SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 2021 | 3PM Filmed and recorded live from Meymandi Concert Hall Woolner Stage Raleigh
The North Carolina Symphony, in grateful acknowledgment of its generous grant-in-aid, performs under the auspices of the State of North Carolina, the Honorable Roy Cooper, Governor.
The North Carolina Symphony gratefully acknowledges financial support from Wake County, the City of Raleigh, and the Town of Cary.
YOUNG PEOPLE’S CONCERT STREAMING MATINEE SERIES
STREAMED TO YOUR HOME FROM MEYMANDI CONCERT HALL
CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE DATE RESCHEDULED!
SAT, JUNE 19 | 3PM Cirque de la Symphonie returns for an all-new program with dazzling feats of strength and grace. Acrobats, contortionists, and aerial flyers perform awe-inspiring choreography to orchestral favorites that will thrill audiences of all ages.
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Thank you to the North Carolina Symphony Society Board of Trustees, the North Carolina Symphony Foundation Board, the North Carolina Symphony Chapter Boards, and the many individuals, businesses, foundations, and community partners who support the North Carolina Symphony through contributions each season. Our performances this season, along with our extensive music education program and community service across the state, are made possible by your support. View North Carolina Symphony board members here and a list of our supporters here.
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Saturday, June 5, 2021 | 3pm Filmed and recorded live from Meymandi Concert Hall Woolner Stage
Raleigh Michelle Di Russo, conductor Solomon Eichner, piano Mimi Solomon, piano Yolanda Rabun, host and narrator Camille Saint-Saëns The Carnival of the Animals (1835-1921) I. Introduction and Royal March of the Lion II. Hens and Roosters III. The Donkeys of the Wild IV. Tortoises V. The Elephant VI. Kangaroos VII. Aquarium VIII. Characters With Long Ears IX. The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Forest X. Aviary XI. Pianists XII. Fossils XIII. The Swan XIV. Finale Solomon Eichner, piano Mimi Solomon, piano SERIES SPONSOR
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This concert is made possible in part by The Drs. James and Mary Susan Fulghum Fund. NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY • 3
ABOUT THE ARTISTS Michelle Di Russo, conductor Michelle Di Russo recently graduated with a doctoral degree from Arizona State University, where she served as Assistant Conductor for the ASU Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia, and Music Theatre and Opera. She has also served as Assistant Conductor for the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestra, and returns to Phoenix this year for Arizona Musicfest. She first appeared with the North Carolina Symphony for its Young People’s Concert in May, featuring Prokofiev’s Peter & the Wolf. Michelle received the 2020 American Austrian Foundation/ Faber Young Conductors Fellowship. She is also a part of Chicago Sinfonietta’s Project Inclusion 2020/21 season and a conducting fellow at The Dallas Opera Hart Institute for Women Conductors in 2021. She has participated twice in the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, participated in workshops with the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” and was a conducting fellow at the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Italy. With Italian roots and raised in Argentina, Michelle started studies in ballet at the age of three and singing lessons at the age of sixteen. She has degrees from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina in Buenos Aires and the University of Kentucky. Solomon Eichner, piano Solomon Eichner has performed throughout the United States and Europe, including at the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz for a crowd of 20,000. In 2022, he will perform with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. This is his debut with the North Carolina Symphony. Solomon’s orchestra appearances have included the Alicante Symphony Orchestra in Spain and the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra and Western Piedmont Symphony in North Carolina. He has appeared at Music Fest Perugia in Italy, as well as American festivals including Pianofest in the Hamptons, Montecito International Music Festival, and Atlantic Music Festival. Solomon’s awards include prizes from the International Young Artist Piano Competition in Washington, D.C.; LisztGarrison International Piano Competition; and the Golden Key Festival’s Debut International Piano Competition. Originally from Baltimore, he holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, and University of South Carolina. He and his wife Becky live in Chapel Hill.
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Mimi Solomon, piano American pianist Mimi Solomon has appeared as soloist with orchestras including Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York, and Yale Symphony Orchestra, and has been featured on numerous radio and television broadcasts including National Public Radio, France 3, France Inter, and the Young Artists Showcase on WQXR in New York City. This is her debut with the North Carolina Symphony. An avid chamber musician, Mimi regularly appears at music festivals on both sides of the Atlantic and spends part of every year coaching and performing chamber music at Kinhaven Music School in Vermont. She is a lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has also taught at Cornell University, East Carolina University, and Ithaca College. Mimi graduated cum laude from Yale University and received a master’s degree in music from The Juilliard School. Recently returned from nearly a decade in Paris, she lives in Chapel Hill with her husband, violinist Nicholas DiEugenio. Yolanda Rabun, host and narrator A proud graduate of Northside High School of the Performing Arts in Atlanta, Yolanda Rabun is a recording artist, actor, and storyteller. She has headlined national jazz festivals, toured jazz clubs, and opened for concerts at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) and Red Hat Amphitheater. She returns to the North Carolina Symphony after appearing in the 2020 streaming concert Holiday Pops with Jingles the Elf. Yolanda has won accolades for Best Lead Actress and Best Ensemble. Recent appearances with North Carolina Theatre, Theatre Raleigh, and Playmakers Repertory Company include Beehive: The 60s Musical, Newsies, Smokey Joe’s Café, Mary Poppins, and Howard L. Craft’s one-woman play, No Fear and Blues Long Gone: Nina Simone. As a wife, mother, corporate executive, lawyer, singersongwriter and publisher, motivational speaker, political scientist, community activist for youth, touring performance artist, and music entrepreneur, Yolanda lives at the speed of passion and challenges everyone to hold on to your dreams!
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CORPORATE SUPPORT 2020/21 SEASON The North Carolina Symphony is grateful for the generous support of the many corporations across the state that have partnered with us to sustain and advance the mission of the orchestra. With their help, the music WILL play on.
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