Eugene Symphony presents C3: Connection / Beethoven’s Fifth on February 17, 2022 

The concert at the Hult Center includes collaborations with the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and #instaballet, guest viola soloist Roberto Díaz, and a performance of Beethoven’s iconic Fifth Symphony

EUGENE, OR (February 8, 2022)— Celebrating how music and art bring us closer together, Eugene Symphony Association (ESA) presents C3: Connection/Beethoven’s Fifth on Thursday, February 17, 2022, at 7:30 pm at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts. The concert centers on connection and includes partnerships with local organizations as well as a performance by guest viola soloist Roberto Díaz and Ludwig van Beethoven’s timeless Fifth Symphony.

The concert opens with Paul Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes of Weber. The performance features a collaboration with the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA), showcasing the creative vision of four Oregon visual artists—Andrew Myers, Anna Fidler, Mika Aono, and Julia Oldham—who each interpreted a movement of Hindemith’s composition. Before the concert, attendees will have the opportunity to visit artists’ stations in the lobby. The artwork will be projected on a screen above the orchestra, synchronized to unfold along with the music.

“We’re so excited to see the work of such dynamic visual artists come alive in response to Symphonic Metamorphosis,” says Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art McCosh Curator Danielle Knapp. “The connection between the evolution in Hindemith’s music and the development of the artists’ individual projects will give viewers and listeners an opportunity to experience both in a deeply compelling way. JSMA was thrilled to partner with ESA to help make Francesco Lecce-Chong’s vision for this collaboration a reality!”

Guest viola soloist Roberto Díaz then takes the stage to perform Jennifer Higdon’s Grammy-winning Viola Concerto, which was written specifically for him. Earlier in the week, Roberto Díaz will also lead a Viola Master Class for two talented student violists as part of the Laura Avery Visiting Masters Series on Tuesday, February 15, at 4:00 pm, at The Studio at the Hult Center, which is open to the public.

To complement Gabriel Fauré’s Pavane, local dance troupe #instaballet will crowdsource new choreography on concert night from 6:20-7:15 pm in The Studio. Concertgoers are invited to suggest movements that will be incorporated into a brand-new dance and performed in front of the orchestra during the concert.

“This concert truly embodies the collaborative and innovative spirit of Eugene’s arts community,” says Eugene Symphony Education & Community Engagement Director Katy Vizdal. “Upon stepping into the Hult Center on concert night, community members are invited to explore artwork by the four incredible visual artists featured in the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art collaboration. They’ll also have the opportunity to create new dance choreography with #instaballet prior to the concert, which will be premiered on-stage later that evening.”

Ludwig van Beethoven’s celebrated Fifth Symphony, which starts with a four-note motif that has sparked countless connections across the globe, ends the evening as an illustration of how music can inspire and connect us.

February 17, 2022- C3: CONNECTION/BEETHOVEN’S FIFTH

• 7:30 pm
• Silva Concert Hall, Hult Center for the Performing Arts
• Prices: prices range from $10-$68
• Francesco Lecce-Chong, conductor
• Roberto Diaz, viola*
• In partnership with Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art⁺ and #instaballet^#
• ⁺Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Weber
• *Jennifer Higdon: Viola Concerto
• ^#Fauré: Pavane
• Beethoven: Symphony No. 5

Pre-concert activities:

• Symphony Happy Hour with Francesco: Monday, February 14, 2022, 5:00 pm, at The Jazz Station, 124 W Broadway, Eugene – a casual presentation that includes musical excerpts and highlights about the concert on February 17 (admission is free, but advance reservations are required)
• Viola Master Class with Roberto Díaz: Tuesday, February 15, 4:00 pm, at The Studio at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts (free and open to the public)
• Concert day activities:
  • 6:00-7:30 pm: Visit Artist Stations in the Hult Center lobby of the four artists participating in the METAMORPHOSIS collaboration with the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.
  • 6:20-7:15pm – Participate in the creation of new choreography with #instaballet in the Hult Center Studio, which will be premiered on stage later that evening.
  • 6:30-7:00pm – Attend the Eugene Symphony Guild Pre-Concert Talk in Silva Concert Hall with Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong and violist Roberto Díaz.
  • Post-Concert – Experience the Post-Concert Talk on-stage immediately following the concert. The talk includes Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong and concert partners Antonio Anacan (#instaballet), and Danielle Knapp (Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art), and will be moderated by Eugene Symphony Executive Director Scott Freck.

Interview & Media Opportunities: High-resolution photos are available upon request. For interviews with Eugene Symphony Music Director & Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong, Eugene Symphony Education & Community Engagement Director Katy Vizdal, or Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art McCosh Curator Danielle Knapp, contact Marketing & Communications Manager Julie Winsel at 541-687-9487 ext. 1106 or by email at julie.winsel@eugenesymphony.org

Tickets: Partial-season subscriptions, as well as single tickets, are available now. Ticketed dress rehearsals with limited capacity and physically distanced seating are available for this concert on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, at 7:30 pm. All ticket options available at eugenesymphony.org or the Hult Center Ticket Office 541-682-5000

About Francesco Lecce-Chong

Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong is the Music Director of the Eugene Symphony in Oregon, and the Santa Rosa Symphony, performing at the Green Music Center in Northern California. The press has described him as a “fast rising talent in the music world” with “the real gift” and recognized his dynamic performances, fresh programming, deep commitment to commissioning and performing new music as well as to community outreach. Lecce-Chong has appeared with orchestras around the world including the San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Toronto Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, and Hong Kong Philharmonic and collaborated with top soloists including Renée Fleming and Itzhak Perlman.

About Roberto Díaz

A violist of international reputation, Roberto Díaz is president and CEO of the Curtis Institute of Music. As a teacher of viola at Curtis and former Principal Viola of The Philadelphia Orchestra, he has already had a significant impact on American musical life and continues to do so in his dual roles as performer and educator. As a soloist, Mr. Díaz collaborates with leading conductors of our time on stages around the world. Most recently, Jennifer Higdon composed her 2018 Grammy Award-winning Viola Concerto for Mr. Díaz. The recording was released on Naxos and has been performed frequently including at the Library of Congress with the Curtis Chamber Orchestra (premiere), the Aspen Music Festival, and the Atlanta Symphony, all with Robert Spano on the podium; Minnesota Orchestra with Cristian Macelaru; Nashville Symphony with Giancarlo Guerrero; and most recently with Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony in October 2019. Roberto Díaz plays the ex-Primrose Amati viola.

About Andrew Myers

Andrew Myers is a visual artist who explores the concepts of conservation and preservation of wild places and creatures in work that is drawing-based with elements of installation, printmaking, and sculpture. He received his undergraduate art degree from Eastern Oregon University and an MFA in drawing and painting from Portland State University. He currently teaches at Oregon State University. Myers is a founding member of Gray Space, a group of Oregon artists based in the Corvallis, Eugene, and Roseburg areas who came together in 2016 to claim agency and circumvent institutional structures. Myers’ exhibitions include Duplex Gallery in Portland, Soil Gallery in Seattle, Rodgers Gallery at Willamette University, and Fairbanks Gallery at Oregon State University. He has been awarded funded artist residencies including Caldera, Playa at Summer Lake, Oak Spring Garden Foundation, and Pine Meadow Ranch. He was awarded a Career Opportunity Grant from the Oregon Arts Commission and the Ford Family Foundation to travel, create work in residence, and install an exhibition in Slovakia. Myers is also part of the viewing program at the Drawing Center in New York.

About Anna Fidler

Anna Fidler lives in Corvallis, Oregon, where she teaches studio art at Oregon State University. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, in 1995 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in studio art from Portland State University in 2005. Fidler has had solo exhibitions at the Boise Art Museum, APEX at the Portland Art Museum, Johansson Projects in Oakland, and has been widely exhibited at such venues as the Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science, and Art, the University of Southern California, the Tacoma Art Museum, and The Sun Valley Center for the Arts. Her exhibitions have been reviewed in publications such as Art in America, The Washington Post, The Oregonian, and The San Francisco Chronicle. Her work is held in the collections of the Portland Art Museum, the Boise Art Museum, and Portland and Seattle Portable Works Collections. Fidler exhibits with Johansson Projects in Oakland and Charles A. Hartman Fine Art in Portland.

About Mika Aono

Mika Aono is a multidisciplinary artist living in Eugene, Oregon. Her recent work explores humanness in absurdity and futility through laborious processes, giving meaning to the meaningless. Her fascination for nature has driven her projects and installations utilizing discarded objects. She cherishes serendipitous moments and believes art has the power to solve the mystery and connect all sorts of life on earth. She wishes she were a gentle superhero. Born in Sendai, Japan, Aono received a BA in Primary and Special Ed from Miyagi University of Education in Japan, a BA in Art from the University of Oregon, and an MFA in Printmaking from San Francisco Art Institute. Currently, she teaches printmaking and works as a studio technician in the Department of Art at the University of Oregon. Her work has been shown at various venues nationally and in international exhibitions in India, Spain, Brazil, Canada, and Switzerland; some are in museum/public collections.

About Julia Oldham

Julia Oldham’s work expresses moments of hope in a world on the edge of environmental collapse. Working in a range of media including video, animation, and photography, she explores potential in places where human civilization and nature have collided uneasily. Selected exhibitions and screenings include Art in General in New York, New York; the Northwest Film Center at the Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon; The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Illinois; Disjecta, Portland, Oregon; the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts; the Queens Museum in Queens, New York; the Schneider Museum in Ashland, Oregon; the Dia Foundation at the Hispanic Society in New York, New York; the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC; and she was included in the 2016 Portland Biennial curated by Michelle Grabner. She received her MFA from the University of Chicago in 2005.

About #instaballet

What happens when you combine professional ballet dancers and a random audience? #instaballet. Formed by Eugene-based ballet dancers, Suzanne Haag and Antonio Anacan, #instaballet is a new, interactive, fun way to experience ballet. Their unique concept is to include the audience in the making of a ballet by using audience-driven ideas to choreograph on professional dancers. Zero pressure, 100-percent fun. Come create with them – it’s your turn to make a move!

About Eugene Symphony

Now in its 57th season, Eugene Symphony is an 83-member part-time orchestra based in Eugene, Oregon, led by Music Director & Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong with a mission of enriching lives through the power of music. With the addition of virtual programming initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, Eugene Symphony reached more than 60,000 people around the world. Now back in the concert hall, Eugene Symphony presents annual classical and pops concerts, as well as music education and community engagement programs, regularly commissioning and premiering new American works, and disseminating its performances via radio broadcasts and recordings. More at eugenesymphony.org

COVID-19 Protocols

Proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test, taken within 48 hours of the event, is required to enter the Hult Center until further notice. This includes all patrons, performers, staff, and volunteers. Masks are also required within the building.