(Photo by C. Steiner)
The Massapequa Philharmonic, under the direction of maestro David Bernard, will complete its 2015-16 season with a concert featuring spectacular Russian music including Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances,” Prokofiev’s “Violin Concerto No. 1” and Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 5.” The orchestra will be joined by noted violinist Ryu Goto as the soloist in the Prokofiev Violin Concerto and The Newburgh Free Academy’s Troupe Advanced Dance, who will bring colorful dances in front of the stage during the performance of Borodin’s “Polovtsian Dances.”
“Each of the three works in this program represent distinct styles of Russian music,” said Bernard. “The alluring melodies and raw brilliance of Borodin’s ‘Polovtsian Dances’ will dazzle you, while the ethereal textures, playful writing and virtuoso passages in the Prokofiev ‘Violin Concerto No. 1’ will transport you to another time and place. Finally, the mastery, passion and excitement woven throughout Tchaikovsky’s ‘Fifth Symphony’ will grab you from the first note to the last.”
Goto established himself as a significant voice in classical music, with a large following in Asia, North America and Europe. His career began at the age of 7, when he made his debut at the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, playing Paganini’s “Violin Concerto No. 1.” Since then, Goto has appeared as a soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the National Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Münchner Philharmoniker, Sydney Symphony and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, performing in many of the world’s most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Sydney Opera House, Shanghai Grand Theater and the Philharmonic Hall Gasteig.
(Photo by E. Miyoshi)
In May 2011, Goto graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s in physics and is currently studying the violin with professor Ana Chumachenco. He is a member of U.S.-Japan Council, and has accepted an award from the Japanese American Bar Association as a Japanese-American leader.
Bernard has gained recognition for his dramatic and incisive conducting in the United States and in more than 20 countries on four continents. A multiple first-prize winner of the Orchestral Conducting Competition of The American Prize, Bernard was described by the judges as “a first rate conductor. With no score, an animated and present Maestro Bernard led a phenomenal performance of incredibly difficult repertoire—masterly in shaping, phrasing, technique and expressivity.”
Bernard is an acclaimed orchestra builder and is sought after for his artistic leadership and innovation in community engagement. Under his leadership as music director of the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony since 1999, the orchestra has thrived—expanding its audience, growing the ensemble and achieving critical acclaim. Bernard engages families in the community through schools, presents multimedia presentations and InsideOut performances where audiences sit inside the orchestra during concerts, to help promote the growth of music. He has presented world premières of scores by Bruce Adolphe, Chris Caswell, John Mackey and Ted Rosenthal, and distinguished concert collaborators have included Jeffrey Biegel, Carter Brey, David Chan, Bart Feller, Judith Ingolfsson and James Archie Worley.
An active guest conductor throughout the greater New York City area, Bernard has appeared with the Brooklyn Symphony, the Massapequa Philharmonic, the New York Symphonic Arts Ensemble, the Putnam Symphony and the South Shore Symphony. He has previously served as music director of the Stony Brook University Orchestra, the Gilbert and Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island and Theater Three.
“With the dancers and a world renowned soloist, this is a concert not to miss,” said Bernard.
The concert will take place on Saturday, May 7, at 8 p.m. in the Berner Auditorium, located 50 Carman Mill Rd., Massapequa. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.massphil.org.
—Submitted by Peggy Kalia
