USC Thornton Symphony Conducted by Helmuth Rilling November 13, 2009

ACCLAIMED CONDUCTOR HELMUTH RILLING TO LEAD
USC THORNTON SYMPHONY AND CHORAL ARTISTS IN
BACH’S MONUMENTAL B MINOR MASS

Concert Is Culmination of Week-Long Residency by Rilling, Who also Leads Two Conducting Masterclasses and Conducts USC Choral Artists for First Time in 8 Years

Friday, November 13, 2009, 7:30 P.M., at USC’s Bovard Auditorium

Internationally acclaimed conductor and Bach specialist Helmuth Rilling will direct the USC Thornton Choral Artists and the USC Thornton Symphony in one of the unparalleled musical contributions of all time, Bach's B Minor Mass, on Friday, November 13, 2009, 7:30 P.M., at USC’s Bovard Auditorium. The concert, which is part of USC Thornton’s ongoing 125th Anniversary celebration, is the culmination of a weeklong residency at USC by Rilling, who also leads two conducting masterclasses. This marks the first time Rilling has conducted the USC Choral Artists in eight years.

A pre-concert lecture at 6:30 P.M. features Thornton’s renowned sacred-music scholar Dr. Nick Strimple, who will discuss the historical importance and relevance of this colossal work, which explores the meanings of faith, religion and spirituality through Bach's emotional, mathematical, musical and structural treatment of the Latin text.

Helmuth Rilling's self-described credo is that “Music should startle people and reach deep down inside them, forcing them to reflect. It should never be merely 'comfortable,' never fossilized, never soothing.” Born in 1933 in Stuttgart, Germany, Mr. Rilling is a conductor, educator and ambassador for the music of Johann Sebastian Bach worldwide. He founded the Gächinger Kantorei and later the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, serving as the choir's regular orchestral partner. In 1981, Mr. Rilling founded the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart, which was dedicated to furthering the music of J.S. Bach through public concerts, master classes, symposia and residencies throughout the world. Mr. Rilling is dedicated to encouraging young musicians, and in 2001, he founded the Festivalensemble Stuttgart, consisting of a choir and orchestra that drew talented young musicians from 25 different countries. The residency and concert with the USC Thornton Choral Artists and USC Thornton Symphony furthers this mission.

General admission is $18. Tickets for seniors, USC alumni and non-USC students are $12. (USC students, staff and faculty with valid ID are free.) USC’s Bovard Auditorium is located at 3551 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90089 (on the USC campus in downtown LA). Ample parking is available. For tickets and information, please call 213-740-4672 or visit uscticketoffice.com.
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The UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FLORA L. THORNTON SCHOOL OF MUSIC, currently celebrating its 125th Anniversary and regarded as one of the premier music schools in the world, offers a unique combination of innovative programs such as popular music performance, recording science, and scoring for motion pictures and television, which stand alongside more traditional programs in classical music, opera, jazz studies, composition and research. Blending the rigors of a traditional conservatory-style education with the benefits of studying at a leading research university, USC Thornton offers students an unparalleled music education in a real-world context. Its illustrious alumni and faculty have been awarded countless Grammy and Academy Awards and serve as leaders in all facets of the music industry. The school’s venerated faculty has, over the years included violinist Jascha Heifetz, cellist Gregor Piatigorsky and violist William Primrose, among many others. Celebrated alumni include pop great Herb Albert; film score composers James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith and James Newton Howard; TV/film score composer Bear McCreary; composer and Presidential Medal of the Arts recipient Morten Lauridsen; acclaimed conductors Michael Tilson Thomas and Grant Gershon; opera stars Marilyn Horne, Rod Gilfry, Jessica Rivera and Erica Miller; and esteemed classical guitarist Christopher Parkening. In 1999, philanthropist Flora L. Thornton became the school's benefactor with a naming gift of $25 million, at the time the largest such contribution to an American school of music. USC Thornton is the oldest continuously operating cultural institution in Los Angeles. USC Thornton currently enrolls 1,072 students from 40 countries and has a student-faculty ratio of six to one.
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EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE:
CALENDAR LISTING

WHAT:
Helmuth Rilling conducts Bach B Minor Mass

WHO:
Helmuth Rilling, Guest Conductor
USC Choral Artists
USC Thornton Symphony

WHEN:
Friday, November 13, 2009, 7:30 P.M.
(6:30 P.M. – pre-concert talk featuring USC Thornton’s sacred music specialist Dr. Nick Strimple)

PROGRAM:
BACH B Minor Mass

WHERE:
Bovard Auditorium
3551 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, CA 90089
(located on the USC campus in downtown LA; ample parking is available)

TICKET PRICE:
$18 – General admission
$12 – Seniors, non-USC students and USC alumni
(USC students, staff and faculty with valid ID are free)

INFO:
(213) 740-4672
www.uscticketoffice.com

Official Website: http://www.uscticketoffice.com