Seattle Symphony In the News: Dec. 31 “Best of 2014 Edition”

From Rosalie Contreras | Vice President of Communications | SEATTLE SYMPHONY

ANNOUNCEMENTS

As 2014 comes to a close, we’re featured in a record number of “best of 2014” lists, and covered in numerous publications for our six Grammy nominations and our Sonic Evolution news. This month we also held a stellar Holiday Musical Salute, gave a world premiere by Mason Bates, honored “Sonia” our 100-year-old patron, and wished a very happy retirement to Larey McDaniel.

The New York Times included our “spectacular” Carnegie Hall performance again in 10 Best Classical Music Events of 2014: “The standout was the Seattle Symphony, thriving under its dynamic music director, Ludovic Morlot.” The Seattle Symphony is listed in The New York Times’ “Biggest Classical Music Stories of 2014,” winning the Upbeat Award for bringing Become Ocean to Carnegie Hall just after it won a Pulitzer Prize, and mixing things up with a viral video featuring Sir Mix-A-Lot performing “Baby Got Back” at June’s Sonic Evolution concert.

Attached is a review of Become Ocean from Gramophone magazine. The recording was also listed in NPR Music’s 50 Favorite Albums of 2014 and named Classical Album of the Year in iTunes’ Best of 2014. Seattle Symphony Media received a shout-out from Iowa Public Radio, and our recent Stravinsky & Raskatov CD was reviewed on All Music here: “Morlot’s lucid and measured interpretation of The Rite of Spring more than meets expectations, and the orchestra delivers a compelling version that is as vibrantly colorful and energetic as anticipated by the Raskatov concerto.” The Seattle Symphony was included in this article on a number of other orchestras successfully launching their own recording labels.

Here’s the run-down on the “best of 2014” lists (so far) that have featured Become Ocean:

• Anthony Tommasini’s 10 Best Classical Music Events of 2014, The New York Times: “mesmerizing”
• NPR Music’s 50 Favorite Albums Of 2014: NPR: “Majestic, awe-inspiring”
• Best Classical Albums Of 2014, NPR Classical: “A completely haunting inner journey”
• A Composer Attuned to the Earth’s Swirling Motion, The New York Times: “submerges the listener in a swirling, churning wash of sound”
• Classical Critics Pick the Top Music Recordings of 2014, The New York Times: “Inwardly mechanical and outwardly entrancing”
• Jeremy Eichler’s 2014 best classical music album picks, The Boston Globe: “the extremes of nature both beautiful and terrifying”
• Holiday music gifts: Leave the best for last-minute, The Los Angeles Times: “music that takes you out of yourself”
• Top 10 in Classical, Baltimore City Paper: #2 Seattle Symphony Orchestra, “John Luther Adams:Become Ocean”
• The Best Albums of 2014, The Daily Beast: “an oceanic torrent of sound in an awe-inspiring performance”
• The 10 Best Classical Performances of 2014, New York Magazine: “[John Luther Adams’] rumbling orchestral masterwork of sounds from the deep”
• Top 10 Seattle Albums of 2014, Seattle Met Magazine: “a triumph for the amazing talent of the Seattle Symphony and its music director Ludovic Morlot”

Congratulations again to Ludovic Morlot and the musicians of the Seattle Symphony, and audio engineer Dmitriy Lipay, on SIX Grammy nominations in five categories! The nominations were covered in numerous media outlets across the country. Read the press release, learn more about Seattle Symphony Media, and view all nominations at The Seattle Times. The Grammy Award winners will be announced in February.

Our Grammy nominations announcement on Facebook, posted with a photo of Simon Woods and Dmitriy Lipay just hearing the news, has become one of our most-liked posts OF ALL TIME, reaching nearly 30,000 people organically and generating 1,190 likes, 64 comments and 50 shares, both on our page and the pages it was shared to.

We were also thrilled to announce that Mad Season’s Mike McCready and Barrett Martin team up with Chris Cornell, Duff McKagan and other guests for our fourth annual Sonic Evolution event. Tickets are sold out. Read more from our press release or check out the coverage in Rolling Stone, Billboard, Loudwire, SPIN, and many others. Art Zone host Nancy Guppy shares some of the early creative conversation between Mike McCready and Ludovic (pictured below – watch the video feature here), as we prepare for a new Sonic Evolution commission from Mike.

We recently gave the world premiere of our co-commission, Mason Bates’ Cello Concerto, at the December 11-13 Masterworks concerts. The program was led by young Lithuanian conductor Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla (pictured below with Mason and Joshua in rehearsal) and featured the Symphony’s former Principal Cello Joshua Roman as soloist. Joshua sent a special video “hello” for Seattle audiences about his experience working with Mason on the concerto. Read previews of the performance from The Seattle Times, Memeteria and Classical KING FM’s Second Inversion, and reviews from Classical Voice America and The Seattle Times here.

In orchestra musician news, see a different side of violinist Stephen Bryant who is featured in Encore Arts’ Symphonic Side Gigs: Stephen Bryant and String Quartet River Rafting. Additionally, the December 11-13 concerts marked Larey McDaniel’s last with the Seattle Symphony, as he has retired after over 50 years with the orchestra. He’s pictured here with fellow clarinetists Laura DeLuca and Benjamin Lulich. Thank you for the music, Larey, and we’ll miss you! Stop by The Score for a few of Larey’s memorable Symphony moments.

ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Another recent top Facebook post featured an excerpt from December’s Encore program book about our wonderful longtime patron Sonia Spear. It reached nearly 23,000 people and generated 1,524 likes, comments and shares, both on our page and the pages it was shared to. The post: Meet Sonia Spear – at 100 years of age she’s the Symphony’s longest-running subscriber and a passionate supporter! She saw Rachmaninov perform in person in 1931, and was there for the opening of the Opera House at the 1962 World’s Fair with Stravinsky: http://bit.ly/1GemCkD

PRESS COVERAGE

Executive Director Simon Woods on the orchestral financial landscape in Sinfini, a UK music news site: http://www.sinfinimusic.com/uk/features/other-features/how-did-orchestras-in-the-uk-and-us-fare-in-2014

Concert review: Yuja Wang
A very enchanting evening with Yuja Wang
Philippa Kiraly, Special to The Seattle Times
December 4, 2014
http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2025164264_yujawangrecitalxml.html

What to See this Weekend
Holiday Pops with Cirque Musica
Lynn Jacobson, The Seattle Times
December 5, 2014
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/artspage/2014/12/05/6-holiday-hits-what-to-see-this-weekend/

Holiday Musical Salute
Seattle Symphony takes care of its own
Nicole Brodeur, The Seattle Times
December 8, 2014
http://seattletimes.com/html/nicolebrodeur/2025196605_nicolenames09xml.html?syndication=rss

Concert review: Holiday Pops with Cirque Musica
Holiday Pops with Cirque Musica
Philippa Kiraly, City Arts
December 9, 2014
http://www.cityartsonline.com/articles/holiday-pops-cirque-musica

Concert review: Christmas with The King’s Singers
The King’s Singers: A perfect blend of old and new
Melinda Bargreen, Special to The Seattle Times
December 10, 2014
http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2025199635_kingssingersreviewxml.html?syndication=rss

Concert preview: Handel’s Messiah
Rising-star conductor Macelaru at helm of Seattle ‘Messiah’
Tom Keogh, Special to The Seattle Times
December 18, 2014
http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2025262309_symphonymessiahpreview19xml.html

Concert review: Handel’s Messiah
A ‘Messiah’ delivered with strength and verve
Melinda Bargreen, Special to The Seattle Times
December 20, 2014
http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2025276595_messiahseattlesymphonyreviewxml.html

Benaroya Hall and the Seattle Symphony are letter “B” in Vancouver Sun’s “A to Z in the Emerald City.”
http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Emerald+City/10667019/story.html

Concert preview: Beethoven’s Ninth
Seattle Symphony Ninth concerts to feature guest Matthew Halls
Tom Keogh, Special to The Seattle Times
December 24, 2014
http://seattletimes.com/html/thearts/2025305200_symphonynewyearconcertsxml.html

The Seattle Symphony’s New Year’s Eve concert, countdown and celebration, featuring Beethoven’s Ninth, is listed in The Seattle Times and Seattle Weekly.

AND JUST FOR FUN…

The Seattle Symphony celebrated its 111th birthday on December 29! In 1903 the orchestra gave its first concert at Christensen’s Hall, across the street from what is now Benaroya Hall.

See you in 2015!

Rosalie