The Phoenix Symphony Presents the Second Annual Target World Music Festival 

Concerts include the African Children’s Choir and

the return of puppeteer Basil Twist  

      PHOENIX – With the support of the Target Corporation, The Phoenix Symphony will present its second annual World Music Festival around the Valley January 14 – February 27. The Festival features a kaleidoscope of the world’s finest musicians converging in Phoenix – including authentic traditional music from Peru, the jubilant and mesmerizing melodies from the children of Africa and the sensual sounds of the Argentinean tango.

      MASTER PETER’S PUPPET SHOW

      The Festival kicks off with the return of master puppeteer Basil Twist and his puppeteers for Falla’s Master Peter’s Puppet Show, a puppet-opera devoted to the escapades of Don Quixote. Life size puppets interact within a show of shifting realities as Don Quixote’s rescue of a puppet maiden is told through the interplay of fluid scenery and Bunraku-style and rod puppets. The evening is paired with Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas’s rhythmic Sensamayá as well as Gabriela Lena Frank’s stunning Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout depicting indigenous Peruvian sounds with authentic folk musicians, Tahuantinsuyo. Concerts are at Symphony Hall January 14 at 7:30 p.m., with additional sponsorship from Mary and Michael Carey, January 16 at 8 p.m., with a shortened Coffee Concert January 15 at 11 a.m. 

      JAKE SHIMABUKURO

      Renowned for his lightning-fast fingers and revolutionary playing techniques, Jake Shimabukuro shows how the ukulele is so much more than traditional Hawaiian music. Experimenting with various guitar effects allows Mr. Shimabukuro to create sounds never thought possible on the tiny four-string instrument. A true showman, his performance captivates audiences with intricate strumming and plucking, electrifying, high-energy grooves and smooth, melodic ballads evoking heartfelt emotion. This concert will be presented at the Orpheum Theatre on January 15 at 8 p.m. Please note, The Phoenix Symphony does not perform on this concert.

      AFRICAN CHILDREN’S CHOIR

      Comprised of children aged 7 to 12 from various African nations, the African Children’s Choir is one of the most celebrated groups on tour today. Many have lost one or both parents to poverty or disease, yet they have broken from the cycle of hardships to share the songs of their nations with the world. In a spirit of hope and inspiration, the African Children’s Choir is the ambassador for Africa’s neediest, most vulnerable children. It shows the world that its members, like the millions of abandoned and traumatized children in Africa, have beauty, dignity and unlimited potential. Proceeds from the African Children’s Choir go towards their relief and development projects in Africa where they provide education, food, shelter and medical assistance to Africa’s orphans and needy children. This concert will be presented at the Orpheum Theatre on January 17 at 2 p.m. with additional sponsorship from Molly & Nick DeFilippis. Please note, The Phoenix Symphony does not perform on this concert.

      VIVALDI/PIAZZOLA:  EIGHT SEASONS

      Inspired by Vivaldi’s celebrated Four Seasons, Argentinean Astor Piazzolla composed his fiery Four Season of Buenos Aires combining jazz, Latin rhythms, and the mighty tango. Hear both composers’ distinct take on nature’s four seasons as acclaimed baroque violinist Robert Mealy and 2008 Avery Fisher winner, Karen Gomyo, perform these stunning concerti of Vivaldi and Piazzolla:  Eight Seasons in juxtaposition. Concerts will be held at the Orpheum Theatre January 22 and 23 both at 8 p.m. 
 

      ARGENTINE TANGO!

      Bandoneón master and composer Raul Jaurena brings his sizzling Tango Sinfónico as part of the World Music Festival. Brought to Argentina by German sailors, the bandoneón, an accordion like instrument, came of age in the 19th century bordellos of Buenos Aires, then took Paris by storm in the 1930s. Today, the bandoneón is the sound of Tango. Combining the traditional roots of tango, with the “Tango Nuevo” influence of Astor Piazzola, Jaurena will be joined by the Phoenix Symphony Chamber Ensemble, the razor sharp precision of Argentinean tango dancers Carolina Jaurena and Diego Blanco and the sultry sounds of vocalist Marga Mitchell for an afternoon of sensual, fiery tango January 24 at 2 p.m. at Mesa Arts Center.

      THE BAND OF THE IRISH GUARDS

      The Band of the Irish Guards was formed on April 1, 1900 on the expressed wish of Her Majesty Queen Victoria to commemorate the bravery of the many Irish Regiments who had fought in the South African campaigns. In 2010, this premiere military band makes its debut tour of the United States of America, with Phoenix as one of its first stops. This will be an unprecedented spectacle of pomp and circumstance, with over eighty five performers incorporating centuries of musical ceremonial tradition from The Mounting of the Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace, to Trooping the Color, and concluding with an Irish sing-along. This one night only concert will be held at Symphony Hall on February 27 at 8 p.m. The Band of the Irish Guards will also perform as part of the Target Family Series on February 27 at 2:30 p.m. Please note, The Phoenix Symphony does not perform on these concerts.

      Tickets for all Target World Music Festival concerts can be purchased by calling the Phoenix Symphony Box Office at 602-495-1999 or by visiting www.phoenixsymphony.org. 

      About The Phoenix Symphony: The Phoenix Symphony has been proudly serving the citizens of the Phoenix metropolitan area and Arizona since 1947. What began as an occasional group of musicians performing a handful of concerts each year (in a city of fewer than 100,000 people) today serves more than 300,000 people annually, with almost 200 concerts and presentations throughout the greater Phoenix area and beyond.

      Under the artistic leadership of Michael Christie as the Virginia G. Piper Music Director and administrative leadership of President Maryellen H. Gleason, the orchestra is overseen by the non-profit Phoenix Symphony Association under Board Chairman C.A. Howlett.

      The Phoenix Symphony presents an annual season from September through the beginning of June, featuring full-length classical and pops concerts at Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix, as well as concerts in Scottsdale, Mesa, Prescott and throughout central Arizona. The Symphony performs for more than 80,000 students and children, helping to introduce music to new generations through a variety of education and youth-engagement programs.