Modesto Symphony Orchestra Association 

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: November 3, 2006

Contact: Lisa Desfaugeres

Phone: 523-4156/209 x.103

 

GRANT COOPER AND THE MODESTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION PRESENT MOZART,
VERDI, STRAVINSKY, AND LIBURN FOR THE SECOND CONCERT OF THE SEASON

 

MEET GRANT COOPER AT DEVA CAFÉ IN DOWNTOWN MODESTO

 

JEROME SIMAS HOLDS MASTER CLASS AT CSU, STANISLAUS

 

The Modesto Symphony Orchestra welcomes to the stage Grant Cooper—the second
of five Music Director Candidates—on Friday, November 3rd through Sunday,
November 5th at the Modesto High School Auditorium. Cooper will be
presenting Verdi’s Nabucco Overture followed by Mozart’s hauntingly
beautiful Clarinet Concerto in A Major featuring Jerome Simas as the soloist
on Clarinet. Float amidst the “long white cloud” over New Zealand in
Liburn’s Aotearoa and enjoy Stravinsky’s glorious Firebird Suite as the
night concludes. 

 

Grant Cooper, Artistic Director and Conductor of the West Virginia Symphony
Orchestra, was named to the position in March, 2001, and officially began
his duties as the 9th conductor in the WVSO’s history on July 1, 2001. Mr.
Cooper is also Resident Conductor of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, having
begun his tenure in Syracuse in the fall of 1997. In Syracuse, he has given
more than 400 performances with the orchestra, appearing on all the major
series. He is Artistic Director of two summer festivals; the Bach and Beyond
Festival and the Anchorage Festival of Music in Alaska. 

  

Mr. Cooper was born in Wellington, New Zealand, the son of a professional
opera singer. He sang and acted in his first opera at age four, and studied
piano and music theory prior to college. After completing his degree in Pure
Mathematics at the University of Auckland, his performing career took him to
the major concert halls of the world from Beijing to London. Following a
performance at the Henry A. Wood Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall
under conductor Claudio Abbado, Mr. Cooper was invited by Maestro Abbado to
join the orchestra of La Scala as solo trumpet. Instead, Mr. Cooper accepted
a fellowship from the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council for study with Gerard
Schwarz in the United States. This, in turn, led to performances in New
York’s Carnegie Hall and with the Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler. In 1978,
while holding a fellowship at Tanglewood, Mr. Cooper performed as principal
trumpet under conductors Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, and Sir Neville
Marriner, among others. He was the principal trumpet of the Tulsa
Philharmonic Orchestra before devoting himself to conducting. 

 

Jerome Simas studied clarinet at the Cleveland Institute of music, where he
was a student of Cleveland Orchestra Principal Clarinetist, Franklin Cohen.
He has performed to critical acclaim in a variety of orchestral, chamber,
and solo settings in the United States and Europe and has held positions
with the New World Symphony (as Principal Clarinetist under the direction of
Michael Tilson Thomas), Naples (FL) Philharmonic, Akron Symphony Orchestra,
and Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus. 

 

Music Director Candidate Meet and Greet Opportunities 

•Tuesday, September 26 – from Noon-2:00pm Grant Cooper will be making a
presentation to the Modesto Rotary Club.

•Wednesday, September 27 – November 1 from 7:30-9:00am at Deva Café, 1202 J
Street in Downtown Modesto, come by and get to know Grant Cooper! Also this
day from 5:45-6:30pm there will be a Music Educators Question & Answer forum
at the Snider Recital Hall on the CSU, Stanislaus campus in Turlock. 

•Audience Feedback – go online at www.modestosymphony.org and give us your
feedback on Grant Cooper. We invite you do give us feedback on all of the
Music Director Candidates throughout the season. 

 

Concert Information

Classics Concert 2

Grant Cooper, conductor

Jerome Simas, Clarinet

Friday, November 3 at 8:00pm

Saturday, November 4 at 8:00pm

Sunday, November 5 at 2:00pm

Modesto High School Auditorium 

First & H Streets, Modesto

 

For those who wish to enhance their symphony experience, a free Pre-Concert
Lecture will begin at 7:00pm as well as a Talk-Back session immediately
following the conclusion of the concert. 

On Saturday, November 4th at 11:30am Jerome Simas will be hosting a Master
Class at CSU, Stanislaus in the Snider Recital Hall and all are welcome to
attend for free. 

 

Ticket Information

Tickets available: 

     online at www.modestosymphony.org

     by phone: (209) 523-4156

     in person at the MSO Box Office at 911 13th Street; Monday-Friday,
8:30am – 4:00pm

     at the venue one hour prior to performance

 

Classics Single Ticket Prices 

Adult - Section A: $46; Section B: $38; Section C: $29

Senior (65+) - Section A: $38; Section B: $31; Section C: $25

Youth(17 and under) and Students (w/ valid ID) - Section A: $31; Section B:
$27; Section C: $22

 

Classics Subscriptions – priced $59-$221

Student Sound Check - $25 for all students with a valid student I.D.
(showing current enrollment). This card gets you into all 16 Classics
Concerts for the season!