Louisville Orchestra Kentucky Tour and Mammoth Cave Press Releases
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Louisville Orchestra Hits the Road, Connects Kentuckians Through Music
“In Harmony – The Commonwealth Tour of the Louisville Orchestra” to include performances across state with Kentucky natives, including Tessa Lark and Chris Thile;
LO also announces spring residency with famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma
LOUISVILLE, KY. (Jan. 18, 2023) – The Louisville Orchestra announced today that it will embark upon a two-year musical journey across Kentucky beginning in May, playing for audiences throughout the Commonwealth as part of “In Harmony – The Commonwealth Tour of the Louisville Orchestra.” These concerts will include full orchestra performances as well as bring orchestra musicians for intimate, collaborative engagements in schools, community centers, and libraries in dozens of communities.
“With the ‘In Harmony’ tour, the Louisville Orchestra becomes the only orchestra in the United States committed to traveling to every corner of its state to partner in performance with artists across our communities,” Music Director Teddy Abrams said. “There is no so-called urban-rural divide in music. Art and music transcend geographic boundaries. We couldn’t be more excited to share our treasured work with our fellow Kentuckians in their hometowns and home counties.”
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a fervent supporter of the arts, applauded the Louisville Orchestra’s drive to connect with its neighbors throughout the Commonwealth.
“I commend the Louisville Orchestra for bringing these experiences to communities across Kentucky, ensuring all of our people have access to these performances which can bring joy, comfort and inspiration,” said Beshear. “When we work together for the greater good, we can accomplish some pretty incredible things and the Louisville Orchestra is leading by example.”
“In Harmony” Tour to Reach Across Kentucky
The Louisville Orchestra will kick off the tour in eastern Kentucky on May 17, 18, and 19 with performances in Prestonsburg, Pikeville, and Harlan respectively. During that week, Kentucky-born and raised violinist Tessa Lark joins the orchestra to showcase cornerstones of the traditional repertoire, along with arrangements of famous Kentucky fiddle tunes.
The weeks of July 3 and July 10, the orchestra travels for performances in Glasgow, Covington, Bowling Green, Ashland, and Bardstown. On this program, Abrams will both conduct and be a piano soloist in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. The concert will highlight both the Commonwealth’s musical legacy and traditional American tunes.
In September, the orchestra welcomes the singular mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile, who was raised in Murray. These concerts will include performances in Henderson, Owensboro, and Madisonville. During these concerts, Thile will perform the Kentucky debut of his Mandolin Concerto, a showcase for his vocal and finger-picking talents.
The tour will conclude in late February and early March 2024 with stops in Danville, Frankfort, Georgetown, and Fort Knox. The dates and venues for each stop on the tour will be announced soon.
“This tour is a mark of things to come from the Louisville Orchestra,” said Graham Parker, the Louisville Orchestra’s Chief Executive. “We are a community-centric orchestra, striving to foster artist-driven civic leadership and cultural well-being throughout the Commonwealth. Meeting people where they are is a key part of bringing people into the arts, and that is what we hope to accomplish through this statewide tour.”
The tour was made possible through a budget appropriation from the Kentucky state legislature, a huge win for the arts in the Commonwealth.
A Musical Resource to Bring Communities Together
From the very outset of discussions with Sen. Robert Stivers (R-25), President of the Kentucky Senate, and Rep. David Osborne (R-59) Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, it was clear that by using the musical resources of the Louisville Orchestra, communities, regions, and partners could be brought together to experience a shared togetherness that only music can provide.
“My mother instilled an appreciation for many genres of music in me from a very young age. Mom saw the value of music as one that develops critical thinking skills and expands perceptions,” said Senate President Robert Stivers. “When presented with the opportunity to support this outreach for those who might not otherwise have access across this beautiful state, I had to say yes to the full experience.”
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for Kentuckians of all ages to come together and celebrate the music of the Louisville Orchestra. I am pleased that we were able to make the necessary funding possible and look forward to seeing this investment reach communities throughout the Commonwealth,” Osborne said. “Without a doubt, the Louisville Orchestra is engrained in our state’s cultural legacy. For more than eight decades it has made world-class performances accessible and served as a model for performing arts programs throughout the nation.”
In each community the Louisville Orchestra will serve, there will be proactive and meaningful outreach to work with schools, libraries, and community centers to introduce music and the musicians, and where possible to make music together with local musicians steeped in the traditions of the region. Free, full orchestra concerts in the evenings will showcase local talents, together with orchestra members and special guests, showing what bonds exist and what bridges are possible.
“We can’t thank our elected officials enough for their critical support of our organization and for the arts as a whole,” Parker said. “What started as a dream – to tour our beloved Commonwealth and share our music with its people – is now a reality, thanks to our legislature.”
Orchestra Season Includes Residency with Yo-Yo Ma, Performance in Mammoth Cave
Before the Louisville Orchestra sets out on its journey, famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma will enter a five-day immersive residency with the Louisville Orchestra, including a once-in-a-lifetime performance within the caverns of Mammoth Cave.
Yo-Yo Ma will join Abrams and the full orchestra for a performance including Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 at the Kentucky Center’s Whitney Hall on April 27. The performance will be preceded by a gala. The concerts at Mammoth Cave on April 29 will feature music composed by Abrams featuring members of the Louisville Orchestra, the Louisville Chamber Choir, a solo percussionist, and Yo-Yo Ma.
“Visitors have always been drawn to Mammoth Cave to experience its ancient stillness and expansiveness,” said Abrams. “It’s no surprise that this otherworldly treasure has inspired art of all forms, some of which can still be seen in the cave. Performing music in a cave where untold generations of people before us have created their own music connects us in a vital way to our past.”
“We are thrilled to offer this amazing opportunity to experience the sounds of Yo-Yo Ma and the Louisville Orchestra inside Mammoth Cave,” said Park Superintendent Barclay Trimble. “Music is universally loved and recognized as a way to connect and bring people together. Mammoth Cave has been a source of artistic inspiration for thousands of years and now through a composition created by Teddy Abrams and historic performance by Yo-Yo Ma, we can add another fantastic musical moment to the cave’s history.”
Yo-Yo Ma and the Louisville Orchestra will perform at Rafinesque Hall inside Mammoth Cave on Saturday, April 29, 2023 at 11 am and 3 pm CDT. Tickets for the event will be distributed by lottery through Recreation.gov and people may apply for a chance at tickets beginning Monday, January 30. The lottery closes at 10 am on February 5.
###
About the Louisville Orchestra
The Louisville Orchestra was created in 1937 and sprung up in a time of need, just after the great flood and in the wake of the depression. Robert Whitney was invited to conduct the newly established orchestra, known then as the Louisville Philharmonic, and arrived from Chicago that same year. In its formation, the goal was to create a new model for the American symphony orchestra, as it was conceived through an ambitious effort that emphasized innovation through the commissioning, performance, and recording of new works by contemporary composers. The Louisville Orchestra garnered international critical acclaim, became the first orchestra to establish a record label, and cemented a place in history for its contribution to contemporary classical music. In its first two decades, the Louisville Orchestra commissioned/recorded up to 52 new works annually and ultimately created 150 vinyl recordings (LPs) of more than 450 works.
The Louisville Orchestra continues to be recognized as a cornerstone of the Louisville performing arts community. Music Director Teddy Abrams has helmed the Louisville Orchestra since 2014, and the Louisville Orchestra has returned to its origins of commissioning new music and recording, having released two albums under the prestigious Decca Gold label. A wide variety of immersive and innovative concert performances and educational programming continue to receive national attention. Recent press coverage includes articles and mentions in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and CBS Sunday Morning. Accolades include three invitations to perform at Carnegie Hall; the Leonard Bernstein Award for Excellence in Educational Programming; the League of American Orchestras 2019 Ford Musician Awards for Excellence in Community Service; and 19 American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) awards for adventurous programming in use of contemporary music.
Media Contacts:
Jenny Recktenwald Quin Welch
jrecktenwald@c2strategic.com qwelch@c2strategic.com
(502) 994-9167 (859) 388-0510
Teddy Abrams and Members of the Louisville Orchestra to Perform in Mammoth Cave with Special Guest Yo-Yo Ma (April 29)
Rafinesque Hall at Mammoth Cave National Park – Courtesy of National Park Service
“A pioneering force in new music.”
— Billboard on the Louisville Orchestra
(January 18, 2023)—One of the world’s most awe-inspiring natural wonders will serve as the setting for a once-in-a-lifetime performance as Music Director and Musical America 2022 Conductor of the Year Teddy Abrams, members of the Louisville Orchestra (LO), bass-baritone Davóne Tines, the Louisville Chamber Choir, and solo percussionist join forces with cellist Yo-Yo Ma at Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park, directed by Zack Winokur.
Two immersive concerts to be held inside the cave on April 29 will feature a site-specific composition by Abrams inspired by the environment in which it will be performed. Tickets for the performances, taking place at 11 am and 3 pm CDT, will be distributed by a lottery process through www.recreation.gov beginning Monday, January 30. More information about the events can be found here.
Over the past year, Abrams explored Mammoth Cave National Park—the longest-known cave system in the world—and immersed himself in the cave’s geology and history, specifically focusing on the origins of the cave, the people who have lived and worked in it, and the stories they have told. Abrams explains:
“These performances are an homage to and celebration of this remarkable place, its history, and its people. Visitors have always been drawn to Mammoth Cave to experience its ancient stillness and expansiveness. It’s no surprise that this otherworldly treasure has inspired art in all forms, some of which can still be seen in the cave. Performing music in a cave where untold generations of people before us have created their own music connects us in a vital way to our past.
The genesis of this project came about during a conversation between Abrams and Yo-Yo Ma in preparation for a podcast interview that Abrams conducted with Yo-Yo in 2020. Yo-Yo mentioned his admiration of the documentary featuring a concert at Crater Lake National Park, which Abrams had conducted. Yo-Yo then shared the idea behind his national parks project – Our Common Nature. That conversation led hatched the idea for a concert in Mammoth Cave. Abrams composed his work with Yo-Yo Ma in mind—to be performed in the environment of a large open passageway inside the cave known as Rafinesque Hall. He explains:
“My work will position Yo-Yo Ma in the role of spiritual guide, twinned with the voice of Davóne and using a complement of vocalists and musicians from the Orchestra to bring the interdependent natural, human, and mythological stories of Mammoth Cave to life. The inspiration for this work is the interlinking of nature and humanity—the role caves play in our collective imagination and storytelling. From ancient mythology to modern fiction, caves have represented archetypical wonder and terror, symbolized the unknown, and served as the setting for our contemplation of the borders of life, death, and the great beyond.”
Louisville Orchestra Chief Executive Graham Parker adds:
“This once-in-a-lifetime performance represents more than a collaboration between Teddy Abrams the Louisville Orchestra, and the great Yo-Yo Ma; equally important to the collaboration is the mystical splendor of one of the world’s most astounding natural wonders. We are also bringing attention to Mammoth Cave as part of the broader mission of the Louisville Orchestra to serve the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky, from its vibrant cities and small towns to its glorious natural resources.”
Mammoth Cave National Park Superintendent Barclay Trimble says:
“We are thrilled to offer this amazing opportunity to experience the sounds of Yo-Yo Ma and the Louisville Orchestra inside Mammoth Cave. Music is universally loved and recognized as a way to connect and bring people together. Mammoth Cave has been a source of artistic inspiration for thousands of years—and now through a composition created by Teddy Abrams and a historic performance by Yo-Yo Ma, we can add another fantastic musical moment to the cave’s history.”
Zack Winokur will serve as director for the performances. With his work recently being described as “pure poetry” (The Boston Globe) and “my favorite theatrical experience of the last decade” (The New York Times), Winokur is recognized as one of the most innovative and exciting talents working in opera today. He co-founded the American Modern Opera Company, an ensemble of singers, musicians, and dancers committed to creating a body of new, discipline-colliding music-theater works. Winokur explains:
“In the process of creating this piece I have gotten to know people with deep history in these caves and surrounding lands, connecting with their generational stories of curiosity and discovery. I have been inspired by the work of the park guides and am excited to work with the properties of the cave—the pure blackout where you’re left with only your heartbeat, the cacophonous echoes of sound, the sensitivity of a pin dropping, the one light in the dark that can form a glow for us all to gather around—as we transform the stories of the cave into theater.”
Tickets for the performances will be distributed via a lottery system to give all interested visitors an equal opportunity to attend these limited events. The lottery will be open from Monday, January 30 to Monday, February 6 at www.recreation.gov. Only one application per email address is accepted, and each application may request up to 4 tickets. Performances are open to all ages, but youths under the age of 16 years must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older. All lottery applicants will be charged a $1.00 application fee, but there is no fee for tickets to the events.
Rafinesque Hall, the area of the cave where the performances will take place, is a natural environment, with low lighting and a temperature of around 54ºF (12ºC). There is no seating in the hall, and the performances will last approximately one hour. The performers will be utilizing different zones in the cave and audience members will be encouraged to move around the performance space to experience the aural and visual contrasts as the elements of the composition evolve. Audience members must walk 0.75 miles (1.2 km) round trip to reach the performance area. The access trail includes a steep outdoor hillside to and from the cave’s natural entrance with a total of 130 stairs. Inside the cave, the trail will travel along broad walkways in some of the largest rooms inside Mammoth Cave. The trail is mostly level, but some hilly and uneven areas exist.
About Yo-Yo Ma
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s life and career are testaments to his enduring belief in culture’s power to generate trust and understanding. Whether performing new or familiar works from the cello repertoire, collaborating with communities and institutions to explore culture’s role in society, or engaging unexpected musical forms, Yo-Yo strives to foster connections that stimulate the imagination and reinforce our humanity.
Yo-Yo Ma was born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris, where he began studying the cello with his father at age four. When he was seven, he moved with his family to New York City, where he continued his cello studies at the Juilliard School before pursuing a liberal arts education at Harvard.
Yo-Yo has recorded more than 100 albums, is the winner of 19 Grammy Awards, and has performed for nine American presidents, most recently on the occasion of President Biden’s inauguration. He has received numerous awards, including the National Medal of the Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Birgit Nilsson Prize. He has been a UN Messenger of Peace since 2006 and was recognized as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020.
Yo-Yo’s latest album is “Beethoven for Three: Symphony No. 6 ‘Pastorale’ and Op. 1, No. 3,” recorded with pianist Emanual Ax and violinist Leonidas Kavakos.
About the Louisville Orchestra
Established in 1937 through the combined efforts of Louisville mayor Charles Farnsley and conductor Robert Whitney, the Louisville Orchestra is a cornerstone of the Louisville arts community. With the launch of First Edition Recordings in 1947, it became the first American orchestra to own a recording label. Six years later it received a Rockefeller grant of $500,000 to commission, record and premiere music by living composers, thereby earning a place on the international circuit. In 2001, the Louisville Orchestra received the Leonard Bernstein Award for Excellence in Educational Programming, presented annually to a North American orchestra. Continuing its commitment to new music, the Louisville Orchestra has earned 19 ASCAP awards for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music and was also awarded large grants from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music and the National Endowment for the Arts, both for the purpose of producing, manufacturing, and marketing its historic First Edition Recordings collections. Over the years, the orchestra has performed for prestigious events at the White House, Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and on tour in Mexico City, and their last two albums for the Decca Gold label, All In (2017) and The Order of Nature (2019)—the latter launched with an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon—both topped the Billboard Classical and Crossover charts. The feature-length, Gramophone Award-winning documentary Music Makes a City (2010) chronicles the Louisville Orchestra’s founding years, and in spring 2018, Teddy Abrams and the orchestra were profiled on the popular television program CBS Sunday Morning.
About Mammoth Cave
Mammoth Cave National Park is a park on two levels—52,830 acres of reclaimed hardwood forest and winding riverways, and below it, the longest-known cave system in the world, surveyed at 428 miles to date. The park preserves evidence of prehistoric indigenous people at Mammoth Cave from between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago and evidence of modern humans who rediscovered the cave around 1800. These modern settlers left behind more than 200 years of artifacts from the early days of saltpeter mining operations, science/health experiments, cave tour activities, and historic structures that were built in the development of the park as a tourist destination and national park. Music has been an important part of Mammoth Cave’s over 200-year modern history with classical musicians, choirs and contemporary artists composing and often performing their music inside the cave. Located within a day’s drive of several major population centers, Mammoth Cave National Park offers camping, hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, canoeing, picnicking, and cave tours. The park was established as a national park in 1941, designated a World Heritage Site in 1981, an International Biosphere Reserve in 1990, and certified as a Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association in 2021.
High-resolution photos are available here.
www.louisvilleorchestra.org
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Louisville-Orchestra
twitter.com/louorch
www.nps.gov/maca
Media Contacts:
Jenny Recktenwald Quin Welch
jrecktenwald@c2strategic.com qwelch@c2strategic.com
(502) 994-9167 (859) 388-0510
###
