Julien's Journal May 2016 (Volume 41, Number 5) | Page 13

PREMIER EVENT

Midori

DUBUQUE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WITH WORLD-FAMOUS

The Dubuque Symphony Orchestra (DSO)
wraps up the 2015-2016 season by opening
the concert with one of classical music’s
best loved works, Dvorak’s popular “New
World” symphony. Following Dvorak, the
orchestra will share the stage with acclaimed superstar Midori Goto performing
Tchaikovsky’s stunning Violin Concert.
“Having Midori come to Dubuque to play
with our Orchestra and Youth Ensembles
is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Midori
is one of the most talented violinists of our
generation, so this is really a big, big deal
for the DSO and Dubuque,” said Executive
Director Mark Wahlert. This magnificent
live music experience will be held on Saturday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May
8 at 2:00 p.m. at Five Flags Theater, downtown Dubuque. Tickets to this performance
are bound to sell quickly due to the esteemed
status of the guest artist, so hurry and buy your
tickets now!
Midori was born in Osaka, Japan in 1971
and began studying the violin with her
mother, Setsu Goto, at a very early age. Zubin Mehta first heard Midori play in 1982,
and it was he who invited her to make her
now legendary debut – at the age of 11 – at
the New York Philharmonic’s traditional
New Year’s Eve concert, on which occasion
she received a standing ovation and the
impetus to begin a major career.
Today, Midori resides in Los Angeles and is
recognized as an extraordinary performer,
a devoted and gifted educator, and an innovative community engagement activist.
In recognition of the breadth and quality of
her work in these three entirely separate
fields, in 2012 she was given the prestigious
Crystal Award by the World Economic
Forum in Davos, was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and was
awarded an honorary doctorate in music
by Yale University. In 2007, she was named
a Messenger of Peace by U.N. SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon. In essence, over
the years she has created a new model for
young artists who seek to balance the joys
and demands of a performing career at the
highest level with a hands-on investment in
the power of music to change lives.

Saturday-Sunday, May 7-8
7:30 PM (Sat.) & 2 PM (Sun.)
@ Five Flags Theater

Named Distinguished Professor of Music
at the University of Southern California in
2012, Midori works with her students at
USC’s Thornton School, where she is also
Jascha Heifetz Chair. Midori thrives amidst
the challenges presented by her full-time
career as educator at a major university.
To these commitments she adds a guest
professorship at Japan’s Soai University,
and substantial periods of time devoted to
community engagement work.
Midori’s enthusiasm for playing and supporting the music of our time has blossomed into a significant and ongoing commitment. Over the years she has commissioned works for a great variety of forces.
Over all, the individuals Midori has sought
out to create new repertoire for the violin
represent an impressive array of some of
the most talented of today’s composers,
including Lee Hyla, Rodion Shchedrin,
Krzysztof Penderecki, Derek Bermel, Brett
Dean, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Michael
Hersch, Pierre Jalbert, Peter Eötvös, and
now Johannes Maria Staud
In 2000, Midori received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Gender Studies at
the Gallatin School of New York University,
graduating magna cum laude, and in 2005
earned her Master’s degree in Psychology,
also from NYU.
Highly in demand, Midori has performed
with orchestras around the world, including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York
Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic,
London Symphony, and many others. She
also maintains a busy schedule of recitals
and chamber music appearances, and is
committed to creating new repertoire for
the violin by commissioning music from
some of today’s most talented composers. Midori commits herself just as fully to
bringing music to those who do not have
easy access to the arts. To this end, she
has founded four organizations over the
course of her career, the first of which,
Midori and Friends, she started at the age
of 21 in an effort to bring music education
to underserved neighborhoods in the U.S.
and Japan.
This concert is made possible by the gener-

ous support of American Trust. Tickets are
$15-78. Discounted $6 student tickets will
be available in the theater lobby one hour
prior to each performance. To purchase
individual tickets, call the Five Flags Theater box office at [phone] or visit
DubuqueSymphony.org.
Editor’s note: Article supplied by the Dubuque
Symphony Orchestra.

Midori in Residence

The Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and
Dubuque Symphony Youth Ensembles
have been awarded a week-long residency by world-famous violinist Midori in the
spring of 2016. The Orchestra Residencies Program was designed by Midori as a
means of supporting the American youth
orchestra, and is a collaborative project
which provides meaningful musical experiences now for the next generation of
classical music