EPSO News


2008-2009 Season
Music Is Life
We Invite You

To Celebrate Music and Life!

Journey to the Heart of the World’s Finest Music!

Experience the Magic of a Live Concert performed by El Paso’s finest musicians under the baton of our dynamic leader, Sarah Ioannides!

Call us today and secure your tickets to the El Paso Symphony's 2008-2009 Season, the best entertainment in town!

AN ESSENTIAL EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE!

September 19 & 20, 2008
Sarah Ioannides, Conductor
Lukas Vondracek, piano
Shostakovich Festive Overture, op. 96
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5, op. 73, E-flat major “Emperor”
Sibelius Symphony No. 2, op. 43, D major

October 17 & 18, 2008
Sarah Ioannides, Conductor
Chloë Hanslip, Violin
Spanish & Latin Favorites
De Falla La Vida Breve: Interlude & Dance
Korngold Violin Concerto, op. 35, D major
Revueltas Sensemaya
Ginastera Estancia
De Falla Three Cornered Hat Suite No.2

November 21 & 22, 2008
Sarah Ioannides, Conductor
Roberto Diaz, viola
Birthday Celebration
William Walton, 25 years
Mendelssohn, 200 years
In Memory of Haydn, 200years
Haydn La Fedelta Premiata Overture (Fidelity’s Reward)
Walton Viola Concerto
Mendelssohn Symphony No.4, op.90, A major “Italian”

January 23 & 24, 2009
Sarah Ioannides, Conductor
Ben Hong, cello and Awadagin Pratt, piano
El Paso Pro Musica Film Festival Celebration
Dvořák In Nature’s Realm, op. 91
Dario Marianelli Atonement Suite for Cello, Piano and Orchestra
(Oscar Winning Composer, Music from the Film)
Beethoven Symphony No.7

February 20 & 21, 2009
Andrew Grams, Guest Conductor
Eric Ruske, Horn
Borodin Prince Igor Overture
Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1
Dvořák Symphony No.8

April 17 & 18, 2009
Sarah Ioannides
Douglas Major, Organ
Americana Program-Year of the Organ
Copland Fanfare for the Common Man
Barber Toccata Festiva, op. 36
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue (transcribed for Organ and Orchestra)
Copland Appalachian Spring
Gershwin An American in Paris






POETRY, DANCE, AND A NOVEL INSPIRE SEASON FINALE
Sarah Ioannides returns to El Paso to conduct the El Paso Symphony’s final concerts of the 2007-2008 Season on April 11 and 12, 2008, 7:30pm at the Plaza Theatre featuring 23 year-old French harpist Emmanuel Ceysson and a mostly French program inspired by poetry, art and dance.

The concerts begin with Debussy’s Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune (Afternoon of a Faun) which was inspired by a poem by Stephane Mallarmé about a mythical faun, half man, half goat. The composition which begins with the famous opening flute solo introduced a new concept of musical form and is considered to have been a turning point in the history of music.

The young Frenchman, Emmanuel Ceysson, will join the El Paso Symphony in the second piece to perform Henrietta Renie’s Concerto for Harp and Orchestra. Ceysson frequently performs with the L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and is the Principal Harp of the Paris Opera Orchestra. He fell in love with the harp at age 6 and began playing at age 8. Currently 23, he is being praised by critics for his “poetic expressiveness” and “brilliant and incisive playing.” Henrietta Renie, herself a virtuoso harpist, was the first to perform her own concerto in Paris in March 13, 1901 at the age of 26. She wrote about the importance of both performing and teaching, “To be a great virtuoso and a great artist, one must not only feel deeply but express what one feels; it is necessary to give unceasingly, to touch others, to move their hearts and souls through contact with one’s own heart and soul, both roused by the music.”

The second half of the program begins with Victoria Borisova-Ollas’ Open Ground. Inspired by Salman Rushdie’s novel The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Ollas’ wrote Open Ground on commission by the Stockholm Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2006 and was premiered by that orchestra in August 20, 2006. Ollas’ says of the work “[This book] is one of his most significant and complex novels where the fictitious reality goes side by side with real historic events. The collisions between the two worlds often have a most devastating effect on the fate of all characters involved. One of them, a legendary rock singer Vina Apsara, disappears under mysterious circumstances while an earthquake is raging in Mexico. I have found an emotional inspiration in the first chapter of the book containing the description of the earthquake. The title for the piece is my own though. "Open ground" is an expression which might be interpreted differently depending on the context. The ground beneath our feet, the reality in which we exist at the moment, how real and stable it actually is? Also who would have ever dared to imagine what it feels like when it suddenly starts to rock?”

Rounding out the program is Ravel’s La Valse which pays tribute to the Viennese waltz. At one point, La Valse was intended to be performed as ballet by Ballet Russes. Although never performed as a ballet, La Valse was presented as a concert piece on December 12, 1920. Ravel describes his work as “I had intended this work to be a kind of apotheosis of the Viennese waltz, with which was associated in my imagination an impression of a fantastic and fatal sort of dervish's dance. I imagined this waltz being danced in an imperial palace about the year 1855. From time to time, through rifts in turbulent clouds, waltzing couples can be glimpsed. The clouds gradually disperse and a huge ballroom is revealed, filled with a great crowd of whirling dancers. Gradually the stage grows lighter. The light of the chandeliers bursts out full."

Tickets for these final concerts of the season, generously sponsored by El Paso Community Foundation and State National Bank, range from $10 to $35 plus applicable fees. Student tickets are available for $7 and $5 plus applicable fees. Tickets may be purchased at the Symphony Office (915) 532-3776 or at any Ticketmaster outlet.

Prior to the concerts, Dr. Dena Kay Jones presents an in-depth and entertaining discussion about the evening’s program and composers at 6:30pm in the lobby of the Plaza Theatre.

For more information on the El Paso Symphony call (915) 532-EPSO (3776) or visit our website at www.epso.org. The El Paso Symphony is made possible with the support of the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts.


epso.org/files/doc_73.pdf

Downtown KidsPalooza
Family Art & Music Festival
On March 8, 2008 from 10am to 4pm something quite extraordinary will happen in downtown El Paso -- children will take to the streets! In a remarkable inaugural event, children along with friends and family will be boarding trolleys all over downtown to attend a multitude of places and happenings as they embark on a remarkable cultural cruise of downtown El Paso. Saturday, March 8th is the day of the very first “Downtown KidsPalooza” -- an event you will not want to miss. From the magnificent Plaza Theatre to the newly renovated Cleveland Square, to the Insights Museum, the Museum of Art and historic Union Plaza, cultural experiences will be but a trolley stop away.
A group representing El Paso’s prominent downtown arts organizations has come together to collaborate on this one day fun-filled family event that includes:

Children’s Concerts ♪ Art & Music Workshops ♪ Earth Harp
Dancers, Puppet Shows & Live Theater ♪ Games & Activities ♪ Music & Science ♪ Explore Locomotive Bells & Whistles ♪ Tut Exhibit ♪ Live Music ♪ Food & Drinks

Downtown KidsPalooza is made possible through the generous support of Walmart, The Cardwell Foundation, TVO North America, Hunt Family Foundation, Rocky Mountain Mortgage, Applebee’s, Village Inn, Mrs. Robert M. Graham, Sr., Mrs. Frances R. Axelson, Inter National Bank, Price’s Creameries, El Paso Times, Southwest Parent Magazine, and The Children’s Hospital at Providence sponsoring the Earth Harp.

From 10:00am to 4:00pm families will have opportunities to experience concerts, workshops and activities provided by the partners of Downtown KidsPalooza.

Download the schedule of events below.




epso.org/files/doc_72.pdf

El Paso Opera Conductor Takes EPSO Baton
Raymond Harvey Guest Conducts in February
El Paso Opera’s Music Director, Raymond Harvey, will step in for Sarah Ioannides to conduct the El Paso Symphony Orchestra on February 22 and 23, 2008, 7:30pm at the Plaza Theatre. Sarah Ioannides and Scott Hartman are due to have their first baby at the beginning of March. Ioannides will return to El Paso in April to conduct the final concerts of the Season on April 11 and 12, 2008. On behalf of the El Paso Symphony Board of Trustees, Orchestra and Staff, we wish to congratulate Sarah and Scott and we wish them all the best!

Raymond Harvey has garnered critical acclaim on symphonic podiums throughout the United States. He currently is in his ninth season as Music Director of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and was previously Music Director of the Springfield Symphony in Massachusetts and the Fresno Philharmonic in California. He has appeared as guest conductor with many of the country's leading orchestras, including those of Philadelphia, Atlanta, St. Louis, Utah, Indianapolis, Rochester, Buffalo, Detroit, Louisville, New Orleans and Minnesota, as well as the New York Philharmonic's Young People's Concerts and the Boston Pops. Ioannides is pleased to welcome Raymond Harvey “I am delighted to have Maestro Harvey making his El Paso Symphony Orchestra debut with us. Many of our patrons and orchestra are most familiar with his excellent musicianship. This will be a special occasion for all.”

Harvey has made a slight change in the program. Originally to be all Grieg, the February program will feature Samuel Barber’s Overture to The School for Scandal, Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Shumann’s Symphony No. 3 “Rhenish”. Returning to El Paso to perform Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the El Paso Symphony is Brazilian born pianist Arnaldo Cohen. In December 2006, the New York Times declared Cohen as “technically flawless in treacherously difficult selections” and called his performance “a model of balance and imagination.” His command of the piano repertoire has consistently drawn similar praise, such as the Milwaukee Journal’s review of his Brahms Concerto No. 1 with the Milwaukee Symphony under Andreas Delfs in March 2006: “The combination of technical command and expressive insight he demonstrated is every musician’s goal.”

The February Classical Concerts are generously sponsored by Western Refining and is made possible with the support of the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts.


SUMMARY OF EVENTS:
February 22 and 23, 2008, 7:30pm at the Plaza Theatre
El Paso Symphony Orchestra
Raymond Harvey, Guest Conductor
Featuring Arnaldo Cohen, Piano
Program:
Barber Overture to The School for Scandal
Grieg Piano Concerto
Schumann Symphony No. 3 “Rhenish”
Tickets: $11 to $37; students tickets $6 and $8
Available at 915.532.3776 or www.ticketmaster.com

Backstage Pass: February 21, 6pm, Tour and Dinner, Reservations required – 915.532.3776
Opening Notes: February 22 and 23, 2008, 6:30pm, Philanthropy Theatre – open to all


epso.org/files/doc_71.pdf

Ring In 2008 with EPSO
Rossetti String Quartet
The El Paso Symphony Orchestra led by Maestra Sarah Ioannides will ring in the New Year with the highly sophisticated Rossetti String Quartet on Friday, January 25 and Saturday, January 26, 2008, 7:30pm at the Plaza Theatre. Presented in collaboration with the El Paso Pro-Musica Chamber Music Festival, the Rossetti String Quartet has been praised by critics as a “vital force among chamber music ensembles” and hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “a provocative ensemble (whose) achievement is stunning, its future brilliant.” The Quartet which is named after 19th century Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, whose artistic ideals about the use of color, poetry, and naturalism are embodied in the Quartet's musicianship, will perform Spohr’s String Quartet Concerto in A minor, op. 131. Members of the Rossetti String Quartet, each an accomplished musical artist and active soloist, includes: violinist and founding member Henry Gronnier; violinist and founding member Thomas Diener; Cellist Eric Gaenslen; and Violinist and newest member Timothy Fain.

The El Paso Symphony Orchestra and Maestra Ioannides begin the program with Rossini’s The Thieving Magpie Overture. This overture, from the opera The Thieving Magpie, is most well known for its use of snare drum. It has provided the background score for many television and radio commericials and made an appearance in the Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film “A Clockwork Orange”. Rounding out the program is Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 also known as the Pastorale Symphony. The Pastorale Symphony contains some of Beethoven’s most beautiful writing. Originally labeled as "Recollections of Country Life", the symphony begins with an "Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arriving in the Country," setting the idyllic mood of the symphony. Throughout the remaining four movements, Beethoven walks his audience through his love of nature.

Individual concert tickets for these performances are $11 to $37. Student tickets are available at $6 and $8. Tickets may be purchased through the El Paso Symphony (915) 532-3776 or at any Ticketmaster outlet.

Join Maestra Sarah Ioannides and the Orchestra for a Backstage Pass and experience an “up close and personal” look of the behind-the-scenes making of a concert at Thursday’s, January 24 dress rehearsal. Your backstage experience begins with a tour at 6:00pm of the Plaza Theatre followed by a casual dinner with the conductor and musicians at 6:30pm. Stay for rehearsal at 7:30pm and observe the interaction between the musicians and conductor. An educational and fun evening the whole family can enjoy. Tour and rehearsal is free. Dinner is $8 for adults and $6 for children 5 to 12 years of age. Reservations required, call (915) 532-3776.

Prior to both Friday’s and Saturday’s performance, Dr. Dena Kay Jones will present a discussion of the evening’s performance with “inside scoops” into the compositions, composers and performers. These lively and insightful discussions are held at 6:30pm in the Philanthropy Theatre located in the annex of the Plaza Theatre.

This weekend’s program is generously sponsored by A Friend of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, “providing the essential sound of music for the revitalization of the heart of our great city, its downtown” and made possible with the support of the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Let The Music Ignite Your Holiday Spirit
Holiday Afternoon with the El Paso Symphony
Enjoy an afternoon of traditional holiday music with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra led by Conductor Benjamin Loeb -- Sunday, December 9, 2:00pm at the Plaza Theatre. The entire family will catch the holiday spirit in an afternoon of feel-good entertainment. The El Paso Symphony will warm your heart with traditional favorites including Christmas Festival, O Holy Night, Let There Be Peace On Earth and new favorites - A Charlie Brown Christmas and Christmas Elf Overture. Joining the El Paso Symphony to bring joy and spread holiday cheer are the beautiful voices of Susan Lorette Dunn, Soprano and the El Paso Chorale Children’s Choir. This enchanting afternoon will culminate with an audience sing-a-long as the El Paso Symphony performs a medley of well-known carols.

Tickets for this magical concert are $20 and may be purchased through Ticketmaster (915) 544-8444, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Marci Rotz at (915) 566-4066. Family discounts available. “A Holiday Afternoon with the El Paso Symphony” is presented by the “Step Up and Aim High Partners Program” in partnership with the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation and sponsored by The El Paso Electric Company and the El Paso Times. Proceeds will provide college scholarships to El Paso students. For additional information on the Step Up and Aim High Program Partners or sponsorship opportunities call Marci Rotz at (915) 566-4066.

Coming in November
Virtuoso Trumpeter performs Virtuoso Showpiece
Already this season, Maestra Sarah Ioannides and the El Paso Symphony have performed with some of the most exceptional, exciting, up and coming young artists of today. November’s guest artist is no exception. On November 16 and 17, Emmy award winning composer and virtuoso trumpeter Anthony DiLorenzo will join Maestra Sarah Ioannides and the El Paso Symphony Orchestra to perform Aleksander Arutiunian’s famous soulful and energetic Trumpet Concerto influenced by the folk music of Arutiunian’s birth place, Armenia.

Anthony is well known for being able to crossover from classical to jazz. He recently soloed with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Symphony Orchestra performing some of the great Harry James Classics. In addition to being a solo artist, he performs with The Center City Brass Quintet and the up and coming chamber group Proteus 7, whose trombone player is Scott Hartman (yes, Maestra Sarah Ioannides husband). You can also hear his trumpet playing on over 70 films and countless TV commercials, sports and News Themes throughout the world. He is an accomplished composer whose music has been performed by symphony orchestras and chamber groups. He has also composed more than 80 film trailers, some of which include The Lost World, Final Fantasy, 101 Dalmatians, Forrest Gump and Cold Mountain. Recently, Anthony fulfilled a life long dream and composed the music for a full feature film, the latest Benji movie titled: Benji Off The Leash.

You will not want to miss this superb program that also features Khachaturian’s “Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia” from Spartacus, Suite No. 2, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5.

Call for tickets today! (915) 532-3776

The Red Violin: Music and Art
El Paso Symphony and El Paso Musuem of Art collaborate to bring The Red Violin to life through Music and Art.

On October 17, 2007 from 12:10 to 12:50pm the El Paso Museum of Art, in partnership with El Paso Symphony Orchestra, will present a discussion and performance of art and music through the paintings and violin scores at the El Paso Museum of Art with Maestra Sarah Iaonnides, Museum Director Dr. Michael Tomor, and violinist Lara St. John.

This unique presentation will include a live discussion on Francios Girard’s Oscar-winning 1998 film The Red Violin and Corigliano’s Red Violin Suite from his award-winning score to the film. The Red Violin tells the story of a cursed violin that travels the globe, passing from doomed owner to doomed owner until the violin disappears and reappears at the end of movie in the hands of a little girl. The real red violin, a 1720 Mendelssohn Stradivari, which inspired this film is currently owned by violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn. She was 16 years old when the Strad was presented to her as a gift from her grandfather. All that is known about the violin was that it vanished from sight soon after it was built and documented, and centuries later, in 1945, it quitely came into possession of a wealthy businessman. Elizabeth Pitcairn and the story of her red violin are currently highlighted on the latest issue of Strings Magazine – www.stringsmagazine.com.

In response to the Red Violin's history, Dr. Michael Tomor, Director of the El Paso Museum of Art will give very brief vignettes on the art of the 17th century in Italy through St. Bernice (1640) by Bernardo Strozzi, 19th century France and Western Europe through Portrait of a Man by Nicoles Langilliere (1717), the 19th and 20th century Canada through Emil Carlson's Still Life and 21st century America through Still Life by Peter Max (2006).

On display will be several rare and beautiful violins. Guest speakers, Dr. Joseph Sylan professor of Music History and Literature at NMSU and Laurence Gibson professor of Music at UTEP, will speak on the history of violins. Dr. Sylvan will have on hand his very own 1620 Giovanni Paolo Maggini. Maggini (1580 – 1630), born in Botticino,Italy, is considered one of the most important instrument makers of the Brescian school. Maggini is known to have made at least sixty violins, nine violas, two violoncellos, one double bass.

Lara St. John and Laurence Gibson will compare and demonstrate their Guadagnini violins. Lara St. John currently performs on the 1779 “Salabue” Guadagnini, currently valued at around $1 million, thanks to an anonymous donor and Heinl & Co. of Toronto which she calls the “Resurrection”. Mr. Gibson owns and performs on a 1776 Guadagnini which was discovered in an old castle in Switzerland.

Lara St. John’s violin has it own interesting background, at least that which is known, from the 20th century onwards. Ms. St. John’s writes about her violin “Apparently a loving father bought it back in the 20s or 30s for his young violinist son, in California. This boy was doing very well - he studied with Zimbalist - and at the age of 16 played a concerto at the Hollywood Bowl. At the age of 17, he contracted tuberculosis and died that year. His father was heartbroken, so much so that he entombed the Guadagnini and some bows along with his son. (The details are a bit sketchy, but I have to assume that he had a mausoleum erected for him). This was the case for about fifty years, until finally the violin came back to light again. I am not sure if the father passed away, or if he decided it should be played again, or what, but apparently it was sold to an amateur for a while in the 80s. Finally, it started making the rounds of various luthiers, some of whom were rather spooked by the story. A few years ago it came up for auction and was bought by an anonymous donor who has now lent it to me. I am somehow not at all freaked out by the history of this violin - mainly because the whole thing happened out of a father's love for his son. The Guad is in extraordinary condition, practically never having had a scratch or crack, and is beautiful to look at as well as to play. There is a depth and strength to it which I have never felt on any Stradivarius, or other violin. I am very lucky and grateful to have this living link to a past era, the violin presumably having much more history to it than the later portion that I know. I mean, when this fiddle was made, Beethoven himself was 9 years old! Cool. One can only imagine where it's been, and who has heard it.”

At 5:00pm the film The Red Violin will be shown in the Museum’s El Paso Energy Auditorium. Discussion and film are free and open to the public.

On October 19 and 20, 7:30pm at the Plaza Theatre, Maestra Sarah Ioannides and the El Paso Symphony with guest violinist Lara St. John will perform Corigliano’s The Red Violin Suite. The program will also include Liszt’s Totentanz arranged for violin and orchestra and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1. Tickets for the concerts range from $11 to $37 and are available through the El Paso Symphony Box Office, 532-3776.

El Paso Symphony Orchestra Association
P.O. Box 180
El Paso, Texas 79942
General Information and Tickets (915) 532-3776
(915) 533-8162 Fax
www.epso.org

Symphony on a Musical Journey in October
Described as "something of a phenomenon" by The Strad magazine and a “high-powered soloist” by the New York Times, Canadian born violinist Lara St. John will join the Maestra Sarah Ioannides and the El Paso Symphony on October 19 and 20, 7:30pm at the Plaza Theatre to perform Corigliano’s academy-award winning score The Red Violin Suite from the movie The Red Violin. Corigliano was deeply involved in the creation of the film, directed by François Girard. It is the story of a violin, stained by its maker, a 17-century Cremona craftsman, with the blood of his dead wife, as it is passed through the centuries. Lara St. John together with the EPSO will also perform Listz’ Totentanz (orginally written for piano). This new arrangement for violin and orchestra was written by Ms. St. John and Martin Kennedy. Lara St. John began playing the violin when she was 2 years old. She made her first appearance as soloist with orchestra at age 4, and made her European debut with the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon when she was 10. She toured Spain, France, Portugal and Hungary at ages 12 and 13, entered the Curtis Institute at 13, and spent her first summer at Marlboro three years later. A successful recording artist, Lara St. John’s debut CD, Bach: Works for Violin Solo, has sold over 40,000 copies and received resounding acclaim. The Chicago Tribune described Ms. St. John as having “superb technique and an irresistible vitality,” while US News and World Report called the recording “an exquisite performance". Her second album, Gypsy, was described as “A sizzling display” by Gramophone, and The Strad called her "an electrifying player, as deeply satisfying in Bach as she is bewitchingly seductive in Waxman's Carmen Fantasy". Her third recording, Bach: the Concerto Album, again received favorable reviews with Gramophone placing the disc in its strongly recommended section, saying, "It is difficult to argue with such a technically dazzling and unfailingly musical interpretation." In June of 2005 the recording was released on iTunes where it immediately jumped to No. 1 in the classical category.

Upcoming releases include the six solo Sonatas and Partitas of Johan Sebastian Bach, as well as a recording with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London and Maestra Sarah Ioannides, featuring two world-premiere works by Matthew Hindson and Martin Kennedy, and the Red Violin Suite by John Corigliano.

Maestra Ioannides and the El Paso Symphony will end these performances, sponsored by GCC of America, with Sibelius’ romantic and emotional Symphony No. 1. Treating the audience to an exciting musical journey that begins with the heroic, surging energy of the first movement Allegro energico, all the way to the dramatic, fearsome diminuendo of the final two chords, pizzicato.

Individual concert tickets are $11 to $37. Student tickets are available at $6 and $8. Call the Symphony office at (915) 532-3776 for information.

On October 17 from 12:10 to 12:50pm the El Paso Museum of Art, in partnership with EPSO, will present a discussion and performance of art and music through the paintings and violin scores at the Art Museum with Maestra Sarah Iaonnides, Museum Director Dr. Michael Tomor, and Lara St. John. Following will be a discussion on Corigliano’s academy-award winning score from the film The Red Violin. The film will be shown in the Museum’s El Paso Energy Auditorium at 5:00pm. Discussion and film are free and open to the public.

Join Maestra Sarah Ioannides and the Orchestra for a Backstage Pass and experience an “up close and personal” look of the behind-the-scenes making of a concert at Thursday’s, October 18 dress rehearsal. Your backstage experience begins with a tour at 6:15pm of the Plaza Theatre followed by a casual dinner with the conductor and musicians at 6:30pm. Stay for rehearsal at 7:30pm and observe the interaction between the musicians and conductor. An educational and fun evening the whole family can enjoy. Tour and rehearsal is free. Dinner is $8 for adults and $6 for children 5 to 12 years of age. Reservations required, call (915) 532-3776.

On Friday, October 19 Maestra Ioannides and Ms. St. John will be the guest speakers at Music Sandwiched In. This interactive informal music forum will focus on the October Classical Concerts of the El Paso Symphony. Music Sandwiched In, held at the University of Texas at El Paso’s Music Department, is free of charge and open to the public.

Prior to both Friday’s and Saturday’s performance, Dr. Dena Kay Jones will present a discussion of the evening’s performance with “inside scoops” into the compositions, composers and performers. These lively and insightful discussions are held at 6:30pm in the Philanthropy Theatre located in the annex of the Plaza Theatre.





EPSO Holds Auditions
Auditions for 2007-2008
The El Paso Symphony Orchestra will be holding auditions for the 2007-2008 Season for the following positions:

Section Violin I (1 position)
Asst. Principal Violin II
Section Violin II (4 positions)
Section Viola (2 positions)
Section Cello (1 position)
Asst. Principal Contrabass
Section Contrabass (1 position)
Principal Harp
Second Oboe/possible English Horn
Third Oboe/Auxiliary, possible English Horn
Third Bassoon/possible Contrabassoon

Auditions will be held at the University of Texas at El Paso, Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall on Saturday, August 25, 2007 through Tuesday, August 28, 2007. Audition Application and Requirements are available online at www.epso.org. For further information contact the El Paso Symphony office at (915) 532-3776. Applications are due by August 10, 2007.


Audition Requirements
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EPSO 2007 Audition Requirements

Audition Application
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EPSO 2007 Audition Application

El Paso Symphony Appoints Associate Conductor
The El Paso Symphony Orchestra Association Board of Trustees and Maestra Sarah Ioannides are pleased to appoint Benjamin Loeb to the position of Associate Conductor of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra (EPSO). Benjamin also serves as Music Director of the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras (EPSYOs). EPSYOs is El Paso’s only year-round, national-level, multiple-orchestra system serving the Region’s Best Young Musicians in El Paso, southern New Mexico and Juarez. El Paso has a rich history of youth orchestras beginning with the former El Paso Youth Symphony created by the late Abraham Chavez, Jr., El Paso Symphony Orchestra Music Director from 1975 to 1991, and Sam Trimble, Principal Trumpet of the EPSO, and the Philharmonic Strings created Dr. Marcia Fountain and led by Charles Angerstein, Diana Gilliland, Gloria Mendoza, Mark Tombosky, Ida Chavez Weaver, Guillermo Quezada, and other leaders in the El Paso musical community. We are proud to follow in their footsteps by creating great educational opportunities for the young musicians in our region and to have Benjamin Loeb leading this initiative.

Benjamin comes to EPSO with very high qualifications. A native Texan, he is an accomplished conductor, piano accompanist, soloist, arranger, and educator. He held the position of Assistant Conductor for the Haddonfield Symphony for four years and Assistant Conductor for the Greater Bridgeport (CT) Symphony Orchestra for two years, and has served for the third summer as Assistant Conductor for the TodiMusicFest in Portsmouth, VA. Now in its fifth year, Benjamin is the Founder and Artistic Director of the International Conducting Workshop. This summer the workshop was held in Zlin, Czech Republic and Chihuahua, Mexico. Benjamin holds a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory in Conducting, as a student of Gustav Meier, a Master in Music from the Curtis Institute, a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the Juilliard School in Accompanying and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University.

As Associate Conductor, Benjamin will cover classical and pops rehearsals and concerts as required. Duties will include being present at various rehearsals, assisting the Music Director and conducting if required by the Music Director. Other responsibilities include conducting off-stage musicians, program research, educational outreach, and representing the El Paso Symphony Orchestra (EPSO) on occasion for marketing or speaking events.

This season the El Paso Symphony Orchestra will introduce a new “Family Series” conducted by Benjamin Loeb. The concerts will allow the EPSO to reach out to families and young people of El Paso with collaboration between the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras and the El Paso Symphony Orchestra.

The El Paso Symphony Orchestra Association is pleased to announce Benjamin Loeb to the Associate Conductor position and feels confident that he will bring the same dedication to the EPSO position as he has brought to the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras.

For a complete biography on Benjamin Loeb, visit www.benloeb.com. Further information on the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras is available at www.epsyos.com.



Benjamin Loeb, EPSO Associate Conductor, to lead Music Institute of Chicago Orchestral Program
The El Paso Symphony Orchestra (EPSO) and El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras (EPSYOs) are proud to announce that EPSO Associate Conductor and EPSYOs Music Director Benjamin Loeb has been named Director of Orchestras at the prestigious Music Institute of Chicago (MIC) beginning September 1. He will continue living in El Paso and serving with the same dedication and commitment in his roles with the EPSO and EPSYOs. He was recruited by MIC primarily because of the success he has had in developing the EPSYOs.

Founded in 1931, the Music Institute of Chicago (MIC) is an exceptional community music school with a national reputation. MIC’s mission is to provide a foundation for lifelong enjoyment of music by offering the highest quality music education for students of all ability levels, from four months to 100 years of age. Each year the world-class teachers provide first-rate instruction to more than 7,000 students. In addition to campuses in Evanston, Lincolnshire, and Winnetka, MIC serves more than 4,300 children through outreach partnerships with the Chicago Public Schools. The high level of teaching is also reflected in the success of many of the alumni of MIC – Wendy Warner, cello and violinists Rachel Barton Pine and Jennifer Koh, among others. MIC alumni fill the ranks of the top music conservatories across the world; at the Curtis Institute of Music, MIC alumni represent almost 10% of the current student body.

Benjamin Loeb, an accomplished conductor, pianist, arranger, and educator is the new Director of Orchestras at the Music Institute of Chicago (MIC) effective this summer. A native Texan, Loeb is the Associate Conductor of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra where he founded and leads the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras as Music and Executive Director. In addition, he teaches at the new El Paso Conservatory of Music and had conducted the El Paso Youth Choir. Past positions include four years as Assistant Conductor for the Haddonfield Symphony, two years as Assistant Conductor for the Greater Bridgeport (CT) Symphony Orchestra, and three summers as Assistant Conductor for the TodiMusicFest in Portsmouth, Virginia. He is also the Founder and Artistic Director of the International Conducting Workshop and Festival, a six-year-old training program for orchestra conductors most recently held in Zlin, Czech Republic and Chihuahua, Mexico.

Benjamin Loeb’s musicianship shows tremendous range. With the Haddonfield Symphony Loeb led musical outreach in southern New Jersey schools and introduced children of all ages to orchestral instruments. At Rutgers University, Peabody Conservatory, and Harvard University, he led full-scale opera productions. As Artistic Director of the International Conducting Workshop and Festival (ICWF), he organized workshops that have trained over 250 conductors from 27 countries. Yo-Yo Ma has asked Loeb to create and conduct arrangements of 16th century madrigals for the Silk Road Project, and Loeb has toured with his rock musician sister, Lisa Loeb, leading his own orchestral accompaniments.

In addition to his work as a conductor, Loeb is an accomplished pianist. Highlights this season have included three performances of the Beethoven Emperor Concerto including one in which he both conducted and performed as soloist. Concerts have taken him around to world to perform at major venues in New York City, San Francisco, Dallas, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Berlin, Seoul, Guangzhou, and Panama City. He has toured for Community Concerts and has been featured as Artist-in-Residence on NPR’s Performance Today with violinist Livia Sohn. He also toured Argentina and Chile as one of the last Artistic Ambassadors for the United States Information Agency with clarinetist David Gresham. He has served as an official pianist for the Joseph Joachim/Hanover International Violin Competition, the Walter Naumberg Violin Competition, Marlboro Music Festival and Concerts Artist Guild auditions, and the Steans/Ravinia Festival. Loeb can be heard on many labels having recorded CD’s with violinist Joseph Lin (Korngold) and Takako Nishizaki (Mozart) on Naxos, Judy Kang for the Canadian Broadcast Corporation, with soprano Allison Charney on the DSCLabel. He has an upcoming solo album on Naxos of Joplin Rags as well as more CD’s with Joseph Lin (Busoni Violin Sonatas) and Livia Sohn (opera fantasies and transcriptions).

Loeb holds a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory in Conducting where he studied with Gustav Meier. In addition, he has a Master in Music from the Curtis Institute, a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the Juilliard School in Accompanying, and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University.


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Programs and artists are subject to change without notice. The El Paso Symphony is made possible with the support of the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts.