Baton Rouge Symphony
Timothy Muffitt, conductor
Ilya Kaler, violin
PROGRAM
Grantham: To The Wind’s Twelve Quarters
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
de Falla: Suite No. 2 from The Three-Cornered Hat
Respighi: Pines of Rome
Maestro Timothy Muffitt and your Baton Rouge Symphony invite you for a night out as we open the 71st Orchestral Series with “Tchaikovsky and Pines of Rome,” featuring violinist Ilya Kaler.
Ilya Kaler holds the distinction of being the only violinist in the world to win the Gold Medal at three of the world’s most prestigious international violin competitions: the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Sibelius Competition in Helsinki, and the Paganini Competition in Genoa. He joins forces with Muffitt and your BRSO to perform the always popular Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.
As we embark on Maestro’s 20th and final season as Music Director, we open the concert with a piece last performed during his first season, Donald Grantham’s “To the Wind’s Twelve Quarters.” The second half of the concert features Manuel de Falla’s Suite No. 2 from The Three-Cornered Hat and concludes with Respighi’s powerful Pines of Rome.
Back by popular demand are the 30-minute pre-concert lectures at 6:30pm with the Maestro discussing the program.
A pre-concert reception for all ticket holders featuring musicians from the BRSO’s Louisiana Youth Orchestra will be held at Taylor Porter, 450 Laurel Street, 8th floor. Wine and lite bites will be served.
Sponsored by
Meredith Hathorn and Rawley Penick
+ Ilya Kayler Bio
Described by the Gramophone as a “magician, bewitching our ears” for his hauntingly beautiful sound, flawless command of the instrument and mesmerizing phrasing, Ilya Kaler is the only violinist to win the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1986), the Sibelius Competition in Helsinki (1985), and the Paganini Competition in Genoa (1981). Kaler is considered to be one of the most outstanding personalities of the violin today whose career ranges from that of a soloist and recording artist to chamber musician and professor.
Kaler has earned rave reviews for his solo appearances with many distinguished orchestras throughout the world, including the Leningrad, Moscow, and Dresden Philharmonic Orchestras, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Danish and Berlin Radio Orchestras, the Moscow and Zurich Chamber Orchestras, as well as many of the major American orchestras such as Seattle and Detroit Symphony Orchestras, to name a few.
One of the most sought-after teachers in the world, Kaler was recently chosen to join the violin faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music beginning in the fall of 2018. He currently serves as Professor of Violin at the DePaul University School of Music. Kaler previously held Professor of Violin positions at the Eastman School of Music and at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Summer teaching and performing engagements include the Chautauqua Music Festival, Heifetz International Music Institute, International Violin Mastercourse at the Keshet Eilon Music Center, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, amongst others. Kaler is also frequently invited as a judge to the world’s most prestigious violin competitions, including the International Tchaikovsky Competition (Moscow, Russia), Sibelius International Violin Competition (Helsinki, Finland), Henri Marteau International Competition (Germany), as well as the International Music Competition (Harbin, China).
Ilya Kaler received his education at the Moscow Central Music School under Zinaida Gilels and at the Moscow State Conservatory under Leonid Kogan and Victor Tretyakov. Following his formal education, influence and inspiration came from his long-time mentor, violinist and teacher Abram Shtern.