May 5, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2015
For more information, contact:
Rachel Dellinger
KSO Director of Communications
Direct: 865-521-2317 Cell: 865-660-3037
[email protected]
Lucas Richman
These concerts will be the final KSO performances conducted by Maestro Richman, as he will conclude his 12-year tenure with the KSO.
The program includes Beethoven’s Egmont Overture and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, featuring KSO Concertmaster Gabriel Lefkowitz. The Orchestra will perform the Adagio movement of Mahler’s 10th Symphony, and the program will conclude with Ravel’s La Valse. Tickets start at just $15 and can be purchased by calling 865-291-3310 or clicking here.
KSO Concertmaster Gabriel Lefkowitz said, “It’s an incredible honor to be the featured soloist on Maestro Richman’s last program as the Music Director of the KSO. I’ve enjoyed each and every one of my opportunities to collaborate with Lucas as a soloist, and to be able to play one of the greatest concertos of the violin repertoire with the orchestra under his baton is meaningful to me beyond words.”
Lefkowitz has held the position of Concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony since 2011. He is a native of Boston and a graduate of both Columbia University and The Juilliard School, and is also a conductor and composer in his own right. Lefkowitz will perform Tchaikovsky’s brilliant Violin Concerto on this program, one of the most beloved and difficult pieces written for violin.
“It has been a tremendous honor and a privilege to serve as the Music Director for the Knoxville Symphony,” said KSO Music Director Lucas Richman. “I am grateful to the staff, board of directors, our symphony supporters and the incredible musicians of the KSO for having had such a joyful collaboration over the years. While I look forward to opportunities outside of Knoxville, I will always remain fond of this great organization and everything we have accomplished together.”
Maestro Richman was named the seventh Music Director of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra in 2003. Since then, he has overseen unparalleled artistic growth in the Orchestra, spurred the organization to expand its education and outreach programs and served as the driving force in the introduction of the KSO’s Music & Wellness program (which now, a decade strong, has multiple national recognitions to its credit).
During his tenure in Knoxville, Maestro Richman received a GRAMMY Award (2011) in the category of Best Classical Crossover Album for having conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on Christopher Tin’s classical/world fusion album, Calling All Dawns. Since 2010 he has also served as Music Director and Conductor for the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and last season’s guest-conducting engagements took him abroad to Canada, Iceland, Norway and China. Also an accomplished composer, Mr. Richman has had his music performed by over two hundred orchestras in the last fifteen years.
The KSO has been the beneficiary of Maestro Richman’s artistic knowledge, industry savvy, and passion for the art form for over a decade. His work has left a permanent mark on the KSO and the Knoxville community, where he has been deeply involved with the Joy of Music School, the Arts & Culture Alliance, the Volunteer Ministry Center and the Knoxville Jewish Day School.
About the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
The KSO has contributed to the cultural life in East Tennessee since 1935 as the oldest continually operating orchestra. Under the leadership of Lucas Richman, the orchestra consists of 80 professional musicians and performs more than 250 programs throughout East Tennessee each season, including non-traditional places like hospitals, school classrooms, nursing homes, city parks and churches in addition to the concert hall. The KSO reaches more than 200,000 people throughout the region each year. More information about the KSO including the calendar of events can be found at www.knoxvillesymphony.com.
