International Artist Series
schubert.org/ias
The Schubert Club’s International Artist Series features some of the most exciting classical musicians on the planet. Whether some of the names and faces are new to you or not, trust the Schubert Club to curate a truly unique selection of critically acclaimed and highly regarded artists from around the world. Recitals take place in both Ordway Center venues: one in the Music Theater and four in the new Concert Hall. Both daytime and evening subscription packages are available. Experience some of the most extraordinary international instrumentalists and vocalists of our generation, right here in St. Paul.
November 2018
Christopher Maltman, baritone & Audrey Saint-Gil, piano
A globally-renowned Don Giovanni, Christopher Maltman has sung the role in London, Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Salzburg, Amsterdam, Toulouse, San Sebastian, Beijing and Chicago, and adds New York and Edinburgh this year. He is singing the lead in Nico Mulhy's new opera "Marnie" opposite Isabel Leonard at the Met this coming fall. He won the Lieder prize at the Cardiff Singer of the World early in his career and has continued to delight audiences with his sensitive and engaging song performances, many of which are documented in acclaimed recordings. His Schubert Club song recital, "Carnival of the Animals," will feature works by Poulenc, Schumann, Ravel, Reger, Chabrier, Wolf, and Flanders and Swann.
The originally scheduled artist for this concert, Samual Hasselhorn, has had to cancel due to unforeseen professional and personal circumstances.
January 2019
Nicola Benedetti, violin & Alexei Grynyuk, piano
The Schubert Club is honored to announce Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti as its first "Featured Artist", giving us an opportunity to develop a deeper relationship with an artist or ensemble over the course of a season. Nicola’s residency includes a recital on the International Artist Series. She is one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation and performs on the Gariel Stradivarius (1717). Her ability to captivate audiences with her innate musicianship and dynamic presence, coupled with her wide appeal as a high-profile advocate for classical music, has made her one of the most influential classical artists of today. Born in Scotland of Italian heritage, Nicola began violin lessons at the age of five. She has since gone on to collect many awards and titles including “Best Female Artist” at both the 2012 and 2013 Classical BRIT Awards and the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2017, the youngest ever recipient. In addition to her busy orchestra and recital schedule, Benedetti is fiercely committed to music education and has her own education initiative called “The Benedetti Sessions” that give young string players the opportunity to rehearse, undertake and observe masterclasses culminating in a performance alongside Nicola. For her International Artist Series debut in the Ordway Concert Hall, she will give the U.S. premiere of a new work for solo violin written for her by Wynton Marsalis and will be joined for the rest of the program by her regular duo partner, pianist Alexei Grynyuk.
Find out more »February 2019
Joyce DiDonato, mezzo soprano & Craig Terry, piano with jazz trio
“Perhaps the most potent female singer of her generation” (the New Yorker), multi GRAMMY Award winner Joyce DiDonato returns to the Schubert Club’s International Artist Series to perform a special program in the Ordway Music Theater. With a voice that is “nothing less than 24-carat gold” as proclaimed by The Times, she is among the world’s most entrancing performers. Joyce DiDonato greets you with a song in her heart and twinkle in her eye. The American mezzo-soprano’s program Songplay unites extraordinary musicians from the varied worlds of opera, jazz and tango in the pure pleasure of improvisation, experimentation and exchange. Together they create their own musical language, surprising listeners with timeless melodies transformed and universal stories retold over centuries; songs in English, in Italian and – naturally – in the universal language of music.
Find out more »April 2019
Gautier Capuçon, cello & Yuja Wang, piano
The musical duo partnership of Gautier Capuçon and Yuja Wang is one to anticipate with real excitement. Gautier Capuçon is a true 21st century ambassador for the cello. Born in Chambéry, France in 1981, he performs each season with many of the world’s foremost conductors and instrumentalists, and is also founder and leader of the Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris – based in the stunning new Auditorium designed by Frank Gehry. Gautier is acclaimed internationally for his deeply expressive musicianship and exuberant virtuosity, as well as for the glorious sonority of his 1701 Matteo Goffriller cello. Joining him for this pair of recitals is the charismatic pianist Yuja Wang, the 2017 Musical America Artist of the Year. After she made her Schubert Club International Artist Series debut in 2011, the Star Tribune stated "Wang... is no mere 'virtuoso' -- a word cheapened by overuse. Hers is demonic, more-than-human pianism, of the sort that gets you thinking about Faustian bargains." Yuja’s way of making music connects with a strikingly broad demographic. It appeals to everyone, from classical music newcomers to devoted pianophiles, and has attracted an exceptionally youthful following. Her love for fashion, recognized by her induction into Giorgio Armani’s Sì Women’s Circle, has also contributed to the popular appeal of an artist who is armed with the ability to challenge the status quo and to welcome fresh converts to the concert hall. For their Ordway Concert Hall performances, this exceptional duo will present two different programs on April 3 and April 4, and we encourage you to attend both!
Find out more »