Newly appointed principal conductor
Mei-Ann Chen
opens the new season with
Mozart,
a joyfully concertizing wind quartet and the divine Jupiter Symphony.
Wolfgang Kornberger’s roots of training lie in Eastern Styria. Later, the clarinetist studied with members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, where he now teaches himself. In addition to numerous engagements as an orchestral musician and tours through countries such as Korea, he has played the solo clarinet in the Styriarte Festival Orchestra since 2014.
Born in Eastern Styria, hornist Matthias Predota graduated from the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz and studied Viennese horn at the Johann-Joseph-Fux Conservatory. As a substitute he has already played in leading orchestras in Austria, he is keen on chamber music and is engaged as solo hornist in the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra.
Born in Parma in 1974, the Italian began playing the bassoon at the local Conservatorio at the age of 13 and graduated with honors in 1995. Today Ivan Calestani lives and works in Vienna and has been working intensively with the baroque and classical bassoon for quite some time.
Recreation is special in many ways: consisting of musicians whose nationalities range from Japan to Venezuela, most of the members received part of their training in Graz. After its formation in 2002, the collective has played in unique halls such as the Alte Oper Frankfurt and has worked with outstanding conductors.
Born in Taiwan, Mei-Ann Chen has lived in the US since 1989 and holds a doctorate in music (conducting) and a master’s degree in violin performance. One of America’s most promising young conductors, she was the first woman to win the Malko International Conductors Competition and has been appointed chief conductor of Recreation Graz beginning fall 2021.
Mei-Ann Chen opens the new season with Mozart – but is it really Mozart?
To this day, scholars disagree as to whether the “Sinfonia concertante“ for four wind instruments was composed entirely, partially or not at all by Mozart. In any case, the orchestra’s wind soloists can take centre stage before Mozart’s greatest symphony soars up to Olympus – divine as Jove himself.
