Bangor symphony concert provides array of surprises for all

BANGOR – The Bangor Symphony Orchestra will present “Saint-Saens, Strauss and Surprises,” under the direction of guest conductor Christopher Blair, for the third classical concert of its 110th season at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Maine Center for the Arts.

The concert opens with Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 94 (Surprise), followed by Camille Saint-Saens’ Concerto, Piano No. 4 with guest soloist Michelle Kim. It will continue with Richard Strauss’ Tod und Verklrung (Death and Transfiguration) and close with Louis Moreau Gottschalk’s “Grande Tarantelle.”

Pianist Michelle Kim has captivated audiences throughout the United States and abroad with her blend of pianistic power, poetry and striking stage presence.

Described as an artist of intense passion and profound sincerity, Kim has performed solo recitals and with orchestras in Korea, China, Italy, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Latin America and throughout the U.S.

She performed at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Newark Symphony Hall, the Brevard Music Center Festival, Bargemusic, the John Harms Center, the Teatro Massimo di Catania in Sicily and the Sejong Cultural Center.

Kim made her New York debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Her other performance highlights include a benefit concert for the former prime minister of South Korea and a televised concert with the Orchestra del Teatro Massimo di Catania in Italy. Her performances have been televised in South Korea, Italy and the United States, and broadcast on radio stations across the country, including National Public Radio.

Born in Seoul, Korea, Kim began musical studies at age 4. At age 10, she made her orchestral debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, which led to a return engagement with the orchestra in a nationally televised concert. Kim studied at the Colburn School of Performing Arts and continued her musical training at the Juilliard School. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music and was the recipient of the Arthur Rubinstein Award.

Christopher Blair has spent his life in refinement of musical sound, from his first public performances conducting his high school band and orchestra to sold-out concerts at Boston Symphony Hall, and ultimately to his international prominence as an acoustical consultant.

In 2000 Blair received an invitation to guest conduct the Vidin State Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria, which led to a two-year association as that ensemble’s music adviser. Guest conducting engagements with community orchestras in Connecticut followed, along with occasional duties as cover conductor for the New Haven and Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestras.

During the past year Blair has appeared with the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra in Brazil and the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra in New York. In the course of his acoustical consulting work, Blair has conducted the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Indianapolis Symphony and the San Diego Symphony. He will return to San Diego in February to give the inaugural concert of the orchestra’s new Thursday Night Lite series.

Advance tickets for “Saint-Saens, Strauss and Surprises” range from $13 to $38, with senior and youth discounts available. Tickets may be reserved at www.bangorsymphony.com or by calling the BSO box office at 942-5555 or (800) 639-3221.