FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Jennifer Dahlgren, Dahlgren Communications
E-mail: dahlgrenpr@comcast.net
Phone: (530) 265-0538
Terry Brown, Music in the Mountains
E-mail: terry@musicinthemountains.org
Phone: (530) 273-1208
Music in the Mountains Brings Cirque to Grass Valley
Nevada City, CA (June 10, 2011) – Music in the Mountains (MIM), the largest and longest continuously running classical music organization in the Sierra Foothills, will present an outdoor concert featuring Cirque de la Symphonie on Saturday, June 25 at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. This world-renowned troop of aerialists, acrobats, contortionists and jugglers will perform to the music of Dvorak, Bizet, Tchaikovsky and others, played by the MIM Festival Orchestra.
Cirque de la Symphonie brings the magic of cirque to the orchestra performance. It is an adaptation of artistic performances widely seen in theaters and arenas. The visiting artists are veterans of leading cirque programs throughout the world and they include world-record holders and international gold-medal winners. Their performances are uniquely adapted to share the stage with symphonies, and each artist’s performance is professionally choreographed to classical masterpieces in collaboration with the maestro, MIM’s artistic director, Gregory Vajda.
The visiting Cirque de la Symphonie artists have extensive credentials. Christine Van Loo is a seven-time consecutive National Champion, Female Olympic Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Decade in acrobatic gymnastics. She has performed in the 2002 Winter Olympics as well as at Grammy and American Music Awards shows and has been inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. The other performers, all originally from Russia, have similarly impressive backgrounds with experience in organizations including the Moscow Circus, Circus Circus and Festival Mondial Du Cirque De L’Avenir in Paris.
“We will also have an up-and-coming young prodigy in the performance,” commented Terry Brown, MIM vice president and event producer. “Kai Newstead comes to us from the Mendocino Center for Circus Acts. He began performing at age five and already has an impressive resume – in spite of the fact that he’s still a teenager.”
Gregory Vajda, artistic director for MIM commented, “I love to mix art forms like this, to create an extraordinarily rich experience. When I performed with Cirque de la Symphonie and the Seattle Symphony last season we sold out five houses.”
“The audience will love it when they see these performers flying around my head,” he continues. “And Cirque even involves me in a special magic act. There has never been anything like this in our area and I think the audience will be astounded,” says Vajda.
The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. and gates open at 6:00 for picnickers. Tickets for Music in the Mountains’ concerts and events may be purchased online at www.musicinthemountains.org or by calling the box office at (530) 265-6124.
Music in the Mountains, founded in 1982, is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Nevada County by presenting outstanding performances of predominantly classical music and by offering educational opportunities for youth and adults in music appreciation, performance and composition. Fueled by hundreds of volunteers and donors, the organization includes the Festival Orchestra, with 55 professional players from around the country, and the 85-voice Festival Chorale a highly acclaimed, auditioned vocal group.
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Alexander Streitsov and Christine Van Loo Aerialists with Cirque de la Symphonie
