PORTLAND — Portland Symphony Orchestra welcomes Grammy-nominated pianist Joyce Yang for a performance at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, at Merrill Auditorium. The performance will be led by guest conductor Aram Demirjian.
Yang first came to international attention in 2005 when she won the silver medal at the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The youngest contestant at 19, she took home two additional awards: Best Performance of Chamber Music (with the Takàcs Quartet), and Best Performance of a New Work. In 2006 Yang made her New York Philharmonic debut. She received the 2010 Avery Fisher Career Grant and earned her first Grammy nomination (Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance) for her recording of Franck, Kurtág, Previn & Schumann with violinist Augustin Hadelich.
Notable orchestral engagements have included the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the BBC Philharmonic, as well as the Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney, Melbourne, and New Zealand symphony orchestras.
Demirjian is widely acclaimed for his transformative work as the music director of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and frequent appearances with The Philadelphia Orchestra. A dynamic presence on the podium, he is sought after for his “graceful, energetic direction” (Sarasota Herald Tribune), bold programming, and distinctive abilities as a communicator.
The program includes Price, “Dances in the Canebrakes”; Ravel, “Piano Concerto in G major”; Delius, “The Walk to the Paradise Garden” from “A Village Romeo and Juliet”; and Stravinsky, “The Firebird Suite (1919).”
A pre-concert conversation is planned an hour and 15 minutes prior to the concert. It is free to all ticket holders and held in Merrill Auditorium. The discussion will focus on works by Robin Holcomb, Saint-Saëns, and Tchaikovsky. A post-concert Q&A will follow the concert on stage. The concert may be heard on Maine Public Classical on Feb. 26.
Founded in 1923, the Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is one of the largest performing arts organizations in Maine and is widely regarded as one of the top symphony orchestras of its size in the country. Made up of more than 80 professional musicians, the PSO is renowned for its critically acclaimed performances and broad community engagement. The symphony’s mission is to serve its community by enriching lives through music.
Tickets are available through PortTIX at 207-842-0800 or porttix.com. Phone and internet orders are subject to per-ticket handling fees. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Merrill Auditorium box office from noon to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays at Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St. More information can be found at www.portlandsymphony.org.
Portland Symphony Orchestra welcomes Grammy-nominated pianist Joyce Yang for a performance at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, at Merrill Auditorium in Portland. The performance will be led by guest conductor Aram Demirjian. Jason Rathbun
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