ARTISTS:
Robert Moody, conductor
Gregory Taboloff, piano
PROGRAMS:
MARQUEZ: Danzon No. 2
RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 2
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 2
Demonstrating his “precise yet fluid and confident leadership” (Mercury News), Robert Moody returns to lead the California Symphony in Sibelius’ powerful Symphony No. 2 and Rachmaninoff’s second piano concerto, with pianist Gregory Taboloff making his California Symphony debut.
Robert Moody serves as music director for the Winston-Salem Symphony in North Carolina; artistic director for the Arizona Musicfest since 2007; and music director for the Portland Symphony Orchestra in Maine. Moody is a frequent guest conductor with orchestras across the United States and has conducted many of the world’s top classical artists in concert, including Yo Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman.
Composer and pianist Gregory Taboloff made his Carnegie Hall debut at age 27 and received critical acclaim from the New York Times for his “irrepressible energy.” While he has represented the United States at international competitions, including the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow, he is no stranger to East Bay stages. He debuted his Piano Concerto No. 1 (“The Russian”) at the Lesher Center for the Arts in 2000, prompting the Contra Costa Times to report that “bravos” greeted the world premiere before “a wildly enthusiastic audience.” He also was a soloist with the Oakland Symphony and gave a command performance for the United Kingdom’s former Prime Minister Edward Heath at the Blackhawk Country Club in Danville.
