Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra Welcomes First Music Director Candidate, Donato Cabrera, to the Stage, with Performance Featuring the Music of Bruckner & Williams - October 28 at Miller Auditorium

    KALAMAZOO, MI, October 13, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra with guest conductor Donato Cabrera, presents a delightfully varied program for the second concert of its Symphonic Series, on Saturday, October 28, 2017. Gabriel Renteria-Elyea, the KSO's own Principal Oboist, solos in John Williams' Oboe concerto. William McGregor, 2017 Stulberg International String Competition Gold Medalist, performs Bottesini's second bass concerto. Maestro Cabrera opens the program with Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man and closes the program with Bruckner's first masterpiece, the youthful Symphony No. 1.

"I am very excited about my debut with the Kalamazoo Symphony and the program we've chosen to perform," says guest conductor Donato Cabrera. "It is an eclectic mix of composers that will not only showcase the wonderful talents of the various sections of the orchestra, but it also reveals absolutely music seldom performed."

The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra is currently in the midst of a search for its next Music Director, to follow the long tenure of Maestro Raymond Harvey. Cabrera is the first of five candidates to visit the city and work with the orchestra. Mr. Cabrera will spend a full week in Kalamazoo meeting with various groups from the KSO, rehearsing with the orchestra and talking with musicians before the culminating event of the concert on Saturday.

"It is an honor for me to be considered a music director finalist for such a highly regarded orchestra. I have enormous respect for all of the candidates and Kalamazoo will see an incredible artistic flowering of its orchestra, no matter who is chosen," states Cabrera.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Donato Cabrera
Donato Cabrera is the Music Director of the California Symphony and the Las Vegas Philharmonic, and served as the Resident Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony and the Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra from 2009-2016.

Since Cabrera's appointment as Music Director of the California Symphony, the organization has been reinvigorated. With its expanded concerts, dramatically increased ticket sales, and innovative programming, the California Symphony and Cabrera are redefining what it means to be an orchestra in the 21st Century. Under Cabrera's leadership, The Las Vegas Philharmonic has also enjoyed a dramatic increase in ticket sales and an engagement with the community never before seen in Southern Nevada.

Over the last couple of seasons, Cabrera has made impressive debuts with the National Symphony's KC Jukebox at the Kennedy Center, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra, Hartford Symphony, New West Symphony, Sinfonica de Oaxaca, and the Orquesta Filarmonica de Boca del Rio. In 2016, he led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in performances with Grammy Award-winning singer Lila Downs. Cabrera co-founded the New York-based American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME), and recently led performances of Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson's Drone Mass with ACME and Theatre of Voices at Duke Performances and the Big Ears Festival.

Awards and fellowships include a Herbert von Karajan Conducting Fellowship at the Salzburg Festival and conducting the Nashville Symphony in the League of American Orchestra's prestigious Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview. Donato Cabrera was recognized by the Consulate-General of Mexico in San Francisco as a Luminary of the Friends of Mexico Honorary Committee, for his contributions to promoting and developing the presence of the Mexican community in the Bay Area.
For more information, visit www.donatocabrera.com.

Gabriel Renteria-Elyea
Gabriel Renteria-Elyea is Principal Oboe and Artist in Residence with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra as well as a faculty member at Albion College. He has been guest Principal Oboe with several orchestras throughout Michigan and has also played with orchestras throughout the country including the Seattle Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. As an avid chamber musician, Mr. Renteria-Elyea has given concerts across the nation as well as Canada, Europe, South America, and Asia. He has performed in music festivals held in California, Colorado, Missouri, Maryland, and Switzerland. A dedicated teacher, his students have won several competitions and have gone on to study at prestigious schools throughout the country. Mr. Renteria-Elyea attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Ohio), University of Washington, and the Colburn Conservatory of Music (California). He grew up in Los Angeles, California and began playing oboe at the age of 16. After a few months of having played he auditioned and was accepted into the Los Angeles County High school for the Arts where he finished his schooling. Gabriel now happily resides in Kalamazoo where he and his husband enjoy traveling, collecting antiques, and having an herb and tomato garden every summer.

William McGregor
William McGregor, age 17, won the Gold Medal at the Stulberg International String Competition in May 2017. He began double bass studies at age two, with Derek Weller in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was accepted into The Juilliard School Pre-College in 2009, where he began his studies with Albert Laszlo. In 2007-08, William received Honorable Mention in the Strings International Music Festival Concerto Competition in Philadelphia. He was the youngest person ever to compete in the International Society of Bassists' concerto competition in 2009, receiving an honorable mention in the 14-and-under category. Since 2010, William has been a member of the World Youth Alliance Chamber Orchestra in New York City. He became a Fellowship scholarship student at the Aspen Music Festival and School in 2011, where he was the youngest full-time student at the Festival. He returned to Aspen in summer 2012. William won the Juilliard Pre-College Open Concerto Competition in 2012, and performed with the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony. He also won this award in 2016. Additionally, William won the grand prize at the Ensemble 212 Young Artist Competition in 2012, performing his solo concerto with Ensemble 212 at The Kaufman Center's Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. In 2013, William was the First Prize Winner in the Salome Chamber Orchestra Young Artist Competition in New York City. He also received the "Most Promising Young Artist" award with Salome, performing as a soloist with them at Carnegie Hall in 2014. He was invited to solo with the Allentown Symphony in 2015. William has performed in master classes with Edgar Meyer, Harold Robinson, John Kendall and many others. His hobbies include all sports (especially Detroit Tigers baseball and Michigan basketball), collecting baseball cards, and singing.

CALENDAR LISTING
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presents Symphonic Series Concert:

Bruckner & Williams
Saturday, October 28, 2017 - Miller Auditorium at 8pm (Prelude begins at 7pm)
Donato Cabrera, Conductor
Gabriel Renteria-Elyea, Oboe
William McGregor, Double Bass

COPLAND Fanfare for the Common Man
BOTTESINI Double Bass Concerto No. 2 in B minor
WILLIAMS Oboe Concerto (2011)
BRUCKNER Symphony N. 1 in C minor WAB 101

The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, with guest conductor Donato Cabrera, presents a delightfully varied program. Gabriel Renteria-Elyea, the KSO's own Principal Oboist, solos in John Williams Oboe concerto. William McGregor, 2017 Stulberg International String Competition Gold Medalist, performs Bottesisni's second bass concerto. Maestro Cabrera opens the program with Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man and closes the program with Bruckner's first masterpiece, the youthful Symphony No. 1.

Tickets: $60 - $24
Student & Veteran discounts available.
$5 Student Rush tickets with valid ID, and $10 Harvey's Hideaway seating available at the box office the night of the concert.

For tickets, visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com, call the KSO Box Office at (269) 349-7759 or call Miller Auditorium Ticket Office at (269) 387-2300.

Visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com for up-to-date information, details and schedules. Prices, artists, dates, time and program are subject to change without notice.

The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra also receives generous support from other local, state and national foundations, as well as private and corporate support. For more information, visit www.kalamazoosymphony.com.

ABOUT THE KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Founded in 1921, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra is Southwest Michigan's premier musical organization, providing musical enrichment to over 80,000 adults and youth per year. The third-largest professional orchestra in the state, the KSO has won numerous awards and grants, including the Met Life Award for Arts Access in Underserved Communities, the National Endowment for the Arts for its extensive education programs, and a major Ford Foundation grant to found its innovative Artist-in-Residence program.

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