CLERICI AND PINI FOR FIRST WPO CONCERT OF 2018

This image: Umberto Clerici
Banner image: Daniel Pini

Woollahra Philharmonic Orchestra opens its 2018 four-concert series with AWAKENING.  There will be two performances at spectacular St Columba’s Church in Paddington on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 March.

Marking his conducting debut, Principal Sydney Symphony Orchestra cellist, Umberto Clerici directs the WPO’s first program of 2018 with the Australian premiere of John Rutter’s sumptuous Five Meditations for Orchestra and Beethoven’s spectacular Symphony Number 1.  This is Umberto’s first conducting engagement.

Umberto Clerici was born and educated in Turin, he won countless prizes as a cellist throughout Europe, 
 played in some of the world’s great orchestras under many legendary conductors, performed and recorded as soloist and, in 2014, accepted the position of Principal Cellist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. 
Umberto lectures in cello at Sydney University where he now also studies conducting. 
Now a Paddington local, he attended a WPO concert last year and was duly impressed.

Also featured are the remarkable talents of Daniel Pini in Schumann’s spell-binding Cello Concerto in A minor.

Daniel Pini is Umberto’s student and could well be described as having been born into Australian musical ‘royalty’!  He is the son of Jane Hazelwood and Carl Pini (each high profile SSO musicians and renowned soloists themselves) both of whom have also previously performed with the WPO as soloists.  Daniel is also the grandson of former SSO concertmaster Donald Hazelwood. 
 A graduate and scholarship winner of the Sydney Conservatorium of music, he has performed as rank and file member and soloist with numerous orchestras in Australia and Europe and is a 2018 SSO cello Fellow.

2018 also sees the announcement of the WPO’s long-awaited new Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Lee Bracegirdle.

Bracegirldle is a published scholar, composer and outstanding French horn player, Lee will conduct the September concert featuring popular WPO flute soloist Bridget Bolliger and world-famous clarinettist Dimitri Ashkenazy (son of the legendary international pianist and recent SSO chief conductor!).

Woollahra Philharmonic Orchestra presents AWAKENING
Featuring Daniel Pini, Cello and Umberto Clerici, Conductor.
John Rutter – Five Meditations for Orchestra
Schumann  – Cello Concerto
Beethoven – Symphony Number 1
Saturday 24 March 2018 @ 6:30pm
Sunday 25 March 2018 @ 2:30pm
St. Columba Church – Cnr Forth & Ocean Streets, Woollahra

Tickets for AWAKENING available at the door or Ticketbooth and more information at Woollhara Philharmonic Orchestra [Facebook].