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Phoenix Symphony welcomes new brass for 2006-07 season
New appointments include Principal Horn and a one-year position with some additional shifting in the trombone section
(PHOENIX) - The Phoenix Symphony announces one new full-time musician and the appointment of two musicians to perform in one-year positions during the 2006-07 Season. Gabriel Kovach, Principal Horn, joins The Phoenix Symphony from the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia where he is currently serving as Principal Horn. He is currently Principal Horn with the Opera Company of Philadelphia and the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra as well as an active substitute for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Kovach has held positions with the National Arts Center Orchestra of Canada and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He has also performed at both the Marlboro Music Festival and Casals Festival and with the United Brass Ensemble and the Verbier Festival and Academy. Mr. Kovach holds degrees from the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music. In other musician news, John Lofton, Bass Trombone with The Phoenix Symphony, will take a one year sabbatical and spend the 2006-07 Season performing in a one-year position with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Michael Brown, Second Trombone with The Phoenix Symphony, will fill The Phoenix Symphony's Bass Trombone position. Richard Bass has been hired in a one-year position as Second Trombone. Philadelphia native John Lofton began studying trombone at the Settlement Music School of Philadelphia with instruction from members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Lofton has held positions with the Honolulu Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and State Orchestra of Mexico. He has also performed with the Santa Fe Opera and in numerous brass ensembles including Brass Unlimited, Palo Verde Brass, Phoenix Symphony Brass Quintet, and Summit Brass. Mr. Lofton holds a bachelor's degree from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. Michael Brown, Bass Trombone, fills the Bass Trombone position for the 2006-07 Season. Mr. Brown has held positions with the Oakland Symphony and the San Francisco Ballet. Mr. Brown has also performed with the Santa Fe Opera and Dayton Philharmonic. He received a bachelor's degree in music performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Richard Bass, Second Trombone, joins The Phoenix Symphony for a one-year position. Mr. Bass is currently Principal Trombone in the American Institute of Musical Studies Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria. He has held positions with the Symphony of the West Valley and Musica Nova Symphony. He has performed with the Arizona Opera and The Phoenix Symphony, as well as local chamber ensembles including the Salt River Brass, Sonoran Brass Quintet, and Southwest Brass. He has also performed with the Monterrey Symphony in Mexico and with numerous chamber ensembles throughout Austria. Mr. Bass can be heard on recordings for Summit Records, D'Note Classics, and Toccata Classics. An Arizona native, Mr. Bass holds a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University.
--------------------------------------------------------- The Phoenix Symphony's 2007-08 Media Sponsors are The Arizona Republic and KAET.
Michael Christie named 2006 outstanding young American music director reflecting continued momentum for The Phoenix Symphony
Successful 2005-06 Season boasts new ticket sales and attendance records topped off with ASOL's "Emerging Music Director" award for Michael Christie
(PHOENIX) - The 2005-06 Season boasts a new record in ticket sales for The Phoenix Symphony. The Phoenix Symphony earned over $3.8 million in overall ticket revenue for the year, with 122,000 tickets sold and an increase of $600,000 over the 2004-05 Season. "There aren't too many orchestras achieving this kind of growth," said Maryellen H. Gleason, President and CEO of The Phoenix Symphony. Topping off the successful 2005-06 Season, Music Director Michael Christie was awarded a top industry honor last week at the American Symphony Orchestra League's (ASOL) annual conference in Los Angeles. The Helen M. Thompson award was presented during the closing ceremony of the conference and Ms. Gleason and Board Chairman Gerald W. Murphy were on hand to accept the award on Christie's behalf. "We are thrilled with this honor, bestowed upon The Phoenix Symphony's Music Director, Michael Christie," said Ms. Gleason. "He has worked tirelessly for the Symphony, raising the bar artistically, administratively, and musically through his leadership and musicianship. We are so proud to have him here." Michael Christie's creative and risk-taking approaches in leadership are fostering a new artistic growth within the organization. Christie's five-year artistic plan includes a renewed commitment to new music, recording and touring the orchestra, increasing the scope of major vocal concerts through concert opera, and embedding chamber ensembles within the Symphony. Two of Christie's innovative programming initiatives evident over the next five years include "Designed to Dance" and the Baroque Initiative. These programs are aimed to expose audiences to music as it was originally intended to be performed or presented. "Designed to Dance" features music written for dance accompanied by live dancing. The Baroque Initiative calls for training in period techniques on period instruments to achieve historically authentic performances. Committed to "providing doors to understanding music," Christie uses pre-, post-, and mid-concert talks and real-time program notes with his trademarked "Keeping Score©" to engage the community. In addition, three composers will be featured each season through Christie's Composer Narratives, creating a connecting thread throughout the Classics concerts and incorporating special lectures and recitals beyond the concert hall. The Helen M. Thompson Award for An Emerging Music Director was created 25 years ago to celebrate the life and work of Helen M. Thompson. Ms. Thompson gave nearly three decades of inspired leadership and service to the American Symphony Orchestra League (ASOL), developing and promoting the cause of the symphony orchestra in the United States. Given in alternate years, the award recognizes her support and encouragement of music directors early in their careers. Music directors who have worked at an ASOL member orchestra and have no more than five years total combined experience as a music director are eligible. Nominees demonstrate superior talent, dedication to the orchestra through exceptional musical leadership, commitment to organizational vitality, and possess potential for continued artistic growth. Michael Christie began his first season as the Virginia G. Piper Music Director of The Phoenix Symphony last fall, leading ten weeks of concerts and appearing in all of the orchestra's major concert series, including Classics, Pops, and Family, as well as series in Scottsdale, Mesa, and Prescott, Arizona. His involvement in Phoenix increases to fifteen weeks of conducting with the 2006-07 season, with additional weeks also devoted to community activities and administrative planning. More about Music Director Michael Christie: Michael Christie begins his tenure as the Virginia G. Piper Music Director of The Phoenix Symphony with the 2005-06 season. He also serves as Music Director of the Colorado Music Festival and the Brooklyn Philharmonic. He was the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Queensland Orchestra in Australia from 2001 to 2004 and continues his relationship with the orchestra as Principal Guest Conductor. He has appeared with orchestras across the United States, Europe, and Canada, as well as with the Finnish National Opera, Queensland Opera, and Zurich Opera. In 1995, Mr. Christie was awarded a special prize at the First International Sibelius Conductor's Competition. Following the competition, he became an apprentice conductor with the Chicago Symphony. Michael Christie graduated from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music with a bachelor's degree in trumpet performance. His conducting teachers have included Daniel Barenboim, Robert Spano, Eiji Oue, and Peter Jaffe. About ASOL: The American Symphony Orchestra League provides leadership and service to American orchestras while communicating to the public the value and importance of orchestras and the music they perform. Founded in 1942 and chartered by Congress in 1962, the League serves nearly 1000 member symphony, chamber, youth, and collegiat orchestras of all sizes. The League links a national network of thousands of musicians, conductors, managers, board members, volunteers, staff members, and business partners, providing a wealth of services, information, and educational opportunities to its members. Membership in the League is open to orchestras, individuals, students, other arts organizations and non-profits, businesses serving orchestras, volunteer associations, libraries, and career centers.
