Monday, September 10, 2007

New Philharmonic Orchestra of Irving to present “A Musical Journey” on October 9

By Pegasus News wire

IRVING — The New Philharmonic Orchestra of Irving celebrates its 20th year anniversary with the introduction of new conductor and music director Dr. Sergio Espinosa. Dr. Espinosa has planned an intriguing collection of musical offerings for this season, beginning on October 9th with A Musical Journey.

The first stop is Spain through the ears of Russian composer, Mikhail Glinka in his Capriccio brillante on Jota aragonesa, also known as the First Spanish Overture. Glinka, founder of Russian nationalism in music, greatly influenced two generations of Russian composers, notably Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. Next comes a trek into the cold with The Secret Language of Snow, composed by Colorado teacher Kirk Vogel. Inspired by the 26 native Inuit words that describe snow, Vogel paints wintry pictures via flute ensemble and orchestra. The five movements will feature two local groups, Flutissimo! and Flutasia. Following that chilly experience, the jazz sounds of Gershwin’s popular Rhapsody in Blue offer the ideal warm-up. Bandleader “King of Jazz” Paul Whiteman initiated the project of mixing jazz with symphonic music, persuading Gershwin to help. Gershwin told his first biographer Isaac Goldberg in 1931:

Dr. John Solomons, piano

Dr. John Solomons, featured soloist, has performed as soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Spain, France, and Italy, and has premiered numerous 20th century compositions. Notable prize winnings include first prizes in the Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Piano Competition, the Stewart Grant Competition and top prizes in the AMSA World Piano Competition and the Xavier Montsalvatge Piano Competition. Dr. Solomons holds degrees from Texas Christian University, the Hartt School of Music, and the University of North Texas and has served on the University of Texas at Arlington keyboard faculty since 1997. In the premier performance of Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin improvised sections of the piece, originally written for two pianos. Whiteman's pianist and chief arranger, Ferde Grofé, orchestrated the piece and Gershwin credited him as the key figure in enabling the piece to be successful. Grofé guides us to the end of our musical journey through his homage to the beauty found in the Grand Canyon and reflected in the spirit of the American people. The Grand Canyon Suite’s five movements, titled Sunrise, The Painted Desert, On the Trail, Sunset, and Cloudburst, capture the grandeur of the canyon landscape. Grofé had fallen under the spell of the Grand Canyon and as he would later write, “It became an obsession. The richness of the land and the rugged optimism of its people had fired my imagination. I was determined to put it all to music some day.” It remains an audience favorite.

Dr. Sergio Espinosa, Conductor/Music Director

Mexican conductor and violinist, Sergio Espinosa is the Music Director of the University of Texas at Arlington Symphony Orchestra and Coordinator of the String Division. He combines his time here with his position as Music Examiner for the International Baccalaureate Organization in Wales, UK. He also maintains an active schedule as clinician in Texas and beyond. Dr Espinosa studied at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the Conservatoire de Neuchâtel, Switzerland (Diplôme de Capacité Professionnelle de Violon), Ithaca College, New York, (Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting), and most recently received his DMA in Orchestra Conducting from the University of Iowa.

His activities as orchestral conductor include: Music Director with the Shoals Symphony Orchestra, Florence, Alabama; assistant conductor with the Orchestre de L'Université de Fribourg, Switzerland; and assistant conductor with the Orchestre Philharmonique Rhodanien, Tournon, France. He has also guest-conducted the Rome Festiva Orchestral, Rome, Italy; the Orquesta Sinfónica de Nuevo León; the Orquesta Sinfónica de Guanajuato; and Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional in Mexico.

As a violinist, Dr. Espinosa has been a member of the string quartet Boccherini in Spain and has played with many orchestras, including Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Móxico, Orchestre de Chambre de Neuchâel in Switzerland, Orchestre Municipal de Besançon in France, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada in Spain, Orquesta Do Norte de Portugal, and Fredonia Chamber Players, Cedar Rapids Symphony, and Quad-City Orchestra in the United States.

Source: New Philharmonic of Irving

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