Simone Dinnerstein
Simone Dinnerstein tours with Kristjan Jarvi's Absolute Ensemble - Toronto, NYC, Philadelphia, Austin
February 18, 2010
Pianist Simone Dinnerstein tours with Kristjan Järvi's Absolute Ensemble in Absolute Bach Re-invented – a dynamic concert featuring music irreverently inspired by Bach
"the pianists' pianist of Generation X" – The New Yorker on Simone Dinnerstein
"part rock band, part jazz ensemble – all bristling energy" – The New York Post on Absolute Ensemble
"a kinetic force on the podium, like Leonard Bernstein reborn" – The New York Times on conductor Kristjan Järvi
Toronto, Ontario
Thursday, February 18 at 8pm
Koerner Hall, The Royal Conservatory | 273 Bloor St. West
Tickets: $20-$50 at www.rcmusic.ca & 416.408.0208
New York, NY
Friday, February 19 at 7pm
(Le) Poisson Rouge | 158 Bleecker St.
Tickets: $25 at www.lprnyc.com & 212.505.FISH
Philadelphia, PA
Saturday, February 20 at 7:30pm
Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center | 300 South Broad St.
Tickets: $19-$32 at www.kimmelcenter.org & 215.893.1999
Austin, TX
Friday, February 26 at 8pm
Hogg Memorial Auditorium | University of Texas at Austin
Tickets: $34 at www.texasperformingarts.org & 512.471.1444
Performance videos & interviews with Simone Dinnerstein: www.simonedinnerstein.com/look.php
Absolute Ensemble: www.absoluteensemble.com
Concert program: Innovation J.S. by Charles Coleman; Reinventions by Gene Pritsker; Undertow by Matt Herskowitz; Raga on a Theme by Bach by Mike Block; and toopART Reinventions by Daniel Schnyder
New York, NY—Conductor Kristjan Järvi's musically-omnivorous band, Absolute Ensemble, will tour with chart-topping pianist Simone Dinnerstein in February, making stops in Toronto, ON; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; and Austin, TX (see schedule above). Their concert, entitled Absolute Bach Re-invented, takes Bach's music as a starting point and creates an off-beat journey from Baroque to rock to Gypsy folk and hip-hop. The program includes Innovation J.S. by Charles Coleman (based on Bach's Inventions No. 5 in Eb Major and No. 8 in F Major); Reinventions by Gene Pritsker featuring Ms. Dinnerstein as soloist; Undertow by Matt Herskowitz (based on Bach's Invention No. 9 in F Minor); Raga on a Theme by Bach by Mike Block; and toopART Reinventions by Daniel Schnyder.
Dedicated to performing what founding music director Kristjan Järvi calls "music without borders," Absolute Ensemble bridges the gaps between all genres of music, fusing its classical roots with everything from jazz and rock to world music and hip-hop. The New York Times praises the group as, "Musicians who are equally comfortable with classical music, jazz and rock and who have the techniques to address those styles on their own terms." Members are frequently called upon to improvise as well as compose.
Mr. Järvi designed Absolute Bach Re-invented to showcase multi-talented members of the band who also write music – Charles Coleman is the ensemble's resident composer, Gene Pritsker is a guitarist and rap artist, Matt Herskowitz is a keyboard player and pianist, Mike Block is a cellist, and Daniel Schnyder is a saxophonist. The program premiered at Musikfest Bremen, Germany in 2008, with Ms. Dinnerstein as the featured soloist. Absolute Bach-Re-invented is just one of Absolute Ensemble's signature thematic programs – others include Absolute Zawinul (which features music by the late Austrian jazz legend Joe Zawinul, an album version will be released in the U.S. on March 15, 2010), Absolute Arabian Nights, Absolute Electronica, Absolute Zappa, Absolute Tango, and more.
The piano soloist for Absolute Bach Re-invented, Simone Dinnerstein, is known for her intelligent but emotive performances and has been called "a throwback to such high priestesses of music as Wanda Landowska and Myra Hess," by Slate magazine. The New York-based artist gained an international following because of the remarkable success of her recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations, which she raised the funds to record. Released in 2007, it ranked No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Classical Chart in its first week of sales and was named to many "Best of 2007" lists including those of The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The New Yorker. Her follow-up album, The Berlin Concert, also gained the No. 1 spot on the Chart. The Washington Post calls her, "a phenomenon in the world of classical music."
Absolute Ensemble is Kristjan Järvi, conductor; Adam Taubic, violin; Shalini Vijayan, violin; Edmundo Ramirez, viola; Mike Block, cello; Mat Fieldes, bass; Hayley Reid, flute; Keve Wilson, oboe; Michiyo Suzuki, clarinet; Damian Primis, bassoon; Wayne du Maine, trumpet; Mike Seltzer, trombone; Gene Pritsker, guitar; Matt Herskowitz, piano; Damien Bassman, drums and percussion; and Holger Schwark, sound engineer.
About Absolute Ensemble: Founded in New York in 1993, Kristjan Järvi's Absolute Ensemble lends itself to the kind of performance usually foreign to ensembles of the classical breed. The group tours extensively to all corners of the globe, and maintains both its New York presence and a European base at Musikfest Bremen, Germany. In 2007 Kristjan Järvi and Absolute Ensemble were awarded the Deutsche Bank Prize at Musikfest Bremen for outstanding musical achievement. Absolute Ensemble's eight recordings have received accolades including the German Record Critic's Prize and a Grammy nomination. Absolute Ensemble has performed in cities including Vienna, Zürich, London, Hamburg, Cologne, Bremen, Weimar, Stockholm, Umeå, Bolzano, Milan, Torino, Catania, Tallinn, Pärnu, Monterey, Bergen, New York, West Palm Beach, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit, Washington DC, New Orleans, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Oulu. The ensemble members' comprehensive approach to music-making – which includes the roles of performer, composer, arranger and improviser – is taught annually to the next generation of musicians at the Absolute Academy at the Bremen University for Music and Art. Absolute Ensemble is managed by Bonnie Sue Stein of GOH Productions. For more information, visit www.absoluteensemble.com.
About Kristjan Järvi: Estonian-born and American-raised, conductor Kristjan Järvi is a unique musical personality pushing classical music borders with fresh ideas, charisma and technical prowess. Mr. Järvi has combined his classical roots and affinity for traditional repertoire with an infectious enthusiasm for creating original programs; propelling classical concert halls around the globe into the 21st century. Kristjan Järvi's name has become synonymous with artistic and cultural diversity, embodied in his roles as artistic advisor to the Basel Chamber Orchestra and founder and music director of Absolute Ensemble. His imaginative programming has been embraced by leaders of classical, jazz, and world music spheres alike. Mr. Järvi's authentic commitment to all genres is reflected in his collaborations with Arvo Pärt, Tan Dun, John Adams, Esa-Pekka Salonen, H.K Gruber, Renee Fleming, Joe Zawinul, Benny Andersson, Goran Bregovic, Paquito d'Rivera, Eitetsu Hayashi, and Marcel Khalife.
Mr. Järvi is highly sought-after as a guest conductor. He appears regularly and exclusively in London with the London Symphony Orchestra, with which he will tour Europe and Asia in the 2009-2010 season. In 2009 he conducted Teatro Reggio Torino in a new production of Rossini's Tancredi. Further guest conducting engagements in this and last season include concerts with Staatskapelle Dresden, Bayerische Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, NDR Hamburg, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome, National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, DC), Sydney Symphony, and NHK Symphony Japan.
Fiercely committed to new music, Kristjan Järvi has actively sought the commission of over 100 works. Premieres in the 2009-2010 season include works by Indian composer Nitin Sawhney with the London Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Schnyder with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, James MacMillan with the London Symphony Orchestra and Tim Garland with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Järvi will also record Arvo Pärt's newly commissioned Stabat Mater with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra for Sony International.
Mr. Järvi has more than 25 albums to his credit, and a list of accolades that includes a Swedish Grammy for Best Opera Performance, the German Record Critics Prize for Best Album and a Grammy nomination. The 2009 Chandos release of Bernstein's epic Mass was met with widespread acclaim and was Gramophone magazine's "Editor's Choice." Other recent releases include Haydn's Paris Symphonies and Schmidt's Das Buch mit Sieben Siegeln. In 2009 Kristjan Järvi released Mahler's little-known arrangement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra, and in 2010 he will release Absolute Zawinul – the late Joe Zawinul's last studio recording.
Mr. Järvi is a dynamic and enterprising music educator as well. He is founding conductor and music director of the Baltic Youth Philharmonic. With the support of former German Chancellor Schröder, Valery Gergiev and Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Baltic Youth Philharmonic aims to become an education and performance hub for the Baltic region. In 2009 the BYP opened Bremen Musikfest and Usedom Music Festival and toured the Baltic Sea Nations. In 2010 it will return to Usedom and Bremen, perform at St. Petersburg's White Nights Festival and tour Bernstein's Mass throughout Europe.
An accomplished pianist, Kristjan Järvi studied piano at the Manhattan School of Music and conducting at the University of Michigan. He began his career assisting Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, followed by chief conductor and music director posts at both the Norrlands Opera and Symphony Orchestra, Sweden (2000-2004) and the Tonkünstler Orchestra, Vienna (2004-2009). Kristjan Järvi (pronounced Krist-JAHN YAHR-vee) makes his home in Vienna and Florida with his wife and three children. He is managed by Tanja Dorn at IMG Artists. For more information, visit www.kristjanjarvi.com.
About Simone Dinnerstein: Ms. Dinnerstein's performance schedule has taken her around the world since her triumphant New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in 2005, performing Bach's Goldberg Variations. Recent and upcoming performances include her recital debuts at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Lincoln Center Mostly Mozart Festival, the Aspen and Ravinia festivals, in Cologne, Paris, London, Copenhagen, Vilnius, Bremen, Rome, and Lisbon, and at the Stuttgart Bach Festival; as well as debut performances with the Dresden Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Kristjan Järvi's Absolute Ensemble, the Tokyo Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, and the Minnesota Orchestra. In New York she has performed on the People's Symphony series at Town Hall, on Lincoln Center's Great Performers series, and in three sold-out recitals at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is also a frequent performer at (Le) Poisson Rouge in the West Village. In July 2009, she made her debut with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, playing Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 2.
Since 1996 Ms. Dinnerstein has played concerts throughout the United States for the Piatigorsky Foundation, an organization dedicated to bringing classical music to non-traditional venues. Amongst the places she has played are nursing homes, schools and community centers. Most notably, she gave the first classical music performance in the Louisiana state prison system when she played at the Avoyelles Correctional Center. She also performed at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women, in a concert organized by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra to coincide with her BSO debut.
In addition, Ms. Dinnerstein has founded P.S. 321 Neighborhood Concerts, an evening concert series at the Brooklyn public elementary school that her son attends and where her husband teaches fifth grade. The concerts, which feature musicians Ms. Dinnerstein has admired and collaborated with during her career, is open to the public and raises funds for the school's Parent Teacher Association. The musicians performing donate their time and talent to the program.
Ms. Dinnerstein is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she was a student of Peter Serkin. She was a winner of the Astral Artist National Auditions, and has twice received the Classical Recording Foundation Award. She also studied with Solomon Mikowsky at the Manhattan School of Music and in London with Maria Curcio, the distinguished pupil of Artur Schnabel.
Simone Dinnerstein (pronounced See-MOHN-uh Dinner-STEEN) lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and son. She is managed by Tanja Dorn at IMG Artists. For more information visit www.simonedinnerstein.com.
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