Shira Gilbert PR

Special Guest Clay Aiken joins DCINY’s “Reflections of Life” on February 20 at Carnegie Hall

shiragilbert — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:40:56 +0000

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents an evening of choral music celebrating the continuous cycle of life and renewal, including world premieres by James Eakin and Greg Gilpin, on February 20th at Carnegie Hall. Special guest Clay Aiken will bring his unique presence and vibrancy to host the second half of the concert, narrating several works by award-winning choral composer and arranger Gilpin, who will also conduct. The concert, says Gilpin, is a “vessel in which all generations may join in music, tying together each person’s journey in life.” Since coming to national attention on the second season of American Idol in 2003, Aiken has sold more than six million albums, written a New York Times bestselling memoir, produced and hosted television programs, and starred on Broadway. He joins the cast of this year’s Celebrity Apprentice, premiering on February 19th on NBC.

Info at www.DCINY.org; tickets at www.carnegiehall.org

A Weekend of Music in Honour of the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. – January 15 & 16

shiragilbert — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:01:19 +0000

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents two sublime concerts of choral music on Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, inspired by Dr. King and peacemakers the world over. The concert on Sunday, January 15 at 2pm at Avery Fisher Hall welcomes 2012 with Psalms & Songs for the New Year, featuring John Rutter’s magnificent and emotionally-charged Mass of the Children, Leonard Bernstein’s colourful Chichester Psalms, and Gloria by Randol Bass, with Guest Conductor James M. Meaders. The following evening, Monday, January 16 at 7pm at Carnegie Hall, DCINY presents the WORLD PREMIERE of The Peacemakers by Karl Jenkins, the most performed living classical composer in the world. Over 300 musicians will come together under the baton of Mr. Jenkins to perform this new major work for adult choir, two children’s choirs and orchestra with solo instrumentalists, offering inspiration and solace for a time in need of both. The works weaves together texts from several of the greatest peacemakers throughout history, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Ghandi, The Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa, as well as words from the Bible and the Qu’ran. (The Peacemakers premiere recording will be released by EMI on January 9th.)

www.DCINY.org

Evan Shinners’ @bach LA release party + exclusive video

shiragilbert — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:18:22 +0000

Pianist Evan Shinners is confouding critics with his debut release @bach, a compilation of two live, unedited, all-Bach concerts. “This is one hell of a debut,” raves critic George Grella, in his blog The Big City, “not only for the quality, but the ambition and attitude.” And, Laurence Vittes in The Huffington Post calls @bach “essential” as well as “one of the brattiest Bach recordings to come along since Glenn Gould himself.” @bach has been featured on American Public Media’s Performance Today and, in November, Evan earned raves for his performance in WQXR’s Beethoven Marathon.

Click here for Evan’s exclusive “French Overture” video on KPFK, in advance of the @bach CD release party at The Mint on December 20 at 8pm:

Evan Shinners – French Overture

Le Casse-noix Moderne ~ The Modern Nutcracker on December 29th

shiragilbert — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:36:38 +0000

Bidding adieu to 2011 with sparkle, splendour and swing, Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Le Casse-noix Moderne – The Modern Nutcracker on Thursday, December 29 at 7:00pm at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College. This delectable holiday treat from Alabama’s Etowah Youth Orchestras and Downtown Dance Conservatory will be seen in its New York City debut for one night only. Composer and arranger Mike Gagliardo and choreographer Linze Rickles McRae’s Casse-noix Moderne is a version of the famous holiday classic like no other — a retrospective of modern music and dance, encompassing every form of popular music from the 1920′s to the present. Featuring selected music from Tchaikovsky’s original, each selection becomes a different style: “Trepak” is a swinging big band number, while the “Sugar Plum Fairy” becomes a soulful ballad; “Mirlitons” turns into a western swing number, while the Overture is straight-ahead rock and roll. Le Casse-noix Moderne enthrals with its original, modern interpretations, maintaining all of the magic and familiarity of the timeless holiday classic.

Tickets at www.dciny.org or www.brownpapertickets.com/event/207839

Evan Shinners debuts @bach in New York and LA

shiragilbert — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:18:58 +0000

Preconceptions of how Bach should be played fly out the window with @bach, the debut release from the wildly talented pianist and 2010 Juilliard graduate Evan Shinners. The compilation of two live, unedited performances recorded at Juilliard and Rockefeller University last spring bursts with raw musicality, spontaneous and calculated virtuosity, and an ebullient energy. Shinners, who connects with today’s audiences in a way that has seldom been seen for a classical artist, will perform in December in New York (Rockwood Music Hall, December 7) and Los Angeles (The Mint, December 20). Find out why Time Out New York called him “a bona fide Bach star” and The New York Times declared, “Evan Shinners attacked the score with a bravura that might have pleased Liszt.”

www.evanshinners.com

Messiah … Refreshed! at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center

shiragilbert — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:33:35 +0000

Distinguished Concerts International New York ushers in the holiday season with Handel’s Messiah – with a twist! This Thanksgiving weekend, on Sunday, November 27 at 2pm, Lincoln Center will feature, for the first time, the rich sounds of the Thomas Beecham/Eugene Goossens’ 1959 re-orchestration of Messiah for full symphony orchestra. The re-orchestration, which reappeared in 1999 after a 40-year absence, fills the concert hall with gloriously rich tonal color, to the enthusiasm of audiences wherever it has been performed. DCINY’s Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Jonathan Griffith conducts and the featured soloists include soprano Sara Jean Ford (pictured), currently starring as Christine Daae in Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera. Hear the array of colors the new orchestration brings to the Hallelujah Chorus– and why the original recording of the Beecham/Goossens version is one of the most popular Messiah recordings of all time.

www.DCINY.org / www.lincolncenter.org

Julie Nesrallah, Acclaimed Mezzo-Soprano & Host of CBC Radio 2’s Tempo, in Montreal Recital

shiragilbert — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:40:21 +0000

Mezzo-soprano, Julie Nesrallah, acclaimed for a voice of “rich, expressive splendour” (The Globe and Mail) joins pianist Dana Nigrim for a recital of music by Rossini, Hahn, Debussy and Montsalvatge on Sunday, November 6 at 7:30pm, part of McGill’s Staff and Guests Series at Pollack Hall in Montreal. A dazzling singer and actress who is regularly engaged by leading opera companies, symphonies, festivals and ensembles across North America and abroad, Miss Nesrallah is also well-known to classical music lovers across the country as the engaging host of CBC Radio 2’s flagship classical music program, Tempo. Julie was recently heard by millions of spectators across the world when she sang “God Save the Queen” for His Royal Highness, Prince William and Her Royal Highness Princess Kate during 2011 Canada Day festivities in Ottawa on Parliament Hill.

Tickets just $10, available at 555 Sherbrooke Street West or by calling 514.398.4547.

www.julienesrallah.com

NATS Winner Thomas Florio in Carnegie Hall Debut

shiragilbert — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:53:43 +0000

Baritone Thomas Florio, First Place winner of the 2010 National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Award Competition, makes his New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall on Sunday, October 30 at 2:00pm, presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York. A superbly versatile performer, the rapidly rising baritone, who turns 27 this month, is a District Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and currently an artist in residence with Hamburg State Opera Studio, where he has performed roles in Rigoletto, Tosca, and La fille du régiment. Florio and pianist Jasmin Arakawa’s program will include music by Gerald Finzi, Jacques Ibert, Benjamin Britten, Enríc Granados and Hans Pfitzner, plus Five Commercial Jingles, Florio’s own conceptual take on classic jingles from the 50s, 60s and 70s including “Aqua Velva Man” and Gerber’s “Bringing Up Baby.” Tickets and information at www.carnegiehall.org and www.dciny.com.

Jessye Norman joins A Concert of Commemoration, Honoring the 10th Anniversary of 9/11

shiragilbert — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 02:03:26 +0000

Jessye Norman, celebrated opera singer, activist and American icon, joins Distinguished Concerts International New York on the afternoon of September 11^th for A Concert of Commemoration, Honoring the 10^th Anniversary of 9/11. Over 600 musicians will fill the stage for the concert featuring iconic music of war and peace, including over 300 members of England’s renowned Really Big Chorus. Miss Norman will speak the role of the Narrator in Karl Jenkins’s For the Fallen, in its U.S. premiere, and will also read Mayor Bloomberg’s proclamation to open the concert. The concert takes place at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center at 2pm. Tickets and information at www.lincolncenter.org and www.dciny.com.

Louise Bessette at Mont Tremblant’s Fête de la Musique, September 5 at 12pm

shiragilbert — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:38:21 +0000

Pianist Louise Bessette offers “Danse et folklore”, a bewitching solo recital program to passionately embrace the passing summer, on Monday September 5th (Labour Day) at 12pm, on stage Quebecor, place Saint-Bernard, Tremblant. The outdoor recital will encompass tangos by Albeniz and Piazzolla, extracts from Danzas Gitanas op. 55 by Turina, plus the famous Suite Andalouse by cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona. These works have been recorded by Louise on Tango Diablo! (Sept jardins, SJCD 1910), and Reflections on Spain (Analekta, AN 2 9963).
More information and a full schedule for Fête de la Musique can be found at: http://www.tremblant.ca/