Celebrate 'Year of Czech Music' with Prague Philharmonia

Kulinsky

On Sunday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m. in Ithaca's historic State Theatre, the Prague Philharmonia will present a program featuring Dvorak's Concerto in A minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 53. The orchestra will be led by renowned Czech conductor Bohumil Kulinsky, and Ivan Zenaty will be the violin soloist. Also on the program is the overture to "Marriage of Figaro" by Mozart and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92.

Tickets for the concert are on sale at the Ticket Center at Clinton House, open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Call 273-4497 or (800) 284-8422. Tickets are $23-$38 for the general public and $14-$23 for students. This concert is sponsored by the Cornell Concert Series.

In 1992, a group of performing arts academy students who were playing in the Mahler Youth Orchestra decided to found a chamber orchestra of their own. This orchestra evolved into the Prague Philharmonia, now considered one of the world's pre-eminent classical orchestras. Their technical perfection blends with their instinctive feel for what a piece requires, and the delicacy and power with which they play has made them favorites at concert halls and festivals throughout the world. This fall sees them making their first tour of North America, commemorating the international "Year of Czech Music."

The Prauge Philharmonia is designed to play smaller orchestral works with the approach of a chamber orchestra, paying close attention to the playing of their colleagues even as their numbers swell to as many as four dozen. They specialize in the works of the Classical and 20th-century eras.

Kulinsky studied conducting at the Prague Conservatory and the Janacek Academy of Performing Arts. He has worked closely with the Prague Symphony Orchestra since 1984 and has served as chief conductor for the Pardubice Chamber Philharmonic and Music Director of the Orchestra of the National Theater Opera in Prague. Kulinsky is frequently invited to conduct orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, and North America.

Zenaty graudated from the Prague Conservatory and Academy of Performing Arts in 1987; the following year he began his tutorship with Josef Suk, the legendary Czech violinist and great-grandson of Antonin Dvorak. He is a Tchaikovsky Competition Laureate and serves as professor of the Music Academy of Dresden. Zenaty has performed with major orchestras throughout the world.