The New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s search for its next music director continues on Thursday, March 22, 2018 at 7:30pm in Woolsey Hall with Miller Conducts Tchaikovsky. Finalist Rebecca Miller makes her NHSO conducting debut and auditions to be the orchestra’s next music director with a program of Russian masterpieces including Tchaikovsky’s bombastic Symphony No. 4, Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia, and what is widely considered to be one of the most challenging pieces in the cello repertoire: Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto, featuring NHSO Artist-in-Residence Nick Canellakis.

Music Director Candidate Rebecca Miller says, “It’s a great honor to be a part of the Music Director search at the NHSO. I’m looking forward to getting to know the people of New Haven and to working with the musicians and staff of the New Haven Symphony. Russia hasn’t had such an easy time in the press lately, but, politics aside, its immense and powerful contribution to music simply cannot be underestimated, and we have some gigantic pillars of Russian musical genius on this program.”

American conductor Rebecca Miller has been making her mark on the European classical music scene, where she has recently conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. This season she’s made highly-acclaimed debuts with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Uppsala Chamber Orchestra in Sweden, and later this season will debut with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. She was formerly Resident Conductor of the Louisiana Philharmonic and Conducting Fellow of the Houston Symphony. Currently based in London, she serves as Principal Conductor of the Bishop’s Stortford Sinfonia, Associate Conductor of the Southbank Sinfonia, and Director of Orchestras at the Royal Holloway University of London.

About the Music Director Search
After a rigorous screening process of more than 150 applicants from across the globe, the NHSO has invited three finalists, Alasdair Neale, Rebecca Miller, and David Amado, to rehearse and conduct the orchestra at one concert each during the 2017 – 2018 season. Throughout the audition process, the Search Committee will receive input from the orchestra’s musicians, audience members, community stakeholders, and administrative staff, and will announce the new music director in the summer of 2018. The new music director will begin their tenure with the orchestra’s 2019 – 2020 season. Current Music Director William Boughton will be ending his 12-season tenure with the NHSO in May 2019 at the culmination of the Symphony’s 125th Anniversary Season. Learn more about the NHSO’ music director search at NewHavenSymphony.org/Music-Director-Search.

Hailed by The New Yorker as a “superb young soloist,” Nicholas Canellakis has become one of the most sought-after and innovative cellists of his generation, captivating audiences throughout the United States and abroad. The New York Times praised his playing as “impassioned … the audience seduced by Mr. Canellakis’s rich, alluring tone.” Mr. Canellakis is one of the NHSO’s three artists in residence this season, alongside violinist Elena Urioste, and pianist and composer Michael Brown. Mr. Canellakis recently made his Carnegie Hall concerto debut, performing with the American Symphony Orchestra in Isaac Stern Auditorium. Other recent and upcoming highlights include concerto appearances with the Albany and Greenwich symphony orchestras, the Erie Philharmonic, and the Pan-European Philharmonia in Greece. He will also embark on a U.S. recital tour of American cello-piano works, culminating in a performance in New York City presented by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Tickets: Adult tickets are $15 – $74. College student tickets are $10 and KidTix (kids under 18) are free with the purchase of an adult ticket. Blue Star tickets for active military personnel and their immediate family are free. For tickets and information call 203.865.0831 or visit www.NewHavenSymphony.org.

Pre- and Post-Concert Activities:

Prelude: Join the NHSO for a free pre-concert discussion with Music Director Candidate Rebecca Miller from 6:30-7:00pm the night of the concert at Sudler Hall in Harkness Hall at Yale University.

Post-concert reception: Audience members are invited to join Maestra Miller in the lobby for a reception after the concert and welcome her to New Haven. All audience members will be invited to share their feedback about the performance in a post-concert online survey.

Miller Conducts Tchaikovsky is co-sponsored by Better ITS.The Classics Series media sponsor is the New Haven Register. KidTix and Blue Star Tix are sponsored by Frontier Communications.