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Knoxville Symphony Orchestra welcomes music director candidate at exhibition

Mar. 04, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2016

For more information, contact:
Rachel Dellinger, KSO director of communications
Direct: 865-521-2317 Cell: 865-660-3037
[email protected]

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Jacomo Bairos

Jacomo Bairos

In two weeks, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra will continue its Moxley Carmichael Masterworks Series with Pictures at an Exhibition, conducted by Maestro Jacomo Rafael Bairos, KSO Music Director Candidate. The concert will take place on Thursday, March 17 and Friday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Tennessee Theatre and is sponsored by Dalen Products and Bass, Berry & Sims. Tickets start at just $15 and are available here.

Musical selections include John Adams’ The Chairman Dances, Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto and Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition arranged by Maurice Ravel, all at the baton of guest conductor Jacomo Rafael Bairos. Elena Urioste will join the KSO for Barber’s Violin Concerto. Throughout the KSO’s 2015-16 season six candidates will audition for the position of the next KSO Music Director. Each candidate will conduct a pair of Masterworks concerts, held monthly at the Tennessee Theatre. Read more about the KSO Music Director Search here.

“I always hope audiences come into the concert hall expecting to take a journey with the Orchestra,” said conductor Jacomo Rafael Bairos. “There is so much emotion and passion in the work of these composers, our goal is to intimately share the color, style, narrative and energy with everyone in the concert hall.”

“In preparing this program I intended these unique masterpieces to display a specific sonic journey, both in style and content. John Adams’ Chairman Dances is swift, rhythmic and concise, yet also has this kaleidoscope of sounds and styles within its sparkling textures. Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto reflected a much more sentimental and introverted stance. This piece creates an intimate relationship between soloist, orchestra, and audience. Plus, soloist Elena Urioste’s magical touch on this work gives this concerto such a unique dynamic. Finally, a heavy-handed Russian Master’s music, rearranged by a light Frenchman’s touch is the perfect counterbalance of drama, folk songs and storytelling, against lightness, masterful orchestration and colorful reinterpretation. This really excites me; taking classical traditions and works, and reinventing them for the modern era so they speak to society today. I wanted to have the audiences feeling joy and excitement with the final notes of Pictures at an Exhibition, as it is certainly one of the most epic and monumental moments in all of music history.”

Portuguese-American conductor Jacomo Rafael Bairos was named the Amarillo Symphony’s 17th Music Director and Conductor in 2013. Committed to education, Bairos and the Amarillo Symphony have introduced Class Act, which passionately presents insightful and engaging music performances to schools across the Texas panhandle. Along with regularly working the Amarillo Youth Orchestras, Bairos has crafted orchestral programs and concerts for orchestras, including SymphonyKids and Carnegie Hall’s Link-Up that have enriched the lives of children across the United States and abroad.

He is a graduate of both the Peabody Conservatory’s Orchestral Conducting program and the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen. As an accomplished and award-winning tubist, Bairos has given master classes and performed with festivals and orchestras around the world, and has held principal posts with orchestras in America, Spain, and China and most recently was Principal Tuba for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra from 2004-2007.

Elena Urioste

Elena Urioste

Violinist Elena Urioste was recently selected as a BBC New Generation Artist and featured on the cover of Symphony magazine. Elena is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Joseph Silverstein, Pamela Frank, and Ida Kavafian. She completed graduate studies with Joel Smirnoff at The Juilliard School. Since first appearing with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age thirteen, she has made acclaimed debuts with major orchestras throughout the United States, including the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Boston Pops, Buffalo Philharmonic, and more.

Patrons can attend pre-concert chats at 6:30 p.m. in the concert hall before each performance. Guest performers will offer their personal perspective and audience members will have a chance for Q&A with the artists. This is a unique get-to-know-you opportunity!

Tickets may be purchased by calling 865-291-3310 or visiting the KSO website. Single tickets range from $15.00 – $85.00. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets at a discounted rate by calling 865-521-2337.

About the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra

Established in 1935, the KSO has contributed to the cultural life in East Tennessee continuously for 80 years, providing excellence in musical and educational programs. The Orchestra consists of 80 professional musicians and performs 250 programs throughout the region each season, reaching audiences of more than 200,000 people. The KSO performs in traditional venues such as the Tennessee Theatre, Bijou Theatre and the Civic Auditorium as well as non-traditional places like hospitals, schools, city parks and churches.  The KSO is currently undergoing the search for a new Music Director, to be announced in 2016. For more information please visit www.knoxvillesymphony.com.