Renowned American violinist Rachel Barton Pine makes her VSO debut

Vancouver BC ’Äì World-renowned violinist Rachel Barton Pine graces the Orpheum stage on October 24th & 26th at 8pm. Guest conductor and Music Director of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Giancarlo Guerrero, leads the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in a beautiful concert featuring the works of Respighi, Saint-Saˆ´ns, and Ravel’Äôs epic orchestration of Mussorgsky’Äôs masterpiece Pictures at an Exhibition.

"An exciting, boundary-defying performer ’Äì (Rachel Barton) Pine displays a power and confidence that puts her in the top echelon."

- Washington Post

’ÄúGuerrero understood them completely, and his uninhibited, vividly physical complicity with the orchestra in boldly making them happen was a joy to encounter.’Äù

- The Globe and Mail

Rachel Barton Pine began playing the violin at age 3 and played at many renowned venues throughout her childhood and teen years including her debut with the Chicago Symphony under the baton of Erich Leinsdorf at age 10. At age 17, she became the youngest and first American winner of the gold medal at the J.S. Bach International Competition in Germany.

Rachel Barton Pine’Äôs story is one of inspiration and extraordinary resilience in addition to exquisite technique and music-making. In January of 1995, Barton Pine was severely injured in a train accident, one that came close to killing her and would have ended the majority of careers. As she was exiting a train in Winnetka, Illinois, the strap to her violin case was trapped between the doors, pinning her shoulder to the train. She was dragged 366 feet by the train before being pulled underneath and run over, severing one leg and mangling the other.

After a 2-year hiatus to recover from her injuries in which she had to endure over 40 surgeries, Barton Pine made a noteworthy return to the classical world. She has appeared as soloist with many of the world’Äôs most prestigious orchestras, including the Montreal, Chicago, Vienna, Royal Scottish National, Royal Philharmonic, and New Zealand Orchestras. She has also earned critical acclaim for her prolific discography of over 16 recordings. Her musical interests extend well beyond classical and she has successfully crossed over to the genres of Celtic, folk, rock and jazz. Declared one of America’Äôs most important young musicians, Rachel Barton Pine performs on the Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu (Cremona 1742), known as the ’Äúex-Soldat,’Äù on generous loan from her patron.

Ms. Barton Pine runs a charitable foundation ’Äì The Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation ’Äì which provides career assistance and instruments to young musicians in need and promotes the study and appreciation of classical music by African-American composers.

Costa Rican conductor Giancarlo Guerrero is highly sought after as a guest conductor from prolific orchestras world-wide. He has recently made two important debuts abroad: his European debut with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, where he was immediately invited to return, and his UK Debut with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He has also recently made successful debuts with several major American orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Guerrero holds degrees from Baylor and Northwestern Universities. His principal conducting teachers were Michael Haithcock, Stephen Heyde, Victor Yampolsky and Guillermo Scarabino. He was most recently the Music Director of the Eugene Symphony. From 1999 to 2004, Mr. Guerrero served as Associate Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra. He made his Minnesota Orchestra subscription debut in March 2000, leading the world premiere of John Corigliano’Äôs Phantasmagoria on the Ghosts of Versailles. He returned on subscription every subsequent season during his time there. Prior to his tenure with the Minnesota Orchestra, he served as music director of the Tˆ°chira Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela.

CONCERT INFO

PricewaterhouseCoopers Masterworks Silver

Saturday and Monday, October 24 and 26, 8pm, Orpheum Theatre
Rachel Barton Pine with the VSO

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Rachel Barton Pine, violin

Respighi Trittico Botticelliano
Saint-Saens Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61
Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition

Mussorgsky’Äôs Pictures at an Exhibition evokes images in music (as does Respighi’Äôs Three Botticelli Pictures) with the grand orchestration of Ravel. In her starburst of a career so far, Rachel Barton Pine has left critics scratching their heads in search of superlatives ’Äì it is no wonder she is being called the most important American violinist of her generation.

Visit Giancarlo Guerrero at: www.giancarloguerrero.com
Visit Rachel Barton Pine at: www.rachelbartonpine.com

Series Sponsor: PricewaterhouseCoopers
Video Screen Sponsor: TELUS
Special Video Screen Presentations Created and Produced by: Columbia Academy

Tickets: $25 - $78.50 (senior, student and subscriber discounts available)
Tickets available online at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by calling VSO customer service at 604.876.3434

BIOGRAPHIES

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor

Giancarlo Guerrero’Äôs 09/10 season marks his first as Music Director of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. A champion of new music, Guerrero has collaborated with and championed the music of several of America’Äôs most respected composers, including John Adams, John Corigliano, Osvaldo Golijov, Jennifer Higdon, Michael Daugherty and Roberto Sierra. A new CD on Naxos of music by Michael Daugherty, with the Nashville Symphony, is scheduled for release in September 2009.

Mr. Guerrero’Äôs guest conducting engagements in the 09/10 season include appearances with the symphony orchestras of Milwaukee, New Jersey and Fort Worth, the Pacific Symphony, in Costa Mesa as well as the Curtis Institute of Music. Abroad, he conducts the Symphony Orchestras of Vancouver and Edmonton in the fall and the Slovenian Philharmonic in the spring.

As a guest conductor, Guerrero recently made two important debuts abroad: his European debut with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, where he was immediately invited to return, and his UK Debut with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He has also recently made successful debuts with several major American orchestras, including the Baltimore Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra (where he was invited back for a subscription week and tour), the Seattle Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra (where he returned in the 07/08 season). Other recent orchestral engagements in North America include appearances with the orchestras of Columbus, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Phoenix, San Antonio and San Diego; the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and at the Grant Park Festival.

Also in demand in Central and South America, Guerrero conducts regularly in Venezuela with the Orquesta Sinfˆ„nica Simˆ„n Bolˆ‚var, with which he has had a special relationship for many years. His debut at the Casals Festival with Yo-Yo Ma and the Puerto Rico Symphony in 2005 was followed by return engagements in 2006 and 2007. He also made his debut at the Teatro Colˆ„n in Argentina in 2005. Elsewhere he is a regular guest conductor of the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand.

Equally at home with opera, Guerrero works regularly with the Costa Rican Lyric Opera and in recent seasons has conducted new productions of Carmen, La bohˆ®me and most recently a new production of Rigoletto. In February 2008, he gave the Australian premiere of Osvaldo Golijov’Äôs one-act opera Ainadamar at the Adelaide Festival, to great acclaim.

In June 2004, Guerrero was awarded the Helen M. Thompson Award by the American Symphony Orchestra League, which recognizes outstanding achievement among young conductors nationwide.

Guerrero holds degrees from Baylor and Northwestern universities. He was most recently the Music Director of the Eugene Symphony. From 1999 to 2004, Mr. Guerrero served as Associate Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra. He made his Minnesota Orchestra subscription debut in March 2000, leading the world premiere of John Corigliano’Äôs Phantasmagoria on the Ghosts of Versailles. He returned on subscription every subsequent season during his time there. Prior to his tenure with the Minnesota Orchestra, he served as music director of the Tˆ°chira Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela.

Rachel Barton Pine, violin

American violinist Rachel Barton Pine has appeared as soloist with many of the world’Äôs most prestigious orchestras, including the Chicago, Atlanta, St. Louis, Dallas, Baltimore, Montreal, Vienna, New Zealand and Iceland Symphonies, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Israel and Scottish Chamber Orchestras, working with conductors including Charles Dutoit, Zubin Mehta, Erich Leinsdorf, Marin Alsop, Neeme Jˆ§rvi, and Placido Domingo. Acclaimed collaborations include Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, William Warfield, Christopher O’ÄôRiley and Mark O’ÄôConnor. Her festival appearances include Ravinia, Marlboro, and Salzburg. She has been featured on St. Paul Sunday, Performance Today, From the Top, CBS Sunday Morning, and NBC’Äôs Today.

Her 16 critically acclaimed albums for the Cedille, Dorian, and Cacophony labels include "Brahms and Joachim Violin Concertos" with Carlos Kalmar and the Chicago Symphony, "Scottish Fantasies" with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and "Beethoven and Clement Violin Concertos" with Josˆ© Serebrier and the Royal Philharmonic. She holds top prizes from the J.S. Bach (gold medal), Queen Elisabeth, Paganini, Kreisler, Szigeti, and Montreal international competitions, and has twice been honored as a Chicagoan of the Year. A tireless ambassador for classical music, Ms. Pine is dedicated to community engagement and music education. She frequently participates in pre-concert conversations, gives master classes, and presents programs in public schools. Her creative efforts to reach new audiences include appearances on rock radio stations and solo concerts in alternative venues.

Ms. Pine’Äôs charitable activities include serving as a trustee of the Music Institute of Chicago and president of the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation. She plays the Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu (Cremona 1742), known as the ’Äúex-Soldat,’Äù on generous loan from her patron.

A Chicago native, Pine began violin studies at age three and made her professional debut four years later at age seven with the Chicago String Ensemble. Her earliest appearances with the Chicago Symphony (at ages ten and fifteen) were broadcast on television. Her principal teachers were Roland and Almita Vamos and she has also studied with Ruben Gonzalez, Werner Scholz, Elmira Darvarova and several specialists in early music performance practice. Pine resides in Chicago with her husband.