JULY 16, 2002 @ 7:30 PM

The Naumburg Orchestra
Richard Westerfield, conductor
Tomohiro Okumura, violin

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Violin Concerto in D major, Op.77 (1878)
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Adagio
III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op.92 (1812)
I. Poco sostenuto
II. Allegretto
III. Presto
IV. Allegro con brio

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Richard Westerfield – conductor – is in his fourth season as music director of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. He is a gifted and versatile young conductor, noted for commanding performances of twentieth century music as well as unusually vibrant and stylish readings of baroque and classical repertoire. In the past few seasons he has been invited to lead many fine orchestras including the New York Philharmonic and the Boston, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Houston and Indianapolis Symphonies, as well as the Minnesota Orchestra. Westerfield had a 1993 debut with the New York Philharmonic conducting Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben. The New York Times hailed the young conductor’s acute rhythmic sense, sound organizational ideas and clear technique. Since his “splendid debut” he has conducted the Philharmonic on many occasions. Richard Westerfield also enjoys a close relationship with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he served as Seiji Ozawa’s assistant until 1998. The Boston Globe wrote: “Seiji Ozawa holds the musicianship of Richard Westerfield in such high regard that he has promoted the BSO assistant conductor to associate conductor-the only other young musician to have held that post was Michael Tilson Thomas.” Mr. Westerfield’s performances with the BSO at Symphony Hall, Tanglewood, and in recital with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players have received consistent critical praise.

Tomohiro Okumura – violin soloist – 1993 winner of the Walter W. Naumburg International Violin Competition Prize. This is Mr. Okumura’s third appearance with the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Mr. Okumura studied with Dorothy Delay and Masao Kawasaki. He has performed with the Colorado, Grant Park, Dallas, Honolulu, Milwaukee, New Jersey, Spokane, Syracuse and Utah Symphonies, the Buffalo, Louisiana, New Japan and Slovak Philharmonics, and the Aspen Concert and Yomiuri Japan Symphony Orchestras. He has also given recitals at the Frick Museum (Pittsburgh), Kennedy Center, Santa Fe, Ravinia, and the Gardner Museum, among others. Recent highlights include his return engagement for a five-city tour with the Tokyo NHK Symphony Orchestra and a debut with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. He debuted at Carnegie Hall with the New York Concert Orchestra performing Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole. Okumura performs worldwide now and has received praise for his enormous repertoire and “unusual temperament” (NYT) making him a modern exemplar of the “golden age of the Romantic virtuoso” (Portland Press Herald). He records on the Slovart Records label.