Santa Rosa Symphony presents its first commercial label recording

The Santa Rosa Symphony orchestra in conjunction with Delos Productions located in Sonoma, CA, brings you Cello Concerto & Other Works, composed by Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. Featuring world-renowned cellist Zuill Bailey, performing on Cello Concerto, pianist Elizabeth Dorman on Peanuts® Gallery and violinist Joseph Edelberg on Romance for Violin. It concludes with Prologue and Variations, with the Santa Rosa Symphony conducted by Francesco Lecce-Chong. Recorded at Weill Hall, Green Music Center, in Rohnert Park, CA, in the 2020-2021 virtual season. This album contains four compositions containing 12 original tracks with a running time of 53:28 minutes and will be released on September 16, 2022.

"This recording is a tribute to the incredible commitment and perseverance of the Santa Rosa Symphony to bringing music to our community during the darkest days of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a herculean effort by our musicians, staff, board, and donors to keep our orchestra not just surviving, but thriving and growing. This is also a celebration of one of the most important composers of our time, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, whose creativity, imagination, joy, and brilliance are showcased in every work - most notably in the premiere recording of her Cello Concerto featuring Grammy-winner Zuill Bailey." said SRS President & CEO Alan Silow.

Few composers have emerged with the unique personality of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. Her music is widely known because it is performed, recorded, broadcast, and – above all – listened to and liked by all kinds of audiences the world over. Zwilich combines craft and inspiration, reflecting an optimistic and humanistic spirit.

Zwilich is the recipient of numerous prizes and honors, including the 1983 Pulitzer Prize in Music (the first woman ever to receive this coveted award). She holds a doctorate from The Juilliard School and has received numerous honorary doctorates.

A prolific composer, Zwilich’s works have been performed by leading American orchestras and by major ensembles abroad. Zwilich’s orchestral essay Symbolon was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, and her chamber works by the Boston Musica Viva, the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and others. SRS was honored to have her as the Artistic Partner during the virtual 2020-2021 season.

Zwilich says “Performing for a live audience is at the heart of our musical world. The pandemic delivered a devastating blow by eliminating those audiences when so many major organizations simply shut down. Lecce-Chong and the Santa Rosa Symphony, rose to the occasion, presenting live concerts recorded for a virtual audience. Francesco decided to feature music by a living composer at this unsettled time. I had the honor and pleasure of being that composer and this recording is devoted to works performed by the Santa Rosa Symphony during the pandemic.”

HOW TO PURCHASE:

By phone: Santa Rosa Symphony (707) 546-8742
Online: srsymphony.org
Live performances (while supplies last)
Classical music outlets throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, UK, Japan and China
Amazon, Spotify and other such music distributors