Fowler Center Series presents I Musici de
Montréal in concert Jan. 26

Dec. 16, 2009 -- The Fowler Center Series presents its fifth event of the 2009-10 season in Riceland Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 7:30 p.m., when it kicks off the new year with I Musici de Montréal. Riceland Hall, Fowler Center, is located at 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro. This performance is also part of the Riceland Distinguished Presentation Series, which was established to assure high-quality presentations in conjunction with the Fowler Center Series. An advisory committee meets semi-annually to evaluate the presentation series objectives, effectiveness of promotion and presentation of the series, and then selects four presentations to display its Distinguished Presentation moniker.



Founded by cellist and conductor Yuli Turovsky, I Musici de Montréal is a chamber orchestra of 15 musicians that presents a vast repertoire extending from the baroque to the contemporary. The orchestra presents a busy schedule of over 100 concerts per season throughout the world, including three prestigious series in Montreal. This extraordinary amount of activity places I Musici de Montréal amongst the most important touring orchestras in Canada.

This exciting program from I Musici de Montréal features Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition,” with animated projections of award-winning painter Natasha Turovsky’s images. The startling new paintings honor the Victor Hartmann canvasses which inspired Mussorgsky’s composition, now lovingly envisioned for chamber orchestra.

Since its beginnings, I Musici has maintained an exclusive recording contract with Chandos Records of England and has, to date, released 43 CDs that are distributed in more than 50 countries around the world. These recordings have won the orchestra and Maestro Turovsky many awards, including a Diapason d’Or for their 1988 recording of Shostakovich’s 14th Symphony and a 1992 Penguin Guide Rosette for their Concerti Grossi, Opus 6 by Handel. I Musici’s recording of Handel has since become a reference recording of the highest standard.

In December of 1998, the Conseil québecois de la musique gave two Opus Awards to the orchestra for Recording Event of the Year and Best Recording - contemporary music for a CD grouping works by Gorecki, Pärt, and Schnittke. In 1999, I Musici was awarded the Grand Prix des Arts by the Montreal Urban Community for their exceptional contribution to music presentation in and around Montreal.

In August 2001, BBC Music Magazine rewarded I Musici’s 40th CD by naming it their CD of the Month, calling it a Russian tour de force. The program of Miaskovsky, Schnittke, and Denisov was thus honored around the world. In April of 2002, I Musici was nominated for another Canadian Juno Award as Best Classical Album of the Year, after having previously won a Juno for their recording of compositions by Ginestera, Villa-Lobos, and Evangelista. Furthermore, the Orchestra’s recording “The Modern Cello” has received rave reviews from the prestigious Parisian magazine Diapason, qualifying the Orchestra’s interpretation as "virtuosité étincelante.”

Under the dynamic and visionary direction of Maestro Yuli Turovsky, I Musici has performed in some of the greatest halls in the world including New York’s Lincoln Center, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany, and the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. Public enthusiasm and the critical acclaim that underlines the precision, the cohesion, and the virtuosity of performance, as well as the brio and distinctive sound of the orchestra, confirms I Musici’s importance on the world’s musical stage. Visit I Musici de Montréal online at http://www.imusici.com/  to listen to samples of the group’s work.

Ticket prices are $30 and $20 for adults; $24 and $16 for ASU faculty and staff; $23 and $15 for senior adults and K-12 students; and $10 and $6 for ASU students.

Tickets for all Fowler Center Series events may be purchased by calling 870-972-2781 or 1-888-278-3267, or online at www.yourfowlercenter.com. On performance evenings, the box office in Fowler Center opens one hour prior to the event.

Visit www.yourfowlercenter.com for additional information, or call Fowler Center at (870) 972-3471.

  

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