Valentine’s Weekend: Romantic French Masterworks

Recognized internationally as one of the stars of the new generation, Fabien Gabel is a regular guest of major orchestras in Europe, North America and Asia. He has been music director of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra since September 2013, and was recently appointed music director of the Orchestre Français des Jeunes (French Youth Orchestra).

Following a highly-anticipated debut with the Cleveland Orchestra, Fabien embarks on an exciting 2017-18 season that will take him across the United States and Europe, including high-profile performances with the National Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt’s Hessischer Rundfunk Orchester and the Orchestre de Paris. Additional American appearances include performances with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, and the San Diego Symphony. After an acclaimed debut with the Deutsches Sinfonie Orchestra last season, Gabel’s European engagements will again feature concerts throughout Germany (Staatskapelle Weimar in addition to Frankfurt), and welcome returns to the Orchestre de Paris, Helsinki Philharmonic, Antwerp Philharmonic and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Gabel has conducted leading orchestras around the world, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester in Hamburg, the DSO Berlin, Staatskappelle Dresden, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Orchestra dell’Accademia Santa Cecilia di Roma, and the Seoul Philharmonic, among others.

His rapidly-expanding U.S. presence has seen him leading the Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony Orchestra and more.

Fabien Gabel has worked with soloists like Emmanuel Ax, Gidon Cremer, Christian Tetzlaff, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Julian Steckel, Johannes Moser, Antonio Meneses, Marc-André Hamelin, Beatrice Rana, Gautier Capuçon, and Simone Lamsma, or singers like Jennifer Larmore, Measha Bruggergosman, Danielle de Niese, Natalie Dessay, and Marie- Nicole Lemieux.

Fabien had first attracted international attention in 2004 winning the Donatella Flick competition in London, which subsequently led to his appointment as the LSO’s assistant conductor for the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons. Since then, the LSO has engaged him regularly as a guest conductor.

He made his professional conducting debut in 2003 with the Orchestre National de France and has since returned frequently.  He now regularly conducts this orchestra in subscription concerts at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris and recently recorded a French opera aria CD with them and mezzo Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Naïve).

Born in Paris and a member of a family of accomplished musicians, Fabien Gabel began studying trumpet at the age of six, honing his skills at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, which awarded him a First Prize in trumpet in 1996, and later at the Musik Hochschule of Karlsruhe. He went on to play in various Parisian orchestras under the direction of prominent conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Sir Colin Davis, Riccardo Muti, Seiji Ozawa, Simon Rattle and Bernard Haitink. In 2002 Fabien Gabel pursued his interest in conducting at the Aspen Summer Music Festival, where he studied with David Zinman, who invited him to appear as a guest conductor at the Festival in 2009. He has worked with Bernard Haitink and Sir Colin Davis as their assistant.

Romanian born British pianist and creator of “The Nutcracker and I”, Alexandra Dariescu dazzles audiences and critics worldwide with her effortless musicality and captivating stage presence. Alexandra’s vision and innovative approach to programming make her stand out as a creative entrepreneur who likes to think differently.

Dariescu’s 2018/19 season marks a special focus on works by female composers in important milestones including her debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and James Gaffigan, performing Nadia Boulanger’s Fantaisie variée at Lodon’s Barbican and a return visit to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Jessica Cottis, performing Germaine Tailleferre’s Ballade for piano and orchestra. Alexandra returns to the Hallé Orchestra and Jonathan Heyward (Tchaikovsky 1) and Mecklenburgische Staatskapelle with Daniel Huppert (Rachmaninov 2) while at the Wigmore Hall, Dariescu presents an all-French recital with works by Debussy, Messiaen, Faure, Tailleferre and Lili Boulanger.

After the highly acclaimed premiere of Dariescu’s own production The Nutcracker and I – a ground-breaking multimedia performance for piano solo with dance and digital animation – at Barbican’s Milton Court in December 2017 – Alexandra will take the Nutcracker on a world tour, performing across Europe at Konzerthaus Wien, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Bozar Brussels, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Konserthuset Göteborg, King’s Place London amongst others as well as touring China, Australia and the Emirates. In addition, Alexandra has just released an audio book of the same name on the Signum label, with the story written by Jessica Duchen and narrated by celebrated TV children presenter Lindsey Russell.

This season Alexandra completes her Trilogy of Preludes with Boulanger/Messiaen/Faure which compliments the previously released CDs of Chopin/Dutilleux and Shostakovich/Szymanowski complete preludes (Champs Hill Records). 2016 saw the release of two concerto discs: Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto No. 1 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Darrell Ang (Signum Records) and Emily Howard’s Mesmerism (NMC Records), a concerto written especially for Alexandra, which won the British Composer of the Year at the BASCA awards.

Recently, Alexandra toured with the European Union Youth Orchestra under the baton of Vasily Petrenko after celebrating a range of acclaimed debuts in North America with the Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec (Fabien Gabel), Utah Symphony Orchestra (Kazuki Yamada), Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (Marzena Diakun) and her Chinese debut with the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra (Darrell Ang), as well as two different sold out performances at the Vienna Staatsoper with Angela Gheorghiu and concertos at the Musikverein.

Alexandra has been mentored by Sir András Schiff and Imogen Cooper. After graduating from the Royal Northern College of Music with the Gold Medal, where she studied with Nelson Goerner, Alexander Melnikov, Mark Ray and Dina Parakhina, Alexandra pursued her Masters at the Guildhall school of Music and Drama with Ronan O’Hora. A former artist of the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT), Alexandra was a Laureate at the Verbier Festival Academy and received the UK’s Women of the Future Award in the Arts and Culture category. In 2017 Alexandra was appointed patron of Music in Lyddington, Cultural Ambassador of Romania and Honorary Associate Artist of the Royal Northern College of Music. In spring 2018, Alexandra received the “Officer of the Romanian Crown” from the Royal Family and was selected as a Young European Leader by Friends of Europe.

Two-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke has been called a “luminous standout” by the New York Times. She is sought after by the world’s leading orchestras, opera companies, and chamber music ensembles for her versatile repertoire and commitment to new music.

This season, Sasha returns to the Metropolitan Opera for her role debut as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro as well as important performances on concert stages from Boston to Los Angeles. She gives a solo recital at the Tucson Desert Song Festival, joined by pianist Myra Huang, where she premieres a new work by Jennifer Higdon.

This season marks the release of Sasha’s CD, how do I find you, on the Pentatone label. The recording, which features songs by Caroline Shaw, Nico Muhly, Missy Mazzoli, and Jimmy Lopez, among others, is a tribute to the struggles and hopes of artists who have been wrought by the pandemic. All 17 songs were written in 2020. She performed the world premiere on January 30, 2022, as part of the San Francisco Symphony’s Great Performers Series.

Sasha has performed with opera companies worldwide, has been engaged by more than 70 orchestras with leading conductors, and has performed at prestigious venues and festivals. A devoted interpreter of new music, she often premieres new works. As a dedicated recitalist, she was presented by Young Concert Artists in her widely acclaimed New York and Washington debuts.

Her recordings can be found on many labels, including Bates’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, which won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording; Thomas’ Meditations on Rilke with the San Francisco Symphony, which won the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium; and Sasha Cooke LIVE, a collection of her performances at the Music@Menlo chamber music festival released on its label.

Sasha Cooke is a graduate of Rice University and The Juilliard School. She also attended the Music Academy of the West, Aspen Music Festival, Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute, Wolf Trap Foundation, Marlboro Music Festival, Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, and Seattle Opera and Central City Opera’s Young Artist Training Programs.

Tenor Matthew White recently made critically acclaimed debuts as Roméo in Gounod’s Roméo et Juiliette with Cincinnati Opera and  Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly with the Princeton Festival.

Engagements of the 2019-2020 season include multiple role and house debuts including the Duke in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Edmonton Opera, the tenor soloist in Stravinsky’s Pulcinella with Dallas Opera, Rodolfo in La bohème with Opera Naples, and a return B.F. Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Tulsa Opera. On the concert stage he will debut with the Florida Orchestra as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah.

A recent graduate of Philadelphia’s prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts, Mr. White performed Roméo in Roméo et Juliette, the title role in Massenet’s Werther, Roberto in Puccini’s Le Villi, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Avito in Montemezzi’s L’amore dei tre re, and Faust in Lili Boulanger’s Faust et Helene. He made his debut with Opera Maine as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, and has appeared with Palm Beach Opera and Vero Beach Opera. Concert credits include performances with the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, Ocean City Pops, and the Longfellow Chorus Festival.

A favorite of competitions, Mr. White was selected to compete in the 2019 Operalia Competion in Prague. He was awarded the Grand Prize of the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, 1st place in the Deborah Voigt International Vocal Competition, 2nd place in the Metropolitan Opera Mid-Atlantic region, the Grand Prize in the Mario Lanza Vocal Competition, an Encouragement Award from the George London Foundation, and is the recipient of the Alfonso Cavaliere Award. He has participated in the training programs of Bel Canto at Caramoor, PORTopera, and Seagle Music Colony.

A trained violinist, Mr. White is also an avid surfer and runs his own surfboard business, which currently has clients around the world.

Known as one of the finest singer-actors of his generation, JUNO award-winning Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins has been hailed as having “…a glistening, malleable baritone of exceptional beauty, and…the technique to exploit its full range of expressive possibilities from comic bluster to melting beauty” (Opera Today).

In the 2021-2022 season, Joshua Hopkins returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Orpheus in the New York premiere of Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and directed by Mary Zimmerman. He also joins Lyric Opera of Chicago for his role debut as Belcore in L’elisir d’amore under the baton of Enrique Mazzola, makes his house debut at Seattle Opera as Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, and returns to Santa Fe Opera for his signature role of Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia. On the concert stage, he performs Songs for Murdered Sisters – a collaboration between composer Jake Heggie and author Margaret Atwood, personally conceived by Mr. Hopkins in remembrance of his sister, Nathalie Warmerdam – with both Houston Grand Opera and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. Mr. Hopkins also presents this new song cycle as part of a full recital with pianist Myra Huang, streamed online with Vocal Arts DC.

In the 2020-2021 season, Mr. Hopkins made his house debut at Palm Beach Opera as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte and Silvio in Pagliacci. He was scheduled to return to the Metropolitan Opera in the title role of Billy Budd, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette, as well as to Houston Grand Opera as Albert in Werther. Songs for Murdered Sisters was given its online premiere by Houston Grand Opera in a film presentation directed by James Niebuhr on the Marquee TV platform, prior to Pentatone releasing a commercial recording of the work. Additionally, Mr. Hopkins joined the Bard Music Festival for music of Nadia Boulanger and Ethel Smyth as well as Fauré’s Requiem, and made his festival and role debut at the Edinburgh International Festival as Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos under the baton of Lothar Koenigs.