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PMF 2009 Artists
©Marco Borggreve |
Erik Schumann
Violin
PMF Anniversary Orchestra
Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major Op. 61
Born in Cologne, Erik Schumann's musical development has been decisively influenced by Zakhar Bron, with whom he studies at the Hochschule für Musik Köln. At the age of twelve he won the first prize at the German National Competition "Jugend musiziert" in the "solo violin" category. Other prizes include the first prize at the 7th International Wieniawski-Lipinski Violin Competition and prizewinner at the Long-Thibaud International Competition in 2002. Schumann has been a soloist with the Bamberger Symphoniker, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the NDR Symphonic Orchestras Hamburg/Hannover, the Orchestre de Paris, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to name a few. At Christoph Eschenbach's invitation, he visited the Ravinia Festival as well as the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. In 2004 he played with Juri Bashmet, Gidon Kremer and Daniel Hope, and in 2008 he performed a duo recital with Eschenbach in Tokyo, which was highly acclaimed. Schumann performs on the 1722 Stradivarius violin "Jupiter" on loan from Nippon Music Foundation. This is his first appearance at PMF. |
©Marco Borggreve |
Kirsten Blaise
Soprano
PMF Orchestra
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C minor "Resurrection"
Since her debut, Kirsten Blaise has been in particular demand for her interpretations of Bach, Handel, Mozart, and her repertoire of the French Baroque. Blaise made her professional debut in 1996 in Handel's Israel in Egypt with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. Since then she has worked with the Orchestre de Paris, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. In 2005-2006, Blaise broadened her horizons and included the music of Richard Wagner in her repertoire when she sang the role of Woglinde in “The Ring Cycle” at the Theâtre du Châtelet conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. Other appearances included performances in the title role of Handel's Almira and Michal in Handel's Saul for the Handel Festspiele in Karlsruhe and in Halle. She has received return invitations and appeared in 2006-2007 as a featured soloist in the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele in Mozart's Mass in C minor and Exsultate Jubilate and she appeared in a solo recital of Handel's Nine German Arias. The 2006-2007 season also marked debuts at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival with a new song cycle written by Michael Finnissy. This is her first appearance at PMF. |
©Ann Weitz, Düsseldorf |
Petra Lang
Mezzo soprano
PMF Orchestra
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C minor "Resurrection"
Upon attending the Opernstudio of the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Petra Lang started her career in Dortmund and Braunschweig where she sang Octavian (Rosenkavalier), Marie (Wozzeck), Fricka (Rheingold and Walküre) and Waltraute (Götterdämmerung). Highlights of her career include Brangäne (Tristan und Isolde), Kundry (Parsifal), Judith in Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle and Ortrud (Lohengrin). Lang has performed with the most prestigious orchestras in Europe and the U.S. such as the Philadelphia and Chicago Symphonies, the Berlin, Vienna, and London Philharmonics and Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. She has worked with conductors such as Fabio Luisi, Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Riccardo Chailly, Myung Whun Chung, Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, and Christian Thielemann. Lang's versatile concert repertoire includes symphonies and orchestra lieder by Mahler and Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder as well as Gurrelieder by Schönberg. Lang won two 2002 Grammy Awards for her interpretation of Cassandra as part of the London Symphony's live recording of Berlioz' Les Troyens conducted by Colin Davis. The album won in the categories of Best Classical and Best Opera Recording of the Year. This is her first appearance at PMF. |
©Steve J. Sherman |
André Watts
Piano
PMF Orchestra
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major Op. 73 "Emperor"
André Watts burst into the music world at the age of 16 when Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic in their Young People's Concerts which were broadcasted nationwide. Only two weeks later, Bernstein asked him to substitute for the ailing Glenn Gould in performances of Liszt's E-flat Concerto with the New York Philharmonic. Since then, for more than 45 years, he remains one of today's most celebrated and beloved superstars. Recent orchestral engagements include appearances with the Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Pittsburgh and National symphonies. At age 26 he was the youngest person to receive an Honorary Doctorate from Yale University and he has since received numerous such honors from highly respected schools including the University of Pennsylvania and The Juilliard School of Music. Watts was appointed to the Music faculty at Indiana University in 2004. In PMF 1997, he appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, the PMF Orchestra, and in his own recital as well as in master classes for PMF Academy pianists. |
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PMF Orchestra
The PMF Orchestra consists of young musicians between the ages of 18 and 29 who are selected through worldwide auditions. Distinguished conductors and artists, including musicians from world leading orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Berliner Philharmoniker, and internationally renowned orchestras of the U.S.A. and Japan provide guidance to these musicians for nearly four weeks in July in Sapporo. The orchestra's achievements are presented in concert not only in Sapporo, but also in other metropolitan areas in Japan, including Osaka and Tokyo. More than 2,400 young musicians from over 67 countries and regions have participated in PMF, and many of these alumni have joined professional orchestras around the world and/or are actively working as soloists. |
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| PMF Anniversary Orchestra consists of 66 musicians selected from among the 2,400 alumni of past festivals to celebrate the 20th anniversary of PMF. These alumni members are currently active as professional players in major orchestras around the world. Under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach, the former Artistic Director of the festival, the orchestra will perform Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D major Op. 61 with Erik Schumann as the soloist. They will also perform Schumann's Symphony No. 2, the work which PMF founder Leonard Bernstein conducted during the first festival in 1990, a performance that is still remembered by many to this day. |
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©Masahide Sato |
Sapporo Symphony Orchestra
<Host City Orchestra>
The Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, Hokkaido's only professional orchestra, has been known affectionately as "Sakkyo" to the more than 5.6 million Hokkaido residents. Its first subscription concert was performed on September 6, 1961 with the first Principal Conductor, Masao Araya. This position was taken over by Peter Schwarz from Germany in August 1969, and he conducted the orchestra in overseas concerts in the United States and Germany. The orchestra created a sensation with its recording of Toru Takemitsu's soundtrack for Akira Kurosawa's film "Ran" which established the orchestra as one of Japan's leading orchestras. In 2001, the orchestra was invited to perform in seven major cities in the U.K., as a part of Japan 2001, a festival introducing Japanese culture. In 2005, the orchestra visited Korea to participate in the Seoul International Music Festival 2005. Since April 2003, Ken Takaseki has held the position of Permanent Conductor, and from May 2004, Tadaaki Otaka has been the Music Director. In 2008, Radomil Eliška was appointed the first Chief Guest Conductor. Currently, the orchestra performs over 120 concerts each year and has been engaged in ever-active performances with its sights set on audiences around the world. |
| String Quartet Course Faculty |
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Tokyo String Quartet
The Tokyo String Quartet was founded more than 30 years ago and has come to be regarded as one of the finest chamber ensembles. The quartet's members are: violist Kazuhide Isomura, a founding member of the group; second violinist Kikuei Ikeda, who joined in 1974; cellist Clive Greensmith, who joined in 1999; and first violinist Martin Beaver, who joined the ensemble in 2002. Officially formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music, the quartet traces its origins to the Toho School of Music in Tokyo, where the founding members were profoundly influenced by Professor Hideo Saito. Soon after it was founded, the quartet won First Prize at the Coleman Competition, the Munich Competition, and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. An exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon firmly established it as one of the world's leading quartets, and it has since released more than 30 recordings.
The ensemble now records on the Harmonia Mundi label. The quartet has served on the faculty of the Yale School of Music as quartet-in-residence since 1976. The musicians also regularly participate in master classes throughout North America, Europe and Japan. The Tokyo String Quartet performs on the Paganini Quartet, a group of renowned Stradivarius instruments named for Niccolo Paganini who acquired and played them during the 19th century. The instruments have been on loan to the ensemble from the Nippon Music Foundation since 1995. This is their fifth appearance at PMF since 2005. |
| Artists and Programs are subject to change. |
| as of March 24, 2009 |
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