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May 2, 2008 Contact: Patty Thayer Music Compositions by Cal Poly’s Craig Russell to Premiere at Walt Disney Concert Hall June 8 SAN LUIS OBISPO – New music by noted contemporary composer and Cal Poly Professor Craig Russell will be premiered by the San Luis Obispo Symphony at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8. The 2 p.m. concert will also feature guest performances by renowned guitarist José María Gallardo del Rey, violinist Kathleen Lenski, and French hornist Richard Todd. Gallardo del Rey will open the program with Russell’s “Concierto Romántico.” Based on formal classical structures, the virtuosic work includes overt references to works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Copland, Ponce and Sor. The program continues with “Rhapsody for Horn and Orchestra,” a five-movement work exploring varied musical styles and featuring Todd. Lenski will perform Russell’s most recent creation, “Ecos armónicos,” which explores the sounds of California’s past by drawing on tunes from the late 18th and early 19th century mission communities and presidio fortresses. These tunes serve as musical “echoes” of the influences of the Franciscan friars from Spain. Russell’s work has received extensive praise. His textures, melodies, harmonies and orchestrations evoke the many cultural influences of American life and are often described as “Coplandesque.” A professor at Cal Poly for more than 25 years, Russell has won numerous teaching awards, including the California State University Trustee’s Outstanding Professor Award, the President’s Arts Award and the Wang Family Excellence Ward, presented by the CSU Board of Trustees. Russell has collaborated on two compact discs with the San Luis Obispo Symphony: “Concierto Romántico,” with guitarist Gallardo del Rey, and “Rhapsody for Horn and Orchestra,” with Todd. Tickets to the concert may be purchased through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (866) 448-7849 or (213) 480-3232. For more information about the San Luis Obispo Symphony and its Walt Disney Concert Hall concert, please call (805) 543-3533 or visit www.slosymphony.com.
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