Victory and Poetry: USU Symphony Orchestra Performs with Adam Nielsen

The Utah State University Symphony Orchestra will perform two of Beethoven’s most celebrated works, Symphony No. 7 and Piano Concerto No. 4, Friday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Morgan Theatre on the USU campus.

“At the premiere of the symphony, Beethoven was noted as remarking that it was one of his best works,” Sergio Bernal, music director of the USU Symphony Orchestra, said. “This says much about the piece, in light of how self-critical Beethoven was as a composer. The second movement, Allegretto, was an immediate success and had to be encored at the performance.”

Guest soloist and USU alumnus, Adam Nielsen, has a career as a soloist, chamber musician, vocal accompanist and educator. He is currently an associate faculty member at the Juilliard School, where he holds the position of principal coach and music advisor to the undergraduate vocalists and is also a coach and assistant conductor for the Juilliard opera.

In his current season, Nielsen includes recital appearances with baritone John Brancy, mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford and French horn player Scott Brubaker of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, as well as performances at the Steans Institute of the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park where he has been a guest pianist for four seasons. As an opera pianist and coach, Nielsen joined the music staff at Virginia Opera this season, preparing for their production of Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette.

Bernal said Nielsen has great affection for USU. It was here that he studied piano and earned a bachelor’s of music in piano performance under the tutelage of Gary Amano and with the invaluable mentoring of Dennis Hirst and Cindy Dewey. In recent years, he has had the privilege of returning to Logan to collaborate in recitals with the woodwind quintet, Windscape, soprano Cindy Dewey, violinist Andres Cárdenes, the Fry Street Quartet and mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford. He is thrilled to return for this collaboration with the talented instrumentalists of the USU Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets for Victory and Poetry are $10 adults, $8 youth and seniors, $5 USU faculty and staff and free for USU students with ID. For more information, visit the CCA Box Office in room L-101 of the Chase Fine Arts Center, call 435-797-8022 or go online to arts.usu.edu.

Writer and contact: Whitney Schulte, whitney.schulte@usu.edu, 435-797-9203