PSO Welcomes Acclaimed Guest Artists for All-Mozart Concert, Jan. 25th

PSO WELCOMES TWO ACCLAIMED GUEST ARTISTS FOR AN ALL-MOZART MATINEE CONCERT, JANUARY 25 PORTLAND, Maine ’Äì Critically acclaimed guest conductor Christian Knapp will lead the Portland Symphony Orchestra in the first Sunday Classical concert of the new year on January 25 at 2:30 PM in Merrill Auditorium. The "All-Mozart Matinee" celebrates the most popular classical composer of all time, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, two days before his 253rd birthday. The program opens with the Overture to Don Giovanni, considered among Mozart's greatest works. The concert also includes the Clarinet Concerto in A Major (noted for its delicate interplay between soloist and orchestra); the Bach-inspired Adagio & Fugue, K. 546; the dark and serious Masonic Funeral Music (written in 1785 on the deaths of two of Mozart's Masonic lodge brothers); and Symphony No. 35 in D Major, "Haffner" (commissioned in 1782 by the Haffner family of Salzburg). Guest conductor Christian Knapp is equally at home whether he is conducting an all-Mozart concert or an internationally recognized touring opera company. Accomplished in multiple genres, he is also a committed proponent of new music. Maestro Knapp's talents keep him in high demand and he regularly performs in festivals and concerts throughout the world. The All-Mozart Matinee also features William Hudgins, principal clarinet of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1994. Also a member of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Hudgins can be heard on the Grammy-nominated CD of Hindemith's Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano. He performed for seven seasons with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra (Charleston, SC) and the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. The concert begins at 2:30 PM with a Concert Conversation at 1:15 PM in the Rehearsal Hall. A radio broadcast of the performance can be heard on Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN) on February 11 at 8:00 p.m. Ticket prices for the January 25 concert range from $17 to $54, with special pricing available for students, seniors and groups. All Portland Symphony Orchestra tickets are sold through PortTix at (207) 842-0800 or www.porttix.com, and new this year, the website offers real-time online seat selection. (Phone and internet orders subject to $5 per ticket handling fee.) Tickets may also be purchased in person at the box office at 20 Myrtle St., Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. For complete season information, including artist biographies and program notes, visit www.portlandsymphony.com.