HEAVENLY HARP

Saturday, March 2, 2019 8 pm Toronto Centre for the Arts

VALERIE MILOT Harpist / SINFONIA TORONTO / NURHAN ARMAN Conductor

Ethereal Mahler, an eternal quest and a passionate personal testament by Shostakovich

Program

MAHLER Adagietto

HOVHANNES Concerto for Harp and String Orchestra

MOZETICH El Dorado for Harp and Strings

SHOSTAKOVICH Chamber Symphony op. 118a

VALERIE MILOT, Harpist

Introduced to music at a very early age, Valerie Milot studied the piano for several years before choosing the harp at the age of ten. Although to most people the harp evokes romanticism and delicacy, Valérie sensed in the instrument an untamed energy. As a young adult, she began to devote herself exclusively to her chosen instrument, developing a powerful playing style and bringing out its unsuspected versatility. She went on to complete her studies at the Montreal and Trois-Rivières Conservatories of Music, where she has taught the harp since 2015.

In 2008, Valérie graduated with great distinction from the conservatory and was awarded the Prix d'Europe. She was the first harpist in one hundred years to be awarded this bursary, which enabled her to study in New York under Rita Costanzi. She went on to win many other prizes: Radio-Canada's Revelation of the Year, a performance prize at the International Harp Competition of the Cité des Arts de Paris, the Young Soloist Prize of the Public Francophone Radios, the Discovery of the Year award at the Opus Prizes, the Louis-Philippe-Poisson Performing Arts Award of the City of Trois-Rivières, for her standing both nationally and internationally, as well as three Adisq Gala nominations.

Valerie Milot has been Soloist in Residence with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal. She has recorded seven discs on the Analekta label.

SINFONIA TORONTO – Now celebrating its 20th Anniversary season, Sinfonia Toronto has toured in United States, South America and twice in Europe receiving glowing reviews. It has released four CD’s, including a JUNO Award winner, and performs in many Ontario cities. Its extensive repertoire includes all the major string orchestra works of the 18th through 21st centuries, and it has premiered many new works. Under the baton of Nurhan Arman the orchestra’s performances present outstanding international guest artists and prominent Canadian musicians.

NURHAN ARMAN has conducted throughout Europe, Asia, South America, Canada and the United States, returning regularly to many orchestras in Europe. Among the orchestras Maestro Arman has conducted are the Moscow Philharmonic, Deutsches Kammerorchester Frankfurt, Filarmonica Italiana, St. Petersburg State Hermitage Orchestra, Orchestre Regional d’Ile de France, Hungarian Symphony, Arpeggione Kammerorchester, Milano Classica and Belgrade Philharmonic.

TICKETS are $42 adult; $35 senior and $15 student. They can be purchased by phone at 416-250-3708 or toll free 1-855-985-2787 or online at http://www.sinfoniatoronto.com/