Philadelphia Premiere of Aaron Copland's Piano Concerto

On Friday evening, January 16, 2015, at 8:00 p.m. in the Perelman Theater of the Kimmel Center, Valentin Radu will lead the orchestra of the Ama Deus Ensemble, and special guest artist British virtuoso pianist Peter Donohoe, in a rare performance of a largely overlooked (and at its debut, critically disdained) early masterpiece from the musical genius of Aaron Copland. In fact, research bears out that this will be the actual regional premiere of a major composition by a young Aaron Copland!

We find ourselves in a situation of mixed emotion: this concert has completely sold out! Being in the position of disappointment that we have no more seats to provide our friends and fans is a rare and humbling experience. Whether you have tickets or not, you can tune in to WRTI radio, FM 90.1, or listen to the live web stream at wrti.org, on Saturday, January 10, at 11:30 a.m. Jill Pasternak of WRTI interviews Maestros Peter Donohoe and Valentin Radu on her nationally syndicated radio show, Crossover.  They discuss Maestro Donohoe’s upcoming visit to Philadelphia and insights on the Copland Piano Concerto. Don’t miss it!

Meet the VoxAmaDeus soloists singing Vienna Magic this November

On Friday evening, November 21, beginning at 8:00 p.m. in the Perelman Theater of the Kimmel Center, I will conduct the orchestral and vocal musical artists of VoxAmaDeus' Ama Deus Ensemble in a stunning program of popular works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The program is entitled Vienna Magic.

The first half of this most melodic and high-energy concert will feature two famed works by Beethoven—the rousing Coriolan Overture and the melodiously lush and technically challenging Piano Concerto No. 3 in c minor, with yours truly conducting from the keyboard of the legendary Bösendorfer Imperial Grand Piano!

For the second portion of the evening, the artists of the Ama Deus Ensemble will assay overtures, choruses and scenes from three great Mozart operas—Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), Così fan tutte (Thus Do They All), both sung in English, as well as delightful excerpts from his less well-known opera, Idomeneo, re di Creta (Idomeneo, King of Crete), sung in Italian.

Portraying the numerous solo roles during the operatic portion of the evening will be eleven fabulous, professional vocalists drawn from the choral ensemble. Since this will be the first time VoxAmaDeus has done anything like this—and especially so that you can get to know them a little—I’ve invited each to introduce him/herself to the VoxAmaDeus audience with a brief “shout-out.”

I hope that you enjoy learning about the diverse, and highly talented, individuals whom I have the pleasure of leading on November 21. Come and enjoy!  
Valentin Radu

Meet

Vivian Barton Dozor

Principal Cellist of VoxAmaDeus Orchestras

In Conversation with Richard Shapp

Sometime during the 1990s, Vivian Barton Dozor became the rock-solid fixture—the principal cellist of VoxAmaDeus’ orchestras—who is so admired by Vox’s audiences and her fellow musicians. While an orchestra’s first violinist (aka, the concertmaster) generally attracts the majority of the public’s attention, the primo cellist frequently—but unfairly—sits in the shade. So, let’s begin to redress a snub to this pivotal player in the orchestra, and especially to the vastly talented, and tremendously important, Vivian Barton Dozor.

During the Sempre Vivaldi concerts of Friday, October 17 at 8:00 p.m., at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill, and Sunday, October 19 at 4:00 p.m. at Thomas Great Hall on the Bryn Mawr College campus, Vivian Barton Dozor will be the featured soloist in Vivaldi’s Cello Concerto in a minor, RV 422. Other featured soloists in these concerts include Paul Miller, viola d’amore, Daniel Boring, lute, and Sarah Davol, Baroque oboe.

Season 28 and the Bösendorfer Grand Piano

Great News for Lovers of Piano Concertos…
During Season 28
Bösendorfer Grand Pianos
Will Grace the VoxAmaDeus Concert Stage!

For the 2014-15 performance season, Valentin Radu and VoxAmaDeus have scored a pianistic coup. Thanks to a very special arrangement with the Cunningham Piano Company of Philadelphia, during Season 28 our stage will be graced, exclusively, by the incomparable, world-renowned pianos of the Austrian firm of Bösendorfer. And this means that you will be treated to the one-of-a-kind sonorities of what has been described as the “biggest, baddest piano in existence”—the 9-foot 6-inch long, 97-keyed, $250,000 Imperial Grand.We have two stories to relate about this musical triumph:
Since he was a child piano prodigy in Romania, Valentin Radu has performed on these magnificent instruments. Read his personal story about what makes the Bösendorfer such a world-renowned instrument.

Following that, read how a lad from upstate Pennsylvania—who used to play in rock-'n-roll bands—became an operatic tenor and is now the Philadelphia region's exclusive purveyor of the exquisite Bösendorfer piano…the fascinating personal journey of Timothy Oliver.

Highlights of Concert Season 28 from Maestro Radu

From the Director of Ticket Sales:
Purchasing tickets from VoxAmaDeus is easy and convenient. We have brought back two popular flexible Season Pass opportunities this season (click here to purchase). You can order individual tickets to all of our non-Kimmel Center concerts online from our web site, call our office at 610-688-2800 and speak to a real person(!) or fill out an order form from our Season 28 brochure and mail it with a check or credit card information [your credit card information is secure and is not stored on our server or on that of our card processor]. Tickets to our Kimmel Center concerts must be purchased from Ticket Philadelphia online, via telephone at 215-893-1999 or in person at the Kimmel Center Box Office. Click here for complete details of Season 28. We look forward to seeing you at our concerts! ~ Paul Marchesano

From Maestro Radu:
Similarly to my idol Johann Sebastian Bach (and also my engineer father), I have always been fascinated by numbers and their significance in my life and the world at large. My two favorite numbers have always been 3 and 7. Three represents the Holy Trinity (three Persons in one God), and seven was acquired later in life after I became a nut-case fan of James Bond ("Double O…").

When I was growing up in Communist Romania, religion and God were highly unpopular with, disapproved of, and disallowed by the regime. But in the majority of cases this edict had the opposite effect, making the "subjects" of the Eastern European communist countries even more religious and God-loving than they might otherwise have been. On the other hand, the films from the James Bond series somehow were not deemed to be too threatening to the regime. So, they were allowed to be shown on Romanian movie screens (whereas, with the exception of John Wayne Westerns, movies from the United States were no-nos).