Oberlin

“A national treasure.”

— The Washington Post

“A hotbed of contemporary-classical players.”

— The New York Times

The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, called “a hotbed of contemporary-classical players,” by the New York Times, will present its special brand of cutting-edge contemporary music as part of its inaugural West Coast tour in January 2009.

The first two stops feature alumni ensembles eighth blackbird, winner of the 2008 Grammy Award, and the Prima Trio, awarded the grand prize and gold medal at the 2007 Fischoff Competition. Joining them are members of the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, a group honored with the 2003 ASCAP/ASOL Award for Adventurous Programming. They will present exciting concerts of new music in San Francisco, at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, on Sunday, January 11, and in Seattle, at Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall in Benaroya Hall, on Tuesday, January 13.

The acclaimed Oberlin Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bridget-Michaele Reischl, performs in Los Angeles at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Saturday, January 24. The afternoon performance will be highlighted by the world premiere of Hanging Cliffs by critically acclaimed composer Huang Ruo ’00. Ruo is the 2008 first-prize laureate of the International Composition Prize, sponsored by the Luxembourg Society for Contemporary Music.

The Oberlin Conservatory Symphony Orchestra received rave reviews for its Carnegie Hall appearance in January 2007, under the baton of Robert Spano. Vivien Schweitzer of the New York Times wrote that its performance was “stellar.” “Bravo … an enormously refreshing evening,” wrote Patrick J. Smith of MusicalAmerica.com: “… these young men and women had shown conclusively that the so-called ‘death of classical music’ is a very long way from being realized—at least at Oberlin.”

Items of Interest

Notes From The Tour

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Oberlin’s West Coast Tour is generously supported by Jolyon F. Stern ’61, President and CEO of DeWitt Stern Group, Inc.