Double debut in evening of masterful music - Jan. 31 and Feb. 1

Classic Landmarks Masters

Double debut for conductor Maximiano Valdˆ©s and pianist Sara Davis Buechner in Keyboard Masterpieces

January 31^st ’Äì 8:00 pm, February 1^st ’Äì 2:00 pm

Edmonton, AB ’Ķ The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) is thrilled to present Maestro Maximiano Valdˆ©s’Äô anticipated debut with the ESO, in our weekend of concerts spotlighting great works for keyboard. Pianist Sara Davis Buechner will make her Masters debut in Mozart’Äôs Piano Concerto No. 9. The beautiful sounds of the awe-inspiring Davis Concert Organ will close each evening of masterful music with Saint-Saˆ´ns’Äô Symphony No. 3. When asked about his "Organ" Symphony, Saint-Saˆ´ns declared, "I gave everything I was able to give. What I have done, I will never do again."

Ticket prices for this performance range from $20 to $69 (agency fees apply). Student and senior $20 rush tickets are on sale, subject to availability, two hours prior to performance time. Friday evening’Äôs Afterthoughts will feature conductor Maximiano Valdˆ©s and pianist Sara Davis Buechner. Saturday evening’Äôs 7:15 pm Symphony Prelude features Duo Majoya (Marnie Giesbrecht & Joachim Segger).

The next performance of The Masters takes place on February 20^th and 21^st with conductor/harpsichordist William Eddins, conductor Gary Kulesha and pianist Jon Kimura Parker.

This series is generously supported by Classic Landmarks Master Builder

Media Sponsors: CKUA Radio Network, Davis Concert Organ Performance Trust and the Edmonton Journal

Biographies

In February 2008, Chilean conductor Maximiano Valdˆ©s was named Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Puerto Rico Symphony, beginning with the 08/09 season. Mr. Valdˆ©s is also Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfonica del Principado de Asturias in Spain. Born in Santiago, Chile, Mr. Valdˆ©s began his studies in piano and violin at the Conservatory of Music there and continued at the Accademia de Santa Cecilia in Rome, where he took courses in composition and conducting. Completing his diploma in piano, he decided to concentrate entirely on conducting and enrolled in the conducting classes of Franco Ferrara in Bologna, Siena and Venice and also worked with Sergiu Celibidache in Stuttgart and Paris. In 1976, Mr. Valdˆ©s was engaged as Assistant Conductor at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice, and the following year was a conducting fellow at Tanglewood, where he worked with Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa. He won First Prize at the Nicolai Malko Competition in Copenhagen, First Prize at the Vittorio Gui Competition in Florence, and Second Prize from the Rupert Foundation Conducting Competition in London.

Mr. Valdˆ©s made his American symphonic debut in October 1987 with the Buffalo Philharmonic, and was immediately re-invited for the following season. After a successful return to the orchestra in 1989, he was appointed Music Director, a position he held for almost 10 years. In North America, he has guest conducted many of the leading orchestras, including the Saint Louis, National, Montrˆ©al, Baltimore, Seattle, Houston, Dallas, and New World symphonies, and the Calgary Philharmonic.

This is Mr. Valdˆ©s’Äô debut with the ESO.

A major prizewinner of many of the world's most prestigious international piano competitions - Reine Elisabeth of Belgium, Leeds, Salzburg, Sydney and Vienna - Sara Davis Buechner established her early career by winning the Gold Medal of the 1984 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in Salt Lake City, and as a Bronze Medalist of the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow.

With an active repertoire of nearly 100 piano concertos ranging from Bach to Wuorinen, Ms. Buechner has appeared as soloist with America's most prominent orchestras: the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Saint Louis and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras; and abroad with the Japan Philharmonic, City of Birmingham (U.K.) Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Kuopio (Finland) Philharmonic, Slovak Philharmonic and the Orquesta Sinfˆ„nica de Castilla y Leˆ„n (Spain). She recently made her debut at Lincoln Center's "Mostly Mozart" Festival. She tours widely throughout the Far East on a yearly basis.

Pro Piano has recently released Ms. Buechner's CD of the complete piano music of Stephen Foster, and her fourth recording for Koch International was recently released featuring piano music by Rudolf Friml. Ms. Buechner's extensive discography also includes more than ten disks for the Yamaha Disklavier and Piano Soft systems. In 2003 Ms. Buechner was appointed Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of British Columbia.

Ms. Buechner last appeared with the ESO in May 2008. This is her Masters debut.