Mezzo-Soprano Cynthia Cook to Perform at Talcott Mountain Music Festival Finale
HARTFORD, June 4, 2009 – Since classical music can be heard everywhere from movie soundtracks to cartoons, the final program of the 2009 Talcott Mountain Music Festival will feature some of the tunes that always get stuck in your head! Guest conductor Mariusz Smolij will lead the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in “Classical’s Greatest Hits!” on Friday, July 17, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows.
This program will feature some of Classical music’s most popular numbers, including Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, Grieg’s Peer Gynt, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, and Copland’s Simple Gifts. As an added treat, up-and-coming mezzo-soprano Cynthia Cook will join the HSO for selections from Bizet’s Carmen, as well as Gershwin’s Summertime and I’ve Got Rhythm.
HSO Executive Director Kristen Phillips says, “What better way to end our Talcott Mountain Music Festival than with a program that plays to the Hartford Symphony’s forté- Classical Music! This show will include the music that we hear everywhere around us – in movies, television, musical theater, and more. This is the perfect concert for someone who is new to Classical music or a veteran Classical music lover – don’t miss this opportunity to hear your favorite hits in the fun, relaxed atmosphere of Simsbury Meadows.”
Considered one of the most exciting conductors of his generation and praised by the New York Times for his “compelling performances,” Mariusz Smolij has led nearly 100 orchestras in 25 countries on four continents in some of the most prestigious concert halls of the world. The American Symphony Orchestra League has named Smolij one of the most promising young conductors in America. His recent engagements include collaborations with the Sinfonieorchester Basel, Bern Symphoniker, Belgrade Philharmonic, Johannesburg Philharmonic, Budapest Concert Orchestra, Florence Chamber Orchestra, Israel Symphony Orchestra, and Israel Sinfonietta. Maestro Smolij is in his sixth season as the Music Director of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra in Lafayette, Louisiana and his thirteenth season as the Music Director of the Riverside Symphonia in New Jersey.
A native of Whitehouse Station, NJ, Cynthia Cook received her Bachelor of Music degree at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford, where she performed in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief and Lehár’s The Merry Widow, as well as challenging 20th century works such as Berio’s Folk Songs and Susan Botti’s Scenes from Sylvia. Ms. Cook is in her third year as a resident artist at The Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, PA, where she has performed in Così fan tutte, Kat’a Kabanova, La Traviata, Anna Bolena, and La Fiamma. In the summer of 2009, Ms. Cook will be singing with the Lyric Opera Studio of Weimar in Weimar, Germany.
Ticket Prices: Individual Concerts: Adult Lawn Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 at the gate. Tickets for Kids 12 & under: $5. Single Table Seats (per seat): $40 in advance, $45 at the gate. Full Table (8 seats): $320 in advance, $360 at the gate.
Grass Passes: (10 lawn tickets to be used in any combination for any of the five concerts) Adult Grass Passes: $200. Grass Passes for Kids 12 and under: $50. New this year – Special Family Package: 12 lawn tickets – 6 kids and 6 adults: $150.
Series Subscriptions: Five-Concert subscriptions for single table seats: $190 per seat (save $10 off individual concert price). Five-Concert subscriptions for full eight-seat tables: $1,420 per table (save $180 off individual concert price).
Prices include a $2 per adult ticket and 50¢ per child ticket facility fee paid to the Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows.
Gates open at 6:00 p.m. for all Talcott Mountain Music Festival concerts. Concerts are held rain or shine. The festival site is located on Iron Horse Boulevard, parallel to Hopmeadow Street (Rt. 10/202), in downtown Simsbury. The Hartford Symphony Education Tent, open to all ticket holders, is open from 6:00 p.m. to 7:15 pm. Children can enjoy free activities such as face-painting, crafts, games and the “Instrument Zoo.”
Tickets for the Talcott Mountain Music Festival are available (before June 1st) in person at Hartford Symphony Orchestra Ticket Services, 99 Pratt Street, Suite 500 in Hartford, Monday through Friday between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Patrons wishing to purchase tickets in person after June 1st can do so at the remote box office on the Talcott Mountain Music Festival site in Simsbury. Tickets also can be purchased by calling (860) 244-2999, or online 24/7 at www.talcottmountain.org.
The 2009 Talcott Mountain Music Festival is presented by Chubb, with additional support from The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc; The Hilton; The Town of Simsbury; Falcetti Music; Paine’s, Inc; Piano and Organ Warehouse; Walker System Support; Bloomfield Public Schools; Crowne Plaza Hartford Downtown; Ensign Bickford Industries; HB Group, Inc.; Landmark Partners; LES Investment Partners; Seabury at Home; Show Lighting; Simscroft Echo Farms, Inc; Avon Old Farms Hotel; Bank of America; CIGNA; The Drake Hill Mall Merchants Association; Federman, Lally, & Remis; Harvey & Lewis Opticians; MetroBis; Simsbury Bank; Simsbury Inn; Trumpf, Inc.; and Viking Fuel Oil. The 2009 Talcott Mountain Music Festival media partners are WCCC-AM (Beethoven Radio) & WCCC-FM (The Rock); WDRC-AM & WDRC-FM; WHCN-FM (The River); and WRCH-FM, WTIC-AM, and WTIC-FM. Sponsors listed as of June 2, 2009.
Marking its 66th season in 2009-2010, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra is Connecticut’s premier musical organization. The Hartford Symphony is the second largest orchestra in New England and is widely recognized as one of America’s leading regional orchestras. Dedicated to the performance of live symphonic music and the presentation of quality education and community programs, each season the Hartford Symphony plays to audiences numbering approximately 160,000 and reaches thousands statewide through its broadcast concerts on WNPR Connecticut Public Radio. Supported by more than 5,000 subscribers and 3,000 donors, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s extensive array of Musical Pathways educational activities serves more than 64,000 individuals in Hartford and surrounding communities annually. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. For more information about the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, please visit www.HartfordSymphony.org.
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Calendar Listing:
TALCOTT MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL
Classical Music’s Greatest Hits!
Hartford Symphony Orchestra with Mariusz Smolij, guest conductor; Cynthia Cook, mezzo-soprano
Friday, July 17, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows
Program: Selections from Dvorak: “New World” Symphony, Slavonic Dances; Beethoven: Symphony No. 5; Copland: Appalachian Spring; Greig: Peer Gynt; Bizet: Carmen; Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro; Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake; Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5 & 6; and Gershwin: I Got Rhythm, Summertime.
Ticket Prices: Advance: $40/ Table Seat, $20/Lawn Seat, $5/Kid’s Lawn Seat; Gate Pricing: $45/Table Seat, $25 Lawn Seat/ $5 Kid’s Lawn Seat
Tickets for the Talcott Mountain Music Festival are available (before June 1st) in person at Hartford Symphony Orchestra Ticket Services, 99 Pratt Street, Suite 500 in Hartford, Monday through Friday between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Patrons wishing to purchase tickets in person after June 1st can do so at the remote box office on the Talcott Mountain Music Festival site in Simsbury. Tickets also can be purchased by calling (860) 244-2999 or online at www.talcottmountain.org.
EDITORS: To request an interview with Mariusz Smolij or Cynthia Cook, please contact Katie Bonner at (860) 246-8742 ext. 317 or at kbonner@hartfordsymphony.org. Interviews will be arranged on a first-come, first-served basis. Please update calendar listings to reflect performance schedule and admission information above. All programs, performers, and prices are subject to change.