Midori & Britten’s Violin Concerto – February 9 & 12, Maison Symphonique LiveEvents February 3, 2017 2289 Orchestre symphonique de Montréal presents Midori & Britten’s Violin Concerto Discover the landscapes of Scotland, in Mendelssohn’s Third Symphony, a musical evocation of a “Scottish fog,” and of England, in the Violin Concerto by Britten, one of the greatest English composers in the history of music. And to complete the program, you’re invited to take a short hop across the Channel to hear Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales. Midori is one of the most admired violinists of her generation. In addition to performing at the highest levels internationally, giving master classes and participating in prominent artistic residencies, she has made a sustained commitment to the violin repertoire of the future, commissioning new concerto and recital works over a period of many years. Beyond her performing and recording career, Midori has been recognized as a dedicated and gifted educator and an innovative community engagement activist throughout the US, Europe, Asia and the developing world. Among many honors she has received in recent years, she was named a Messenger of Peace by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and received the prestigious Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum in Davos. In February 2016, Sony Classical released The Art of Midori, a 10-CD set containing some of her most important recordings for the label. DoReMi, the violin concerto written for her by Peter Eötvös and performed with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under the baton of the composer, was released in May 2016. In 1992 Midori founded Midori & Friends, a non-profit organization in New York City that brings music education programs to underserved schoolchildren. Two other organizations, Music Sharing, based in Japan, and Partners in Performance, based in the U.S., also bring music closer to the lives of people who may not otherwise have involvement with the arts. Midori was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971 and began studying the violin with her mother, Setsu Goto, at an early age. In 1982, Zubin Mehta invited the11-year-old Midori to make her debut at the New York Philharmonic’s traditional New Year’s Eve concert, on which occasion she received a standing ovation and the impetus to begin a major career. Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Jeffrey Tate, conductor Midori, violin PROGRAM: Ravel, Valses nobles et sentimentales (approx. 16 min.) Britten, Violin Concerto, op. 15 (approx. 32 min.) Mendelssohn, Symphony no 3 in A minor, op. 56, “Scottish” (approx. 40 min.) For information and tickets: www.placedesarts.com 514-842-2112 or 1-866-842-2112