The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra welcomes violinist James Ehnes and the Women of the Providence Singers, who join conductor and Artistic Advisor Bramwell Tovey for a program of Tovey’s Urban Runway, Barber’s Violin Concerto, and Holst’s The Planets.
TACO Classical Concert Series
Saturday, October 19 • 8pm
The VETS, Providence
Bramwell Tovey, conductor
James Ehnes, violin
Women of the Providence Singers, Christine Noel, Artistic Director
TOVEY Urban Runway
BARBER Violin Concerto
HOLST The Planets
Before the Concert 7:00pm
Pre-concert Talk with Francisco Noya
After the Concert
Q&A with Bramwell Tovey
Amica Rush Hour
Friday, October 18 at 6:30pm
The VETS, Providence
Bramwell Tovey, conductor
Women of the Providence Singers, Christine Noel, Artistic Director
Security at The VETS
Due to enhanced security, walk-through metal detectors are now used at all performances. Please be advised that all bags may be inspected at the discretion of VETS security and/or the police officer on site. Items confiscated will not be returned. Please be advised that firearms, weapons, backpacks, suitcases, briefcases, and laptops are not allowed in the building. Additionally, outside food and drinks are not permitted inside the venue. Please arrive 35-45 minutes early for entry into the building.
To RSVP email ljohnson-carvalho@riphil.org Deadline for reservations and cancellations is Wednesday, October 16!
About the Conductor
Bramwell Tovey
As Artistic Advisor and Conductor of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School, Bramwell Tovey embarks on his first official full season leading the Orchestra. During the 2019-20 season, he will lead the Orchestra in 20 performances and nine concert programs. A Grammy and Juno award winning conductor and composer, Tovey is also the Principal Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Calgary Opera. He is currently the Music Director Emeritus following his 18-year tenure as Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO), which concluded in summer 2018.
James Ehnes is one of the most sought-after violinists on the international stage. Gifted with a rare combination of stunning virtuosity, serene lyricism and an unfaltering musicality, Mr. Ehnes is a favorite guest of many of the world’s most respected conductors. Mr. Ehnes began his violin studies at the age of five, became a protégé of the noted Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin when he was nine, and made his orchestra debut with Orchestra Symphonique de Montréal at age 13. He continued his studies with Sally Thomas at the Meadowmount School of Music and The Juilliard School, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music upon his graduation in 1997.
Founded in 1971, the Providence Singers, under the direction of Christine Noel, celebrates choral art through concerts of masterworks and contemporary works, creative collaborations, recordings of American choral treasures, new music commissions and education programs. In addition to an annual concert series, the Singers has made frequent guest appearances throughout the region, including annual concerts with the RI Philharmonic Orchestra.
Urban Runway (2008) bases its title on the “fashion shows” that may be seen on the sidewalks of Fifth Avenue (New York) and Rodeo Drive (Los Angeles). The idea is that the clothing that customers buy and wear influences how they walk and exhibit unique idiosyncrasies.
In the summer of 1939, Barber began work on his Violin Concerto in a small Swiss village. Before the end of summer he moved to Paris, where he hoped to finish the work. However, Americans were soon warned to leave the French capital because of the threat of war, so Barber returned to the United States with only the first two movements completed.
In a letter to a friend in 1913, Gustav Holst revealed a growing interest in astrology that would lead to composing his symphonic suite The Planets. However, he could not fully realize his idea immediately. Holst earned his living as a music teacher at St. Paul’s Girls’ School, and the only time he had for composing was weekends and holidays. For that reason, it took him two years to finish The Planets. Due to wartime problems, it was not until 1918 that conductor Balfour Gardiner arranged a private reading of five movements at the Queen’s Hall, using German prisoners of war to fill out the orchestra.
