Tim Ries and Symphony take listeners on fantasy flight

Jan 17, 2007

For Immediate Release

Contact: Annie Matlow 326-3136

SPOKANE: The Spokane Symphony will be soaring high on Friday, Jan. 26 at 8 pm. at the INB Performing Arts Center as Associate Conductor Morihiko Nakahara takes audiences on flights of fantasy. They will be joined by Tim Ries, the sizzling saxophonist who has been gaining a singular talent among jazz, classical, and now rock music circles.

The evening begins with the enthralling "Night of the Flying Horses" from the soundtrack of 2000 movie The Man Who Cried. Written by Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov, the music moves from a serene, evocative beginning to a wild, Gypsy-flavored conclusion that almost spins out of control.

Audiences will then be treated to the masterful Cyber Bird Saxophone Concerto by Takashi Yoshimatsu. A native of Tokyo, Japan, Yoshimatsu composes in a dramatic fusion of neo-romantic classical music with jazz, rock and Japanese classical music. The concerto is written in three movements depicting a bird as it moves through strata of color, dances through a soliloquy of grief, sours straight on into the wind.

The concert concludes with Symphonie Fantastique, the best known work by French composer Hector Louis Berlioz. Written as an expression of his love for stage actress Harriet Simpson, whom Berlioz later married, this music was revolutionary in its musical expression.

Ries, the soloist in the Yoshimatsu concerto, is an outstanding musician who has made his mark in a broad rage of musical expression, including classical, jazz and rock. A versatile and thoughtful saxophonist and composer, Ries has written more than one hundred classical and jazz compositions. In addition, to released five albums of his original jazz pieces, Ries has collaborated with numerous jazz artists, including Phil Woods, Tom Harrell, Al Foster, John Patitucci, Dave Liebman, Danilo Perez, Maynard Ferguson, Red Garland, Badal Roy, Maria Schneider and Donald Byrd. Recently, he completed a second world tour with the Rolling Stones playing saxophone, keyboard and organ, and has work with such diverse talents as Donald Fagen, Paul Simon, Sheryl Crow, Lyle Lovett, Stevie Wonder, Incognito, Blood Sweat & Tears, Bob Belden and David Lee Roth. A graduate of University of North Texas and University of Michigan, Ries devotes much of his time teaching saxophone, composition and improvisation, and currently is on faculty at Rutgers and New Jersey City University.

Friday's concert will have an educational focus. Tim Ries will be giving a Play-and-Talk presentation at Eastern Washington University Music Building, room 123, on Thursday, Jan. 25, from 4 to 6 pm. In addition, Ries will be featured on Classical Chat on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 12:15 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall. The program will be broadcast live on City Cable 5. On the night of the concert, there will be a pre-concert talk given by Morihiko Nakaha at 7 p.m. at the INB Performing Arts Center.

As one of the Symphony YES! series, sponsored by STCU, it will include educational activates for children ages 8 and up before the concert and during intermission, including the opportunity to meet Ries and some very unusual aerophone instruments.

The Symphony's Education Classics Concert also features an art exhibit of work by high school students from five Spokane Schools and the collection of instrument donations to Spokane Public Schools. Used instruments to be refurbished for use by low-income students in will be accepted in the lobby before and during intermission. A tax deduction credit will be given for the donation.

In addition, two awards are presented to Administrators for their exceptional support of the arts, based on teacher nominations and selected by the Symphony's Education Committee. This year's recipients will be Deb Johnson, Principal of Libby School in Spokane Schools, and the Lewis and Clark High School team of Principal Jon Swett and Assistant Principal Theresa Meyer. An additional award for Lifetime Achievement in Arts Education will honor Shirley Grossman, founder of Spokane's Kindermusik School.

The Flights of Fantasy concert is made possible by the generous support of Eastern Washington University.

2-for-1 tickets are available to educators and school employees, and families of Kindermusik students only by calling 624-1200. Tickets range from $17 to $39 and are available Monday through Friday from 9:30-5:00 p.m. at the Spokane Symphony Ticket Office at 818 West Riverside Avenue or by calling (509) 624-1200. Tickets are also available, with a service charge, at www.spokanesymphony.org or through TicketsWest at 325-SEAT or 1-800-325-SEAT.