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January 2007
For Immediate Release: MIDAMERICA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS VIOLINIST SYLIVA ROSENBERG AT WEILL RECITAL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL JANUARY 30, 2007

For Immediate Release: MIDAMERICA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS ITS FIRST ZANKEL HALL RECITAL WITH MIKA YOSHIDA, MARIMBA, AND FRIENDS AT ZANKEL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL SUNDAY JANUARY 28, 2007

For Immediate Release: MIDAMERICA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS A WORLD PREMIERE PIECE BY DICK HYMAN THE KINOR STRING QUARTET WITH JOHANNES SOMARY AT WEILL RECITAL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL JANUARY 21, 2007

For Immediate Release: MIDAMERICA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS THE ESTEEMED WATERVILLE TRIO AT WEILL RECITAL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL JANUARY 20, 2007

For Immediate Release: MIDAMERICA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS PETER TIBORIS LEADING THE MANHATTAN PHILHARMONIC IN VERDI'S MESSA DA REQUIEM AT CARNEGIE HALL TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2007

For Immediate Release: MIDAMERICA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS TWO OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES, INCLUDING THE 11TH ANNUAL NATIONAL FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA, AT CARNEGIE HALL, JANUARY 14TH AND 15TH.

For Immediate Release:

MIDAMERICA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS VIOLINIST SYLIVA ROSENBERG
AT WEILL RECITAL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL JANUARY 30, 2007

New York, NY - MidAmerica Productions presents violinist Sylvia Rosenberg on Tuesday, January, 30, 8:00 p.m. at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Tuesday, January, 30, 8:00 p.m.

Sylvia Rosenberg, violin
Barry Snyder, piano

Schubert: Sonata in A Major, Op. 162
Schumann: Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 121
Elliott Carter: Riconoscenza per Goffredo Petrassi for solo violin
Dallapiccola: Due studi for violin and piano
Bartók: Rhapsody No. 1

General admission tickets to Weill Recital Hall concerts are $35. Tickets may be obtained by calling CarnegieCharge at (212) 247-7800, by going online at www.carnegiehall.org, or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th Street and 7th Avenue. $15 tickets for students and seniors (with proper ID) are available at the Carnegie Box Office. Weill Recital Hall is located at 154 West 57th Street. For more information, call MidAmerica Productions at (212) 239-4699 or visit our web site at www.midamerica-music.com.

***

Sylvia Rosenberg, violin, has performed extensively throughout the United States and abroad, appearing with major orchestras, including the Chicago, National, and London symphonies; the Royal Philharmonic; Stockholm Philharmonic; Amsterdam Concertgebouw; New Philharmonia; Berlin Radio; and all the BBC orchestras. Festival appearances include the Edinburgh, Bath, Santa Fe Chamber, Banff Centre, Sarasota, Marlboro, and Ravinia music festivals. Ms. Rosenberg has also appeared as soloist with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies at the St. Magnus Festival. A graduate of The Juilliard School, where she studied with Ivan Galamian, she has also worked with Szymon Goldberg and on a Fulbright scholarship in Paris with Nadia Boulanger. Ms. Rosenberg has been a professor of violin at the Eastman School of Music, Peabody Conservatory of Music, Indiana University, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, as well as a faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival since 1980. She has given frequent master classes, including at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Oberlin College, University of Southern California, Jerusalem Music Center, the conservatories of the Hague, Denmark, Stockholm, Amsterdam, New England, San Francisco, Beijing, and Shanghai; Hong Kong Academy; and the Royal College of Music and Guildhall School in London. In addition, Ms. Rosenberg often serves on the juries of many international competitions. She is currently on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music and gives an annual series of master classes at London's Royal Academy of Music, from whom she received an honorary degree in 2003. In April 2002 Ms. Rosenberg gave a highly successful recital in London's Wigmore Hall, and in January 2003 played her sixth concert in a series presented at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Barry Snyder, piano, has developed a reputation as a versatile musician, performing an array of solo, concerto, and chamber concerts. He gained early attention at age 22, winning three major prizes in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He has since made 36 recordings and, over a period of almost four decades, given several concerts around the world. Mr. Snyder has been a soloist with a number of orchestras, including the Detroit, National Symphony, Houston, Atlanta, Singapore, and Japan Philharmonic orchestras, and has worked with conductors such as Robert Shaw, Leopold Stokowski, David Zinman, and Charles Dutoit. As a chamber music collaborator, Mr. Snyder has appeared with artists such as Herman Prey, Jan de Gaetani, Zvi Zeitlin, and Sylvia Rosenberg, as well as with the Cleveland, Purcell, and Curtis quartets. An exponent of 20th-century music, he has given several world premieres of works by Sydney Hodkinson, Toshio Hosakawa, and Augusta Reed Thomas. In addition, several works have been written for him, including Verne Reynolds' Florilegium, Volumes I and II, and Carter Pann's Improvisations on the Name Barry Snyder for solo piano. A professor of piano and co-chair of the piano department at the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music, Mr. Snyder has given master classes at the Royal Northern College of Music, Trinity College and the Guildhall School, Hochschule für Musik, and the Manhattan School of Music, among others. Mr. Snyder was cited recently in the book The Most Wanted Piano Teachers.

Since 1989, MidAmerica Productions has produced over 265 chamber concerts in Weill Recital Hall, presenting some of the most exciting chamber musicians working today. For more information about this concert or MidAmerica Productions contact Susan Case at 212-239-0205 or visit www.midamerica-music.com.

For Immediate Release:

MIDAMERICA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS ITS FIRST ZANKEL HALL RECITAL WITH
MIKA YOSHIDA, MARIMBA, AND FRIENDS AT ZANKEL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL
SUNDAY JANUARY 28, 2007, 2:30 PM

New York, NY - MidAmerica Productions presents Mika Yoshida, marimba, and friends at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, on Sunday January 28, 2007 at 2:30 pm.

Mika Yoshida, marimba and Friends
Richard Stoltzman, clarinet
Eddie Gómez, bass
Bill Cahn, percussion
Rich Stein, percussion
Peter John Stoltzman, piano
Vega String Quartet
Wei Wei Le, violin
Jessica Shuang Wu, violin
Yinzi Kong, viola
Guang Wang, cello

John Wyre: Mitsue for marimba, clarinet, piano and bass
Breeze for solo marimba and temple bells
Bill Douglas: Mikarimba for marimba, string quartet, bass, piano and percussion
Dance Suite for clarinet and marimba, Movements II, III & IV (New York Premiere)
Jubilation for marimba, string quartet, piano, percussion, clarinet and bass
Michiru Oshima: Rolling Men for marimba, string quartet, clarinet, bass and percussion (New York Premiere)
Masao Yoneyama (arr. M. Ishizuka): Ringo Oiwake for solo marimba (World Premiere)
Astor Piazzolla (arr. K. Maruyama): La Muerte del Angel for marimba, string quartet and piano
J.S. Bach (arr. Gómez, R. Stoltzman, and P.J. Stoltzman): Variations on Goldberg's Theme and Dreams for marimba, clarinet, bass, percussion and piano
William L. Cahn: Kebjar-Bali for gamelan percussion, marimba, string quartet, bass, clarinet and piano
Eddie Gómez: Mika Suite for marimba, clarinet and bass (World Premiere)
Peter John Stoltzman: Pri Fixe for marimba, clarinet, piano, bass and percussion (World Premiere)

***

General admission tickets to Weill Recital Hall concerts are $35. Tickets may be obtained by calling CarnegieCharge at (212) 247-7800, by going online at www.carnegiehall.org, or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th Street and 7th Avenue. $15 tickets for students and seniors (with proper ID) are available at the Carnegie Box Office. Weill Recital Hall is located at 154 West 57th Street. For more information, call MidAmerica Productions at (212) 239-4699 or visit our web site at www.midamerica-music.com.

Mika Yoshida is joined for her Zankel Hall debut by an all-star lineup of performers. The innovative program, which Ms. Yoshida is dedicating to the late composer John Wyre, includes five pieces that are receiving either world or New York premieres, and several that were composed or arranged by the participating musicians.

Mika Yoshida, marimba, lives in Amakusa, Kumamoto prefecture, Japan. She studied with Professor Russell Hartenberger at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music and graduated with an Advanced Certificate in Performance. She furthered her studies with John Wyre, whom she considers a major influence and inspiration, and to whom she is dedicating this concert. In 1999, Ms. Yoshida received the award for young promising musicians from the Board of Cultural Study in Kumamoto, and she has been to the United States on a scholarship from the Culture and Art Promotion Committee of Kumamoto. Since then, she has devoted herself to marimba performance and musical studies under the strong influence of the world-famous percussion ensemble NEXUS.

Ms. Yoshida has performed recitals around the globe in cities such as Atlanta, Toronto, Budapest, Kyoto, Fukuoka, and Frensburg (Germany). In 2001, she made her debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and had her Tokyo debut recital at Ooji Hall. Also engaged with orchestral music, Ms. Yoshida premiered John Wyre's Moonlight for marimba and orchestra with the Kyushu Symphony. Notable musicians with whom she has performed include Tom Stacy, principal English horn player for the New York Philharmonic; the Canadian percussion ensemble NEXUS; Kakraba Lobi (Ghana); and Mr. Stomu Yamashita, at the 1250th anniversary celebration of the construction of the great Buddha statue in Todai-ji, Nara, Japan. In 1998, her first CD, Mitsue, was released. Other recordings include a set of works by Steve Reich including Tokyo/Vermont Counterpoint, arranged by Ms. Yoshida, and her most recent recording, Marimba Phase, released in 2003.

Ms. Yoshida performs some 50 concerts every year in Japan. In 2004, she returned to Weill Recital Hall and also did a recital in St. John's (Canada). In 2005, she was a performer/clinician at PASIC 2005 and was a producer of the Amakusa international music and arts festival. In 2006, she performed a recital in Tokyo, and in January 2007 performed four concerts in Japan with Richard and Peter John Stoltzman, Eddie Gómez and Bill Cahn.

Clarinetist Richard Stoltzman's virtuosity, musicianship and personal magnetism have made him one of today's most sought-after concert artists. As soloist with more than a hundred orchestras, as a captivating recitalist and chamber music performer, as an innovative jazz artist, and as a prolific recording artist, two-time Grammy Award winner Mr. Stoltzman has defied categorization, dazzling critics and audiences alike through many musical genres. Mr. Stoltzman's 2006-2007 season includes performances with the Cincinnati Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Milan Verdi Orchestra, Berliner Sinfonie Orchester, a tour to Japan, and collaborations with the Amelia Piano Trio and Borromeo String Quartet. His New York City appearances include performances in the Peoples' Symphony Concerts, the Schneider Concert Series at the New School, and an appearance at Carnegie's Zankel Hall. Mr. Stoltzman continues to appear at the summer festivals Campus Internazionale di Musica in Sermoneta, Italy, and the Orford Arts Centre in Canada. Mr. Stoltzman was recently awarded Yale's prestigious Sanford Medal.

Legendary bassist Eddie Gómez has been on the cutting edge of the jazz scene since his debut in the mid 1960s. His impressive resumé includes performances with jazz giants Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Bill Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Benny Goodman and Chick Corea. Mr. Gómez's unique sound and style can be heard on hundreds of recordings spanning the worlds of jazz, classical, Latin jazz, folk and popular music. Presently, Eddie Gómez enjoys an active career as performer, recording artist, composer and educator. He records and plays concerts throughout the world, composes for his own projects as well as for film and has given master classes at major universities in the United States and Europe.

Bill Cahn has been a member of the NEXUS percussion group since 1971, and was principal percussionist in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 1968 to 1995. He has conducted programs with symphony orchestras, and his percussion compositions are widely performed. His fourth book, Creative Music Making, on freeform improvisation, was published by Routledge Books in 2005. In 2006 Mr. Cahn received a Grammy Award as part of the Paul Winter Consort on the 2004 Solstice Concert DVD. Mr. Cahn has been an artist in residence at the Showa College of the Arts in Atsugi, Japan, the Banff Centre for the Arts, and the Eastman School of Music.

Peter John Stoltzman has been called "a monster jazz piano player" by the late Jack Elliot (music director of the Mancini Institute and the Grammy Awards). And Grammy-nominated pianist Kenny Werner calls Mr. Stoltzman's music "sweet and sophisticated. Top shelf!" A student of William Thomas McKinley, Joanne Brackeen, Charlie Banacos and Bob Brookmeyer (and many others), Mr. Stoltzman graduated with a bachelor's degree in Jazz Performance from Berklee College of Music in 1999. After Berklee, Mr. Stoltzman lived in New York City for two years, where he recorded and performed with many artists and bands including Cuban saxophonist Yosvany Terry, drummer Deantoni Parks, and the American Music Award-winning funk band The Bomb Squad. Performance highlights for 2006 include touring with the band Waking Vision, as well as two visits to Japan for concerts and recording with marimba virtuoso Mika Yoshida. On May 26th, Mr. Stoltzman and his father will premiere a double concerto by renowned composer William Thomas McKinley, at Jordan Hall with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Also this year, Mr. Stoltzman's Acoustic Trio will also be performing around the Boston area.

The Vega String Quartet: Wei Wei Le and Jessica Shuang Wu, violins; Yinzi Kong, viola; Guang Wang, cello.On the cutting edge of the new generation of chamber music ensembles, the Vega String Quartet has attracted international attention for over a decade. Recently named the first-ever String Quartet in Residence at Emory University, they were the quartet-in-residence at the Van Cliburn Institute and on the artist roster of Carnegie Hall's New York City Neighborhood Concert series, and in 2003-04 they joined the Community Concerts Association touring ensembles as the only string quartet on their roster. The quartet's live broadcast credits include NPR's "Performance Today" (USA), the National Radio of China, Shanghai TV, Radio France, France Musiques, German National Radio, and the National Radio of the Czech Republic. The Vega Quartet has won numerous international competitions and has performed around the world in major venues in Asia, Europe, and the United States, and the members have collaborated with some of the world's finest musicians including Yehudi Menuhin, Richard Stoltzman, Charles Wadsworth, Robert McDuffie, Christopher O'Riley and Eliot Fisk. www.vegaquartet.com.

Since 1989, MidAmerica Productions has produced over 265 chamber concerts in Weill Recital Hall, presenting some of the most exciting chamber musicians working today. For more information about this concert or MidAmerica Productions contact Susan Case at 212-239-0205 or visit www.midamerica-music.com.

For Immediate Release:

MIDAMERICA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS A WORLD PREMIERE PIECE BY DICK HYMAN
THE KINOR STRING QUARTET WITH JOHANNES SOMARY
AT WEILL RECITAL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL JANUARY 21, 2007

New York, NY - MidAmerica Productions presents Johannes Somary and the Kinor String Quartet Sunday, January 21, 8:30 p.m. at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Sunday, January 21, 8:30 p.m.
Kinor String Quartet
Yuval Waldman, violin
Robin Zeh, violin
Kathleen Foster, viola
David Calhoun, cello
Johannes Somary, piano, portatif organ, and composer
Susanne Peck, soprano

Mozart: Sonata in C Major for organ and strings, K.336
Corelli: Trio Sonata, Op. 3, No. 9
Johannes Somary: White and Gold
Mosaic for string quartet and soprano (World Premiere)
Brahms: String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 51, No. 2
Dick Hyman: Dances and Diversions for String Quartet (World Premiere)

General admission tickets to Weill Recital Hall concerts are $35. Tickets may be obtained by calling CarnegieCharge at (212) 247-7800, by going online at www.carnegiehall.org, or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th Street and 7th Avenue. $15 tickets for students and seniors (with proper ID) are available at the Carnegie Box Office. Weill Recital Hall is located at 154 West 57th Street. For more information, call MidAmerica Productions at (212) 239-4699 or visit our web site at www.midamerica-music.com.

***

The Kinor String Quartet, hailed by The Washington Post as "warm and admirable" includes Yuval Waldman and Robin Zeh, violinists; Kathleen Foster, violist; and David Calhoun, cellist. Together they have performed throughout the United States and abroad. Yuval Waldman, Russian-born violinist and conductor, has been soloist with major orchestras in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Israel. He has recorded extensively for Angel, Newport Classic, Omega, Centaur, and Musical Heritage Society. Robin Zeh appears regularly with the American Ballet Theater and the Orchestra of St. Luke's. She has participated in numerous summer festivals including Schleswig-Holstein in Germany and the Manchester Music Festival in Vermont. Kathleen Foster has toured with the New York Opera and the American Symphony Orchestra and performs regularly with the Lake George Opera Festival. Her recent chamber music appearances include performances with the Orion Music Ensemble and the George Street Players. David Calhoun, a prominent chamber music player, has served as principal cellist for the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the American Ballet at the Metropolitan Opera, and the American Symphony. He can be heard weekly at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a member of the Orion Music Piano Quartet.

Johannes Somary is in his 46th season as founder and music director of AmorArtis. He has conducted internationally such ensembles as the English Chamber Orchestra, the Polish Television and Radio Orchestra, The New Orleans Symphony, XXI Sajandi Orkester in Tallinn, Estonia, London's Royal Philharmonic, and the Vienna Philharmonic. Born in Switzerland, he has participated in many international music festivals ranging from Sion to Dubrovnik, from Madeira to Israel and Greece. His discography includes 60 recordings, four of which received Stereo Review "Record of the Year" awards and three of which were first recordings of Handel oratorios. As a composer he was commissioned recently by the Blessed Sacrament Fathers, the Jefferson Music Festival, and the Benedictine Monastery of San Anselmo in Rome. His Taroko Concerto for Violin and Orchestra was recorded in St. Petersburg, Russia and has recently been released on Albany Records.

Susanne Peck, soprano, has appeared and recorded with many leading ensembles, including the Boston Early Music Festival, Voices of Ascension, The Waverly Consort, AmorArtis, Musica Sacra, and the New York Collegium. She was a winner of the Schubertiade Lieder Competition in New York City and has sung in Europe, Japan, Taiwan, South America, and throughout the United States. As a conductor, she is the founder and artistic director of Charis Chamber Voices, widely acclaimed as one of the finest choral ensembles in New York State. She is currently music director for the Foundation for Universal Sacred Music and has been serving as both coach and guest artist at the Apple Hill Chamber Music Festival.

Since 1989, MidAmerica Productions has produced over 265 chamber concerts in Weill Recital Hall, presenting some of the most exciting chamber musicians working today. For more information about this concert or MidAmerica Productions contact Susan Case at 212-239-0205 or visit www.midamerica-music.com.

For Immediate Release:

MIDAMERICA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS
THE ESTEEMED WATERVILLE TRIO
AT WEILL RECITAL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL JANUARY 20, 2007


New York, NY - MidAmerica Productions presents the Waterville Trio on Tuesday, January 20, 2:00 p.m. at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Saturday, January 20, 2:00 p.m.
The Waterville Trio
Hanna Lachert, violin
Qiang Tu, cello
Helene D. Jeanney, piano

Mozart: Trio in C Major, KV 548
Krzysztof Penderecki: Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano
Chopin: Trio in G Minor, Op. 8

General admission tickets to Weill Recital Hall concerts are $35. Tickets may be obtained by calling CarnegieCharge at (212) 247-7800, by going online at www.carnegiehall.org, or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th Street and 7th Avenue. $15 tickets for students and seniors (with proper ID) are available at the Carnegie Box Office. Weill Recital Hall is located at 154 West 57th Street. For more information, call MidAmerica Productions at (212) 239-4699 or visit our web site at www.midamerica-music.com.

***

The Waterville Valley Music Center (WVMC) was founded in 1996 by David Segal, with a mission to present high quality chamber music concerts and masterclasses in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, USA. The Waterville Trio was originally created for the purpose of ensemble work produced by the WVMC. The members of The Waterville Trio are seasoned professionals with years of chamber music experience. Outside of Waterville Valley, the Trio has performed in the New York metropolitan area, including BargeMusic, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, The Kosciuszko Foundation, the Windham Chamber Music Festival in Windham, New York and at the World Bank Mozart Festival in Washington D.C. In fall 2005 the Waterville Trio toured Poland with great success. The Waterville Trio has also performed on WQXR, the renowned New York classical radio station.

Since 1989, MidAmerica Productions has produced over 265 chamber concerts in Weill Recital Hall, presenting some of the most exciting chamber musicians working today. For more information about this concert or MidAmerica Productions contact Susan Case at 212-239-0205 or visit www.midamerica-music.com.

For Immediate Release:

MIDAMERICA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS
PETER TIBORIS LEADING THE MANHATTAN PHILHARMONIC IN
VERDI'S MESSA DA REQUIEM AT CARNEGIE HALL
TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2007, 8:00 PM

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Toscanini's death

Verdi: Messa Da Requiem

Manhattan Philharmonic

Eilana Lappalainen, soprano
Wendy White, mezzo-soprano
Manrico Tedeschi, tenor
Peter Volpe, bass

Le Choeur de L'Université du Québec à Montréal
Miklós Takács, Director

Connecticut Choral Society
John Robert Liepold, Director

New Jersey Choral Society

Eric Dale Knapp, Director

MidAmerica Productions, Peter Tiboris, General Director and Artistic Director, presents a very special concert at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 at 8:00 PM.

Tiboris will conduct the Manhattan Philharmonic, four internationally renowned soloists and three standout choirs in a performance of Giuseppe Verdi's towering Messa Da Requiem. The concert is presented on the 50th anniversary of the death of the celebrated conductor Arturo Toscanini, whose performances and recordings of the work are landmarks in the history of musical expression.

The Verdi Requiem is one of the major choral works of Western music. It was originally conceived in honor of fellow Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini, who had died in 1868; it was later dedicated to writer and revolutionary patriot Alessandro Manzoni, who died in 1873. The premiere performance of Verdi's magnum opus was given in Milan in 1874, and the work achieved much acclaim in Italy and throughout Europe. This is a setting of Catholic liturgical texts, but Verdi intended it more for civic and patriotic celebrations and for the concert hall. Toscanini first conducted the Requiem in 1902, and it became one of his signature concert works through a long career.

Peter Tiboris has pursued a career of remarkable diversity, both as an orchestra conductor and as the creator of innovative musical organizations. He made his conducting debut in 1984 and has led nearly 250 concert performances throughout the world. His broad repertoire runs the gamut from orchestral masterpieces to opera, choral and operatic works. Maestro Tiboris has given many world premieres, explored Mahler's "retouchings" of Beethoven symphonies and given concert performances of rare and little-known operas. Complementing his concert work, he has become an important musical entrepeneur. In 1984 he founded MidAmerica Productions, an organization that has developed into New York's largest independent company for concert production. The Verdi Requiem program on January 16, 2007 marks the 408th concert MidAmerica has presented at Carnegie Hall. Peter Tiboris has an affinity for the Verdi Requiem, having performed it as far back as 1986 and recorded it - in a special 1874 Critical Edition - for the Elysium label. He has conducted the work at New York's Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, at London's Royal Philharmonic Hall and in Plovdiv and Sofia, Bulgaria.

The Manhattan Philharmonic, composed of top New York musicians, has performed in concerts for nearly twenty years. With Peter Tiboris and with renowned guest conductors, the orchestra has performed numerous world premieres and played a truly diverse repertoire.

The soloists and the choral conductors and their groups have all shone in the vocal music arena.

Soprano Eilana Lappalainen has become a sought-after interpreter of Strauss and has sung throughout Europe and the United States. Chicago-born mezzo-soprano Wendy White has sung to acclaim in her hometown's Lyric Opera, at the Metropolitan Opera and with many orchestras. Tenor Manfredo Tedeschi has performed throughout his native Italy - his 1993 debut was as a baritone (!) at La Scala - and sung many of the great tenor roles in Italian, French, German and American opera. American bass Peter Volpe receives acclaim on four continents, having performed over 80 roles in six different languages. He has sung Prokofiev, Berlioz, Richard Strauss, Mussorgsky and Verdi at the Met.

The choruses in the Carnegie performance are renowned for their performances of this repertoire. Miklós Takács has been conducting Le Choeur de L'Université du Québec à Montréal since 1978 and has also been General Artistic Director of the Société Philharmonique de Montréal since 1982. He and his groups have performed and recorded extensively. The Connecticut Choral Society under John Liepold was founded in 1980, and Liepold, now in his sixth season as director, has brought the group to new artistic heights with performances internationally, at Carnegie Hall and in recording. Eric Dale Knapp has led the New Jersey Choral Society since 2005 and has taken the 25-year old organization in new directions, winning acclaim for successful appearances in Czechoslovakia, Australia and Germany.

Tickets to all MidAmerica concerts may be obtained by calling Carnegie Charge at (212) 247-7800, going online at www.carnegiehall.org or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office at West 57th Street and Seventh Avenue in New York City. For further concert information call MidAmerica Productions at 212-239-4699 or visit us at www.midamerica-music.com.

Contact: Susan Case 212-239-0205, ext. 204 or at 212-239-0205 or scase@midamerica-music.com

For Immediate Release:

MIDAMERICA PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS TWO OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES,
INCLUDING THE 11TH ANNUAL NATIONAL FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA,
AT CARNEGIE HALL, JANUARY 14TH AND 15TH.

New York, NY - MidAmerica Productions presents two concerts featuring outstanding ensembles and conductors, as well as the 11th Annual National Festival Orchestra, on January 14th and 15th, 2006 at Isaac Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall.

Sunday, January 14, 8:30 p.m.
10th Annual National Festival Orchestra
Benjamin Zander, Conductor
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64

Ensemble Spotlight Series
Olathe East High School Orchestra, Olathe, KS
Russ Pieken, Conductor
Henryk Górecki: Three Pieces in Olden Style (Movement 1)
Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Cellos in G Minor RV531
Michael McLean: One Dark Night... An Overture for String Orchestra (World Premiere)
John Williams: "A Prayer for Peace" from Munich
Richard Meyer: Bailes Para Orquesta (Dances for Orchestra)

Monday, January 16, 8:00 p.m. New England Symphonic Ensemble Jonathan Griffith, Conductor Joanna Mongiardo, Soprano; Charlotte Paulsen, Mezzo-soprano; Michael Wade Lee, Tenor; Robert Cantrell, Bass Mozart: Requiem, K.626 (Levin ed.)

Participating choruses: Sylvan Hills Choir, Sherwood, AR; Wahlert High School Concert Choir, Dubuque, IA ; First Presbyterian Chancel Choir, Spartanburg, SC; First Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir, Whitesburg, KY; North Carolina Central University Choir, Durham, NC; St. Ursula Academy Vocal Ensemble, Cincinnati, OH; Laramie County Community College Choir, Cheyenne, WY

Karl Jenkins: The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace

Participating choruses: Tri-State Community Chorus, Harrogate, TN; Lincoln Memorial University Concert Choir, Harrogate, TN; Billingshurst Choral Society, West Sussex England; The Angmering Chorale, West Sussex, England; Dublin County Choir, Dublin, Ireland

Tickets, at $89, 54, 35, may be obtained by calling CarnegieCharge at (212) 247-7800, going online at www.carnegiehall.org, or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office at West 57th Street and Seventh Avenue in NYC. For more information, call our Box Office at (212) 239-4699 or visit our web site at www.midamerica-music.com.

***

Benjamin Zander has established an international reputation as a guest conductor. After completing his studies in cello at the State Academy in Cologne, and later London University, Mr. Zander was invited to continue his post graduate work at Harvard University. He has since made Boston his home, having joined the Faculty of the New England Conservatory, where he teaches the interpretation class and conducts the youth philharmonic orchestra. Mr. Zander has also served as the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra for twenty-six seasons, including a season consisting entirely of works by Mahler. He also has also conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, with whom he has recorded Beethoven and Mahler symphonies for the Telarc label. High Fidelity named his recording of Mahler 6th as the best classical recording of 2002.

The National Festival Orchestra celebrates its eleventh anniversary this season. The NFO was founded with the mission of identifying talented music students from across the country who have already demonstrated their musical ability and commitment to the art and to provide them with an intensive orchestral training residency in New York. These young artists work with legendary performers culminating in a performance on the world's most famous concert stage, Carnegie Hall. The NFO is created anew each season with participants selected though taped auditions and represent the finest music programs in the country. National Festival Orchestra performers have come from every state in America and have gone on to attend prestigious music schools and to perform as professionals.

Russ Pieken has served as the director of orchestras at Olathe East High School in Olathe, Kansas for the last twelve years. Mr. Pieken is also the orchestra director at Pioneer Trail Junior High School. Under his direction, the orchestra program at Olathe East has grown from eleven members in one orchestra to over eighty members in two ensembles. Under Mr. Pieken's direction the Olathe East Orchestra has been selected to perform at the prestigious Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service/Convention in Wichita in 2003 and 2005. The Pioneer Trail Junior High School Orchestra received the same honor and invitation for the 2006 KMEA convention. The Olathe East Orchestra has received eight consecutive Division "I" Superior Ratings at the Kansas State High School Association State Music Festival.

Jonathan Griffith, principal conductor-in-residence with MidAmerica Productions in New York City, has guest conducted for the Bialystok State Philharmonic (Poland), Virtuosi Pregensis Chamber Orchestra, Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, Dvorak Chamber Orchestra and Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonia, (Czech Republic), The European Symphony Orchestra (Spain), Manhattan Philharmonic (New York), Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Salt Lake City), and several regional orchestras and choruses throughout the U.S. He has served as chorus master for the Utah and Portland opera companies, founded the Kansas City Chorale and the Jonathan Griffith Singers, and was on the faculties of the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Wichita State University, Marylhurst University, and Warner Pacific College. His more than 35 Carnegie Hall appearances include the major works of the classical repertoire. A native of St. Louis, he received his B.M.E. from the University of Kansas, a M.M.E. from Wichita State University, and his D.M.A. in conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Virginia-Gene Rittenhouse, artistic director and principal conductor of the New England Symphonic Ensemble, is a violinist, pianist, composer, and conductor. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Boston University, and the Peabody Conservatory, Dr. Rittenhouse has performed as recitalist and soloist with orchestras throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, South Africa, and the West Indies. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the London Associate Board Overseas Award, the New York Concert Artists Guild Award, the International Music Guild Award, and the New York Madrigal Society Award.

The New England Symphonic Ensemble was organized more than two decades ago by Dr. Virginia-Gene Rittenhouse. Since 1982 the ensemble has toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Africa, Russia, and Israel, and has performed frequently at Carnegie Hall under the auspices of MidAmerica Productions.

Over the past 22 years, MidAmerica Productions has brought together conductors, choruses, soloists, and orchestral musicians for performances at some of the world's greatest venues, especially at New York's Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall.

Under the guidance of MidAmerica's founder, Peter Tiboris, the company has presented over 790 concerts worldwide and more than 660 in New York at Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, and Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall.

More than 2115 American ensembles, representing each of the 50 states, have appeared with MidAmerica in New York, as have 75 symphonic and choral ensembles from Europe, the Far East, South America, and Canada. There have more than 300 guest conductors, 620 solo artists, and 88,000 performers who have appeared on MidAmerica's series in Carnegie Hall.

In addition to presenting classic choral and instrumental works, MidAmerica Productions has championed the works of contemporary composers. On MidAmerica's series in Carnegie Hall and at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, there have been approximately 31 World Premieres, 16 United States Premieres, and 50 New York Premieres.

For more information about MidAmerica Productions, please contact Susan Case at 212-239-0205 or scase@midamerica-music.com

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