The Cape Philharmonic Orchestra's Winter Symphony Season starting on 7 June in the Cape Town City Hall includes many major works such as Beethoven's Violin Concerto and Symphony No. 7, Mahler's Symphony No. 5, Brahms' Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, Dvořák's Symphony No 8, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2 and Schumann's Konzertstück, Opus 92.

The conductors for the series of four concerts will be Victor Yampolsky and Leon Botstein, while the soloists for the series are violist Min-Jin Kym, pianists Ingrid Jakoby and Tessa Uys and harpsicordist Jory Vinikour.

The first concert, on Thursday 7 June, is conducted by Victor Yampolsky. The programme consists of Purcell-Britten's Chacony for strings Z. 730, Beethoven's Violin concerto in A major Yampolsky with Min-Jin Kym (violin) as soloist, Op. 61 and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17.

The conductor for the second concert, on 14 June, is Leon Botstein and the soloist is Ingrid Jakoby (piano). The works on the programme are Brahms' Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn, Op. 56a (also known as the St Anthony Variations), Mozart's Piano concerto No. 14 E-flat major, K 449 and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92.

The third and fourth concerts are both conducted by Victor Yampolsky. On 21 June, the soloist is Jory Vinikour (harpsichord) and the programme includes J. S. Bach's Brandenburg concerto No. 5 in D major BWV 1050, Poulenc's "Concerto champetre" and Dvorak's Symphony No. 8 in G minor, Op.88. Tessa Uys (piano) is the soloist for the last concert of the series, which includes Elgar's "Sospiri", Schumann's "Konzertstück" Op 92 and Mahler's Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor.

All the concerts start at 20:00 in the City Hall and a concert preview talk is held by Rodney Trudgeon at 19:15 before each concert. All ticket-holders are invited to attend these talks.

About the soloists:
Min-Jin Kym (violin) made her international debut at the age of thirteen with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. At fifteen, she became the youngest student ever to be awarded a Foundation Scholarship at the Royal College of Music and went on to study with Ruggiero Ricci in Salzburg. She is the first recipient of the prestigious Heifetz Prize awarded by the Jascha Heifetz Society in Los Angeles and her recordings continue to receive wide critical acclaim.

Ingrid Jacoby (piano), 1st prize winner of the Concert Artists Guild Award, made her New York debut at Carnegie Hall to critical acclaim. Her many prizes include the Baldwin National Piano Competition and the Steinway Hall Piano Competition. Her recordings include the highly acclaimed Beethoven CD, voted Classic CD Top Release in 1995, followed in 1998 by a Korngold world-première solo piano recording. Her 2001 recording Russian Piano Music, received the Gramophone critics choice "Pick of the Year."

Jory Vinikour is recognized as one of the outstanding harpsichordists of his generation. A highly diversified career brings him to the world's most important festivals and concert halls as recital and concerto soloist, partner to several of today's finest singers, and as one of the most visible continuo performers. A concerto soloist with a repertoire ranging from Bach to Nyman, he has performed as soloist with leading orchestras and conductors.

Tessa Uys, one of South Africa's most distinguished concert pianists, comes from an exceptionally musical and theatrical Cape Town family. Based in London, she records extensively for BBC Radio 3 and her wide repertoire ranges from Scarlatti and Bach to Chopin, Brahms and Rachmaninov. She has released CDs of music by Schumann to great critical acclaim.

About the conductors:
Russian-born conductor and music pedagogue Victor Yampolsky, is well known in Cape Town, having conducted the CPO on numerous occasions in the past. He has also conducted master classes with the Cape Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and has worked in particular with the learner conductors of the CPYO. Maestro Yampolsky is Professor of Music and Director of Orchestras at Northwestern University in Illinois, and Music Director of both the Omaha Symphony Orchestra in Nebraska and the Peninsula Music Festival in Wisconsin, has guest-conducted many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Moscow Philharmonic.
 
Leon Botstein is music director and principal conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. He is also the founder and co-artistic director of the Bard Music Festival in New York, editor of The Musical Quarterly and the author of numerous articles and books. In 2004 he addressed the United Nations on "Why Music Matters" as part of the then Secretary-General of the UN, Kofi Annan's, lecture series.

Cape Philharmonic Orchestra's Winter Symphony
Where: Cape Town City Hall
When: 7 June - 28 June 2007; 20:00pm
Bookings: Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-Seat (021) 421 7695.


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