Acclaimed Trumpeter Jens Lindemann at the MAC Nov. 2 & 3

Guest trumpeter Jens Lindemann joins New Philharmonic, under the baton of Maestro Kirk Muspratt, for an intriguing and entertaining concert program featuring works by Wagner, Arutiunian and Rimsky-Korsakov 7:30 p.m. Saturday Nov. 2 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3 at the McAninch Arts Center. Lindemann was recently named “International Brass Personality of the Year” by Brass Herald. A free MAC Chat led by freelance musician and Wheaton College faculty member Kevin Harrison will precede each concert.

The concert program is as follows:

• Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883): “Rienzi” Overture. Wagner’s opera “Rienzi, der letzte der Tribunen” (commonly referred to as “Rienzi”) was his fourth opera and his most successful, yet Wagner often regarded the opera with scorn.
• Alexander Grigori Arutiunian (1920 – 2012): Trumpet Concerto. Soviet/Armenian composer, Arutiunian, incorporated melodic and rhythmic characteristics of his Armenian folk heritage into this virtuoso showpiece" composed in 1949-1950. The Soviet trumpeter Timofei Dokschitzer was the first to record the concerto and make it famous. He visited the U.S. in concert and performed it then, though a subsequent performance by Roger Voisin with the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1966 is credited with the U.S premiere of the concerto. It has gone onto be assimilated as part of the standard trumpet repertoire worldwide.
• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 – 1908): “Scheherazade,” Op. 35 In the late 1880s after the death of colleague and friend Alexander Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov poured himself into finishing Borodin’s work. It was during this time that he wrote “Scheherazade,” based on the main character in “One Thousand and One Nights” (also known as “The Arabian Nights”). “Scheherazade” combines two features typical of Russian music and of Rimsky-Korsakov in particular: dazzling, colorful orchestration and an interest in the East. In premiered in St. Petersburg in 1888 and a ballet adaptation of “Scheherazade,” premiered in 1910, at the Opéra Garnier in Paris by the Ballets Russes.

On Sunday, Nov. 3, 3 p.m., COT Annual Young People’s Competition Winner, pianist Yuriy Rogachev will be perform Frederic Chopin’s “Valse in Am” (Posthumos).

“The trumpet is capable of being played with the virtuosity of a violin, the tenderness of the human voice and the stylistic flexibility of the piano,” says Lindemann. A Julliard graduate and former member of Canadian Brass (1996-2001), Lindemann has had an extensive career as a trumpeter playing major concert venues around the world from the New York, Los Angeles and London Philharmonics to Tokyo's Suntory Hall and even the Great wall of China. He has performed as soloist and recording artist with classical stars such as Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Angel Romero, Doc Severinsen, Charles Dutoit, Gerard Schwarz, Eiji Oue, Bramwell Tovey, Jukka Pekka Saraste and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and had a solo Command Performance for the Queen of England. A prodigious talent, Lindemann began winning awards for his skill in his teens. Since then he has continued to win Grammy and Juno nominations and the prestigious Echo Klassik in Germany. Other honors include an honorary doctorate (LL.D.) from McMaster University, Honorary Fellow (FRCMT) from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, the Medal of Excellence from MacEwan University and being the first classical trumpet player to receive the prestigious Order of Canada, the highest civilian award.

New Philharmonic was honored with the Illinois Council of Orchestras’ 2017 ICO Award for Professional Orchestra of the Year. Today, under the direction of Kirk Muspratt, named 2018 Conductor of the Year (Professional Orchestra) by Illinois Council of Orchestras, New Philharmonic consists of more than 60 professional musicians and performs more than a dozen concerts a year, reaching more than 7,500 from the greater Chicago area annually.

The McAninch Arts Center, located at 425 Fawell Blvd., on the campus of College of DuPage presents a concert with guest trumpeter Jens Lindemann 7:30 p.m. Saturday Nov. 2, and Sunday, 3 p.m. Nov, 3. Tickets are $51. A limited number of $10 tickets are available for students with valid ID. For tickets or more information visit AtTheMAC.org or call 630.942.4000. A free MAC Chat will take place one hour prior to each concert.