For New West Symphony’s season-closing concert, violin superstar Philippe Quint will take your breath away with the electrifying Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. Plus, the Symphony performs the powerfully evocative score to Alexander Nevsky with mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven and the Los Robles Master Chorale.

Saturday, May 4, 2019 | 7:30 PM
Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza

Sunday, May 5, 2019 | 3:00 PM
Oxnard Performing Arts Center

Mikhail Agrest, guest conductor
Philippe Quint, violin
Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano
Los Robles Master Chorale, Lesley Leighton, director

Borodin | Overture to Prince Igor
Tchaikovsky | Violin Concerto
Prokofiev | Alexander Nevsky

Tickets at newwestsymphony.org/cvg.

Philippe Quint, violin

Lauded by Daily Telegraph (UK) for his “searingly poetic lyricism” violinist Philippe Quint is carving an unconventional path with his impassioned musical desire for reimagining traditional works, rediscovering neglected repertoire to commissioning works by contemporary composers. His dedication to exploring different styles and genres with an award-winning discography has solidified him as one of the foremost violinists of today.

Philippe Quint plays the magnificent 1708 “Ruby” Antonio Stradivari violin on loan to him through the generous efforts of The Stradivari Society®.

His recordings have received multiple “Editor’s Choice” selections in Gramophone, The Strad, Strings, and the Daily Telegraph. His remarkable degree of lyricism, poetry and impeccable virtuosity has gripped the eyes and ears of audiences in Asia, Australia, Latin America, Africa, Europe and the U.S. with what The Times (London) describes as his “bravura technique, and unflagging energy.”

Born in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now St. Petersburg, Russia), Philippe Quint studied at Moscow’s Special Music School for the Gifted with the famed Russian violinist Andrei Korsakov, and made his orchestral debut at the age of nine, performing Wieniawski’s Concerto No. 2. After moving to the United States, he earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Juilliard. His distinguished pedagogues and mentors included Dorothy Delay, Cho-Liang Lin, Masao Kawasaki, Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Arnold Steinhardt and Felix Galimir.

Mikhail Agrest, guest conductor

Scion of the great Russian conducting tradition, Mikhail Agrest has honed his craft at the Mariinsky Theatre for over a decade, acquiring a considerable body of operatic and symphonic repertoire and gaining crucial insights into orchestra development and artistic leadership.  Simultaneously, he forged meaningful artistic relationships with a number of the world’s premiere ensembles.

The following passage from The Herald of Scotland offers a good summary of his reviews by the UK critics: “Agrest conducted a concert that progressed from intriguing to alluring to utterly gripping… the sheer musical tension was riveting. More of Mikhail Agrest, please.”

Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Mr. Agrest immigrated to the United States with his family as a teenager and received a degree in violin performance from the Indiana University (Bloomington).  He then followed his true passion back to St. Petersburg to study conducting from the legendary Ilya Musin, whose other alumni include Valery Gergiev, Yuri Temirkanov, and Semyon Bychkov.

Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano

Mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven is in her second-year of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program at the Los Angeles Opera. This season, she sings Annio in La clemenza di Tito at Los Angeles Opera conducted by James Conlon, as well as Tebaldo in Don Carlo and the Sandman in Hansel and Gretel.

Ms. Raven was recently a Pittburgh Opera Resident Artist in the 2016-2017 season where she performed as Oronte in Handel’s Riccardo Primo and Hannah after in As One for its Pennsylvania premiere. In the summer of 2016, Ms. Raven performed in the Schwabacher Summer Concert with San Fransisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program. She recently performed the role of Marian Anderson in Deep River: Marian Anderson Journey with Virginia Opera. As a Young Artist with Central City Opera in 2015, Ms. Raven was seen in scenes of Carmen, Street Scene, and The Ballad of Baby Doe.

Los Robles Master Chorale, Lesley Leighton, director

Los Robles Master Chorale (LRMC), led by Artistic Director Lesley Leighton and lauded for its “robust choral tapestry” (Artillery), is one of Southern California’s premier choirs. Celebrating a rich legacy and hailed for its remarkable sound, striking versatility, and commitment to commissioning new choral works, the 100-voice Ventura County-based chorus harnesses the power of music to enrich people of all ages. With repertoire ranging from early music and great choral masterworks to folk, contemporary and world music, LRMC presents its own concert series each season and performs with leading music organizations across the Southland in such iconic venues as Walt Disney Concert Hall, Hollywood Bowl and Royce Hall. The chorale has appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New West Symphony and Ventura Symphony, among others.