ABOUT THE ARTISTS |
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Marin Alsop
One of the foremost conductors of our time , Marin Alsop represents a powerful and inspiring voice . The first woman to serve as the head of a major orchestra in the U . S ., South America , Austria and Britain , she is Chief Conductor of Vienna ’ s ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chief Conductor and Curator of Chicago ’ s Ravinia Festival , where she curates and conducts the Chicago Symphony ’ s summer residencies . She holds the title of OrchKids Founder and Music Director Laureate of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra , after an outstanding 14 years as its Music Director . Also serving as Conductor of Honour of Brazil ’ s São Paulo Symphony , the first Music Director of the University of Maryland ’ s National Orchestral Institute + Festival , and 2021 – 22 Harman / Eisner Artist-in-Residence of the Aspen Institute Arts Program , she was Music Director of California ’ s Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music for 25 years . The first and only conductor to receive a MacArthur Fellowship , she has also received the World Economic Forum ’ s Crystal Award and numerous honorary doctorates . To promote and nurture the careers of her fellow female conductors , she founded the program now named the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship . The Conductor , an award-winning documentary about her life , debuted at New York ’ s 2021 Tribeca Film Festival .
Olga Kern
With a vivid onstage presence , dazzling technique , and keen musicianship , Russian- American pianist Olga Kern is widely recognized as one of the great artists of her generation .
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She was born into a family of musicians in Russia and began studying piano at the age of five , and at 17 was awarded first prize at the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition . In 2001 , she jump-started her U . S . career , winning a historic Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth , Texas — the first woman to do so in more than 30 years .
In 2016 , she was Jury Chairman of both the Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition and the first Olga Kern International Piano Competition , where she also holds the title of Artistic Director . Since 2017 , she has served on the piano faculty of the Manhattan School of Music . In 2019 , she was appointed the Connie & Marc Jacobson Director of Chamber Music at the Virginia Arts Festival .
As a Steinway Artist , Kern has performed with many prominent orchestras . She was also a featured soloist on U . S . tours with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra .
Ms . Kern ’ s discography includes a Harmonia Mundi recording of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No . 1 with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Christopher Seaman ; her Grammy-nominated disc of Rachmaninoff ’ s Corelli Variations and other transcriptions ; and Chopin ’ s Piano Concerto No . 1 with the Warsaw Philharmonic and Antoni Wit . Other notable releases include Chopin ’ s Piano Sonatas No . 2 and 3 , and , more recently , SONY ’ s release of the Rachmaninoff Sonata for Cello and Piano with Sol Gabetta . Ms . Kern is also featured in award-winning documentaries about the 2001 Cliburn Competition : Playing on the Edge , They Came to Play , and Olga ’ s Journey .
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Marin Alsop
Olga Kern
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Adriane White
Elias Photography
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Experience the Performance Again A livestream of this program is available for a limited time . |
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MAR-APR 2023 / OVERTURE 25 |