Press Release – Mozart, Beethoven, & Shaw 1.25.25
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: CALEB BAILEY860-443-2876
[email protected]
ECSO kicks off the New Year with Three Centuries: Mozart, Beethoven, & Shaw Saturday, January 25, 7:30pm at the Garde Arts Center, New London
Three Centuries: Mozart, Beethoven, & Shaw
January 25, 7:30pm, Garde Arts Center, New London, CT
This concert is generously sponsored by Upton Bass.
Two days ahead of time, the orchestra will celebrate the 268th birthday of the one-and-only Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by performing a pair of his three-movement works from the 1770s: the Oboe Concerto in C Major—originally composed for star oboist Giuseppe Ferlendis—and the Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola in E-flat Major. The ECSO’s oboe soloist will be Principal Oboe Erik Andrusyak, also co-principal oboe of the U.S. Coast Guard Band. For the Sinfonia Concertante—a genre that melds elements of the symphony and the concerto—the soloists will be ECSO Concertmaster Stephan Tieszen and Principal Viola Alex McLaughlin. Completing the program for the ECSO’s first concert of 2025 are an arrangement for strings of an exquisite setting of Psalm 84 by Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw, and the swallow; and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F Major of 1812, which the master called “my little symphony in F.”
There will be a pre-concert chat at 6:30pm prior to the concert on January 25. This event is free and open to the public. It will be in the Oasis room located in the Garde Arts Center through the side “G” door entrance. No need to RSVP, just arrive and enjoy. There will be limited seating on a first-come, first-served basis. While you don’t need a ticket to enjoy the lecture, you will need a ticket to get into the concert hall afterwards and ticket scanners will be standing by. These chats are generously sponsored through a Connecticut Humanities Quick Grant.
Erik Andrusyak Bio:
Erik Andrusyak was appointed principal oboe of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra in 2022. He is also the co-principal oboe of the United States Coast Guard Band and the principal oboe of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. He was previously the principal oboe of the Elgin Symphony and a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a training program under the Chicago Symphony Orchestra directed by Ken-David Masur. Throughout his career, he has participated in prestigious music festivals including the Pacific Music Festival and the Music Academy of the West. He has been invited to perform as a guest with ensembles such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, New Haven Symphony, Springfield Symphony, Albany Symphony, Illinois Symphony, Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet, and the Chicago Philharmonic. Additionally, he has been featured as a soloist with the Connecticut Symphony, Masterworks Festival Orchestra, the Eastern Connecticut Symphony, Yellow River Music Festival, and the Civic Centennial Celebration Bach Marathon, where Yo-Yo Ma served as the creative consultant. This performance was broadcast live on WFMT. He has made solo appearances in Japan, Korea, China, and Russia. In addition to maintaining his own private studio in Norwich, CT, he currently teaches at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven and the Thames Valley Music School in New London. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from DePaul University, where he studied with Alex Klein, former Principal Oboe of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Other mentors include Grace Hong, Joseph Claude, Scott Hostetler, Eugene Izotov, Lora Schaefer, and William Welter.
Alex McLaughlin Bio:
For Alex McLaughlin, a career in classical music is one that exemplifies variety and a need to perform. This drive has led Alex to seek performances in many different musical settings, from performing at Edinburgh Castle with the Strawberry Hill Fiddlers, to serving as the Acting Principal Violist of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra (ECSO), or to educating children at a small library in Blossburg, PA. Alex is a graduate of both the Eastman School of Music and the Yale School of Music, receiving the Robert L. Oppelt award from the former and being a featured artist in the Oneppo Chamber Series of the latter. Alex has appeared in several festivals in the United States, including Spoleto Festival USA, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the Weekend of Chamber Music, and the Endless Mountain Music Festival. In addition to the ECSO, Alex regularly performs with the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, and the Woodstock Symphony Orchestra. Alex is also an active chamber musician, being a founding member of the Havenwood String Quartet in New Haven, CT as well as a frequent collaborator with the Beryllium String Quartet in NYC. Alex has had the honor of working with many masters of the viola in his career, including Emily Schaad, Carol Rodland, Ettore Causa, Masumi Per Rostad, Jeffrey Irvine, and Kim Kashkashian. He currently performs on a 1970 viola by Otto Erdesz.
Stephan Tieszen Bio:
Stephan Tieszen is celebrating another season as concertmaster of the ECSO this year. He is also concertmaster of Opera Theater Connecticut and Salt Marsh Opera and was Concertmaster for the New Britain Symphony for many years. He is principal second violin of the New Haven Symphony and the Waterbury Symphony and is a member of the Wall Street Chamber Players. Dr. Tieszen has degrees from Mannes College of Music, the Juilliard School, and Yale School of Music and studied with Sally Thomas, Sydney Harth, Guila Bustabo and Gabriel Banat. He has taught violin at Connecticut College, the University of Connecticut, and Fairfield University and given master classes at the Meadowmount school and Juilliard Precollege. He currently teaches at Mannes College, Tabor Arts Center, and the Southbury Music Studio and coaches orchestral violin for the Norwalk Youth Symphony. He is an active soloist and lectures frequently on music and the violin and does community outreach and education. He has been crucial to the ECSO’s collaboration with the Block Island Chamber of Commerce to put on an annual chamber music concert to raise funds for music education efforts on Block Island. In most years, he has acted as violin soloist, Concertmaster, and conductor with the ensemble, as well as putting together the repertoire in consultation with Toshi, ECSO staff, and the leadership of the Block Island Chamber of Commerce.
To purchase tickets:
Single tickets to events can be purchased by visiting the Garde Arts Center website at gardearts.org, calling the Garde Arts Center Box Office at 860-444-7373 x 1 or the ECSO office at 860-443-2876. Subscription packages provide a significant discount (up to 40%) versus purchasing individual tickets and are available by calling the ECSO office. In addition to a range of affordable single-ticket options from $70 to as low as $12. The ECSO offers those under 40 years of age and active or retired military members $12 tickets in selected sections. Reduced price tickets are sponsored by Chelsea Groton Bank.
ECSO general copy:
We are thrilled to announce our 2024-25 Season lineup, curated by Music Director and Conductor Toshiyuki Shimada. Season Highlights include Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 (Organ), Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.4, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 featuring our Instrumental Competition winner, Puccini & Verdi selections with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Chorus and international guest artists. From early fall to late spring, the 75-plus member professional Symphony Orchestra presents six subscription concerts annually, most of which feature guest soloists. Subscription concerts are primarily performed at the historic award-winning Garde Arts Center on State Street in New London.
Visit www.ectsymphony.com for more information and follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) @ectsymphony.
Founded in 1946 by Norwegian immigrant, Victor Norman, the ECSO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving the eastern Connecticut region, including New London, Norwich, Waterford, Groton, Mystic, Old Lyme, and East Lyme. Recent concerts in Norwich, Willimantic, and Stonington reflect our renewed dedication to serving a broader area.
Our mission is to inspire, educate, and connect our communities through live orchestral music.