LPO Welcomes Soloist, Composer for Sunday Concert

On Sunday March 2, 2008 the award-winning Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra welcomes violinist Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio as soloist with the orchestra in its “Legends of Love” concert at the Martinez Fine Arts Center, Laredo Community College at 4 p.m.

Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio recently accepted an appointment at the University of Nevada, Reno following a 13-year career as concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony. She is also the Artistic Director of the popular Cactus Pear Music Festival in San Antonio which is now in its 10th season.

“I have known Stephanie since I first moved to San Antonio in ’97 and have loved working with her in the past. I am thrilled we persuaded her to come to Laredo to play the wonderfully romantic Wieniawski 2nd Violin Concerto,” said Brendan Townsend, music director.

“I am also delighted to bring to Laredo a great composer – Stephen Dankner,” he added.

The Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra which won the “2007 ASCAP Award for Innovative Programming” has included a piece by living composers on all its concert programs this year. “It is wonderful to be able to call up a composer and ask them to explain some subtlety of their score,” said Townsend. “I wish I could do that with Beethoven or Brahms sometimes!”

Stephen Dankner has a long reputation as a composer. He earned his doctoral degree at Juilliard. For 19 years he taught at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and was Chair of the Music Department from 1990-95. He was also on the faculty of Loyola University New Orleans, and composer in residence at the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. He now lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts with his wife, Laura.

“I met Stephen in Chicago many years ago and his music impressed me a lot. Since then I conducted his 3rd Symphony in Tennessee and I am very excited to be giving the second performance ever of this 8th Symphony – Music of the Spheres,” said Townsend.

Also on the program are two more familiar composers – Liszt and Beethoven. “This is where we really get into the love theme,” said Townsend. “The story of Orpheus and his love for Iphigenia is reflected in later writings as the love of Florestan and Leonora in Beethoven’s opera Fidelio. Putting both these pieces on one concert, bookends the concerts main theme.”

Tickets are available at the Laredo Center for the Arts and at the door. Adult price is $25, senior tickets (62+) cost $17, and students are admitted free. For more information contact Brendan Townsend at 326.3039.

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