MOZART’S JUPITER
Generously sponsored by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 — a work of emotional profundity, staggering technical mastery, and titanic influence. The aftershocks of this mesmerizing work continue to be felt among performers, composers, and listeners alike, with Sir George Grove crowning the symphony “the greatest orchestral work of the world which preceded the French Revolution.”
Music Director Earl Lee directs these concerts timed to coincide with Mozart’s birthday. Plus, 2023 Sphinx Medal of Excellence Award winner Tommy Mesa joins as soloist to perform Jessie Montgomery’s impassioned response to recent social and political unrest alongside Haydn’s lyrical and uplifting Cello Concerto.
Please note that this program will be offered in two venues: Ann Arbor’s Michigan Theater, and the A2SO’s debut at Detroit’s Orchestra Hall, home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Friday, January 26, 2024 | 8 PM | Orchestra Hall (Detroit)
Pre-concert talk at 7 PM
Saturday, January 27, 2024 | 8 PM | The Michigan Theater (Ann Arbor)
Pre-concert talk at 7 PM
Tommy Mesa, cello
Earl Lee, conductor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Overture to The Marriage of Figaro
Joseph Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1
Jessie Montgomery Divided
Mozart Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter”
Tommy Mesa, cello
Tommy Mesa, Cuban-American cellist, has established himself as one of the most charismatic, innovative, and engaging performers of his generation. He is the recipient of the 2023 Sphinx Medal of Excellence Award, First Prize in the 2016 Sphinx Competition, and Winner of the Astral Artists 2017 National Auditions. He has appeared as soloist with major orchestras such as The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, The Cleveland Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
Highlights in the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 seasons include premiering and touring Jessie Montgomery’s Divided for solo cello and orchestra, around thirty recitals, a residency at Colburn Conservatory, curating and performing chamber music programs with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and duo recording projects with Olga Kern, JP Jofre, and Michelle Cann. Next season’s venues will include Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, The Supreme Court of the United States, Colburn School of Music, Kohler Foundation and numerous others.
Mesa performs on a cello made by Guilio Gigli, c.1789. Performance clothing sponsor is Coregami.