Great Artists Series '23: Academy of St Martin in the Fields with Gary Hoffman, cello
Single Tickets
Edison Box Office: 314-935-6543
Single Tickets:
$35-40 general admission
$32-37 Wash U faculty/staff
$15 students/youth
Program:
SCHUBERT: Overture in C minor
SCHUMANN: Concerto for Violoncello in A minor, Op. 129
– Intermission –
SALLINEN: Chamber Music III, Op. 58 'The Nocturnal Dances of Don Juanquixote'
TCHAIKOVSKY: Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48
“…the musicians proceeded to play the heck out of a demanding program…extraordinary details of dynamics and tone coloring…The Academy musicians seemed to revel in the notes and they shaped an absorbing, virtuosic performance.”
"…a delectable mix of drive and vibrant coloring…an impressive night…” -THE BALTIMORE SUN
Biographies:
Gary Hoffman, cello
Cellist Gary Hoffman gained international renown as the first North American to win the Rostropovich International Cello Competition in 1986. He has appeared as a soloist with the Chicago, London, Montréal, Toronto, San Francisco, Baltimore, and National symphony orchestras; the English, Moscow, and Los Angeles chamber orchestras; Orchestre National de France; Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; the Netherlands and Rotterdam philharmonics; and the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras, among many others. He has collaborated with such celebrated conductors as Herbert Blomstedt, Andrew Davis, Jésus Lopez-Cobos, Kent Nagano, André Prévin, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Pinchas Zuckerman.
Mr. Hoffman performs in major recital and chamber music series throughout the world, as well as at such prestigious festivals as Ravinia, Waterloo, Marlboro, Aspen, Bath, Evian, Vancouver, Verbier, Mostly Mozart, Prades, Santa Fe, Schleswig-Holstein, Stresa, Storioni, Hong Kong International, and Festival International de Colmar. Notable venues include Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, the Royal Concertgebouw, and the Kennedy Center. He is a frequent guest performer with the Emerson, Tokyo, Borromeo, Brentano, and Ysaÿe string quartets; as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has premiered the concertos of Laurent Petitgirard, Joel Hoffman, Renaud Gagneux, Gil Shohat, Graciane Finzi, and Dominique Lemaître; and performed the French premiere of Elliott Carter’s Cello Concerto.
Hailing from Vancouver, Canada, Mr. Hoffman was the youngest faculty appointee in the history of Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where he served for eight years. He leads master classes around the world including appearances at the Ravinia Festival, Manchester International Cello Festival, Mozarteum University Salzburg, and the Kronberg Academy, where he is also closely involved with the institution’s festival and Academy Master program.
Residing in Paris, Mr. Hoffman is an active recording artist with the BMG (RCA), Sony, EMI, and Le Chant du Monde labels. He performs on a 1662 Nicolo Amati, the “ex-Leonard Rose.”
Mr. Hoffman joined the Curtis Institute of Music faculty in 2021. He also serves as master in residence for cello at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels.
The Academy of St Martin in the Fields
The Academy of St Martin in the Fields is one of the world’s finest chamber orchestras, renowned for fresh, brilliant interpretations of the world’s greatest orchestral music.
Formed by Sir Neville Marriner in 1958 from a group of leading London musicians, the Academy gave its first performance in its namesake church in November 1959. Through unrivaled live performances and a vast recording output – highlights of which include the 1969 best-seller Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and the soundtrack to the Oscar-winning film Amadeus – the Academy quickly gained an enviable international reputation for its distinctive, polished, and refined sound. With over 500 releases in a much-vaunted discography and a comprehensive international touring program, the name and sound of the Academy is known and loved by classical audiences throughout the world.
Today the Academy is led by Music Director and virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell, retaining the collegiate spirit and flexibility of the original small, conductor-less ensemble which has become an Academy hallmark. Under Bell’s direction, and with the support of Leader/Director Tomo Keller, and Principal Guest Conductor Murray Perahia, the Academy continues to push the boundaries of play-directed performance to new heights, presenting symphonic repertoire and chamber music on a grand scale at prestigious venues around the world.
When COVID-19 sparked lockdowns across the globe, the Academy responded by establishing a digital campaign to fund the production of new performance videos. New films of Elgar and Shostakovich will be out soon, and future filming plans include recording with Music Director Joshua Bell. In addition, the orchestra launched a new concert series at its spiritual home of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London’s Trafalgar Square. The series – the first of its kind in the orchestra’s home city for many years – has seen the Academy collaborate with internationally artists on concert programmes devised by members of the orchestra. A second concert series is planned at St Martin’s for March-August 2021.
Joshua Bell is not appearing with the orchestra on this tour.
**All programs subject to change
Financial assistance for this project has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency. www.missouriartscouncil.org
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