(Macao, June 5, 2012) – Six young students majoring
in violin, cello and percussion of the full-time Music Technical Courses
at the Macao Conservatory School of Music
were given a valuable
opportunity to join with eminent musicians of the worldrenowned
Philadelphia Orchestra on stage, to perform specially selected pieces in
front of an audience from 10 am to 12 noon Tuesday at the college's
Macao campus. Serving as Macau Community Outreach Sponsor of the
Orchestra’s 2012 Residency & Tour of China, The Venetian® Macao
organised the Master Class event to give some of Macao’s young musicians
a chance to benefit from the interaction with these outstanding
symphonic performers. A 90-member audience made up of other students of
the Macao Conservatory School of Music and musicians from the Macao
Orchestra were invited to the classes. Full support was also received
from the Macao Cultural Affairs Bureau in organising this professional
exchange event. In the Violin Master Class, Form 2 student Leng Hio Lam
and Form 5 student Leng Hio Cheng worked with The Philadelphia
Orchestra’s Violinist Richard Amoroso on stage, performing Concerto in G
Minor, 2nd and 3rd movement, Bruch and Tzigane, Ravel. And at the same
time, in the Cello Master Class, Cellist John Koen joined Form 6
students Ho Chun and Wang Si Yu with two separate selections - Concerto
in A Minor, op. 33, 1st movement, Saint-Saëns and Sonata in A Major, 1st
movement, Beethoven. Also in the Percussion Master Class held at the
Macao Conservatory School of Music’s auditorium, Form 1 student Chan Yu
Lai performed Intermediate Snare Drum Studies by Mitchell Peters No.28
and Marimba Concerto in A minor by Bach led on stage by the Orchestra’s
Principal Percussionist Christopher Deviney; Form 5 student Chang Hio
Man also worked with Deviney on Marimba Dances for Solo Marimba by Ross
Edwards, and Portraits in Rhythm (50 Studies for Snare Drum) by Anthony
J. Cirone. In addition, two violinists from the Macao Orchestra, Wang
Hao and Cao Hui, also performed several selections and received valuable
guidance from the Orchestra masters.
The three successful
classes earned the applause of the audience, with all the students and
professional musicians from the Macao Orchestra showing great
appreciation to the masters for having benefited so greatly from the
professional comments and advice given. The students also felt very much
honored to be able to perform live next to the veteran musicians of the
esteemed Orchestra. As one of the “Big Five” American orchestras, The
Philadelphia Orchestra is currently engaged in its 2012 Residency &
Tour of China, with The Venetian Macao as Premier Sponsor. Thanks to the
sponsorship, a select group of six musicians was brought to the
Venetian Theatre and delivered an “Exclusive Chamber Performance from
the Philadelphia Orchestra” on June 4. The Venetian Macao thus took the
great opportunity to organise the Master Class event while the six
musicians were in Macao.
Led by chief conductor Charles Dutoit,
The Philadelphia Orchestra remains one of the preeminent orchestras in
the world. The symphony orchestra has an extraordinary history of 112
seasons, and is renowned for its distinctive sound, desired for its keen
ability to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences, and
admired for an unrivalled legacy of music-making firsts, including its
1973 China visit and its innovative move to become the first orchestra
to create an online store for purchasing music.
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About The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel
The
Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel is Macao's first integrated resort
featuring stunning replicas of the famous canals and architectural icons
of Venice, Italy. The Venetian Macao features 3,000 suites, 1.2 million
square feet of convention and meeting facilities as well as a
15,000-seat CotaiArena™ designed for world-class sports events and
electrifying entertainment. The Venetian Macao is also home to the
unique, 1,800-seat luxury Venetian Theatre, hosting the best in
international and Chinese entertainment; more than 30 renowned
restaurants; MALO CLINIC Health & Wellness; the incredibly fun QUBE
indoor playground and more than 300 retailers at The Grand Canal
Shoppes. Outdoor recreation areas include swimming pools and cabanas and
a mini-golf course.
About The Philadelphia Orchestra
Renowned
for its distinctive sound, desired for its keen ability to capture the
hearts and imaginations of audiences, and admired for an unrivalled
legacy of “firsts” in music-making, The Philadelphia Orchestra remains
one of the preeminent orchestras in the world. The Philadelphia
Orchestra has cultivated an extraordinary roster of artistic leaders in
its 112 seasons, including music directors Fritz Scheel, Karl Pohlig,
Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, Wolfgang Sawallisch,
and Christoph Eschenbach, as well as the Orchestra’s current chief
conductor, Charles Dutoit. In the 2012-13 season, Yannick Nézet- Séguin
will become the eighth music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Named music director designate in 2010, Nézet-Séguin brings a vision
that extends beyond symphonic music and into the vivid world of opera
and choral music.
Philadelphia is home and the Orchestra nurtures an
important relationship with patrons who support the main season at the
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The Orchestra also performs for
Philadelphia audiences at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts,
Penn’s Landing and other regional venues. The Philadelphia Orchestra
Association continues to own the Academy of Music – a National Historic
Landmark – as it has since 1957. The ensemble maintains an important
tradition of presenting community educational
programs for local
audiences. Today the Orchestra executes a myriad of education and civic
partnership programs, notably its Neighborhood Concert Series, Sound All
Around and Family Concerts, eZseatU and more. Through concerts, tours,
residencies, presentations, and recordings, The Philadelphia Orchestra
touches the lives of countless music lovers around the world. The
Orchestra annually performs at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center
while also enjoying a three week residency at the Saratoga Performing
Arts Center in New York and a strong partnership with the Bravo! Vail
Valley Music Festival.For more information on The Philadelphia
Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org.
1. Richard Amoroso, Violin
Violinist
Richard Amoroso joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1998 after serving
as a member of Concerto Soloists (now Chamber Orchestra of
Philadelphia), Peter Nero and the Philly Pops®, and as a substitute
violinist with the Orchestra. He also performed with various local music
groups, including Pro Musica, the Mendelssohn Club, the Philadelphia
Singers, the Academy of Vocal Arts, and the Opera Company of
Philadelphia. Mr. Amoroso has performed as soloist with Peter Nero and
the Philly Pops, the North Penn Symphony, and in a trio recital at
Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. He returned to Carnegie in 2004 to
perform a solo recital. Mr. Amoroso’s relationship with The Philadelphia
Orchestra began in 1984 at the age of 14 when, when he won the
Orchestra’s Student Competition and subsequently performed as a soloist
with the Orchestra. A native Philadelphian, he attended Settlement Music
School on scholarship, and also studied with Philadelphia Orchestra
retired Concertmaster Norman Carol, as well as with former Orchestra
Co-Concertmaster William de Pasquale, Rafael Druian, and retired
Orchestra Associate Concertmaster David Arben. Mr. Amoroso holds a
bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College, from which he graduated magna
cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. His instrument is a Nicolo Gagliano from
1765. He resides in West Chester with his wife, Anne, and children,
Sofia and Alex. He is an avid golfer and sports fan.
2. John
Koen, Cello John Koen has been a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra
since 1990. He appears regularly on the Orchestra’s Chamber Music
series, and performed during
Wolfgang Sawallisch’s 1993 Opening Week
Festival and the subsequent National Pubic Radio broadcast of Schumann’s
Piano Quintet with Maestro Sawallisch as pianist. Mr. Koen has been a
frequent guest on the Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble series since 1993
and is also a member of the Mondrian Ensemble and the Network for New
Music. He performed with the ensemble 1807 & Friends Chamber Music
Society from 1990 to 1993. Mr. Koen has appeared as a soloist with the
New Symphony Orchestra of Sofia, Bulgaria, under the direction of Rossen
Milanov. Mr. Koen also appears regularly as a soloist with the
Lansdowne Symphony (PA), of which he has been principal cello since
1992. He was a nominee for the 1998 Gay/Lesbian American Music Awards
(GLAMA) for his performance of Winter Toccata for solo cello by Robert
Maggio, which Mr. Koen commissioned, and is featured on a recording of
works by Robert Maggio entitled Seven Mad Gods (Composers’ Recordings,
Inc.). Mr. Koen studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with David
Soyer and Peter Wiley, the original and current cellist (respectively)
of the Guarneri Quartet, from 1985 to 1990, graduating with a Bachelor
of Music Performance degree; he also studied at the New School of Music
with Orlando Cole (1984-85). In 1988 Mr. Koen performed in the
Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra as solo cellist on European
tours with Christoph Eschenbach, Leonard Bernstein, and Sergiu
Celibidache, including a television broadcast throughout Eastern Europe
from Gorky Park in Moscow with Maestro Bernstein, and as a member of the
Salzau Quartet in a performance for President Richard von Weizsäcker of
Germany. Mr. Koen taught at the College of New Jersey (Trenton) from
1996 to 2001. In 2004 Mr. Koen received The Philadelphia Orchestra’s C.
Hartman Kuhn Award, given to “a musician who has shown both musical
ability and enterprise of such character as to enhance the musical
standards and reputation of The Philadelphia Orchestra.”
3.
Christopher Deviney, Principal Percussion Christopher Deviney became
principal percussion of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2003. Prior to
assuming this title, he was section percussionist in the Houston
Symphony. Mr. Deviney has also previously performed and recorded with
the New Orleans Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, and the New York
Philharmonic. Before beginning his current tenure in Philadelphia, he
was a substitute percussionist with The Philadelphia Orchestra on many
occasions. He traveled with the Orchestra on its 1991 tour of Europe
with Riccardo Muti and its 1996 tour of Asia with Wolfgang Sawallisch.
Mr. Deviney also joined the Orchestra for recording sessions with
conductors Charles Dutoit, Myung-Whun Chung, and David Zinman. Mr.
Deviney has performed professionally at the Bard Music Festival and as a
featured soloist with the Brevard (FL) Symphony. He has been featured
in a number of chamber settings and recitals at Tulane University and
Temple University and with the Network for New Music, the Atmos
Percussion Ensemble, and the Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music
Series. Mr. Deviney was a student at the Aspen Music Festival where he
was the recipient of the first Charles Owen Memorial Fellowship. He was
also a twoyear Tanglewood Institute Fellowship recipient. Mr. Deviney
received his Bachelor of Music degree in percussion performance from
Florida State University, where he studied under Gary Werdesheim, and
his Master of Music degree in percussion performance from Temple
University, where his teachers included Alan Abel (retired associate
principal percussion of The Philadelphia Orchestra). In 2002 Mr. Deviney
was a featured clinic presenter at the Percussive Arts Society
International Convention. He has presented clinics for PAS Day of
Percussion events in Louisiana, Florida, and Pennsylvania. He is an
adjunct professor at Rutgers University and has given master classes at
Temple University and the Curtis Institute of Music. In addition he has
given professional coaching at the New World Symphony. In 2005 he
received the Florida State University Dohnányi Award for Excellence in
Music Performance. Mr. Deviney is a proud endorser of Sabian cymbals,
Pearl/Adams concert percussion, and Innovative Percussion mallets. He
resides in Elkins Park (PA) with his wife, Tonja, and daughter, Caitlyn.