The programme for the Basque National Orchestra's Music Room is set
The founding principles of the Orchestra's education and dissemination strategy is to offer home-made productions for the enjoyment of the entire family and to make symphony music more engaging at all levels of education. To this end, the BNO Education Department work in collaboration with cultural and social institutions. The Music Room, the project that gets this offer out to the public, presents over thirty activities for the coming months.
FAMILY CONCERTS. The Family Concert series held in Vitoria and San Sebastián will feature three very different proposals for different ages, emotions and sensations, but always with the same goal: to attract audiences of all ages to quality live music.
SCHOOL ACTIVITIES. The Concerts for Schools series, organised in collaboration with the Gipuzkoa General Asssembly and the San Sebastián Town Hall, will offer three productions this season, on for each school level. The series will comprise a total of 18 concerts and bring 5,200 school children to the Orchestra's Miramón headquarters. This Open Rehearsals will also take on special relevance this season: secondary, baccalaureate and university students, as well as students from music conservatories and dance schools will be invited to a BNO rehearsal prior to a Season Concert programme. Five Open Rehearsals have been scheduled (one at the Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao and four at the Kursaal in San Sebastián).
OTHER INITIATIVES. In support of full inclusion, every year the BNO joins forces with FEVAS (Basque Federation of Associations in Favour of People with Intellectual Disabilities) to create exciting projects for people with different disabilities; in this context, in the coming months, four workshops will be held in Bilbao and San Sebastián. In addition, the Basque National Orchestra has embarked on the project "Mosaic of Sounds", together with the Spanish Association of Symphony Orchestras (AEOS), Plena Inclusión and Fundación BBVA. This ambitious initiative, in which music becomes an instrument for personal development and social integration, will take place throughout 2016.
And as part of the Orchestra's collaboration with DSS2016EU (Donostia-San Sebastian 2016 European Capital of Culture), the BNO, conducted by Jun Märkl, will take part in the European Music School Festival (EMUSIK 2016) to be held at the Anoeta stadium in May 2016.
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MUSIC ROOM 15/16. ProgrammeBasque National Orchestra to requiere "Pensieri, rhapsody for flute and orchestra" by Luis de Pablo
The Basque National Orchestra's new programme of Season Concerts will take place from 30 October to 5 November. The highlight this season is the world premiere of composer Luis de Pablo's Pensieri, Rhapsody for Flute and Orchestra. This first-time performance is a tribute to the Bilbao composer who turned 85 in January. The Orchestra is also proud to present two extraordinary names in music: José Ramón Encinar, conductor and expert in contemporary repertoire whose baton led the BNO in its 2014 debut performance at the Venice Biennial; and flutist Roberto Fabbriciani, collaborator and close friend of Luis de Pablo, for whom the composer wrote this piece.
The third Concert Season programme will open in San Sebastián at the Kursaal on Friday, October 30th; in Vitoria at Teatro Principal on November 2nd; in Pamplona at the Baluarte on the 3rd; in Bilbao at the Euskalduna on the 4th, and will close in San Sebastián at the Kursaal on Thursday, November 5th.
After the final dress rehearsal, Luis de Pablo will meet with a group of students at the Kursaal on October 30th as part of "Topaketak", a programme designed in collaboration with Jakiunde, the Basque Academy of Science, Art and Letters.
Pensieri, Rhapsody for Flute and Orchestra was composed between 2013 and 2014. In the words of Luis de Pablo: "This work is the product of the friendship and admiration I have for the extraordinary flutist Roberto Fabbriciani, and his wife Luisella [Botteon], who had the patience to follow the composition step by step. Pensieri is a rhapsody, that is, a piece of freeform music which highlights virtuosity; it is important to highlight the technical and artistic skills of the instrumentalist to whom the piece is dedicated. The work is made up of four "Reflections": Secret, Solitary, Fleeting and Enigmatic." These titles might suggest a sense of melancholy. But, as Luis de Pablo explains: "I composed the piece as a celebration, not without a touch of humour and mystery - of which Roberto is a master." As for the title, he adds that "It is the soloist who ‘thinks' about a multicolour dialogue with the orchestra, who comments, in a thousand ways, about the vicissitudes of the ‘thinker'". Written for a large orchestra, the presence of different types of flutes is a constant (the soloist plays four: transverse flute, piccolo, alto flute and contrabass flute).
Since 1983, when the Basque National Orchestra first played a piece by Luis de Pablo, the two have crossed paths on several occasions. The current premiere follows Imromptus (1991) and Danzas secretas (2008), both of which were works specially commissioned by the Orchestra. The BNO has also performed De Pablo's work in other concerts, both as part of the Season Concert programme and at other venues (including the National Auditorium in Madrid and the Venice Biennial). In an effort to preserve the musical production of this international figure of avant-garde music, the Orchestra also dedicated one of the volumes in the Basque Composers Series (Claves, 2008) to De Pablo.
The Overture to Mozart's The Magic Flute and Manuel de Falla's Three Cornered Hat will round out the concert programme. The first is probably one of the best-known pieces in opera repertoire. The second is a ballet composed by Manuel de Falla for Serge Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes. On this occasion, the BNO is proud to introduce soprano Lola Casariego. Casariego will be taking the place of Raquel Lojendio, who for reasons beyond the Orchestra's control will not be performing in this concert series. This will be the first time the soprano from Oviedo to perform with the Basque National Orchestra in a Season Concert.
The new Miramon Matinées Season Kicks off
The Miramon Matinées are, in essence, the space where the Basque National Orchestra researches, experiments with and designs programmes for addressing repertoires other than symphony music. In the continuous search for alternative proposals, great importance is also placed on working in collaboration with other artistic bodies in order to extend the cycle to other disciplines, such as choir music, with the KUP Taldea, or productions combining dance and live music, with the Dantzaz Konpainia. The 2015/2016 Miramon Matinées season consists of 16 concerts taking place at 11:00 on Saturday mornings at the Basque Orchestra Headquarters in Miramón.
Season tickets now on sale. The 16-concert season ticket costs 83.50 euros. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Basque Orchestra offices (943 01 32 32) or by completing the form in the Subscribers section of www.euskadikoorkestra.eus. Tickets for individual Matinées will go on sale on September 10 at a single price of 7 euros and can be purchased on www.kutxabank.es, at the Kursaal Auditorium ticket office and, in the event of remaining tickets, at the ticket desk of the Orchestra Headquarters in Miramón on the day of the concert.
On September 26, extraordinary choir music to open the season: an approach to J.S. Bach's sacred cantatas, four of which will be performed by the KUP Taldea and the Kaabestri chamber ensemble. The KUP Taldea vocal group, created in 2003 under the direction of Gabriel Baltès, tackles this demanding repertoire together with the solo voices of the soprano Miren Urbieta, the mezzo-soprano Marta Infante, the tenor Xabier Anduaga and the bass Mikel Zabala. Kaabestri, an ensemble of musicians from the Basque Orchestra, will provide the instrumental part of this project opening a new season of the Miramón Matinées.
The Miramón Matinées are sponsored by Kutxa Fundazioa.
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ose_miramongo_matineeak_1516_programazioa_baja.pdfThe Basque National Orchestra and Fundación SGAE present movie music at the Velodromo
As part of the San Sebastián Film Festival programme, the Basque National Orchestra will join the Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers (Fundación SGAE) to present this year's concert of movie music. After three years at the Orchestra's Miramón headquarters, this year the concert will enjoy a new venue: the Velodrome. This free concert will be held on Saturday, 19 September at 12 0'clock noon.
The reason for changing the venue to the Velodrome is to raise the profile of the event. The Velodrome allows for greater seating capacity - up to 2500 - and offers better technical advantages, such as a 400 square metre screen. It also means adding the concert to the regular programming of one of the Festival's most popular venues.
The concert programme features a selection of pieces from movie sountracks written by Alfonso de Vilallonga, Fernando Velázquez, Joan Valent, Pascal Gaigne and Alberto Iglesias for the films Blancanieves by Pablo Berger; Zipi y Zape y el club de la canica by Oskar Santos; Las Brujas de Zugarramurdi by Álex de la Iglesia (with the participation of the Orfeón Donostiarra); Loreak by Jon Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga; Lasa eta Zabala by Pablo Malo; and Pedro Almodóvar's feature films Todo sobre mi madre (All About My Mother), Hable con ella (Talk to Her), La mala educación (Bad Education) and La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In). The concert, performed by the Orchestra conducted by Roman Gottwald, will also have a visual part: the music will be intertwined with scenes from the actual movies in a performance created specifically for this concert. A number of the composers will also be present at the event.
Admission is free with invitation, which must be picked up between 12 and 18 September at the San Sebastián Film Festival information desks at the Kursaal from 9am to 8pm and at Okendo Plaza from 10am to 8pm; inivtations are also available at the Donostia Tourism Office from Monday to Saturday, 9am to 8pm, and Sunday from 10am to 7pm.
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Movie music at the Velodromo. Press releasseMaster's Degree in Artistic Teaching of Orchestral Studies (String Instruments) by Musikene and Basque National Orchestra
Branch of knowledge: Arts and Humanities
ECTS: 60
Thirty string musicians will be able to study in Musikene from the 2015-2016 academic year the first and only Master's Degree in Artistic Teaching of Orchestral Studies (String Instruments) approved by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.
It is a pioneering Master's Degree in which individual and collective classes are combined under the auspices of working professionals. Orchestral work experience in collaboration with the Basque National Orchestra is paid and guarantees real preparation for the working world of an orchestra. This Master's Degree, therefore, will prepare those who qualify from it for the carrying out of further official studies tied to research.
REGISTRATION: From 22 July to 15 September 2015
AUDITIONS:Between 21st and 23 September 2015
ENROLMENT: Online. End September 2015.
PLACES OFFERED: 30 per academic year
Typology of the places
Violin: 12
Viola: 6
Cello: 6
Double bass: 6
ACADEMIC CALENDAR: From October 2015 to June 2016.
2015/2016 Season
For its 34th season, the Basque National Orchestra will be offering more concerts. In doing so, it will recuperate the number of season concerts offered several seasons ago, which is a new boost and a way of being more connected to the cycles in Bilbao, Vitoria, San Sebastian and Pamplona. Yet, and furthermore, a huge effort will be made to keep directors and soloists on the payroll. Almost all of them are new names on Basque stages, and in some cases nationally, but their quality is unquestionable and a must-have on international stages. A contrast in programming will be a constant throughout the entire Season, with contrasts between composers, works, styles and formats. The Basque Orchestra will be offering a vast musical catalogue, with room for fundamental works from the symphonic repertoire, but also for contemporary music and the stage.
After their initial entrance with "Cinderella," the Royal Opera of Versailles is once again on the Basque Orchestra's horizon with a new production, "Beauty and the Beast", which will premiere in December, along with Malandain Ballet Biarritz. The Orchestra will be returning to one of the Gallic country's most select cycles.
The Basque Orchestra is moving forward with its mission to be the Country's great cultural-musical asset. This is why, in addition to the season concerts in the four customary cities, we have another large catalogue of activities and concerts in different formats and for different audiences. This is a continuous selection that is renewed every year, a clear example of the Orchestra's involvement in different spheres: teaching, through the Jorda Gela Classroom with Musikene. The new Season will have the first promotion of the Primer Master's Degree in Orchestral Studies. And education, through the Music Room. The Miramón Matinees are a quality, small-format music cycle, and Orkestra Herrietan is large-format music outside customary stages. Additionally, the Orchestra is fully involved with its social and cultural task by means of its connection with cultural events such as ABAO and Musika-Música in Bilbao, Quincena Musical and Zinemaldia in San Sebastián, Festival de Musique in Côte Basque and Musikaste.
In this year of holding Capitalidad Cultural, Donostia 2016, the Basque Orchestra's involvement in different events is noteworthy, such as EMUSIK and ICMA, the European classical music awards ceremony that will be taking place in San Sebastian, with the Basque Orchestra as host.
Master's Degree in Artistic Teaching of Orchestral Studies: enrolment is now open
Thirty string musicians will be able to study in Musikene from the 2015-2016 academic year the first and only Master's Degree in Artistic Teaching of Orchestral Studies (String Instruments) approved by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.
It is a pioneering Master's Degree in which individual and collective classes are combined under the auspices of working professionals. Orchestral work experience in collaboration with the Basque National Orchestra is paid and guarantees real preparation for the working world of an orchestra. This Master's Degree, therefore, will prepare those who qualify from it for the carrying out of further official studies tied to research.
REGISTRATION: From 16 March to 1 June.
Musikene, with the Basque National Orchestra, launches Spain’s first official master’s degree in orchestral studies
As of the 2015/2016 school year, thanks to the Aula Jordá Gela cooperation agreement between the Basque National Orchestra and Musikene, thirty string instrumentalists will be able to take, at Musikene, the only Master's Degree in Orchestral Studies (specialising in string) approved by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. The curriculum will combine individual and group classes given by active professionals with orchestra practice in collaboration with the Basque National Orchestra. This is the first orchestra master's degree to have received approval from the Ministry of Education and will prepare those who pass it to perform with an orchestra and to proceed with official studies connected to research. Pre-enrolment is now open.
Frank Peter Zimmermann revisits the Basque National Orchestra
"Playing with the Basque orchestra is almost like being with my own family". Those were the opening words by violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann in his contribution to "Primo Tempo", the book published in 2006 about the 25-year history of the Basque National Orchestra. Now, in a season called "Re-Encounters", the German violinist once again shares the stage with the Orchestra. Under the baton of Carlo Rizzi, who revisits the 14/15 Concert Season, he will perform the Violin Concerto by J. Sibelius. This new Season Concert will open on Monday, 26 January, in Pamplona's Baluarte Auditorim, continue on the 27th and 29th at Kursaal in San Sebastián and wrap up on the 30th at the Teatro Principal in Vitoria,
For his fifth collaboration with the BNO - Sibelius's Violin Concerto. After debuting as guest soloist for the 2002 BNO Concert Season, Frank Peter Zimmermann (Duisburg, 1965) joined the Orchestra again in 2004, 2006 and 2010. Conducted by Gilbert Varga, Cristian Mandeal and Lawrence Rennes, he has performed works by Bartok, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Dvorak. On this occasion he will accompany the BNO in a performance of Violin Concerto by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), which he has played in Hannover, Bremen and Cologne and will soon perform in Taipei, Seoul and Tokyo.
With a long and successful career under his belt, Frank Peter Zimmermann is arguably one of the greatest living violinists. It has been said that "He has won everything, recorded everything, and performed with everyone". Zimmermann plays a Stradivarius known as the Lady Inchiquin, from 1711, which once belonged to Fritz Kreisler, provided by Portigon AG.
The concert programme, titled "The Voice of Sibelius", will also include a performance of Symphony No. 5 by the Finish composer. The musician's search for new paths for the symphonic discourse should bear its finest fruits in this symphony.
Jun Märkl named chief conductor of the Basque National Orchestra
The noted German conductor Jun Märkl will conduct the new concert programme (5, 6 and 8 November) as the Basque National Orchestra's principal conductor. Coinciding with his return to Euskadi as general manager, Oriol Roch formally announced that Jun Märkl would be heading the Basque orchestra for the 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons. The decision was backed by the Board of Directors.
A few months ago Jun Märkl was named musical adviser to the Basque National Orchestra. At the time, the Basque Department of Education, Language Policy and Culture, Jun Märkl and the outgoing general manager, Iñigo Alberdi, decided to wait before announcing the appointment the new general manager. On 3rd November Jun Märkl became the Basque National Orchestra principal conductor for the next two seasons.
The new principal conductor has worked with the Basque orchestra on numerous occasions. His first collaboration was in 2012 as part of the Festival Musique en Côte Basque in Biarritz. Since then, the German maestro has conducted the Orchestra in different Season Concert programmes and at last year's San Sebastián Classical Music Festival.
As for his career, we should point out that Märkl is a highly respected and experienced conductor with an extensive international background and greatly familiar with the German and French repertoire. He has been principal conductor with well-known symphony orchestras such as the Orchestre National de Lyon (2005-2011) and the MDR Sinfonierorchester Leipzig (until 2012). He conducts orchestras of international stature including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic and the Munich Philharmonic. He also conducts operas, including the Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Budapest and Dresden state operas. Among his numerous recordings are the outstanding versions of Mahler, Schumann and an acclaimed collection of new volumes dedicated to Debussy. (full bio included).
Jun Märkl's appointment as principal conductor completes the Orchestra's musical leadership, together with Andrey Boreyko, who continues in his role as Principal Guest Conductor.