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  • ESA-PEKKA SALONEN RETURNS TO LEAD LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC IN FINAL CLASSICAL PROGRAM OF THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL SEASON
  • Sep. 11, 2003
  • Program Features Vocal Soloists Alexandra Deshorties, Joyce DiDonato,
    Stuart Skelton, Kyle Ketelsen And Special Guests Opus 7 and Huayucaltia
    In Their Bowl Debuts

    THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, AT 8 PM

    Sponsored by United Airlines

    Media sponsor: K-MOZART 105.1 FM

    Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the final program of the 2003 classical subscription series at the Hollywood Bowl on Thursday, September 11 at 8 p.m. The program features the Bowl debuts of vocal soloists Alexandra Deshorties, Joyce DiDonato, Stuart Skelton, and Kyle Ketelsen, as well as Latin fusion band Huayucaltia and the choral group Opus 7. A special Hollywood Bowl Festival Chorus was created for this performance, which marks the anniversary of the tragic events of September 11.

    According to Deborah Borda, Executive Director for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, "The Hollywood Bowl Festival Chorus brings together singers from a variety of community and college choruses, reflecting the cooperation and collaboration which epitomizes the best of the American spirit."

    The eclectic program opens with Huayucaltia joining Opus 7 in performing Ariel Ramirez's 1963 Argentine folk mass, Misa Criolla. After intermission, this contemporary mixture of religious and rhythmic traditions gives way to the grand, familiar sounds of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Soprano Alexandra Deshorties, mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, tenor Stuart Skelton, and bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen join Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Beethoven's monumental piece.

    ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, the tenth conductor to head the Los Angeles Philharmonic, began his tenure as Music Director in October 1992. Salonen made his American debut conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic in November 1984, and he has conducted the orchestra every season since. Among the many highlights of Salonen's activities with the Philharmonic have been world premieres of new works by composers John Adams, Bernard Rands, Rodion Shchedrin, Steven Stucky, and Salonen himself, well received Ligeti and Stravinsky Festivals, appearances at the Ojai Festival, eight critically acclaimed international tours since 1992, and his extensive discography with the Philharmonic for Sony Classical. Salonen was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1958. He made his conducting debut with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1979, and he has been one of the world's most sought-after conductors since his debut in London with the Philharmonia Orchestra in September 1983. He served as principal guest conductor of the Philharmonia from 1985 to 1994 and as principal conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 1995.

    Soprano ALEXANDRA DESHORTIES went to New York two years ago to enroll at the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) after earning a gold medal from the conservatory in Marseille, France. There, she has performed in various opera scenes and as Alcine in Handel's Alcine. She is a 1997 winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and is currently performing in various events and concerts in New York. She is a full scholarship student at MSM. This performance marks her debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

    From the beginning of her career, JOYCE DIDONATO has delivered performances that leave her audience with many memorable impressions. In 1995, she received the Outstanding Apprentice Artist award after an apprenticeship with the Santa Fe Opera. Since then, she has received numerous other accolades, including second place in the 1998 Placido Domingo Operalia Competition and first place in the 1998 Stewart Awards, as well as a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation. She has performed with operas around the world, most recently appearing in the New York City Opera's new production of Dead Man Walking, the Royal Opera's The Cunning Little Vixen, and Il barbiere di Siviglia at the New National Theater Tokyo. This will be DiDonato's Hollywood Bowl debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

    STUART SKELTON is becoming internationally recognized as one of the most respected lyric heldentenors. After beginning his training in Australia, Skelton received his Master of Music Degree from the University of Cincinnati and went on to win the 16th International Belvedere Hans-Gabor Singing Competition in Vienna as well as Australia's two largest and most esteemed vocal prizes. He has also been awarded a Sullivan Foundation Grant and was the recipient of the Robert Lauch Memorial Grant from the Wagner Society of New York. In 2001, he made his debut at the Vienna Staatsoper in Fidelo, and also performed in various operas around the world including Duetsche Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Opera North, Opera Australia, Staatstheater Stuttgart, and Staatsthear Karlsruhe. Skelton makes his Bowl debut in this performance.

    Originally from Clinton, Iowa, KYLE KETELSEN performed graduate work at Indiana University where he studied with Giorgio Tozzi. He completed his undergraduate degree at University of Iowa, where he studied with Alber Gammon. In the past two years, Ketelsen has won first prize in several international competitions including those of the Metropolitan Opera, the George London Foundation, the Puccini foundation, the Sullivan foundation and the Liederkranz Foundation. Ketelsen made his debut with the Washington Opera singing Villains in the Tales of Hoffman and Escamillo in Carmen. He has also performed with the Michigan Opera Detroit, Opera Pacific, and the Madison Opera. This will be Ketelsen's first performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

    Named for the Nahuatl word meaning "kinship," HUAYUCALTIA fuses Andean, Afro-Peruvian, and Meso-American instrumental traditions with jazz, rock, and classical styles. The groups consist of Julio Ledezma, Mernan Pinilla, Antonio Ezkauriatza, and Ciro Hurtado, all South American immigrants, and Cindy Harding, a U.S. native. Since its formation in 1985, the band's unique blend of indigenous and contemporary sounds has captivated the Southland, earning nominations in 2001 and 2002 for LA Weekly's Best of Los Angeles Music Awards. Most recently, the group opened the tenth anniversary season of Summer Nights at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. This is the band's Hollywood Bowl debut.

    The HOLLYWOOD BOWL FESTIVAL CHORUS, prepared by William Hall, is comprised of singers from the Angeles Chorale (Donald Neuen, Artistic Director), Chapman University Singers (William Hall, Director), Occidental-Foothill Master Chorale (Jeffrey Bernstein, Artistic Director), and Opus 7 (Ariel Quintana, Artistic Director).

    OPUS 7, a vocal ensemble founded in 1988, is a diverse group of individuals. Some members are full-time musicians, while others are professionals in other walks of life. In 1991 and 1993, Opus 7 sang with the Glendale Symphony Orchestra at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for the orchestra's annual Christmas Concert under the direction of Lalo Schifrin. The audience at La Sierra University's Global Village '93 was witness to their first Misa Criolla with tenor Eduardo Villa, a performance crowned with a standing ovation. They toured Europe in 1994, visiting Italy, Switzerland, and France. In 1995 they were invited to sing in Germany, England, and The Netherlands. Their new CD, featuring Ariel Quintana's Mass From Two Worlds and Ariel Ramírez' Misa Criolla, was released in the Spring of 2002. This is Opus 7's Hollywood Bowl debut.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    Thursday, September 11, 8 PM


    Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Avenue

    LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

    ESA-PEKKA SALONEN, conductor

    ALEXANDRA DESHORTIES, soprano

    JOYCE DIDONATO, mezzo-soprano

    STUART SKELTON, tenor

    KYLE KETELSEN, bass-baritone

    HOLYWOOD BOWL FESTIVAL CHORUS

    HUAYUCALTIA

    OPUS 7

    Ramírez: Misa Criolla

    Beethoven: Symphony No. 9

    Tickets: $1 - $77

    Sponsored by United Airlines
    Media sponsor: KMOZART 105.1 FM

    Tickets ($1 - $77) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations), or online at hollywoodbowl.com. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Elizabeth Hinckley, 323.850.2047; Rachelle Roe, 323.850.2032; for photos: Beth Norber, 213.972.3409