HARTFORD, March 1, 2010 – The legendary American POPS! conductor Marvin Hamlisch will take the podium at the Hartford Symphony POPS! for a tribute to Barbra Streisand on Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. in Mortensen Hall at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts.  This concert will feature renowned vocalist Julie Budd and “Barbra” impersonator Steven Brinberg singing the biggest hits of the Barbra Streisand songbook, including  “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “The Music That Makes Me Dance,” “People,” “The Way We Were,” “Yentl,” and many more. The 2009-2010 POPS! Series is presented by United Technologies Corporation.

Kicking off the HSO’s star-studded weekend will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to join Marvin Hamlisch and his special guests Julie Budd and Steven Brinberg for dinner at The Pond House at Elizabeth Park in West Hartford on Friday, April 16, 2010.  This special evening will include hors d’oeuvres, dinner, drinks, and entertainment from Mr. Hamlisch.  Proceeds from this dinner will benefit the programs of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.  For tickets to the dinner with Marvin Hamlisch, please contact HSO Development Associate & Maestro’s Society Manager Tracy Wu at twu@hartfordsymphony.org or (860)246-8742 x.336.

HSO Executive Director Kristen Phillips says, “The Hartford Symphony Orchestra doesn’t often get the opportunity to work with a legend like Marvin Hamlisch.  We are thrilled to have him as our guest conductor and anticipate seeing and hearing how Julie Budd and Steven Brinberg bring the music of Barbra Streisand to life.  I hope the Hartford community takes advantage of this rare opportunity to see Mr. Hamlisch in concert and the unique opportunity to have dinner with him the evening before.”

Marvin Hamlisch has won virtually every major award that exists: three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony, and three Golden Globe awards; his groundbreaking show, A Chorus Line, received the Pulitzer Prize. He is the composer of many motion picture scores including his Oscar-winning score and song for The Way We Were and Oscar-winning adaptation of Scott Joplin’s music for The Sting.  His prolific output of scores for films include original compositions and/or musical adaptations for Sophie’s Choice, Ordinary People, The Swimmer, Three Men And A Baby, Ice Castles, Take The Money And Run, Bananas, Save The Tiger, and his latest effort “The Informant!”, (Sept. 2009). Mr. Hamlisch was Musical Director and arranger of Barbra Streisand’s 1994 concert tour as well as of the Emmy-winning television special, “Barbra Streisand: The Concert.”

Julie Budd’s credits range from television to film and the New York stage, from symphonies to the most lavish casinos and showrooms in the country. Ms. Budd has appeared on The Tonight Show and Entertainment Tonight, and has appeared with such legendary performers as Frank Sinatra, Bill Cosby, Joan Rivers, Bob Hope, George Burns, Liberace, and Carol Burnett, as well as with the orchestras of Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Austin, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Buffalo, and many others. Moviegoers will remember Julie’s starring role in Disney’s The Devil and Max Devlin, where she worked with her friend Marvin Hamlisch, who together with Carol Bayer Sager, penned the title song Roses and Rainbows for Julie. In 2009, Ms. Budd also appeared in the motion picture Two Lovers with Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Since 1993, Steven Brinberg has starred in his show “Simply Barbra,” which has played in New York for a record-breaking five year run and since has branched out to 28 U.S. states from Idaho to Louisiana and eight countries. Mr. Brinberg has performed at special events as Barbra for the likes of Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joan Rivers, and Donna Karan. Mr. Brinberg has performed at Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, The Kennedy Center, and the Library of Congress.

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CALENDAR LISTING:
HARTFORD SYMPHONY POPS!
MARVIN HAMLISCH: A Tribute to Barbra Streisand
Hartford Symphony Orchestra with Marvin Hamlisch, guest conductor; Julie Budd & Steven Brinberg, guest vocalists
Saturday, April 17, 2010 │ 8:00 p.m.
Mortensen Hall │ The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Program: The biggest hits of the Streisand Songbook, including: “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “The Music That Makes Me Dance,” “People,” “Summer Me, Winter Me,” and more.
Ticket Prices: $30 – $60; $10 with a student I.D.
Tickets are available in person Monday through Friday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Hartford Symphony Orchestra Ticket Services, 99 Pratt Street, Suite 500 in Hartford, by calling (860) 244-2999, or online 24/7 at www.hartfordsymphony.org.

DINNER WITH MARVIN HAMLISCH
and Special Guests Julie Budd & Steven Brinberg
Friday, April 16, 2010 │ 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
The Pond House │ 1555 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford
Program: A special evening with the legendary Marvin Hamlisch including hors d’oeuvres, dinner, drinks, and entertainment from Mr. Hamlisch.  Proceeds to benefit the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
Ticket Price: $125 per person
Tickets are available by contacting HSO Development Associate & Maestro’s Society Manager Tracy Wu at twu@hartfordsymphony.org or (860)246-8742 x.336.

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra participates in the Greater Hartford Arts Council’s Let*s GO Arts! program that offers 2-for-1 tickets to arts and entertainment events, and discounts at restaurants and clubs. Let*s GO Arts! members can receive 2-for-1 full price tickets to HSO Masterworks and POPS! concerts.

The 2009-2010 POPS! Series is presented by United Technologies Corporation. HSO Pops!  Marvin Hamlisch: A Tribute to Barbra Streisand is sponsored by Aetna and Bank of America.  The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

HARTFORD, February 24, 2010 – To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Grammy award winning album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra Jazz and Strings ensemble will perform Ella & Gershwin on Friday, April 9, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. at Immanuel Congregational Church. Conceived and directed by HSO percussionist Gene Bozzi, this program will feature vocalist Shawnn Monteiro performing such classics as “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off,” “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” and “I Got Rhythm” to the accompaniment of an all-star line-up of HSO musicians, including Gene Bozzi, drums; Rick Rozie, bass; Walter Gwardyak, piano; John Mastroianni and Bobbie DePalma, saxophone; and members of the HSO strings and brass sections.

Shawnn Monteiro has delighted audiences from the USA to Europe with her highly popular jazz repertoire laced with blues-oriented improvisations and the American Songbook. Ms. Monteiro has shared the stage with a prestigious list of notables jazz names, including Clark Terry, Red Holloway, Ray Brown, Lionel Hampton, Frank Foster and the Basie Band, Nat Adderly, Kenny Barron, Hank Jones, Bobby Durham, James Williams, Jimmy Cobb, Keter Betts, Stanley Jordan, Ed Thigpen, Johnny Griffin, Benny Golson, and more. Ms. Monteiro is an adjunct Professor in Jazz Vocals at both Rhode Island College and The Hartt School.

Initiated in March 2009, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra Jazz and Strings Project is an ongoing effort led by HSO principal timpanist Eugene “Gene” Bozzi to bring collaborative performances of Jazz and Classical music to downtown Hartford. Performances to date have included the music of Charlie Parker and Stan Getz, and have featured performances by such notable jazz musicians as Kris Allen, Joel Frahm, and Shawnn Monteiro. “We have found a real opportunity for a new type of music series in Hartford, says Gene Bozzi. “The fusion of stringed instruments and a rhythm section gives listeners a special treat, appealing to Classical and Jazz lovers alike.”
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CALENDAR LISTING:
HSO Jazz and Strings: ELLA & GERSHWIN
Hartford Symphony Orchestra featuring: Shawnn Monteiro, vocals; Gene Bozzi, drums; Rick Rozie, bass; Walter Gwardyak, piano; John Mastroianni and Bobbie DePalma, saxophone; members of the HSO string and brass sections
Friday, April 9, 2010 │ 7:30 p.m. │Immanuel Congregational Church
Ticket Prices: $20 in advance; $25 at the door
Program: S’Wonderful, Fascinating Rhythm, Someone to Watch over Me, Nice Work if You Can Get It, Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off, I’ve got a Crush on You, The Man I Love, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, A Foggy Day, I Got Rhythm

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Opening Weekend featuring Vivaldi The Four Seasons, Pachelbel Canon and Handel Music for the Royal Fireworks.

Edward Cumming, conductor

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Single Concert Tickets on Sale Monday, May 17, 2010

Talcott Mountain Music Festival Sponsors

Maestro Edward Cumming’s Fourth of July Finale Concert! With fireworks!

Edward Cumming, conductor

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Single Concert Tickets on Sale Monday, May 17, 2010

Talcott Mountain Music Festival Sponsors

All the Motown Hits – including a tribute to Michael Jackson!

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Single Concert Tickets on Sale Monday, May 17, 2010

Talcott Mountain Music Festival Sponsors

Classic rock under the stars!

Victor Vanacore, conductor

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Single Concert Tickets on Sale Monday, May 17, 2010

Talcott Mountain Music Festival Sponsors

All your Beatles memories return to Talcott Mountain with members of the original cast of Broadway’s Beatlemania – this year featuring many new Fab Four favorites.

Edward Cumming, conductor

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Single Concert Tickets on Sale Monday, May 17, 2010

Talcott Mountain Music Festival Sponsors

“They say that time flies when you’re having fun…and it’s hard to believe that this year will be the 15th year of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s Talcott Mountain Music Festival,” says HSO Executive Director Kristen Phillips.  “From its relatively modest start on the grounds of The Hartford Life Insurance Company to the performances today at the Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows, certain aspects have remained constant – the experience of the sounds of summer under the stars, the enjoyment of picnics with family and friends, and the magnificent music of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.  Our program this year offers something for everyone…and is guaranteed to get folks out of their seats and dancing to the music!”

This summer marks Music Director Edward Cumming’s grand finale season at the Talcott Mountain Music Festival.  “To perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture at Celebrate America, and Motown hits with Spectrum will be a triple thrill for me,” says Maestro Cumming.

VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS – plus Pachelbel’s Canon
with Fireworks!
Friday, June 25, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
Edward Cumming, conductor

The 2010 Talcott Mountain Music Festival will begin Friday, June 25, 2010 with an enchanting evening of orchestral favorites under that stars, including such beloved works as Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Pachelbel’s Canon, and Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks (followed by REAL fireworks!).

CELEBRATE AMERICA! – The Annual Red, White & Blue Tradition
with Fireworks!
Friday, July 2, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.
Edward Cumming, conductor

The HSO will Celebrate America on Friday, July 2, 2010 with a red-white-and blue line-up featuring toe-tapping show tunes, thundering marches, patriotic tunes, and FIREWORKS! as led by Maestro Edward Cumming in his grand finale July 4th performance at Talcott Mountain.

SPECTRUM – A Tribute to Motown and R&B
Friday, July 9, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
Edward Cumming, conductor

After playing to nearly sold-out crowds at the 2008 Talcott Mountain Music Festival, vocal quartet Spectrum will return to the play a night of Motown and R&B hits with the HSO on Friday, July 9, 2010.  This show will combine the chart-topping hits of the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Drifters, and, new this year, a tribute to Michael Jackson.

TIME TO ROCK – from Doo Wop to Hip Hop!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
Victor Vanacore, guest conductor

It will be Time to Rock at the Talcott Mountain Music Festival on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 when guest conductor Victor Vanacore leads the HSO in a live concert of Rock & Roll’s greatest hits, including songs by the Beach Boys, Gloria Estefan, Earth, Wind and Fire, the BeeGees, and more.

CLASSICAL MYSTERY TOUR- A Tribute to The Beatles
Friday, July 16, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

Back by popular demand in a new show, the “fab four” singers of the original Broadway production of Beatlemania will return to the Talcott Mountain Music Festival for Classical Mystery Tour on Friday, July 16, 2010. This groovy night will feature The Beatles’ greatest hits, including “Hello Goodbye,” “Hard Day’s Night,” “A Day in the Life,” “Yellow Submarine,” and much more!

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Gates open at 6:00 p.m. for all Talcott Mountain Music Festival concerts. The festival site is located on Iron Horse Boulevard, parallel to Hopmeadow Street (Rt. 10/202), in downtown Simsbury. In the case of severe weather, rain dates for each concert will be the night after the scheduled concert at the same time.

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.”

Five-Concert subscriptions for single table seats are $190 per seat.  Five-Concert subscriptions for full eight-seat tables are $1,420 per table.  Adult Grass Passes (10 lawn tickets to be used in combination with any of the five concerts) are $180 and Grass Passes for kids 12 and under are $50.  A family pack of 12 lawn tickets – 6 kids and 6 adults – is $140. Grass Pass and Family Packs will increase in price after May 6, 2010.  Single Tickets for both lawn and table seats will be available for purchase beginning Monday, May 17, 2010.  Prices include a $2 per adult ticket and 50¢ per child ticket facility fee paid to the Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows.

Subscriptions and tickets are available in person Monday through Friday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Hartford Symphony Orchestra Ticket Services, 99 Pratt Street, Suite 500 in Hartford, or by calling (860) 244-2999.  Single tickets will be available online 24/7 at www.hartfordsymphony.org beginning May 17, 2010.

The 2010 Talcott Mountain Music Festival is made possible with support from Richard P. Garmany Fund at Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; The Hartford, Chubb; Bloomfield Public Schools; Hartford Hospital’s Helen and Harry Gray Cancer Center, Avon; Seabury/Seabury at Home; Bank of America; CIGNA, Federman, Lally & Remis; Robert Hensley & Associates; Simsbury Bank, and the Town of Simsbury.  The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Sponsors listed as of February 19, 2010.

HARTFORD, February 16, 2010 – Led by guest conductor and Music Director candidate Tania Miller, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra will explore Dvořák’s Ode to America, his “New World Symphony,” on Thursday, March 18 – Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. in the Belding Theater at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts.  In addition to the “New World Symphony, this program will feature violinist Jinjoo Cho performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Canadian composer Rodney Sharman’s musical homage to the music of Scarlatti, in Scarlattiana.

Sharman’s Scarlattiana is a stunning arrangement of 17th century composer Domenico Scarlatti’s keyboard Sonata in F-sharp minor for the instruments of the orchestra.  Mr. Sharman is the composer in residence for the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, where Tania Miller holds the position of Music Director.  Following Scarlattiana, Jinjoo Cho will join the HSO for Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major.  Originally written in 1794 for the Austrian violin prodigy Franz Clement, this concerto will highlight Ms. Cho’s youthful virtuosity with delicate cadenzas and singing melodies.

The second half of the program will feature Antonín Dvořák’s musical tribute to America: his Ninth Symphony, nicknamed “From the New World.”  Dvořák traveled to the United States in 1892, and completely fell in love with the African-American and Native American music he found here.  His “New World” Symphony drew its inspiration from the hymns, folk-songs, and tonal palate of these rich musical traditions as well as from Dvořák’s native Bohemian culture.  The result is a symphony of cross-cultural music that perfectly expresses America’s rich diversity.

Guest Conductor Tania Miller says, “Dvořák’s New World Symphony is a wonderful sentimental journey of optimism and hope.  From the beginning you get the impression of drama – the noble melody in the horns and the thundering timpani drums brings the sense of new beginning.  But the sentimentality and emotion of the symphony brings its music close to people.  No melody is perhaps as sweet as the English horn melody, Goin’ Home, in the second movement.”

The 2009-10 season will mark Tania Miller’s seventh as Music Director of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, deeming her as the first Canadian woman to be appointed to such a significant position in Canada.  Her new programming innovations include the New Currents Festival of New Music, the contemporary Odyssey series of collaborative arts and genres, and the Victoria Mozart Festival.  Prior to her appointment in Victoria, Ms. Miller was Assistant and then Associate conductor of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Conductor of the Carmel Bach Festival, Assistant conductor of the Banff Festival of the Arts, and a frequent guest conductor with the Toronto contemporary ensemble ERGO.

The search for a new music director for Hartford Symphony Orchestra will take place during the next two seasons, 2009-10 and 2010-11, and will include seven guest conductor appearances. Four candidates will guest conduct in the 2009-2010 season, and three candidates will conduct in the 2010-11 season. HSO Music Director Edward Cumming will continue to lead the orchestra through the conclusion of the 2010-11 season in May of 2011.  His successor is expected to be announced by January 2011.

A native of Seoul, South Korea, violinist Jinjoo Cho is the First Grand Prize and People’s Choice Award winner of the 2006 Montreal International Musical Competition and the gold medalist of the 2005 Stulberg International String Competition. She has appeared as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Cleveland, Montreal, Quebec, Seoul, Winnepeg, Victoria, Kalamazoo, and Louisville, among others.  She performed at Carnegie Hall as a concertmaster in the 2009 and 2010 New York String Orchestra Seminar, where the New York Times reviewed her as “finely polished and focused.”
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CALENDAR LISTING:
Beethoven Violin Concerto & Dvořák New World Symphony
Hartford Symphony Orchestra with Tania Miller, guest conductor; Jinjoo Cho, violin
Thursday, March 18, 2010 │ 8:00 p.m.
Friday, March 19, 2010 │ 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 20, 2010 │ 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 21, 2010 │ 3:00 p.m.
The Belding Theater │ The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Guest Conductor Tania Miller will lead a pre-concert chat one hour before each performance.  Composer Rodney Sharman will join her for two of the chats; dates TBD.
Program: Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, “From the New World;” Ludwig Van Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Rodney Sharman: Scarlattiana
Ticket Prices: $30 – $70; $10 with a student I.D. Ticket prices do not include applicable fees.
Tickets are available in person Monday through Friday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Hartford Symphony Orchestra Ticket Services, 99 Pratt Street, Suite 500 in Hartford, by calling (860) 244-2999, or online 24/7 at www.hartfordsymphony.org.

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra participates in the Greater Hartford Arts Council’s Let*s GO Arts! program that offers 2-for-1 tickets to arts and entertainment events, and discounts at restaurants and clubs. Let*s GO Arts! members can receive 2-for-1 full price tickets to HSO Masterworks and POPS! concerts.

These concerts are sponsored by The Katherine K. McLane and Henry R. McLane Charitable Trust. The Masterworks Series is presented by MetLife Foundation with additional support from The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation and the Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, Inc. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra will present “Reunited Masterpieces,” the second concert of the 2009-2010 Sunday Serenades Chamber Music series this Sunday at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.  This program is inspired by the Wadsworth’s latest exhibition, “Reunited Masterpieces: From Adam and Eve to George and Martha,” and will feature modern interpretations of standard works by Handel and Bach.  Sunday Serenades Artistic Director and HSO Concertmaster (principal violinist) Leonid Sigal will join HSO violist Patricia Daly Vance and HSO cellist Peter Zay for this intimate chamber music program. The program will include performances of: J.S. Bach (arr. D. Sitkovetsky): Goldberg Variations; George Frederic Handel (arr. Halvorsen): Passacaglia, Duo for Violin & Cello; and Hanns Eisler: Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H, Op. 46.

When/Where:Sunday, February 21, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.
Morgan Great Hall at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

Ticket Information: SATURDAY: Tickets to this performance range in price from $30-$62, or $10 with a student I.D.  Ticket prices do not include applicable fees.
SUNDAY: Single tickets to this performance are $30; $25 for Atheneum Members, HSO Subscribers, or GHAC members. Ticket price includes general admission to the Wadsworth Atheneum on the days of the concerts.

Tickets are available in person on location immediately preceding the performance or Monday through Friday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Hartford Symphony Orchestra Ticket Services, 99 Pratt Street, Suite 500 in Hartford; by calling (860) 244-2999; or online 24/7 at www.hartfordsymphony.org.

The 2009-2010 POPS! Series is presented by United Technologies Corporation. Century of Broadway is sponsored by Aetna.  The 2009-2010 POPS! Series receives additional concert support from Bank of America. The 2009-2010 Sunday Serenades Series is sponsored in part by the Helen M. Saunders Charitable Foundation and the Music Endowment at the Wadsworth Atheneum. 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.