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Asheville Symphony Announces 10-Day Lineup for 2019 Asheville Amadeus

Warren Haynes, pianist Garrick Ohlsson join the Asheville Symphony for festival opening, finale

The Asheville Symphony is pleased to announce the event lineup for the 2019 Asheville Amadeus festival, a 10-day multi-genre Mozart-inspired event fit for all tastes and ages. Kicking off on Friday, March 15 and ending with a bang on Sunday, March 24, the festival spans multiple Asheville venues, features collaborations with local favorites like Burial Beer Co. and joins forces with all-star musicians such as Gov’t Mule front man and GRAMMY Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, producer and revered guitarist Warren Haynes.

“For Asheville Amadeus 2019, we’re pairing rock’n’roll with Rachmaninoff,” says Asheville Symphony Executive Director David Whitehill. “And there’s no better way to celebrate than with rock guitarist Warren Haynes and Rach pianist Garrick Ohlsson.

First held in 2015, Asheville Amadeus has since become a much-anticipated biennial event — expanding in 2017 from a weeklong festival to a grand 10-day celebration. In 2019, the Asheville Symphony continues this tradition, with a festival that includes more than 30 public and private events.

Amadeus 2019 kicks off in a style perfectly fit for Asheville audiences — with two nights of brews and bands. On Friday, March 15, festival-goers should prepare to imbibe at Burial’s South Slope taproom for the release of The Righteous and Barbaric Souls Imperial Stout. With notes of apricot and scores of chocolate, the new Amadeus-inspired brew is an ode to all things lavish and profound — especially when paired with music, art and tasty treats from local chefs.

The next evening, on Saturday, March 16, Asheville Amadeus jams on stage with Warren Haynes in a symphonic rock performance, “Warren Haynes Presents: Dreams & Songs – A Symphonic Journey,” that’s sure to blow audiences away. Born and raised in Asheville, Warren Haynes is recognized as one of the finest guitar players in the world and part of three of the greatest rock groups in history — The Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule and The Dead. For this special Amadeus performance, Haynes is joined by Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers Band, Dead & Co., The Aquarium Rescue Unit), John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood, Phil Lesh & Friends), Jeff Sipe (Aquarium Rescue Unit, Leftover Salmon) and the Asheville Symphony Orchestra for a symphonic take on his classic, career-spanning material. Rich Daniels, the musical director of The City Lights Orchestra in Chicago, will conduct.

Over the course of the next week, Amadeus kicks into high gear with performances ranging from “Ballet with Bach and Rach” with the Ballet Conservatory of Asheville to a rowdy evening of racy drinking songs at The Funkatorium with Asheville Choral Society featuring Tempus. On Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20, LaZoom revs its purple bus’s engine for an Amadeus-only musical history tour of Asheville, hosted by local musician Andrew Fletcher.

Other events include a fashion show with the Asheville Symphonettes, a progressive chamber concert walking tour with Pan Harmonia, a special screening of “Shine” at Grail Moviehouse, a flight night of Austrian wines at Burial Beer Co.’s new Forestry Camp Restaurant and Bar, a candid chat with music professionals and a series of interactive musical experiences for children.

On Saturday, March 23, all-star pianist Garrick Ohlsson joins the Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra for the 2019 finale eve concert, featuring Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute and Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2. This concert features all five orchestras of the ASYO: the Youth Orchestra, Philharmonia, Prelude Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and the Percussion Ensemble.

For the big finale, Rach the night away with Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 and a powerhouse performance of two masterful Rachmaninoff compositions: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Piano Concerto No. 2 — with expert Rachmaninoff interpreter Ohlsson on the piano. Asheville Symphony Music Director Darko Butorac will join the orchestra on the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium’s giant stage, complete with a 32-foot stage extension that thrusts the Symphony into the audience.

“Doing two Rachmaninoff pieces is almost unheard of,” Whitehill says. “It’s absolute gluttony. It’s an embarrassment of musical riches — and a rare opportunity to see two of the most beloved, virtuosic, difficult concertos in one evening.”

Tickets for festival events are on sale now, with event prices ranging from free to $93, depending on the event. Details and purchase instructions for individual events can be found at ashevillesamadeus.org. For more information call or visit the Asheville Symphony offices, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: 828.254.7046, 27 College Pl., Suite 100.

 

ASHEVILLE AMADEUS 2019 — FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Details and ticketing instructions for individual events can be found at ashevillesamadeus.org. For more information call or visit the Asheville Symphony offices, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: 828.254.7046, 27 College Pl., Suite 100.

DAY 1: Friday, March 15

Festival Kickoff Beer Release & Open House

Burial Beer Co.’s South Slope taproom combines local art, music and culinary creations with the brand-new Symphony-inspired Righteous and Barbaric Souls Imperial Stout. Indulge in creative food and beer pairings while enjoying local art and inspiring music and help kickoff this year’s Asheville Amadeus. Friday, March 15, 5 p.m. at Burial Beer Co., 40 Collier Ave. Free Event.

 

DAY 2: Saturday, March 16

Opening Night:

Warren Haynes Presents: Dreams & Songs — A Symphonic Journey

An electrifying opening night performance for Asheville Amadeus featuring Warren Haynes joined by Oteil Burbridge, John Medeski and Jeff Sipe with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, performing symphonic adaptations of songs from Haynes’ decades-spanning career including tunes by Gov’t Mule, Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead, Haynes’ solo material and more. Rich Daniels, the musical director of The City Lights Orchestra in Chicago, will conduct. Saturday, March 16, 8 p.m. at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 87 Haywood St. Tickets: $46-$72.

 

DAY 3: Sunday, March 17

Ballet with Bach and Rach

The Ballet Conservatory of Asheville presents a unique performance of new and immersive neo-classical ballet, inspired by choreographer George Balanchine, the father of American ballet, and enlightened by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Sunday, March 17, 12 p.m. & 1 p.m. at Ballet Conservatory Studios, 6 E. Chestnut St. Tickets: Adult $10 / Youth $5.

Mozart, Mountains & Mickey Mouse

Asheville Community Band combines Mozart, Appalachian twang and Walt Disney for an unforgettable afternoon of multi-genre classics. A concert for the whole family, the energetic performance features Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, a host of mountain-themed pieces and a stellar lineup of Disney favorites. Sunday, March 17, 2:30 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. at Lipinsky Auditorium at UNC Asheville, 300 Library Lane. Tickets: Adult $12 / Students and Youth Free.

Mixtapes: The Lounge Sessions

The Opal String Quartet honors the spirit of the mixtape by piecing together some of their favorite works from across the musical spectrum — including the music of Maurice Ravel, Philip Glass, and The Flaming Lips in an intimate lounge setting. Sunday, March 17, 6 p.m. at Isis Music Hall Lounge, 743 Haywood Road. Tickets: $40.

 

DAY 4: Monday, March 18

WeeTunes

Multiple Dates and Locations

Children dance, sing and clap to the classics with Kindermusik instructor Yvette Odell in WeeTunes, a Mozart music experience (for newborns to kindergarteners and their parents) that includes special performances by Asheville Symphony musicians. Monday, March 18, 11 a.m. at West Asheville Library. Tuesday, March 19, 10:30 a.m. at North Asheville Library. Wednesday, March 20, 10:30 a.m. at Skyland Library. Thursday, March 21, 10:30 a.m. at Pack Memorial Library. Free Events.

Walk with Wolfgang 2: Pas de Deux

Take a leisurely musical walking tour of Asheville with Pan Harmonia’s Walk with Wolfgang 2: Pas de Deux. Beginning at Asheville Museum of Science and ending at Capella on 9 at the AC Hotel, this progressive chamber music concert features pairs of Pan Harmonia artists at different locales around Biltmore Avenue. Monday, March 18, 6:30 p.m., beginning at Asheville Museum of Science, 43 Patton Ave. Tickets: Advance $28 / Door $33 (if available).

 

DAY 5: Tuesday, March 19

LaZoom: Asheville Music History Tour

Multiple Dates

Busking pianist Andrew Fletcher leads a tour of Asheville’s rich musical history aboard one of LaZoom’s iconic purple buses, accompanied by a live local band playing the region’s musical highlights. Beer, wine and snacks will be provided for guests’ imbibing needs. Tuesday, March 19, 3 p.m. and Wednesday, March 20, 3 p.m. at LaZoom Room, 76 Biltmore Ave. Tickets: $45.

Mozart Requiem Sing-Along

Experience Mozart’s Requiem with the Asheville Symphony Chorus in a unique, interactive singalong experience. One of Amadeus’ most famous works and rarely performed in singalong fashion, Requiem features exhilarating group choruses (chorus lines provided) and exquisite solo vocals by professionals. Tuesday, March 19; Singers Call: 6:15 p.m., Performance: 7 p.m. at Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church St. Tickets: $15.

Takács Quartet with Garrick Ohlsson

The world-renowned Takács Quartet and star pianist Garrick Ohlsson join forces for a special Asheville Amadeus performance, hosted by Asheville Chamber Music Series at Diana Wortham Theatre. The performance includes Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 76 No. 1, Mendelssohn’s String Quartet Op. 80 and Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet. Tuesday, March 19, 8 p.m. at Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave. Tickets: Adult $42 / Youth $5.

 

DAY 6: Wednesday, March 20

Austrian Wine Flight Night

Asheville Symphony and Burial Beer Co. honor Mozart’s home country with a night of flights of Austrian wines, from Sour Grapes and Haw River Wineman. Enjoy an intimate musical performance, guided wine tasting and small plate pairing at Burial’s new Forestry Camp Restaurant and Bar. Wednesday, March 20, 7 p.m. at Forestry Camp Restaurant and Bar, 16 Shady Oak Drive. Tickets: $50.

Time in a Bottle: The Mozart Effect

Asheville Choral Society presents a rowdy romp of German drinking songs in one of Asheville Amadeus’ most lively (and boozy) events, featuring vocal ensemble Tempus. Raise a beer stein and join in the fun music from composers past and present, including a few bawdy numbers from Mozart himself. Wednesday, March 20, 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at The Funkatorium, 147 Coxe Ave. Tickets: Adult $25 / Youth $10.

 

DAY 7: Thursday, March 21

Shine

Multiple Dates

Grail Moviehouse presents a special Asheville Amadeus showing of the 1996 Academy Award-winning film Shine, starring Geoffrey Rush as troubled child piano prodigy David Helfgott. As Helfgott tries to master Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, his musical ambitions push him over the edge. Thursday, March 21, 11 a.m. & 7 p.m.; Friday, March 22, 11 a.m.; Saturday, March 23, 11 a.m. at Grail Moviehouse, 45 S French Broad Ave. Tickets: $10.

Women Get the Job Done

A panel led by Asheville Music Professionals and the Connect Beyond Festival examines the historic underrepresentation of women in music production, conducting and audio engineering positions — and the ways in which this paradigm has recently begun to shift. The panel includes industry trailblazers like Susan Rogers, the audio engineer behind Prince’s “Purple Rain” and other hits. Thursday, March 21, 6:30 p.m. at Ambrose West, 312 Haywood Road. Free Event.

Women Who Move the Needle

A follow-up performance to the early evening panel discussion, Women Who Move the Needle features an all-women powerhouse performance that pays tribute to music’s pioneering female artists and innovators — such as Aretha Franklin, Erykah Badu and Janis Joplin — by bringing together a supergroup of favorite local musicians. Thursday, March 21, 8 p.m. at Ambrose West, 312 Haywood Road. Tickets: $15.

 

DAY 8: Friday, March 22

Symphony Talk

Join new Asheville Symphony Music Director Darko Butorac, Blue Ridge Public Radio Classical Music Host Chip Kauffman and all-star pianist Garrick Ohlsson for Symphony Talk, an anecdotal take on life behind the music, talking business with a side of candid creativity. Learn about the hard work, politics, eccentricities and travel that go into creating music. Friday, March 22, 11 a.m. at Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave. Free Event.

Fashion Rocks

The Asheville Symphonettes walk the runway, showing off seasonal trends and exciting new looks in Fashion Rocks, a fashion show benefit for the Asheville Symphony featuring clothing from local boutiques. Guests will be welcomed with a prosecco cocktail and a delectable menu of light bites to fit the occasion. Friday, March 22, 5:30 p.m. at Céline & Company On Broadway, 49 Broadway St. Tickets: $40.

Sébastien Lépine & ESCA Quartet

Distinguished solo cellist and composer Sébastien Lépine writes music that’s sensitive yet complex, conveying a spectrum of emotions on strings. In a performance with ESCA Quartet, Lépine combines music with the art of painter Ozias Leduc in his all-new multimedia project, IMAGINATIONS 5.1. Friday, March 22, 8 p.m. at Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave. Tickets: Adult $35 / Student $30 / Child $20.

 

DAY 9: Saturday, March 23

Garrick Ohlsson & the Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra

The Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra performs with world-renowned guest pianist Garrick Ohlsson for Asheville Amadeus’ Finale Eve concert. After the performance, which includes Edvard Greig’s First Piano Concerto, Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute and Márquez’s celebrated Danzón No. 2, stay tuned for a special milk-and-cookies reception. Saturday, March 23, 2 p.m. at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 87 Haywood St. Tickets: Adult $25 / Youth $15.

 

DAY 10: Sunday, March 24

Asheville Amadeus Finale Concert

Darko Butorac, conductor

Garrick Ohlsson, piano

The Asheville Amadeus Finale Concert erupts with Rachmaninoff riches, featuring Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Piano Concerto No. 2, along with Mozart’s Symphony No. 25. Star pianist Garrick Ohlsson, one of the world’s foremost Rachmaninoff interpreters, joins the Asheville Symphony for this technically astounding performance. Sunday, March 24, 4 p.m. at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 87 Haywood St. Tickets: Adult $28-$93 / Youth $15.

 

ASHEVILLE AMADEUS 2019 — HEADLINING ARTIST INFORMATION

About Warren Haynes

Visionary GRAMMY Award-winning artist Warren Haynes is a cornerstone of the American music landscape, lauded as one of the most formidable guitarists and vocalists of the modern era and a prolific songwriter and producer. He effortlessly cross-pollinates genres and unfurls solos that broil with passion in his distinctive, signature style. Throughout his prolific career as part of three of the greatest live groups in rock history – Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule and the Dead – and an acclaimed solo artist, he has become one of music’s most treasured storytellers and his artistry has led to thousands of memorable performances and millions of album and track sales. Haynes is a beacon of creativity and musical excellence that inspires fans as well as fellow musicians, evidenced by the diverse array of artists that he has performed and recorded with. His legendary Christmas Jam benefit concert, which celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2018, benefits the Asheville Area Habitat of Humanity in Haynes’ hometown of Asheville, NC and has raised more than $2.3 million. The Christmas Jam is known as one of the longest running and most celebrated live benefit concerts in the U.S. As the front man of Gov’t Mule, Haynes along with his bandmates drummer Matt Abts, keyboardist Danny Louis and bassist Jorgen Carlsson, create consistently honest, organic and daring music, leading them to be recognized as one of the most timeless, revered and active bands in the world whose spot amongst rock titans remains unshakable. The enduring, globally revered group, has showcased its virtuosity, intelligence and breadth over the course of 16 studio and live albums. Their flexible interplay in the studio and on stage makes them a true living, breathing ensemble. Gov’t Mule has become a human encyclopedia of great American music while adding to that cannon with their signature sound. Gov’t Mule’s acclaimed 10th studio album Revolution Come… Revolution Go is out now. For more on Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule, please visit www.mule.net.

 

About Garrick Ohlsson

Since his triumph as winner of the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competition, pianist Garrick Ohlsson has established himself worldwide as a musician of magisterial interpretive and technical prowess. Although long regarded as one of the world’s leading exponents of the music of Frédéric Chopin, Mr. Ohlsson commands an enormous repertoire, which ranges over the entire piano literature. A student of the late Claudio Arrau, Mr. Ohlsson has come to be noted for his masterly performances of the works of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, as well as the Romantic repertoire. To date he has at his command more than 80 concertos, ranging from Haydn and Mozart to works of the 21st century, many commissioned for him. This season he launches an ambitious project spread over two seasons exploring the complete solo piano works of Brahms in four different programs. The cycle will be heard in New York, San Francisco, and Montreal with individual programs in London, Warsaw and a number of cities across North America. In concerto repertoire ranging from Beethoven to Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Barber and Busoni, he will return to the New York Philharmonic; Cleveland Orchestra; Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Houston and Seattle Symphonies, concluding the season in Indianapolis with all the Rachmaninoff concerti programmed in one weekend.

A frequent guest with the orchestras in Australia, Mr. Ohlsson has recently visited Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Hobart as well as the New Zealand Symphony in Wellington and Auckland. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Ohlsson has collaborated with the Cleveland, Emerson, and Tokyo string quartets, and in the spring will tour with the Takacs Quartet and the Boston Chamber Players in Istanbul, Berlin, Munich, Warsaw, Luxembourg and Prague. Together with violinist Jorja Fleezanis and cellist Michael Grebanier, he is a founding member of the San Francisco-based FOG Trio. Passionate about singing and singers, Mr. Ohlsson has appeared in recital with such legendary artists as Magda Olivero, Jessye Norman, and Ewa Podles. 

Mr. Ohlsson can be heard on the Arabesque, RCA Victor Red Seal, Angel, BMG, Delos, Hänssler, Nonesuch, Telarc, Hyperion and Virgin Classics labels. His ten-disc set of the complete Beethoven Sonatas, for Bridge Records, has garnered critical acclaim, including a GRAMMY® for Vol. 3. His recording of Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3, with the Atlanta Symphony and Robert Spano, was released in 2011. In the fall of 2008 the English label Hyperion re-released his 16-disc set of the Complete Works of Chopin followed in 2010 by all the Brahms piano variations, “Goyescas” by Enrique Granados, and music of Charles Tomlinson Griffes. Most recently on that label are Scriabin’s Complete Poèmes, Smetana Czech Dances, and ètudes by Debussy, Bartok and Prokofiev. The latest CDs in his ongoing association with Bridge Records are the Complete Scriabin Sonatas, “Close Connections,” a recital of 20th-Century pieces, and two CDs of works by Liszt. In recognition of the Chopin bicentenary in 2010, Mr. Ohlsson was featured in a documentary “The Art of Chopin” co-produced by Polish, French, British and Chinese television stations. Most recently, both Brahms concerti and Tchaikovsky’s second piano concerto were released on live performance recordings with the Melbourne and Sydney Symphonies on their own recording labels, and Mr. Ohlsson was featured on Dvorak’s piano concerto in the Czech Philharmonic’s recordings of the composer’s complete symphonies & concertos, released July of 2014 on the Decca label.

A native of White Plains, N.Y., Garrick Ohlsson began his piano studies at the age of 8, at the Westchester Conservatory of Music; at 13 he entered The Juilliard School, in New York City. His musical development has been influenced in completely different ways by a succession of distinguished teachers, most notably Claudio Arrau, Olga Barabini, Tom Lishman, Sascha Gorodnitzki, Rosina Lhévinne and Irma Wolpe. Although he won First Prizes at the 1966 Busoni Competition in Italy and the 1968 Montréal Piano Competition, it was his 1970 triumph at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, where he won the Gold Medal (and remains the single American to have done so), that brought him worldwide recognition as one of the finest pianists of his generation. Since then he has made nearly a dozen tours of Poland, where he retains immense personal popularity. Mr. Ohlsson was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize in 1994 and received the 1998 University Musical Society Distinguished Artist Award in Ann Arbor, MI. He is also the 2014 recipient of the Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance from the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music. He is a Steinway Artist. He makes his home in San Francisco.

About Asheville Symphony

The Asheville Symphony was born of a passion, formed in 1960 by a group of volunteer musicians — its early concertos filling the halls of local churches and school auditoriums. At that time, and for several years after, the Symphony had no manager and no resident conductor — only a handful of passionate performers that wished to share the classics (and their talents) with the community. Asheville’s arts-focused community — home to generations of writers, musicians and artists — has sustained the Asheville Symphony for nearly 60 years, embracing the orchestra’s endless creativity, artistic expression and collaborative explorations.