Subscription VI

Robert Franz

March 27, 2010 | 8:00 PM

Robert Franz has a "super" program in store for us tonight, starting with Daugherty's Red Cape Tango, commissioned to honor the 50th anniversary of Superman's first comic book appearance. Next he teams with soloist Adriana La Rosa Ransom on Saint-Saëns' groundbreaking new look at the concerto form in his Cello Concerto No.1, and we end with an important early Romantic work, Berlioz's musical drama, Symphonie fantastique.

ROBERT FRANZ, GUEST CONDUCTOR

Robert Franz uses his “genuine musical gifts, intelligence, and down-to-earth approach” to reach audiences of all ages, conducting every piece with “masterly pace, emphasis and technical control.” Currently the Music Director of the Boise Philharmonic, Franz also holds the positions of Associate Conductor with the Houston Symphony and Music Director of the Mansfield Symphony in Ohio, where he earned the city’s Extraordinary Leadership Award in 2007 for creating successful collaborations between their orchestra and other arts, educational and civic groups. Franz has also been recognized for his leadership in music education, helping both the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Louisville Orchestra earn the Leonard Bernstein Award for Educational Programming. He holds a Master of Music degree in Conducting and Bachelor of Music degree in Oboe Performance from the North Carolina School of the Arts.

ADRIANA LA ROSA RANSOM, CELLO SOLOIST

Adriana La Rosa Ransom has appeared as a guest artist on a number of notable solo and chamber music recital series, including the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, and has performed with many orchestras and ensembles in the United States and Europe. She has master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Minnesota, where she studied cello with Tanya Remenikova. Ransom is Assistant Professor of Cello and Director of String Project at Illinois State University.

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