Celebrating Mozart's Birthday

This is a birthday bash you just don’t want to miss! The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra continues its Season of Celebration with the 14th annual “Mozart Birthday Bash” concert on January 23, 2010 at Hill Auditorium at 8 PM. Joining the Orchestra onstage are Dr. Andrew Pelletier, horn, soprano Jennifer Larson, alto Sarah Nisbett, tenor John Charles Pierce, and bass Stephen West. This concert, sponsored by the Carl and Isabelle Brauer Fund, commemorates conductor Maestro Arie Lipsky’s tenth season as conductor of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra.

First on the all-Mozart program is the Divertimento K. 136. Divertimenti are light-hearted pieces, written to be played at social functions, and generally are not bound to the formal guidelines that govern most other genres of classical music. In other words, this divertimento is truly light party music, a perfect choice to begin a birthday celebration.

The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Horn Principal, Dr. Andrew Pelletier is the featured soloist in Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat Major. Mozart wrote all four horn concerti for his friend, Joseph Leutgeb. Mozart took delight in making them as tricky as he could (especially by the standards of the day). From odd markings to even completely unrelated interjections, Mozart seemed to be challenging Leutgeb and the soloist to keep a straight face! It is a short work of only about 15 minutes, and uses clarinet and bassoon with strings as its instrumentation to create a warm, rich core to support the horn.

A choir of over 200 voices from Pioneer High School, Huron High School and South Lyon High School, enriched by singers from Measure for Measure, Choral Union, Vocal Arts Ensemble and Temple Beth Emeth, joins the Orchestra for Mozart’s famous Requiem Mass in D minor. The mass was commissioned anonymously by count Franz von Walsegg, who wanted to pass the piece off as his own to commemorate the recent death of his wife. Walsegg was an amateur musician and composer, and so this ruse could have been believable. Mozart was in declining health at this point, though, and he died before even completing the Requiem. Franz Xaver Süssmayr later finished orchestrating it from what Mozart left, producing the version with which audiences are familiar today. One highlight of the work is the prominent use of trombones. For centuries, the trombone was considered the instrument of death, associated with fear and mortality, and Mozart makes hauntingly appropriate use of them in this requiem setting.

Horn soloist Dr. Andrew Pelletier won the first prize in the 1997 and 2001 American Horn Competitions. In 2005, Southwest Chamber Music, of which he is a member, won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Recording (small ensemble category). He has played with numerous major symphonies, including Toledo and Portland, Maine. His playing can be heard in many major motion pictures, including Lethal Weapon 4 and The X-Men. Dr. Pelletier serves as Assistant Professor of Horn at Bowling Green State University. Pelletier has played with the A2SO since the fall of 2006. He sits in the Sherman and Sylvia Funk Principal Horn Chair.

Jennifer Larson has been described by USA Today as possessing a "golden voice." As a soprano and popular soloist, Jennifer has sung with many symphonies and choirs including the Utah Symphony, the Madeline Choir, the Milwaukee Symphony, and the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. Jennifer has been singing professionally in New York since 2000 and she has also acquired a regular back-up band. The A2SO welcomes Larson back to sing again after her outstanding performance in the Magic Flute last season.

Ann Arbor native Sarah Nisbett performed with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra in last year’s sellout performance of The Magic Flute. She was a first-prize winner of the 2007 National Opera Association Vocal Competition, and has played many significant roles in the opera repertoire, including the title role of Handel’s Oreste and Marcellina in Mozart’s the Marriage of Figaro.

John Charles Pierce completed his Bachelor and Master of Music at the University of Illinois and pursued his Doctorate at the University of Indiana. As a Heldentenor, John has won the Wagner Prize and has appeared in European and American operas and concerts alike. He is sought after due to his very rich voice. Pierce is a honorary member of the International Hans von Buelow Society based out of Europe.

Stephen West is Professor of Voice at the University of Michigan. He was also a performer for last year’s “Birthday Bash,” starring as Pagapeno in the Magic Flute. West has appeared with many internationally renowned companies, including the Opera National de Paris, Deutsche Staatsoper, Teatro Carlo Felice, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. His repertoire covers all areas of the spectrum, from roles in Mozart’s operas to Wagnerian epics, and even the Wizard in the musical Wicked, which he played in Denver.

Maestro Arie Lipsky leads the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra for his tenth season. His esteem in the music world is not limited to his baton. Maestro Lipsky is also a well-trained flautist and cellist. In addition to music, he holds a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and served in the Israeli Army. Esteemed conductor Yoel Levi says of him, “As a musician Arie is first class; his technique is excellent, his memory outstanding.” Ann Arbor has seen tremendous musical growth under his baton. He is a member of the New Arts Trio, which has released CD recordings to critical acclaim.

A pre-concert lecture covering the evening’s repertoire will take place from 7:00-7:30pm on the main floor of Hill Auditorium. Lecturers will include Maestro Arie Lipsky, vocal soloists, and A2SO principal horn and soloist Andrew Pelletier.

The Mozart Birthday Bash begins at 8pm on Saturday, January 23rd in Hill Auditorium in downtown Ann Arbor. Tickets range from $6 to $49 and are available by calling 734/994-4801, visiting the A²SO office at 220 E. Huron, Suite 470, M-F 9 am to 5 pm and the day of the concert from 9 am to 1 pm, and online at www.a2so.com. Ticket sales have been brisk. If there are any remaining tickets, they will be available at the Hill Auditorium box office starting at 6 pm the day of the concert. Discounts on tickets include $2 off for senior citizens. All students are eligible to receive a 50% discount on any ticket over $10. Music and Humanities students from Pioneer, Huron, and Skyline High Schools are invited to attend Mozart’s Birthday Bash at no cost. Call 734/994-4801 to reserve tickets or show school ID at the door the day of the concert starting at 6 pm.

The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra is a premier regional orchestra that offers live, symphonic music for all ages. The A²SO touches the lives of almost 80,000 people annually from tiny tots to seasoned citizens in venues ranging from the Michigan Theater to Hill Auditorium, to schools in the five-county area, Ann Arbor, Dexter, and Ypsilanti District Libraries and senior centers. For concert or education programming information, contact the A2SO at 220 E. Huron, Suite 470, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, or phone 734/994-4801, or a2so@a2so.com.