Tamir Hendelman to Perform Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue With The Winston-Salem Symphony

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As the final Classics concert of the 2013-2014 season, the Winston-Salem Symphony, Robert Moody, Music Director, will perform a concert highlighting early 20th century masterpieces by George Gershwin and Maurice Ravel. The concert will begin with Ravel's La valse, poème chorégraphique and Le Tombeau de Couperin, which explore the dramatically changing world of the early 20th century. Associate Conductor Matthew Troy will conduct La valse, poème chorégraphique, with Maestro Moody conducting the rest of the program. The second half of the concert will feature beloved American composer Gershwin's An American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue with guest artist and pianist Tamir Hendelman. These popular pieces have delighted audiences since they debuted in the 1920s.

"Gershwin and Ravel admired and were influenced by each other's music, " said Maestro Moody. "The impact of each composer on the other's work is clearly evident in their music. This concert is a great way to experience these two great masters firsthand."

Under the baton of Maestro Moody, the concerts will take place on Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 4 at 3 p.m.; and Tuesday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Stevens Center of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts at 405 W. Fourth Street. Tickets range from $15 – $62 and are available in advance by calling the Symphony Box Office at 336-464-0145 or online at WSsymphony.org .

A "Music Lovers' Luncheon, " a fun and informative pre-concert lunch with Maestro Moody and guest artist Tamir Hendelman will take place Friday, May 2, 2014 at noon at The Piedmont Club at 200 West Second Street in downtown Winston-Salem. The luncheon is a great opportunity to learn more about the concert in a relaxed atmosphere. Reservations are required for the Music Lovers' Luncheon and can be made by calling 336.724.7077. Club membership is not required.

Award-winning jazz pianist Tamir Hendelman has always been fascinated with the intersection of jazz and classical music, an interest nourished by study with boundary-crossing composer/pianists Clare Fischer, Joe Harnell and Billy Childs.

Born in Tel Aviv, Hendelman began keyboard studies at age 6, moved to the U.S. in 1984 and won Yamaha's national keyboard competition two years later. Concerts in Japan and the Kennedy Center followed. Drawn to the impressionistic and jazz harmonies of composers such as Ravel and Gershwin, he studied at the Tanglewood Institute and received a B.M. in Music Composition from Eastman School of Music in 1993. After a brief period exploring film scoring, he focused on the art of jazz piano, forming his own trio, which features original compositions, bebop, blues, and Brazilian music. Since 2000 he has toured the U.S., Japan and Europe with his trio and as a member of the Jeff Hamilton Trio and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

Hendelman was a soloist with the Henry Mancini Orchestra in 1999. In 2001 he premiered John Clayton's version of Oscar Peterson's
Canadiana Suite at the Hollywood Bowl with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Peterson wrote in his online jounral: "It was a satisfying but strange feeling...to hear a new young voice make some exhilarating and thoughtful solos in the spaces that I used to occupy in those pieces... I look forward to hearing more from him."

Hendelman also has become a first-rate arranger and accompanist for some of today's premier vocalists, such as Natalie Cole, Roberta Gambarini, and Jackie Ryan. He has accompanied Barbra Streisand in her return to jazz on Love Is The Answer (Columbia, 2009), at the Village Vanguard as well as on her 2012 North American orchestral tour. He also musically directed classical vocalist Julia Migenes' genre-bending release, Alter Ego. In 2011, he premiered John Clayton's version of Rhapsody In Blue at the Fujitsu-Concord Jazz Festival.

Since 2005, Hendelman has been on the jazz faculty of UCLA and has conducted numerous workshops in universities and music programs in the US and abroad. He has released two recordings as a leader of his trio: Playground (Swing Bros, 2008) and Destinations (Resonance 2010). Reaching #1 on the jazz charts, Destinations takes listeners along on a voyage of musical discovery.

This concert and the Winston-Salem Symphony are sponsored by Season Presenting Sponsor Wells Fargo; Classics Series Presenting Sponsor Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A.; Kicked-Back Classics Series Underwriters Chris and Mike Morykwas; Guest Artist Sponsor Lis and Rich Marcotullio in memory of Louise Marcotullio; May 6 Concert Sponsor Carolina Laser & Cosmetic Center; as well as the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County and the North Carolina Arts Council.

About the Winston-Salem Symphony
The Winston-Salem Symphony began its 67th season in September 2013 as one of the Southeast's most highly regarded regional orchestras. Under the baton of Music Director Robert Moody, its performance season includes a classics series, a pops series, concerts for kids, annual performances of Handel's Messiah, a concert featuring Winston-Salem Symphony and Youth Symphony musicians, holiday concerts, three youth orchestra ensembles, and a multitude of educational and community engagement programs.

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