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Australian Chamber Orchestra to Tour US in April

The Australian Chamber Orchestra returns to the United States for a nine-city tour from April 10-26, giving the American premiere of Jonny Greenwood’s Water

Star clarinetist Martin Fröst joins the ACO in Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major

“This is one of the most precise, cutting-edge virtuoso string ensembles to be found anywhere in the world.”  - Chicago Tribune

February 18, 2015 – New York, NY – This April, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Artistic Director and Lead Violin Richard Tognetti, embarks on a nine-city tour of the United States, in which they will give the US premiere of Jonny Greenwood’s Water in a program also including works by Haydn, Mozart & Prokofiev. The ensemble will hit California, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, New Hampshire, Kentucky and New Jersey before their culminating concert at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall on April 26. Clarinetist Martin Fröst joins the ACO in performances of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622. Previous US tours have brought the group significant acclaim, with the New York Times praising their “intensity and virtuosity” and the Wall Street Journal raving “The Australians are a remarkably talented group, and they perform with rare, often stunning, virtuosity.”

The centerpiece of the ACO’s touring programs, Water, was written especially for the ensemble by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood during his residency with the orchestra in 2013. The Telegraph wrote of the UK premiere last April, “Greenwood is developing a cunning sense of form, to go with the sharp ear for harmony and texture he’s always had.” In addition to his work with Radiohead, Greenwood is known for his award-winning film score for There Will Be Blood and was the BBC Concert Orchestra’s Composer-in-Residence in 2004. Watch Tognetti and Greenwood speak about the new piece in this video: http://youtu.be/F1iEVk6AAeM?utm_source=01-14-09_Contacts&utm_campaign=89230b9d6d-ACO&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1497688fe3-89230b9d6d-59975090.

The ACO’s programs also feature Rudolf Barshai’s orchestral arrangement of Prokofiev’s Visions fugitives, originally written as a collection of piano miniatures. Rounding out the concerts are Haydn’s Symphony No. 83 in G minor, “La poule”, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550. See below for tour dates and full program details.

ACO US Tour

Apr 10, 7:30 p.m.               Palo Alto, CA                         Bing Concert Hall

Apr 12, 3:00 p.m.               Morrow, GA                           Spivey Hall

Apr 14, 7:30 p.m.               Thomasville, GA                    Thomasville Center for the Arts

Apr 16, 8:00 p.m.               Princeton, NJ                         Princeton University

Apr 17, 7:30 p.m.               Blacksburg, VA                      Virginia Tech University

Apr 19, 7:00 p.m.               Hanover, NH                         Dartmouth College

Apr 22, 8:00 p.m.               Fort Lauderdale, FL                Broward Center

Apr 24, 7:30 p.m.               Richmond, KY                        Eastern Kentucky University

Apr 26, 3:00 p.m.               New York, NY                        Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall

Program (varies slightly by location)

HAYDN Symphony No. 83 in G minor, “La poule”

MOZART Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622 GREENWOOD Water MOZART Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 PROKOFIEV (arr. Barshai) Visions fugitives, Op. 22

About the Australian Chamber Orchestra

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. From its first concert in November 1975 to its first concert of 2015, the Orchestra has travelled a remarkable road.

Inspiring programming, unrivalled virtuosity, energy and individuality, the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s performances span popular masterworks, adventurous cross artform projects and pieces specially commissioned for the ensemble. Founded by John Painter, the ACO originally comprised just 13 players, who came together for concerts as they were invited. Today, the ACO has grown to 20 players (three part-time), giving more than 100 performances in Australia each year, as well as touring internationally.

From red-dust regional centres of Australia to New York night clubs, from Australian capital cities to the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, London’s Wigmore Hall, Vienna’s Musikverein, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Birmingham’s Symphony Hall and Frankfurt’s Alte Oper.

The ACO’s dedication and musicianship has created warm relationships with celebrated musicians and artists around the world. The ACO has recorded for the world’s top labels. Recent recordings have won three consecutive ARIA Awards and documentaries featuring the ACO have been shown on television worldwide and won awards at film festivals on four continents. For more, visit aco.com.au.

About Richard Tognetti

2015 marks the 25th year of Richard Tognetti’s artistic directorship of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Born and raised in Wollongong NSW, Richard has established an international reputation for his compelling performances and artistic individualism. He began his studies in his home town with William Primrose, then with Alice Waten at the Sydney Conservatorium, and Igor Ozim at the Bern Conservatory, where he was awarded the Tschumi Prize as the top graduate soloist in 1989. Later that year he led several performances of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and that November was appointed as the Orchestra’s lead violin and, subsequently, Artistic Director. He is also Artistic Director of the Festival Maribor in Slovenia.

Richard performs on period, modern and electric instruments and his numerous arrangements, compositions and transcriptions have expanded the chamber orchestra repertoire and been performed throughout the world. As director or soloist, Richard has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including most recently the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Academy of Ancient Music.

Richard is an acclaimed composer and has also worked on numerous film soundtracks, including The Water Diviner (2015), Russell Crowe’s directorial debut.

Richard was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2010. He holds honorary doctorates from three Australian universities and was made a National Living Treasure in 1999. He performs on a 1743 Guarneri del Gesù violin, lent to him by an anonymous Australian private benefactor.

He has given more than 2500 performances with the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Selected Critical Acclaim for the Australian Chamber Orchestra in North America

“The Australians are a remarkably talented group, and they performed with rare, often stunning, virtuosity.”

– Wall Street Journal

“The youthful ACO is clearly a fiery precision instrument…the tonal refinement and high-wire intensity demonstrated by Tognetti and his 16 colleagues revealed the ACO as one of today’s finest chamber orchestras.”

– Chicago Classical Review

“Lean, propulsive playing and the flexibility that comes with jettisoning a conductor.”

- Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Intensity and virtuosity are hallmarks of this orchestra...There were plenty of fireworks and soulful moments…enhanced by the musician’s vivid attention to color and dynamics.”

- The New York Times

“An ensemble that can easily rival our own Orpheus Chamber Orchestra...a program of extraordinary imagination.”

- ConcertoNet.com

“The versatile group has built a reputation for a chameleon-like ability to present sizzling, highly energized performances of interesting repertoire.”

- Arts ATL

“This is one of the most precise, cutting-edge virtuoso string ensembles to be found anywhere in the world.”

- Chicago Tribune