Artist Updates from Primo Artists

Cristian M?celaru, conductor: Music Director?Cristian M?celaru led the Orchestre National de France in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games 2024 last Friday, which was broadcast to 1.5 billion viewers worldwide. On August 2, he begins his 8th season as the Music Director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, leading 4 World Premieres, 9 West Coast premieres, and works by 15 Composers-in-Residence over two weeks. He appears at the Aspen Music Festival in the festival's closing weekend for a concert of Sarah Kirkland Snider, Christopher Theofanidis, and Beethoven on August 16.

Gemma New, conductor:?Gemma New?returns to The BBC Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall on August 16 for her second summer in a row at the Proms leading the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in a program of Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream, featuring?Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with Anthony McGill and Mel Bonis’s Salomé.

James Gaffigan, conductor:?James Gaffigan?makes his?debut leading the Boston Symphony Orchestra in his final major U.S. orchestra debut at Tanglewood on August 11, performing a program of Mahler Symphony No. 4 with soprano Elena Villalón. He brings the Komische Oper Berlin, where he serves as General Music Director, to the?Edinburgh International Festival in Serebrennikov's production of The Marriage of Figaro from August 16 to 18.

Christian Reif, conductor:?Christian Reif is currently leading his third season as Music Director of the Lakes Area Music Festival?from August 2 to 18. He makes?his Hollywood Bowl debut with the LA Philharmonic on August 20 in an all-Dvo?ák program with violinist Midori.

Joshua Bell, violin:?Joshua Bell, cellist Steven Isserlis, and pianist Kirill Gerstein perform an all-Beethoven program with Alan Gilbert and the Boston Symphony Orchestra on August 4 at Tanglewood. Bell?brings his suite by 5 American composers entitled The Elements to the Hollywood Bowl on August 15 with the LA Philharmonic, led by Rodolfo Barráez.

Wynton Marsalis, composer: London’s BBC Proms presents the UK premiere of Wynton Marsalis’ Herald, Holler and Hallelujah! on August 4 with conductor John Wilson. Marsalis’s new Trumpet Concerto will see its West Coast premiere by soloist Michael Sachs at the Cabrillo Festival on August 10, led by Music Director Cristian Macelaru, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra at the Edinburgh International Festival on August 18, led by Elim Cham and soloist Alison Balsom.

Enescu Festival: The 2024 edition of PR client Enescu Festival’s biennial George Enescu International Competition will take place from August 31 to September 27, 2024 in Bucharest, Romania. Registrations for the Cello, Violin, and Piano Divisions saw 555 applications hailing from 57 countries.

Karen Slack, soprano: PR client Karen Slack embarks on the world premiere U.S. tour of African Queens at Ravinia Festival (August 1) and Aspen Music Festival (August 7), before performing a special solo performance at Lyric Chicago Opera’s annual Sunday in the Park with Lyric concert on August 25. She was praised as a “powerhouse commissioner” in a glowing feature by the Chicago Tribune.

Samantha Hankey, mezzo-soprano: PR client Samantha Hankey makes her Ravinia Festival debut in the role of Idamante in Mozart's Idomeneo with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, marking both role and CSO debuts, conducted by James Conlon on August 9 and 11.

Lembit Beecher, composer / Karen Ouzounian, cellist: Music Director Cristian M?celaru leads the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Orchestra in the West Coast premiere of PR client Lembit Beecher’s cello concerto Tell Me Again on August 3, featuring Karen Ouzounian as featured soloist.

Steven Mackey, composer: On August 23, PR client Steven Mackey releases the world premiere recording of his dramatic musical work Memoir (2021) as a new album - featuring the dynamic percussionists of arx duo and the award-winning Dover Quartet, with direction from Mark DeChiazza and narrated by Natalie Christa Rakes on Bridge Records.?

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts: PR client Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center continues its 2024 season, part of Lincoln Center's Summer for the City, through August 10, so far receiving glowing praise by Financial Times?("there was a feeling of not just listening but being part of the performance, active listening and music-making together.") and?Musical America, which hailed Jonathon Heyward for “his desire for universality” as “he is off to a winning start” in his inaugural season as the Music Director

Rachel Lee Priday, violinist: On August 23, PR client Rachel Lee Priday releases a new album with pianist David Kaplan, Fluid Dynamics, featuring world premiere recordings of works by Gabriella Smith, Paul Wiancko, Cristina Spinei, Timo Andres, Leilehua Lanzilotti and Christopher Cerrone on Orchid Classics.?

Jerod Tate, composer: PR client Jerod Tate’s new string quartet Woodland Songs and his orchestration of Pura Fé’s Rattle Songs will be performed on tour throughout the U.S. by The Dover Quartet this season, starting with the world premieres at Kingston Chamber Music Festival on August 2.

The Knights: On August 14, Tanglewood presents PR client The Knights at Seiji Ozawa Hall in Lenox, MA, conducted by Artistic Director Eric Jacobsen. The program is part of the Tanglewood Recital Series and features Emanuel Ax alongside the orchestra in four Mozart concerti over two nights. They return to the Ordnance on Fishers Island, NY for a program presented by Lighthouse Works on August 17 before performing an outdoor concert at the Clark Art Institute (Williamstown, MA) on August 31.?

Anna Clyne/The Knights: On August 23, Sony Masterworks releases a new album by PR clients The Knights and composer Anna Clyne, SHORTHAND,?featuring performances by mandolinist Avi Avital, violinists Colin Jacobsen and Pekka Kuusisto, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

JACK Quartet, ensemble: PR client JACK Quartet performs the U.S. premiere of Seo’s Three Imaginary Chansons at Living Music Underground, curated by Nadia Sirota, on August 9 as part of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City. On August 21, they appear at New York’s DiMenna Center for Classical Music as part of the TIME:SPANS festival.

Third Coast Percussion, ensemble: PR client Third Coast Percussion performs with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra on August 13, conducted by Rossen Milanov, before making their?Ravinia Festival debut on August 16 with their project Archetypes. On August 31, Germany’s?überschlag Festival presents TCP in the European premiere of Burritt’s Since Time Began alongside new commissions by electronic musician Jlin, Armenian jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan, and a mallet quartet by the composer Machado Mijiga.