Excitement is brewing

Last year, classical music fans in Los Angeles and New York welcomed Gustavo Dudamel and Alan Gilbert as their music directors. This season Ricardo Muti is making headlines in Chicago as he takes the reins of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Here in San Antonio, the orchestra celebrates "The SLL Era" as Sebastian Lang Lessing becomes music director. KPAC has followed the search and talked with SLL on both of his trips (April 2009) (November 2009) and when it was announced (announcement and interview).

Currently we're collaborating with the San Antonio Symphony to "Find SLL" - a scavenger hunt that can land you free tickets to the orchestra concerts in October. Through September 26, a life-size cutout of Maestro Lang-Lessing, will be placed at random businesses around town. The "Flat Sebastian" or "SLL" will be at each location for one week, starting on Tuesdays. To win tickets, take a photo of yourself standing next to SLL with your camera or smart phone and send it to tickets@saysmphony.org with your contact information. You may also upload your picture to the San Antonio Symphony Facebook page, and the Symphony will contact you. (TPR Host John Clare pictured left at an undisclosed location)
Clues as to where to find SLL each week will be broadcast weekdays at 9:00 a.m. here on KPAC 88.3 FM, and will also be available on the San Antonio Symphony Facebook page, and through the Twitter feeds @SASym and @TPRClassical.
Sebastian Lang-Lessing makes his debut with the San Antonio Symphony as our new Music Director on October 2 with a special concert featuring Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, the "Titan."

SA Sym: Sebastian Lang Lessing

SA Sym: Sebastian Lang Lessing from Classical Spotlight on Vimeo.

Conductor in national spotlight

Alondra de la Parra, music driector candidate for the San Antonio Symphony, recently conducted the world renowned San Francisco Symphony in concerts. During her time there, she was interviewed by NPR's Latino USA (heard locally on KSTX & KTXI Fridays at noon & 8pm).

Alondra de la Parra from NPR's Latino USA on Vimeo.

Jean Marie @SASym

The next candidate, Jean Marie Zeitouni, speaks with host John Clare.

Maestro Jean Marie from Classical Spotlight on Vimeo.

Maestro de la Parra

SA Sym: Alondra de la Parra from Classical Spotlight on Vimeo.

SA Sym: Rossen Milanov

This weekend starts the regular season of the San Antonio Symphony. Guest conductor and music director candidate Rossen Milanov conducts Dvorak, Shostakovich & Brahms. He stopped by the TPR Studio to talk about the program with host John Clare:

SA Sym: Rossen Milanov from Classical Spotlight on Vimeo.

SA Candidate in the news

Another gig for Rossen:
Rossen Milanov, associate conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra and artistic director of The Philadelphia Orchestra at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, has been named music director and conductor of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, effective July 1. The announcement was made Tuesday at The Nassau Club in downtown Princeton.
The news, which coincides with the announcement of the orchestra’s 30th anniversary season, is the result of an intensive, two-year search. Mr. Milanov has signed a three-year contract with the Princeton Symphony.
Mr. Milanov is also music director of Symphony in C in Camden (formerly the Haddonfield Symphony), one of three professional training orchestras in the United States, and the New Symphony Orchestra in his native city of Sofia, Bulgaria.
A sought-after guest conductor on the international music scene, Mr. Milanov has been hailed as “one who bears watching by anyone who cares about the future of music” (Chicago Tribune).
Mr. Milanov began his association with The Philadelphia Orchestra as assistant conductor in 2000 and was promoted to associate conductor four years later. In this role, he leads the orchestra in subscription, family, educational, community, and holiday concerts. In March 2006, Mr. Milanov was named artistic director of the orchestra’s summer series at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts.
With the Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Milanov’s recent concert highlights have included critically acclaimed concerts on the orchestra’s summer series at the Mann Center; subscription performances of Britten’s Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and Elgar’s “Enigma” Variations; Adams’s Violin Concerto and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15; a highly-praised production of Stravinsky’s “The Soldier’s Tale,” and the world premiere of Nicholas Maw’s English Horn Concerto.
He was music director of the Chicago Youth Symphony from 1997 to 2001, and he has participated in numerous summer festivals, including Tanglewood and the Interlochen Arts Festival.
His recording of works by the Russian composer Alla Pavlova with the Moscow Philharmonic is available on the Naxos label.
Mr. Milanov studied conducting at the Juilliard School (recipient of the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship), the Curtis Institute of Music, Duquesne University, and the Bulgarian National Academy of Music.
Current season highlights include debuts with Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of Komische Oper, Berlin, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Royal Swedish Opera (with a ballet triple-bill), and he makes his Carnegie Hall debut with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

See our interview with Milanov, and all the other candidates for Music Director of the San Anttonio Symphony here.

Conductors over the summer

Lots of things going on this summer, including some of our San Antonio Symphony music director candidates...
On July 21st, Napa Valley Festival del Sole, one of the world's most distinctive summer festivals, presents a unique evening of exquisite music, food and wine. A portion of the proceeds from the evening benefit the Redford Center, a year-round haven for independent thinking, inspired creativity and social change, located in the Bay Area.
The benefit evening starts off with a concert at Castello di Amorosa, Dario Sattui's dramatic medieval-style Tuscan castle and winery at 6:30pm. The concert features Antonio Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons,' performed by 14-year old wunderkind violinist Chad Hoopes and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas under the baton of Alondra de la Parra. Robert Redford takes the stage to narrate the four sonnets Vivaldi wrote to accompany this much-loved work.
After the concert, artists and patrons are treated to dinner under the stars with Agustin and Valeria Huneeus at their home on the grounds of Quintessa winery. Their beautiful Rutherford estate includes a lake, a river, five mountains and 170 acres planted to classic Bordeaux grape varieties. The evening's menu showcases the finest in organic and local ingredients, and includes seasonal fruits and vegetables from Quintessa's gardens. The featured wines will be the 2008 Illumination Sauvignon Blanc and the classic 2006 Quintessa.
The pre-concert luncheon will be held at HALL Napa Valley and hosted by former US ambassador to Austria Kathryn Hall and her husband, investor Craig Hall. This luncheon features innovative seasonal cuisine representing the four seasons paired with three of HALL's fine wines: the 2008 HALL Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 HALL Napa Valley Rose and 2008 HALL Darwin Red.
Also, just down the road at the ROUND TOP INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL, Saturday, June 27, at 8:00 pm in the Festival Concert Hall, you can hear Johannes Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Haydn and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 4 with the Texas Festival Orchestra and conductor Christoph Campestrini (seen left with host John Clare).

Then Saturday, July 4,at 8:00 pm in Festival Concert Hall, hear Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 and Bela Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra with the Texas Festival Orchestra and conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni.
See the all of the music director candidates in video interviews here, and be sure to catch the San Antonio Symphony this weekend in Strauss, Mendelssohn, and Mussorgsky! Several of the candidates return for the 2009-10 season, watch for more here.

Maestro Rossen Milanov

Texas Public Radio will speak with all the candidates for the San Antonio Symphony Music Director Search and have them on Classical Spotlight. You'll get a chance to learn more about the maestros - don't forget to attend the symphony and fill out the questionaire as well!

This week we talk with Rossen Milanov. John Clare asked about the program and music.

Maestro Sebastian Lang-Lessing

Texas Public Radio will speak with all the candidates for the San Antonio Symphony Music Director Search and have them on Classical Spotlight. You'll get a chance to learn more about the maestros - don't forget to attend the symphony and fill out the questionaire as well!

This week we talk with Sebastian Lang-Lessing. John Clare asked about the program and music.

Maestro Chosei Komatsu

Texas Public Radio will speak with all the candidates for the San Antonio Symphony Music Director Search and have them on Classical Spotlight. You'll get a chance to learn more about the maestros - don't forget to attend the symphony and fill out the questionaire as well!

This week we talk with Chosei Komatsu. James Baker asked about the program, music and working in Latin countries.

Maestro Andrew Grams

Texas Public Radio will speak with all the candidates for the San Antonio Symphony Music Director Search and have them on Classical Spotlight. You'll get a chance to learn more about the maestros - don't forget to attend the symphony and fill out the questionaire as well!

This week we talk with Andrew Grams. John Clare asked about the program, music and having a violin background.

Maestro James Judd

Texas Public Radio will speak with all the candidates for the San Antonio Symphony Music Director Search and have them on Classical Spotlight. You'll get a chance to learn more about the maestros - don't forget to attend the symphony and fill out the questionaire as well!


This week we talk with James Judd. John Clare asked about the program, music and recording cds for Naxos.

Texas Public Radio will speak with all the candidates for the San Antonio Symphony Music Director Search and have them on Classical Spotlight. You'll get a chance to learn more about the maestros - don't forget to attend the symphony and fill out the questionaire as well!


(See a larger version here)
This week we talk with Harvey Felder. John Clare asked about the program, music and his start in conducting.