Former Phoenix Symphony Conductor, James DePreist,

Makes his Return to Arizona  

Guest Pianist Jon Kimura Parker to Perform

Gershwin’s Piano Concerto 

      PHOENIX – Gracing the stage with a guest appearance, James DePreist returns to Symphony to conduct Sergei Rachmaninoff’s massive Symphony No. 2 in E minor. Maestro DePreist will be joined by world-renowned pianist Jon Kimura Parker showcasing his tremendous musicianship in George Gershwin’s famous Concerto in F. Performances of Gershwin’s Piano Concerto will be held February 4 at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and February 5 and 6 at Symphony Hall. 

      Currently serving as the Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at The Juilliard School, Mr. DePreist’s concerts will mark the homecoming of The Phoenix Symphony’s former conductor and Artistic Advisor. With more than 50 recordings to his credit, Mr. DePreist’s varied recorded repertoire includes a celebrated Shostakovich series with the Helsinki Philharmonic and 15 recordings with the Oregon Symphony. In 2005, the President of the United States presented James DePreist with the National Medal of Arts, the nation's highest honor for artistic excellence.

      Pianist Jon Kimura Parker has performed as guest soloist with numerous orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony. His performance history also include two command performances for Queen Elizabeth II, special performances for the United States Supreme Court, and performances for the Prime Ministers of Canada and Japan.

      A Friday morning Coffee Concert will be held at Symphony Hall on February 5 at 11 am with an 8 pm concert, sponsored by the Family and Friends of Irv Shuman, on February 6. A 7:30 pm concert will be held at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on February 4.

      Tickets for “Gershwin Piano Concerto” range from $22 to $72 and can be purchased by calling the Phoenix Symphony Box Office at 602-495-1999 or by visiting www.phoenixsymphony.org. Season tickets are still available with packages of Choose Your Own 4 concerts for as low as $80!

      Other highlights of The Phoenix Symphony’s 2009/10 Classics Season, sponsored by US Airways, include “Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf” (February 18 – 20), “Tchaikovsky: Suite No. 3” (March 4 - 6), and “Mozart’s Requiem” (March 18 – 20.)   

      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.