Grammy Award-winner JoAnn Falletta conducts Symphony Nova Scotia

January 6, 2010

Halifax, NS - Symphony Nova Scotia welcomes guest conductor JoAnn Falletta, ’Äúone of the finest conductors of her generation’Äù (the New York Times), for a rare performance of Schubert’Äôs Death and the Maiden at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium on Thursday, January 14 at 7:30 pm.

Falletta is a two-time Grammy winner and has been praised worldwide as one of North America’Äôs most elegant, expressive, and engaging conductors. She is currently the music director of both the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Virginia Symphony, and has been awarded no less than 11 honorary doctorates, including one from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax.

Falletta will be leading Symphony Nova Scotia in an orchestral version of Schubert’Äôs beloved string quartet Death and the Maiden, originally based on a German song in which a maiden begs for Death to pass her by. Falletta’Äôs recording of this version, arranged by American composer Andy Stein, was recently nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award (Best Producer), and has been praised as ’Äúutterly convincing both stylistically and emotionally’Äù (BBC Magazine).

’ÄúI think this version of Death and the Maiden is one of the most powerful retellings of music that I have ever heard,’Äù says Falletta. ’ÄúAndy Stein really transformed the original string quartet into a new Schubert symphony. It is enormously powerful ’Äì even rather overwhelming ’Äì and when people hear it, they’Äôre always swept away by it. It is Schubert, after all, and Death and the Maiden is one of his great masterpieces.’Äù

Listen online: clips of this version of Death and the Maiden are available at www.joannfalletta.com/discography.html or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npn3eLB5NoQ.

In addition to performing Death and the Maiden with Symphony Nova Scotia, Falletta will also lead the orchestra in Zoltan Kodaly’Äôs cheerful Galanta Dances and Henry Vieuxtemps’Äô daring and poetic Violin Concerto no. 5 ’ÄúGretry.’Äù Her concertmaster at the Buffalo Philharmonic, Michael Ludwig, will join her as the violin soloist for the Vieuxtemps Concerto.

Get your tickets now! Prices range from $29-49 (HST included), or you can pick up a subscription package and save up to 30%. For tickets and more information, call 494.3820 or visit our website at www.symphonynovascotia.ca.

About JoAnn Falletta

JoAnn Falletta is a multi-Grammy Award winner, a published writer, an inspirational speaker, a relentless champion for women in the arts, and ’Äúone of the brightest stars of symphonic music in America’Äù (the Los Angeles Times). Now in her tenth season as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, she has guest conducted many of the world’Äôs top orchestras, including over 100 orchestras in North America alone.

She is the recipient of many of the most prestigious conducting awards, including the Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award, the Stokowski Competition, the Toscanini, Ditson and Bruno Walter Awards, and the American Symphony Orchestra League’Äôs John S. Edwards Award. An ardent supporter of music of our time, she has introduced over 400 works by American composers, including more than 80 world premieres, and her discography includes more than 50 titles.

About Symphony Nova Scotia

Symphony Nova Scotia is Nova Scotia’Äôs orchestra. Each year more than 50,000 audience members (including 16,000 young music lovers) join us in communities across Nova Scotia for performances of the music they love ’Äì from baroque and classical to pop and rock and folk. Under the inspirational leadership of Music Director Bernhard Gueller, Symphony Nova Scotia is recognized as one of the finest orchestras in the country. Visit www.SymphonyNovaScotia.ca to learn more, listen online, or subscribe today!

Symphony Nova Scotia is grateful to the Canada Council for the Arts, Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture, and Heritage, and the Halifax Regional Municipality for their continued support.