January 19, 2011
SEATTLE SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES 2011-2012 SEASON, LUDOVIC MORLOT'S INAUGURAL SEASON AS MUSIC DIRECTOR
2011 - 2012 Season Highlights Include

Morlot to Conduct Nine Masterworks Programs, including Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony, Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, Holst's The Planets and Berlioz's The Damnation of Faust

Seattle Favorite Joshua Roman Performs at Opening Night Gala Honoring Ludovic Morlot's Inaugural Season in a Program Featuring Gulda's Cello Concerto and Gershwin's An American in Paris

Symphony and Morlot Present Sonic Evolution, A New Project Celebrating Seattle's Musical Scene,
From Up-and-Coming Bands to the Orchestral Compositions Inspired by Music of Hendrix and Nirvana

Symphony Gives World Premiere Performances of Works by Nico Muhly, Daron Aric Hagen,
David Diamond, Michael Hersch, Cuong Vu, William Brittelle and Vladimir Nikolaev

Seattle Symphony Premieres Include Adams' Doctor Atomic Symphony; Gulda's Cello Concerto;
Vasks' Violin Concerto, Distant Light;Knussen's Violin Concerto;
and numerous works by featured composer Henri Dutilleux

Conductor Laureate Gerard Schwarz Continues to Champion Our Nation's Top Composers
With the Made in America Festival: Part 3Featuring the Music of Seattle Native William Bolcom
and Performances by Violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg

Seattle Symphony's Critically Acclaimed Production of Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle
with Sets by Artist Dale Chihuly Returns for Encore Performance Under Schwarz

Visiting Orchestras Series Brings Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Mariinsky Orchestra with Conductor Valery Gergiev to Benaroya Hall

Acclaimed Multimedia Beyond the Score® Series Returns for A Second Season,
Exploring Music by Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Stravinsky

Acclaimed Guest Artists
Sopranos Renée Fleming and Julianne Gearhart; baritone Nathan Berg; violinists Joshua Bell, Renaud Capuçon, Isabelle Faust, Julia Fischer, Augustin Hadelich, Hilary Hahn, Leila Josefowicz, Leonidas Kavakos, Jennifer Koh, Maria Larionoff, Itzhak Perlman and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg; pianists Emanuel Ax, Arnaldo Cohen, Kirill Gerstein, Marc-André Hamelin, Stephen Hough, Jeffrey Kahane, John Lill, Orli Shaham, Alexander Toradze, Simon Trpceski and Lars Vogt; violist Susan Gulkis Assadi; cellists Han-Na Chang, Xavier Phillips and Joshua Roman; and trumpet player David Gordon

Guest Conductors
Debuts Include Han-Na Chang, Reinhard Goebel, Oliver Knussen, Susanna Mälkki, Peter Oundjian
and Carlos Miguel Prieto; returning conductors are Roberto Abbado, Jesús López-Cobos,
Thomas Dausgaard, Jeffrey Kahane, Andrew Manze, Nicholas McGegan, David Robertson,
Vassily Sinaisky, Robert Spano and Gregory Vajda

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Seattle Symphony Board Chair Leslie Jackson Chihuly and Music Director Designate Ludovic Morlot today announced the 2011-2012 Seattle Symphony Season, marking Morlot's first season as Music Director, and current Music Director Gerard Schwarz's first season as Conductor Laureate.

"I am inspired and thrilled to unveil the first season designed by our next Music Director, Ludovic Morlot," Chihuly stated. "It is a spectacular season full of exciting new repertoire along with treasured favorites. I know that everyone in our community will want to take part in what Seattle Symphony has to offer, from our free Day of Music community event this September, to any number of the magnificent concerts we will present."

"To use an Americanism, I'm champing at the bit," Morlot commented. "I can't wait to make music with my colleagues in this excellent orchestra, have these programs vividly come to life in Benaroya Hall and to share them with the city. My family and I couldn't be more excited about moving here and becoming Seattleites."

Simon Woods, who becomes Seattle Symphony Executive Director in May 2011, said, "Ludovic Morlot's eclectic embrace of an enormous range of musical styles is strongly in evidence in this wonderful season, and will bring something very special to the Seattle region and indeed to American musical life in general. This is a pivotal moment for this dynamic organization, and it is an enormous privilege to be able to work with Ludovic-and of course with Gerard Schwarz in his new role as Conductor Laureate-as we march into an exciting future together!"

The Opening Night Concert & Gala honoring Morlot's Inaugural Season as Music Director will be held on Saturday, September 17, and will feature former Seattle Symphony Principal Cellist and local favorite Joshua Roman as soloist. Morlot will conduct Beethoven's Consecration of the House Overture, Gulda's Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra, Gershwin's An American in Paris and Ravel's Boléro.

The Masterworks Season is the core of Seattle Symphony's repertoire, and next season nine of its 21 weeks will be conducted by Ludovic Morlot. The series opens with September performances of Frank Zappa's Dupree's Paradise from The Perfect Stranger, Henri Dutilleux's The Tree of Dreams with violinist Renaud Capuçon, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, "Eroica," conducted by Morlot. The series concludes in July when Morlot leads performances of The Planets - An HD Odyssey, featuring state-of-the-art, high-definition images from NASA's exploration of the solar system, originally created by the Houston Symphony. Additional Masterworks Season highlights include Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring; Berlioz's The Damnation of Faust, featuring Seattle Symphony Chorale, Northwest Boychoir and distinguished soloists; Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3 with soloist Stephen Hough; Ives' Symphony No. 2; Brahms' Violin Concerto with soloist Jennifer Koh; and Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Marc-André Hamelin.

A new project inspired by Ludovic Morlot in collaboration with Seattle Symphony Board Chair Leslie Jackson Chihuly is Sonic Evolution, an innovative concert concept that celebrates the past and future of Seattle's music scene. Audiences will hear up-and-coming Seattle band Hey Marseilles, plus new symphonic works by emerging American and international composers inspired by Seattle music legends including Jimi Hendrix, Quincy Jones and Nirvana. The composers include Cuong Vu, William Brittelle and Vladimir Nikolaev.

Also featured next season are composers whose works are new to Seattle Symphony, including Henri Dutilleux, Oliver Knussen and Nico Muhly. Dutilleux's compositions, described by the Los Angeles Times as occupying "a sonic world of [their] own," feature prominently on the Masterworks Season with performances of: The Tree of Dreams with violinist Renaud Capuçon; Cello Concerto, A Whole Remote World, with cellist Xavier Phillips; and Symphony No. 1. His works for small ensemble will also be explored by a number of Seattle Symphony musicians performing on the Chamber Series next season. Oliver Knussen will conduct his own Violin Concerto on the Masterworks Season, with guest violinist Leila Josefowicz. Additionally, Knussen's works will be explored on the Chamber Series. A world premiere by 29-year-old Muhly will be performed during the Masterworks Season, conducted by Ludovic Morlot.

"I wanted to explore the contrasting musical styles of three amazing living composers: French composer Henri Dutilleux; Oliver Knussen, who is British; and a commission and world premiere performance by an exciting young American composer and new voice, Nico Muhly," commented Morlot. "They represent the country of my birth, the country in which I spent my formative years of training, and my new adoptive home. I wanted to weave their distinctive musical language throughout the season alongside beloved classic masterpieces. Each will inform the other and create fresh listening experiences-a kind of template for future seasons that offers something for everyone. I would also like to welcome new audiences into Benaroya Hall for the launch of Sonic Evolution, a project that will feature commissions from young composers inspired by Seattle's rich musical heritage."

Following 26 years as Music Director, Gerard Schwarz will become Conductor Laureate in the 2011-2012 Season. Schwarz is widely known for leading Seattle Symphony to international prominence by raising the artistic quality of the Orchestra, advocating for the construction of the acoustically excellent Benaroya Hall, generating more than 140 recordings and garnering 12 Grammy nominations. In addition to the standard repertoire, he has championed the works of American composers and contemporary composers from around the world. It is especially fitting that he will conduct a festival of music by contemporary American composers in May 2011, titled Made in America Festival: Part 3, as a continuation of his important advocacy. The festival will feature the works of Seattle native William Bolcom; world premieres by Daron Aric Hagen, David Diamond and Michael Hersch; and works by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Augusta Read Thomas, Howard Hanson and William Schuman. Guest artists include violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, who will perform violin concertos by Taaffe Zwilich and Bolcom; Shai Wosner, who will give the world premiere of Hersch's Piano Concerto, Along the Ravines; and soprano Jennifer Zetlan, who will perform the world premiere of Diamond's Six Arias from the Noblest Game.

Of special note this season, Ludovic Morlot will conduct three of the five family concerts on The Gilman Family Discover Music series, including Poulenc's The Story of Babar. The Discover Music series is presented for children ages 6 to 12 and their families in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, with each performance preceded by special lobby performances and activities.

 

MASTERWORKS SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Music Director Ludovic Morlot will conduct the Orchestra in nine of the Masterworks Season's 21-week schedule, beginning with three consecutive weeks at the start of the season. The first of these features Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony alongside Henri Dutilleux's The Tree of Dreams, with French violinist Renaud Capuçon, as well as music from Frank Zappa's The Perfect Stranger. The second program showcases three major works of the 20th century with Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, Gershwin's An American in Paris and Varèse's Amériques. During the first week of October, Morlot leads an all-Romantic program including Liszt's Symphonic Poem No. 13, Mahler's Kindertotenlieder with baritone Nathan Berg, and Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances. In June, Morlot will conduct The Damnation of Faust, with Seattle Symphony Chorale, Northwest Boychoir, and featured soloists Eric Cutler as Faust, Ruxandra Donose as Margarita and John Relyea as Mephistopheles.

The season finale features The Planets - An HD Odyssey, which pays tribute to the music of the spheres in Holst's masterpiece while state-of-the-art, high-definition images from NASA's exploration of the solar system are projected on a giant screen above the Orchestra. In addition to The Planets, the performance will also feature music from the Stanley Kubrick's film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, including the opening from R. Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra and Ligeti's Atmosphères. Colin Matthews' Pluto, conceived by the composer as a companion piece to The Planets, will also be performed.

Distinguished Guest Conductors on the Masterworks Season
Seattle Symphony welcomes nine guest conductors to the Benaroya Hall stage for Masterworks Season performances. Making Seattle Symphony debuts will be composer/conductor Oliver Knussen, who leads the orchestra in his own Violin Concerto as well as Britten's Four Sea Interludes, Canadian Carnival and the Passacaglia from Peter Grimes. Peter Oundjian, Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducts Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 and Christopher Rouse's Infernal Machine in a program that also includes Dvorák's Violin Concerto. Finnish conductor and Music Director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain Susanna Mälkki will make her Benaroya Hall debut leading the Orchestra in Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Dutilleux's Symphony No.1 and Ravel's Piano Concerto in G.

Returning guest conductors include Robert Spano, Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, conducting Copland's Symphony No. 3, Poulenc's Gloria and Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; Thomas Dausgaard, Chief Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Swedish Chamber Orchestra, conducting Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 and Schumann's Violin Concerto in D minor; David Robertson, Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, joining forces with pianist Orli Shaham, to perform Stravinsky's Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra and Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 on a program that also includes John Adams' Doctor Atomic Symphony; Vassily Sinaisky, newly announced Music Director of the Bolshoi Theater, conducting Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence and Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony; and Spanish conductor Jesús López-Cobos, leading Korngold's Violin Concerto, R. Strauss'symphonic poem Don Juan and Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio espagnol. Italian conductor Roberto Abbado leads the Orchestra in back-to-back Masterworks weeks in February, first with Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Haydn's Symphony No. 93, followed by Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Schumann's Fourth Symphony.

Conductor Laureate Gerard Schwarz conducts two Masterworks performances. In early April, he presents a program with acclaimed British pianist John Lill performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor. The program also includes Mozart's Overture to The Marriage of Figaro and Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D major, "The Titan." Later that month, he returns for an all-Russian program with pianist Alexander Toradze, who plays Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major. The Orchestra will also perform Shostakovich's Symphony No. 8 in C minor.

Guest Artist Debuts on the Masterworks Season
Guest Artists making their Seattle Symphony debut on the Masterworks Season will be violinists Renaud Capuçon performing Dutilleux's The Tree of Dreams and Jennifer Koh performing Brahms' Violin Concerto in D major; pianists Kirill Gerstein performing Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Lars Vogt performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2; soprano Julianne Gearhart; mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Donose; tenor Eric Cutler; baritone Nathan Berg; and bass-baritone John Relyea.

Guest Artists Returning to the Masterworks Season
Artists returning to Seattle Symphony's Masterworks Season are violinists Isabelle Faust performing Schumann's Violin Concerto, Leila Josefowicz performing Knussen's Violin Concerto, Augustin Hadelich performing Dvorák's Violin Concerto, Maria Larionoff performing Vasks' Violin Concerto, Distant Light, and Leonidas Kavakos performing Korngold's Violin Concerto; and pianists Orli Shaham performing Stravinsky's Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra as well as Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20, Marc-André Hamelin performing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, John Lill performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24, Simon Trpceski performing Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, Alexander Toradze performing Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3, and Stephen Hough performing Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3. Seattle Symphony Principal Trumpet David Gordon will perform Jolivet's Concertino for Trumpet, and cellist Xavier Phillips returns to perform Dutilleux's Cello Concerto, A Whole Remote World, a performance that was originally planned for April 2010, but rescheduled due to travel difficulties following the Icelandic volcano eruption.

 

ADDITIONAL SUBSCRIPTION SERIES PERFORMANCES

The above Masterworks Season encompasses the Orchestra's core programming of symphonic repertoire. Additional subscription series described below include Beyond the Score®, Distinguished Artists, Symphony Specials, Baroque & Wine, Mainly Mozart, Visiting Orchestras, Rush Hour, Fluke/Gabelein Organ Recital, Around the World, Chamber Series, Seattle Pops and the Gilman Family Discover Music series. The Tiny Tots and Kindermusik series will be announced in March. Popular Culture series performances will be announced at a later date to capture the most current touring acts.

Beyond the Score®Series
Originally created by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Beyond the Score® returns for a second season at Seattle Symphony. This three-concert series explores classical music by pairing the live concert experience with engaging multimedia presentations. Each program focuses on one of classical music's timeless works and is divided into two parts: the first half of the program explores the history and context of the featured masterwork through the creative use of narration, actors, and musical and visual examples. Following intermission the audience hears a complete performance of the piece, their experience enhanced by their newfound knowledge.

Ludovic Morlot leads the first Beyond the Score® concert, exploring Stravinsky's masterpiece, The Rite of Spring. In March, Jeffrey Kahane conducts and performs as soloist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 27. The final concert of the series sees Peter Oundijan leading the Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4. All three concerts include narration by local classical music expert Steve Reeder.

Distinguished Artists Series
This three-concert series brings world-renowned musicians to Seattle to perform the great works of the solo and chamber literature. The Distinguished Artists series opens with violinist Hilary Hahn performing music by J.S. Bach, Beethoven and Brahms with pianist Valentina Lisitsa. Violinist Julia Fischer performs a recital of music by Beethoven and Saint-Saëns. Pianist Emanuel Ax completes the series with a solo recital of music by J.S. Bach and Beethoven.

Symphony Specials Series
The series opens in December with Gerard Schwarz conducting Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and excerpts from Humperdinck's fairytale opera Hänsel und Gretel. In January, legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman takes on the dual role of conductor and soloist in a program featuring movements from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons as well as Mozart's Symphony No. 38 and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. The series concludes with a return performance of Seattle Symphony's critically acclaimed 2007 production of Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle with stunning glass sets designed by artist Dale Chihuly. Schwarz will conduct this one-night-only performance, which also features soprano Malgorzata Walewska and bass-baritone Charles Robert Austin.

Baroque & WineSeries
The Baroque & Wine series, with performances on Friday and Saturday evenings, pairs the rich music of the Baroque era with pre-concert wine tasting an hour before each concert. The 2011-2012 series highlights Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. The series opens with guest conductor Andrew Manze leading two works by J.S. Bach - his Concerto for Harpsichord in D minor and Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 - as well as two 20th-century works inspired by Baroque masterworks. In January, Nicholas McGegan returns to present a concert of music by J.S. Bach along with recently discovered concertos by C.P.E. Bach and J.C. Bach, which will be researched, edited and performed by guest pianist Robert Levin. Conductor Reinhard Goebel concludes the series with another concert highlighting musical families, this one featuring music of J.S. Bach and the Mozarts (Leopold, father; Wolfgang, son). Seattle Symphony Principal Violist Susan Gulkis Assadi performs the latter's viola version of the Clarinet Concerto.

Mainly Mozart Series
The Mainly Mozart series opens with conductor and cellist Han-Na Chang leading the orchestra and performing the solo part in Haydn's Cello Concerto in C major in a program that also includes Mozart's Symphony No. 25 and Schubert's Symphony No. 5. Also appearing on the Mainly Mozart series is conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane, who will lead/perform two Mozart piano concertos - No. 6 and No. 27 - in a program with Haydn's Symphony No. 6, "Le matin." Guest conductor Gregory Vajda rounds out the series by leading the Orchestra in Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 2 and Vieuxtemps' Violin Concerto No. 5, both featuring violinist Misha Keylin, as well as Mozart's Divertimento in F major and Schubert's Symphony No. 3.

Visiting Orchestras Series
Each year, the Visiting Orchestras series brings world-renowned ensembles to the Benaroya Hall stage. The season kicks off with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra, one of Russia's oldest and most revered orchestras, performing Tchaikovsky's passionate Sixth Symphony, as well as a solo concerto with the future winner of the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition. In January, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performs Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 5 with Charles Dutoit and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In the final performance of the series, Myung-Whun Chung and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra perform Debussy's La mer and a concerto for sheng, a Chinese instrument, by Unsuk Chin.

Rush HourSeries
Now in its second season, Seattle Symphony's Rush Hourseries features five Friday concerts with an early start-time of 7 p.m. and a shorter, no-intermission format. Audiences can arrive at 5:30 p.m. and enjoy specialty drinks and small plates in the Grand Lobby. The series opens in October with Guest Conductor Robert Spano and pianist Kirill Gerstein performing Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. In January, Guest Conductor David Robertson leads John Adams' stunning Doctor Atomic Symphony. Roberto Abbadotakes the podium in February for Schumann's Symphony No. 4. In March, Ludovic Morlot conducts the Orchestra in Ravel's masterpiece, La Valse. The series concludes in April with conductor Peter Oundjianleading the Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony and Dvorák's Violin Concerto, featuring rising star Augustin Hadelich.

Around the World Series
This season brings the second year of the Around the World series, three concerts that celebrate music from distinct regions across the globe. In January, Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto leads the Orchestra in Viva la Música, a program exploring the sounds of Latin America with internationally renowned Brazilian pianist Arnaldo Cohen. In February, Seattle Symphony honors Eastern and Western musical traditions with the fourth-annual Celebrate Asia performance, conducted by Taiwanese conductor Mei Ann Chen and featuring Indian sitar player Anoushka Shankar. Hungarian conductor Gregory Vajda returns to Benaroya Hall with Hungarian violinist József Lendvay, Jr., to celebrate the rich tradition of Hungarian and gypsy music to conclude the series in May.

Fluke/Gabelein Organ Recital Series
This well-established series places three distinguished organists before Benaroya Hall's 4,490-pipe, 83-stop Watjen Concert Organ. It begins in November when S. Wayne Foster performs works by J.S. Bach, Mozart and Vierne. German organist Johannes Unger makes his Benaroya Hall debut in March performing masterworks by J.S. Bach, Mendelssohn and Brahms. Seattle Symphony Resident Organist Joseph Adam concludes the series in May with a recital of music by Reger and J.S. Bach.

Chamber Series
In this five-concert series, Seattle Symphony musicians and guests present chamber works in the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall, focusing on music by two of the season's featured composers: Henri Dutilleux and Oliver Knussen. The series begins in October with a performance of Chopin's Ballade No.3 and music by Martinu and J.S. Bach. In November, members of the Orchestra will perform chamber works by Knussen, Elgar and Brahms. January's program features pianist Marc-André Hamelin joining Seattle Symphony members for quintets by Shostakovich and Schnittke. In April, pianist Simon Trpceski will be featured in Brahms' Piano Quartet, Op. 60, in a program that also includes works by Poulenc, Saint-Saëns and Paul Schoenfield. Finally, the series concludes with a program of music by Dutilleux and Ravel, featuring pianist Cristina Valdés.

Seattle Pops Series
The Seattle Pops series, under the direction of Principal Pops Conductor Marvin Hamlisch, begins in October with Sci-Fi at the Pops. Conducted by Victor Vanacore, this performance features the best music from science fiction film and television, including Star Wars, Star Trek and Avatar. The series continues in December with Holiday Pops with Marvin Hamlisch. The whole family will enjoy seasonal favorites, performed by Seattle Symphony. The series continues with Michael Krajewski conducting Bond and Beyond: Celebrating 50 Years of 007, presented during the golden anniversary of the world's most famous spy and featuring the music that made the Bond films famous. At the end of March, the Count Basie Orchestra returns to Benaroya Hall for five performances of their signature swinging style. The season concludes with Marvin Hamlisch's American Songbook, a program of Broadway standards with vocalist Brian Stokes Mitchell.

The Gilman Family Discover Music Series
Seattle Symphony's Discover Music Series presents five exceptional hour-long symphonic programs for children ages 6 to12 and their families in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, each preceded by special performances and activities in the Grand Lobby. The series will open with Ludovic Morlot conducting Poulenc's The Story of Babar, presented with visuals from Jean de Brunhoff's classic book of the same name. Ludovic Morlot will also conduct Dancing with the Symphony, showcasing many styles of dance as represented in works by Copland, Bizet and Offenbach; and Symphony Sing-Along, which will demonstrate how favorite melodies are transformed into symphonic themes in the music of Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Ives. Additional Discover Music performances next season include Britten's A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra and The Snowman, a charming animated film-based on Raymond Brigg's children's book about a boy and his snowman and featuring Howard Blake's splendid score-which will be performed in December while the film is shown on the big screen above the stage. In several concerts on the Discover Music series, various teen artists will be featured as soloists with the Orchestra in collaboration with the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival Association.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

About Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony, now presenting its 108th season, has been under the artistic leadership of Music Director Gerard Schwarz since 1985. Following the 2010-2011 Season, Schwarz will become The Rebecca and Jack Benaroya Conductor Laureate, and The Leach-Winokur Music Director Designate Ludovic Morlot will become Music Director. In 1998, the Orchestra began performing in the acoustically superb Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle. The Symphony is internationally recognized for its adventurous programming of contemporary works, its devotion to the classics, and its extensive recording history. Under Schwarz, Seattle Symphony has made more than 140 recordings, garnered 12 Grammy nominations and won two Emmy Awards. From September through July, the Symphony is heard live by more than 315,000 people. For more information on Seattle Symphony, visit www.seattlesymphony.org.

About Benaroya Hall
Benaroya Hall, home of Seattle Symphony, is Seattle's first facility designed exclusively for symphonic music performances. Located on an entire city block in downtown Seattle, the Hall serves as a focal point of the city's urban core. Benaroya Hall has two spaces for musical performances-the 2,500-seat S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium and the 540-seat Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall-and an underground parking garage. Benaroya Hall has received numerous awards, including a 2001 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Honor Award for outstanding architecture. For additional information, including event listings and public tour schedules, please visit www.benaroyahall.org.

Support for Seattle Symphony's 2011-2012 season is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, Washington State Arts Commission, Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, ArtsFund, 

4Culture and PONCHO, with corporate support from Microsoft.

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Programs and artists subject to change. Photos of Seattle Symphony and guest artists are available to the media on request.

Media Contacts:
Jill Becker, (206) 215-4758
jill.becker@seattlesymphony.org

Rosalie Contreras, (206) 215-4782
rosalie.contreras@seattlesymphony.org

National press representation:
Kirshbaum Demler & Associates, Inc., (212) 222-4843

Video - 2011-2012 Season Announcement

Video - Meet Music Director Ludovic Morlot

2011-2012 Chronological Calendar

 

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