Renowned Violinist Hilary Hahn Performs World Premiere of American Composer Jennifer Higdon's Violin Concerto Fe. 6-7

VIOLINIST HILARY HAHN PERFORMS WORLD PREMIERE OF JENNIFER HIGDON’S VIOLIN CONCERTO WITH INDIANAPOLIS SYMPHONY FEB. 6-7

Renowned Violin Virtuoso Collaborates With Prolific American Composer on New Concerto

In Brief:

Highlight: Hilary Hahn performs world premiere of Jennifer Hidgon’s Violin Concerto

Performers: Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Mario Venzago

Soloist: Hilary Hahn, Violin

Location: Hilbert Circle Theatre

Dates(times): Fri., Feb. 6, 8 p.m.; Sat., Feb. 7, 5:30 p.m.

Repertoire: WEBER Overture to Der Freischütz

HIGDON Violin Concerto (World Premiere)

SCHUMANN Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120

Tickets: $16-$68 each, with $10 student tickets by showing valid ID

(317) 639-4300; Toll Free (800) 366-8457; online at

www.IndianapolisSymphony.org

INDIANAPOLIS—The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Mario Venzago welcome one of the most sought after artists in classical music—29-year-old American violin sensation Hilary Hahn—who will perform the world premiere of American composer Jennifer Higdon’s newest work, the Violin Concerto she wrote specifically for Hahn, to highlight Lilly Classical Series concerts Friday and Saturday, February 6 and 7, at the Hilbert Circle Theatre.

Ticket prices range from $16 to $68. Student tickets are $10 each by showing a valid student ID. Tickets may be ordered by calling the Hilbert Circle Theatre Box Office at (317) 639-4300, or online by visiting www.IndianapolisSymphony.org. To order by telephone outside of Indianapolis, call toll free (800) 366-8457. Performance times are at 8 p.m. Friday and 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

The concerts will open with Carl Maria von Weber’s popular and colorful Overture to Der Freischütz, followed by one of the most anticipated highlights of the ISO’s 2008-2009 season: Hahn’s first performances of Higdon’s newest creation, a three-movement concerto that will showcase and accent Hahn’s many virtuosic technical and interpretive skills as a soloist. Following intermission the Orchestra will perform one of Maestro Venzago’s signature works, Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, to conclude the program.

Prolific American composer Jennifer Higdon has become a major figure in contemporary classical music by writing between five to 10 commissioned works per year covering a broad spectrum of genres including orchestral, chamber music, choral and vocal pieces as well as works for wind ensemble. Her catalog of works are performed approximately 200 times each year by ensembles around the world. She has received honors and grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, two awards from the Academy of Arts & Letters, the Pew Fellowship in the Arts and funds from Meet-the-Composer, the National Endowment for the Arts and ASCAP, among others. She has received multiple commissions from many of North America’s major orchestras and upcoming projects include concerti for pianist Yuja Wang and another concerto for the avant-garde ensemble eighth blackbird; a new opera for San Francisco Opera; and band works for the President’s Own United States Marine Band and the University of Michigan Symphonic Band.

Eli Lilly and Company is the Title Sponsor of the entire 2008-2009 Lilly Classical Series season and ExactTarget is the Premiere Sponsor for the Classical Series. Indianapolis Power & Light Company, Bertelsmann Direct North America, and BSA Life Structures are the Associate Sponsors for this weekend. The performance of new music is endowed by a gift from LDI, Ltd., with support from the Lacy Foundation and the Randolph S. Rothschild Fund. The Higdon Concerto was commissioned by the ISO, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Curtis Institute of Music.

Artist Biographies:

Mario Venzago celebrates his seventh season as Music Director of the Indianapolis Symphony this year and concluded his service as Principal Conductor of the Göteborg Symphony Orchestra in Sweden at the end of the 2006-2007 season. Previous posts include Music Director of the Basel Symphony Orchestra (1997-2004), Basque Euskadi National Orchestra in Spain (1998-2001), the Graz Opera House (1992-1997), Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie (1989-1992) in Frankfurt/Bremen, and the Heidelberg Opera House (1986-1989), plus a Principal Conductor post with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (1979-1986). He also served as Artistic Director of the Summer Music Fest with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Maestro Venzago’s discography includes more than 25 titles, and several have won major prizes including the Grand Prix du Disque, the Edison Prize and the Diapason d’Or.

At age 29, Hillary Hahn has earned numerous prestigious awards, including a Grammy and most recently Gramaphone Artist of the Year (2008) and has performed with many of the world’s finest orchestras. Renowned for her intellectual and emotional maturity, she was named “America’s Best Young Classical Musician” by Time magazine in 2001. Admitted to the Curtis Institute at age 10, Miss Hahn made her professional debut with the Baltimore Symphony 18 months later, and by age 15 had earned the Avery Fisher Career Grant and had appeared with many of America’s major orchestras. She has earned a Grammy Award, the Deutsche Schalplattenpreis, two Diapason d’Or awards, and she was a featured soloist on the Oscar-nominated soundtrack to M. Night Shyamalan’s film, The Village. She also has recently collaborated on several crossover albums with non-classical musicians. She is among the top violinists in classical music and continues to grow artistically in a still-rising career.