Following their highly successful NASO collaboration in February 2018, the orchestra is very pleased to open its 2018-19 season with a concert featuring return appearances by Guest Conductor Kyle Ritenauer and piano soloist Grace Han.
The program features two giants of the Russian classical repertoire: two major works in minor keys. Rachmaninoff’s dramatic Piano Concerto No. 3 in d minor- a work widely acknowledged (and it must be said, sometimes feared) as one of the most challenging in all of classical piano literature. It requires great stamina and technical skill and we expect Grace to dazzle, bringing to bear her many skills honed at the Manhattan School of Music. Kyle has chosen Tchaikovksy’s somber Pathétique (Symphony No. 6 in B minor) whose dark and melancholy emotions seem to almost fore-shadow the death of the composer, little more than a week after conducting the work’s premiere.
Please join us in welcoming back these two talented performing artists – Encore!
Kyle Ritenauer, Guest Conductor
Kyle Ritenauer enjoys a many-faceted musical career as a conductor, percussionist, and teaching artist in New York City. As a conductor, Ritenauer has had the opportunity to study closely with legends in the field including Maestros Kurt Masur and Leonard Slatkin. Most recently, Ritenauer was invited to participate as a fellow in Maestro Slatkin’s Manhattan School of Music/Detroit Symphony Orchestra Conductors’ Project, where Ritenauer rehearsed and performed with both ensembles and apprenticed Maestro Slatkin during the two-week program. Ritenauer has also worked with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra as a cover conductor. In December of 2016, he made his Carnegie Hall - Stern Auditorium debut, leading students of the Manhattan School of Music Orchestra in performing the orchestral music of composer Rongxin Peng. Kyle is currently studying Orchestral Conducting as the Bruno Walter Conducting Fellow at The Juilliard School with Maestro David Robertson.
A passionate advocate for contemporary music, Ritenauer regularly collaborates with composers, resulting in the premiere of over 60 works over the past six years. His work in the new music community led Ritenauer to create the Uptown Philharmonic, an ensemble dedicated to promoting the music and musicians of today. In June 2016, Mr. Ritenauer led the Uptown Philharmonic, in collaboration with RIOULT Dance NY, in premiering Richard Danielpour’s ballet, Cassandra’s Curse, at The Joyce Theater.
As a percussionist, Ritenauer currently serves as the Principal Percussionist of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic in Poughkeepsie, NY. He has also performed with several other orchestras including extensive work with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra. In addition to orchestral percussion, Ritenauer has performed on and off Broadway in shows such as Pippin, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, and Passion.
A passionate educator, Ritenauer is a co-founder and former Artistic Director of the Bridge Arts Ensemble (BAE), an organization based around teaching artists in upstate New York that reaches over 40,000 students annually. During his tenure, Ritenauer assembled a world-class roster of NYC’s top musicians in the classical, jazz, and musical theater communities. He also assisted in establishing relationships with over 50 school districts and curated BAE’s performances and workshops while in residence at each school.
Ritenauer holds two degrees from the Manhattan School of Music (BM - Classical Percussion ‘11, MM - Contemporary Conducting ‘15). Due to Ritenauer’s extensive work with young composers, the former President of the Manhattan School of Music created the Contemporary Conducting Program, where Ritenauer studied with Maestro Jeffrey Milarsky. Ritenauer owes his foundation as a conductor to the Pierre Monteux School, where he studied with Maestro Michael Jinbo. Ritenauer has also studied with Maestro Tito Munoz and Roger Nierenberg.
Grace Han, Piano
At the age of 12, California born pianist Grace Han, made her orchestral debut at Colburn’s
Zipper Hall performing the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor with the
Torrance Symphony Orchestra. Among her awards are prizes with the Korea Times Piano
Competition, Southern California Bach Competition, Music Teacher’s Association of
California Piano Solo and Concerto Competition, and recently, the Rondo Young Artist
Piano Competition in New York City.
She has held solo performances in various venues in Los Angeles and New York including
the Steinway Piano Gallery, Yamaha Peninsula Music Center, Kaufman Music Center,
DiMenna Center for Classical Music, and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
She is equally active as a chamber musician and has coached and performed with Daniel
Avshalomov, Alan Kay, and David Krakauer, as well as participated in chamber music
programs such as the YMF Chamber Music Series.
She is also a teaching artist with the Bridge Arts Ensemble and maintains a private studio in
New York City and New Jersey as well.
Ms. Han holds a Bachelors and Master of Music Degree in the Classical Piano Performance
Program from the Manhattan School of Music. She has studied previously with Dr. Louise
Lepley, Dr. Solomon Mikowsky, and Alexandre Moutouzkine.
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