Gonzaga Symphony Orchestra Performs with Cello Virtuoso Brannon Cho on Nov. 25
SPOKANE, Wash. — The Gonzaga Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kevin Hekmatpanah, will present its winter program at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 25 in the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center on Gonzaga’s campus. General admission is $16 and $13 for non-GU students and seniors; free for GU faculty, students and staff with ID.
The event will begin with three spectacular orchestral showpieces; Johann Strauss’ Overture to “Die Fledermaus,” Smetana’s Three Dances from his “Bartered Bride” and Shostakovich’s Festive Overture. It will conclude with Prokofiev’s virtuosic Cello Concerto — known as the “Symphonie Concertante” — and will feature cello virtuoso Brannon Cho.
The Helsinki Sanomat (newspaper in Finland) stated, “US Brannon Cho played so well that the first prize seemed to be self-evident in advance… US Brannon Cho played the solo part of Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante in such a magical, religious, and beautiful manner that it seemed obvious that he was the number one in the Paulo Cello Competition ….”
Tickets are available by calling (509) 313-2787 or visiting the ticket office at the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center. For more information about this or other Gonzaga music department concerts, please call (509) 313-6733 or visit the orchestra’s website.
More about Brannon Cho
Described by Arto Noras as “a finished artist, ready to play in any hall in the world,” Cho has emerged as an outstanding musician of his generation. He is the First Prize winner of the prestigious 6th International Paulo Cello Competition in Finland, and is also a prize winner of the Queen Elizabeth, Naumburg, and Cassadó International Cello Competitions.
Cho has appeared as a soloist with many of the top orchestras around the world, including the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, and Orchestre Philharmonique Royale Liège, under world-renowned conductors such as Susanna Mälkki, Stéphane Denève, and Christian Arming.
As a lover of chamber music, Cho has shared the stage with artists such as Christian Tetzlaff, Gidon Kremer, and Joshua Bell. His recent festival appearances include Marlboro, Kronberg, Music@Menlo, Verbier, and Gstaad. In addition, he is a winner of the 2015 Center for Musical Excellence Performing Arts Grant, a scholarship recipient at the Internationale Musikakademie in Liechtenstein, and a touring member of Anne-Sophie Mutter’s Virtuosi.
His recent and upcoming solo performance highlights include debuts with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Vancouver Chamber Music Society, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Kumho Art Hall in Seoul, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, the International Cello Institute, and the Matinée Musicale in Cincinnati.
Born in New Jersey, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music under Hans Jørgen Jensen. He was awarded the prestigious Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Laurence Lesser. Now, he is in the Professional Studies program at the Kronberg Academy, under the tutelage of Frans Helmerson. Brannon performs on a rare cello made by Antonio Casini in 1668 in Modena, Italy.