Contact:
Lois Robinson, Executive Director

(318) 222-7496 
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SHREVEPORT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OPENS 2018-19 SEASON WITH "PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION" ON SEPTEMBER 22 
 
SHREVEPORT, LA, SEPTEMBER 10, 2018 - On Saturday, September 22, the Shreveport Symphony opens its 2018-19 season with Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, along with world-renowned violinist Karen Gomyo playing the Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1. Audience members will transform First Baptist Church of Shreveport into an immersive aviary with Tan Dun's Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds, complete with photographic images curated by Neil Johnson.  
  
WILLIS-KNIGHTON MASTERWORKS SERIES 
 
OPENING NIGHT: PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION 
Saturday, September 22 - 7:30 PM 
First Baptist Shreveport, 543 Ockley Dr.  
Michael Butterman, conductor

DUN  Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds*
SHOSTAKOVICH  Violin Concerto No. 1
Karen Gomyo, violin
MUSSORGSKY  Pictures at an Exhibition   
 
*Prior to the performance, patrons are asked to download an mp3 of birdsong to their smartphones to participate in the interactive performance of this work. 
 
Tickets are available online at www.shreveportsymphony.com or by phone at 318-227-8863. Ticket prices range from $20-$60.  
 
A free shuttle service starts at 6:30 PM before each concert. The shuttle picks up at Regions Bank parking garage at the corner of Milam and Market Streets.
  
The SSO's season sponsor is Willis-Knighton Health System. The concert sponsors are Laura and Ed Crawford.     
About Karen Gomyo

Praised by the Chicago Tribune as "a first-rate artist of real musical command, vitality, brilliance and intensity," violinist Karen Gomyo continues to captivate audiences worldwide. In May 2018, Karen Gomyo performed the world premiere of Samuel Adams' new Chamber Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen, to great critical acclaim. The work was written for her and commissioned by the CSO to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its MusicNow series.
 
Other 2018-19 season highlights include debuts with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London conducted by Jakub Hrusa, the Royal Northern Sinfonia in England with Karina Canellakis, as well as returns to the San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Dallas Symphony, and to the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln in Germany.
 
Last season she performed in recital at the Sydney Opera House, toured with Edo de Waart and the New Zealand Symphony, followed by performances with WASO Perth and the Tasmanian Symphony and stood in last minute to make her debut with Polish National Radio Symphony, performing the Britten, with an immediate re-invitation. She also returned to the St. Louis Symphony, the NACO, and the symphony orchestras of Milwaukee, Montreal, Cincinnati, Detroit and Indianapolis, among others.   
 
Strongly committed to contemporary works, Karen Gomyo performed the North American premiere of Matthias Pintscher's Concerto No. 2 "Mar'eh" with the composer conducting the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C., as well as Peteris Vasks' "Vox Amoris" with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra conducted by John Storgårds, and has collaborated in chamber music compositions with Jörg Widmann, Olli Mustonen, and Sofia Gubaidulina.
Gomyo participated as violinist, host, and narrator in a documentary film produced by NHK Japan about Antonio Stradivarius called "The Mysteries of the Supreme Violin," which was broadcast worldwide on NHK WORLD. Karen Gomyo plays on the "Aurora, exFoulis" Stradivarius violin of 1703 that was bought for her exclusive use by a private sponsor.  
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About the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra 
Since its founding in 1948, the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has become Louisiana's oldest continually operating professional orchestra and one of the most respected regional orchestras in the United States. The SSO's mission is: To Embrace - to embrace the community we serve and to be embraced by the same community; to broaden the level of supporters and their involvement with the orchestra; to work across the region with various arts organizations through cooperation and partnerships. To Enlighten - to educate; to enlighten the senses beyond the norm. To Experience - to provide the unique aesthetic experiences of live orchestral music; to give depth and enriching life; to connect people through music; to foster cultural diversity. To Excel - to foster artistic, organizational, and financial excellence. www.shreveportsymphony.com