Chicago Arts Orchestra Presents George Lepauw May 19 Performing "The Emperor" Unique Concert Features Two Concertos and Rare “Consecration of the House Overture” May 19, 2012

Chicago Arts Orchestra Presents George Lepauw May 19 Performing "The Emperor"
Unique Concert Features Two Concertos and Rare “Consecration of the House Overture”

CHICAGO, IL – Chicago Arts Orchestra (CAO) proudly presents an evening of Ludwig van Beethoven's work titled “The Emperor” featuring guest artist George Lepauw on Saturday, May 19 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport. This concert features Beethoven's works “Creatures of Prometheus Overture”, “Piano Concerto No. 4”, “Consecration of the House Overture” and “Piano Concerto No. 5”, popularly known as the “Emperor Concerto”. CAO Artistic Director Javier Mendoza will conduct. “The Emperor” begins at 8 p.m. and includes a pre-concert “Prelude” discussion beginning at 7:30 p.m. CAO welcomes Lepauw as a guest soloist. Lepauw is president and founder of the International Beethoven Project, NFP and artistic director of International Beethoven Project Beethoven Festival in Chicago. He is also a founder of the Beethoven Project Trio (BPT). His work has been characterized by its “singing tone” (“New York Times”) and its “swashbuckling” and “full-blooded” nature (“Chicago Tribune”). Recently, Lepauw performed concertos of Mozart, Beethoven, Ravel and Gershwin, and has collaborated regularly with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago in chamber music ranging from classical to modern works. Along with being part of the BPT, George is also a member of the Beethoven Project Players, a larger collective of passionate chamber musicians, and has been a guest performer with Anaphora and the Avalon Quartet. Lepauw has also premiered solo works by such noted composers as Kirsten Broberg and Pulitzer-Prize winning Shulamit Ran.

Originally from Paris, France, Lepauw began his musical studies with Madame Aïda Barenboim as her youngest-ever student, with the exception of her son, pianist and conductor, Daniel Barenboim.
Lepauw comes from a musical family; his father was First Violin with the Orchestre de Paris, his grandfather was Principal Viola of the Orchestre de l’Opéra de Paris and later of the Orchestre de Paris, and his sister Consuelo is a violinist based in Boston.

Lepauw obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. with a double major in English Literature and History and received his Masters of Music in Piano Performance from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL., where he studied piano with Ursula Oppens and James Giles. In 2007, Lepauw founded “The Journal of a Musician”, a magazine on culture and music; in 2008 he founded the Beethoven Project Trio with violinist Sang Mee Lee and cellist Wendy Warner; in 2009 he founded the International Beethoven Project, and performed the World Premiere of a rediscovered piano trio by Beethoven (with the BPT). In 2010, Lepauw gave his New York City debut with the BPT at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, and concurrently released his first commercial recording of three rare Beethoven trios with the BPT on Cedille Records, which opened at number 24 on the Classical
Billboard Charts. In 2011 he was Artistic Director of Beethoven Festival 2011: Man and Muse, which “Time Out Chicago” called the “smash of the season,” and the “Chicago Tribune” the “best new undertaking in classical music” in 2011.

Currently, Lepauw is planning Beethoven Festival 2012: Politics and Revolutions, slated to run in Chicago September, 2012. Chicago Arts Orchestra seeks to touch an underserved and neglected audience through the championing
of all types of serious music. CAO performs great music by all types of composers—from the old canon and the new canon, from a range of historical periods spanning the creation of the orchestral genre through the present day, and most importantly, by composers who have been marginalized by birth, ethnicity, religion or circumstance. The musicians and creative artists at the heart of CAO use innovative presentation and programming to bring this music to both traditional and new audiences, work to re-energize its appeal to young people, and hope to create a new canon that rediscovers important, neglected works. The orchestra is made up of professional musicians who maintain active performing schedules. The CAO provides educational opportunities for the community through the performance of historic and new orchestral music.

Chicago Arts Orchestra's 2011-12 season concludes with “The Emperor” featuring guest artist George Lepauw on Saturday, May 19, 2012 at 8 p.m. at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport. Tickets range from $25 to $17 and $15 for students and seniors. This will also include a pre-concert “Prelude” discussion beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are purchased through the Athenaeum Theatre via its website, www.athenaeumtheatre.com, by phone 773-935-6860 or in person at the Athenaeum box office.

Official Website: http://www.chicagoartsorchestra.org