: Adagio and Fugue
Golijov: Lúa Descolorida
Soprano, TBA
Golijov: Last Round

The season culminates with “Ballets Russes” (April 3 & 4), a rich and riveting program designed to highlight four composers with close associations to the Ballets Russes. Established in 1909 by Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev, the Ballets Russes created a sensation in Western Europe, in part because of the groundbreaking artistic collaboration among composers and choreographers including Nijinsky and Balanchine, and artists such as Matisse and Picasso. This concert is sponsored in part by Ballets Russes 2009, a month long centennial festival celebration starting May 16 at Boston University. More information about event surrounding the festival can be found at http://www.ballets-russes.com.

Ballets Russes
Tcherepnin: Serenade for String Orchestra
Stravinsky: Apollon Musagete
Arensky: Variations on a theme by Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings

NESE Ticket Information
Subscriptions and individual tickets are now on sale through New England String Ensemble’s website www.newenglandstringensemble.org and through the NESE box office at 781-224-1117. Tickets are $45, $35, $25 and student tickets are always $10 off.

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Contact
New England String Ensemble
Amy Kench
781-224-1117
www.newenglandstringensemble.org
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