NEW PHILHARMONIC PRESENTS “BRAHMS – BLISSFUL AND BOLD” AT DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY IN RIVER FOREST, SATURDAY OCT. 13

The New Philharmonic (NP) and Music Director/Conductor Kirk Muspratt begin NP’s 2012-2013 season by reuniting with pianist Yeol eum Son, silver medalist of the Van Cliburn and Tchaikovsky competitions, for “Brahms – Blissful and Bold,” Saturday, October 13 at 8 p.m. Because of upcoming renovation of the McAninch Arts Center this concert will take place in the Lund Auditorium at Dominican University Performing Arts Center at 7900 West Division Street, River Forest.

Son made her debut with NP this past spring performing one of the most famous piano concertos of the Romantic period, “Schumann’s Piano Concerto op. 54 in A minor.” For the Oct. 13 concert, Son will be showcased in Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, a composition for solo piano with orchestral accompaniment.

Johannes Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83 was composed 22 years after Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 (1858). Brahms began work on Piano Concerto No. 2 in 1878 and completed it in 1881. The work premiered in Budapest on Nov. 9, 1881, with Brahms as soloist, and was an immediate success.

The concert will also feature Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E-minor, Op. 98, the last of his symphonies. Brahms began working on the piece in 1884, just a year after completing his Symphony No. 3, and completed it in 1885.

New Philharmonic presents “Brahms – Blissful and Bold,” In the Lund Auditorium at Dominican University Performing Arts Center, 7900 West Division Street, River Forest. Oct. 13 at 8 p.m.Tickets are $38 adult/$36 senior/$28 youth. For advance ticket purchases, contact the MAC box office: (630) 942-4000, or visit: www.AtTheMAC.org. Tickets are also available the day of the performance at the Dominican University Performing Arts Center box office. For more information call 708-488-5000 or visit Dom.edu/pac.

New Philharmonic is a fully-professional, 80-member orchestra that has inspired classical music enthusiasts in Chicago and the suburbs for three decades. Under the direction of Conductor and Music Director Kirk Muspratt, named a 2006 Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune, the group gives innovative treatment to both classic compositions and modern works and strives to make the music accessible to new audiences and youth through a variety of educational efforts. New Philharmonic is the resident orchestra of the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill., and performs a complete season annually.

Dominican University Performing Arts Center, located in the Fine Arts Building at 7900 West Division Street in River Forest, Ill. is an accessible, comfortable home for the creative spirit, located just 10 miles west of Chicago’s Loop. New Philharmonic’s Oct. 13, Dec. 31 and Feb. 16-17 performances will be held in the Lund Auditorium which has a seating capacity of just under 1,200 seats. This venue offers superb acoustics, ideal sight lines and ample, free parking. For more information call 708-488-5000 or visit For more information call 708-488-5000 or visit Dom.edu/pac.

 

The McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage, located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355, houses three performance spaces, an art gallery and classrooms for the college’s academic programming. This unique facility has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and last year welcomed more than 75,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area. The MAC will undergo major renovations beginning fall 2012 that will update the major performance spaces, address significant infrastructure needs and improve several academic program areas. Scheduled completion date is Spring 2014. The project will cost $35 million and is funded by the $168 million referendum that voters of District 502 passed in November 2010. Other projects beginning this year include the renovation of the Physical Education Center, Student Resource Center and Seaton Computing Center, and construction of the Campus Maintenance Center. The mission of the McAninch Arts Center is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information visitwww.AtTheMAC.org

YEOL EUM SON
(Yadum Son)
Silver Medalist

Winner of the Steven De Groote Memorial Award for the Best Performance of Chamber MusicThirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

Pianist Yeol eum Son’s graceful interpretations, crystalline touch, and versatile, thrilling performances have caught the attention of audiences worldwide. Lauded as “a brilliant pianist who plays with a ravishing sound and formidable technique” (Telegram & Gazette), she continues to build international recognition with acclaimed performances across North America, Europe, and Asia.

A native of South Korea’s Kangwon Province, Ms. Son first drew international attention when she appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Lorin Maazel on its 2004 tour of Asia. She was reengaged to perform with the Philharmonic and Maestro Maazel on its historic tour to Seoul in 2008. Ms. Son solidified her reputation in 2009, when she claimed both the silver medal and the Steven De Groote Memorial Award for the Best Performance of Chamber Music in the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. This was followed two years later by a second-prize win at the XIV Tchaikovsky International Music Competition in Moscow, where she also received awards for her performances of a chamber concerto and the commissioned work.

A favorite among international orchestras, Ms. Son has appeared with the Israel Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, English Chamber, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Munich Chamber, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as the St. Petersburg Academic Symphony, Russian National, and Mariinsky Orchestras in Russia; NHK Symphony and Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestras in Japan; the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel Camerata, and Sinfonietta Be’er Sheva in Israel; and the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic. She has performed with the Seoul Philharmonic, KBS Symphony, and every other major orchestra in her home country of South Korea, and is also a regular among orchestras in the United States, including with the New Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, Utah Symphony, and the orchestras of Colorado Springs, Columbus, Evansville, Greenville, Hartford, Hudson Valley, Knoxville, Midland, Springfield, Syracuse, and Wichita.

 

She has toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, both as a recitalist and in concerts with the Takács Quartet, Albers Trio, and other ensembles. Ms. Son is also invited frequently to participate in international music festivals, including Germany’s Bad-Kissingen Summer Music Festival where, in the summer of 2010, she replaced Leif Ove Andsnes in an acclaimed solo recital. Considered one of Korea’s most important pianists, Ms. Son was particularly honored to play at the 2007 welcoming concert for the eighth Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, at the U.N. General Assembly Hall in New York City.

Highlights of the 2012–13 season include her debuts at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and with the Seattle Symphony and Ludovic Morlot, appearances with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra with Valery Gergiev, and a tour of Japan with the Ensemble Berlin. In addition, she will give recitals in Zurich, Munich, Seoul, Minneapolis, and Germantown, among other cities.

In addition to her achievements at the Cliburn and Tchaikovsky Competitions, Ms. Son won first place in Italy’s 2002 Viotti International Music Competition, as well as the top prize in Germany’s 2008 Kissinger Klavierolympiade in Bad-Kissingen and the 2000 Ettlingen International Piano Competition. She also claimed third prize in the triennial Arthur Rubinstein International “Master” Piano Competition in 2005. Named “Kumho Musician of the Year” in 2005, Ms. Son is now supported by SK Chemical.