NEWS
Debut: Brett Mitchell to lead the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in February 2023
Brett Mitchell will lead multiple programs with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in February 2023, featuring music of Mendelssohn, Walton, Elgar, and Canadian composer John Estacio. (Photo by Deborah Besanson)
EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra has announced that Brett Mitchell will appear as guest conductor on their 2022-23 subscription series, leading a varied weekend of programs at the Winspear Centre in February 2023:
Thursday, February 23, 2023
ELGAR’S LOVES: ENIGMA VARIATIONS
MENDELSSOHN - Overture from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
WALTON - Viola Concerto
Keith Hamm, viola
ELGAR - Enigma Variations
Friday, February 24, 2023
ELGAR & MYSTERY
MENDELSSOHN - Overture from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
JOHN ESTACIO - Wondrous Light
ELGAR - Enigma Variations
Saturday, February 25, 2023
ELGAR’S LOVES: ENIGMA VARIATIONS
MENDELSSOHN - Overture from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
WALTON - Viola Concerto
Keith Hamm, viola
ELGAR - Enigma Variations
For more information, please read ‘Edmonton Symphony Orchestra announces new season’ in the Edmonton Journal.
Brett Mitchell returns to Spain with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias
Brett Mitchell leads the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias at the Jovellanos Theater in Gijón, Spain in May 2019.
OVIEDO, Spain — Following his successful debut with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias in May 2019, the orchestra has announced that Brett Mitchell will return to the podium during their Fall 2020 season, SERONDA.
Mr. Mitchell will lead a subscription program on December 3 and 4, 2020, featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and Gershwin’s Concerto in F with pianist Lise de la Salle.
For more information, please click here.
Reviews: Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias
Brett Mitchell leads Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias on Thursday, May 2.
OVIEDO — Several media outlets have published reviews of Brett Mitchell’s Spanish debut with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias:
El Comercio called the May 2 performance in Gijón “a concert full of energy and emotional abundance.”
Cuca Alonso in La Nueva España lauded the May 2 performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony in Gijón as “the highlight of the evening.”
Andrea Torres in La Nueva España praised the May 3 performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony in Oviedo as “full of nuances and a majestic sonority.”
Jonathan Mallada in La Nueva España hailed the May 3 performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony in Oviedo: “Mitchell knew how to maximize the sonic power of the orchestra, and showed good handling of tempi and dynamics with great taste for a phrasing always in favor of the musical discourse.”
Preview: Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias
Brett Mitchell will make his Spanish debut with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias in Gijón on May 2 and Oviedo on May 3.
OVIEDO — The Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias has published a preview of Brett Mitchell’s upcoming Spanish debut:
The Symphony Orchestra of the Principality of Asturias will continue its subscription season this week with the program Lenguajes propios II, which will be directed by maestro Brett Mitchell, who makes his debut on the OSPA podium at the Jovellanos Theater and in the Príncipe Felipe Auditorium. The program features violinist Akiko Suwanai and twelve students from the Superior Conservatory of Music 'Eduardo Martínez Torner'. The program includes the following works:
Bedřich Smetana, The Bartered Bride: Overture
Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Concerto for Violin in D major, Op. 35
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
Mr. Mitchell also sat down between rehearsals for a brief conversation about this program with violinist Fernando Zorita, which can be viewed below.
Preview: ‘Inside the Symphony’ with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Brett Mitchell will lead the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in a program of Dvořák and Smetana on Friday, February 8 at the Orpheum in downtown Vancouver.
VANCOUVER — Daily Hive has published a preview of one of Brett Mitchell’s upcoming three performances with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra:
Looking for a new way to spend your Friday night on the town?
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) wants to help.
This Friday, February 8, is the VSO’s second iteration of “Inside the Symphony,” a new, three-concert series that brings listeners closer to the music, while still allowing plenty of time to hit the town afterwards.
The evening begins with Happy Hour at the Orpheum at 5:30 pm… The concert then begins at 6:30 and lasts for an hour, with the conductor taking listeners inside the music with a casual analysis before the piece is played.
This week’s event features guest conductor Brett Mitchell and two highly-popular Czech pieces – Smetana’s The Moldau and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8.
To read the complete preview, please click here.
Preview: Smetana, Grieg, and Dvořák with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
SURREY, B.C. — Peace Arch News has published a preview of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s “Surrey Nights” series, which includes a performance led by Brett Mitchell in February 2019:
“The Moldau & Grieg’s Piano Concerto” is the title of the VSO’s Feb. 7 concert at the Bell, with conductor Brett Mitchell and pianist Andrew von Oeyen. One of the most poetic and lyrical pianists of his generation, Andrew Von Oeyen tackles Grieg’s much-loved Piano Concerto in a concert that also features one of Dvorák’s greatest works [Symphony No. 8] and the famous melodies of “The Moldau” – all under the direction of conductor Brett Mitchell, making his VSO debut.
To read the complete article, please click here.
Review: 'NZSO makes a play for populism'
With the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Brett Mitchell presented an Italian program featuring violinist Angelo Xiang Yu and a Bernstein at 100 celebration featuring vocalist Morgan James.
AUCKLAND — The New Zealand Herald has posted a review of Brett Mitchell's two recent programs with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra:
In two Auckland concerts this month, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra made a palpable play for populism.
Bernstein at 100...[featured] Lenny on the light side, with most of the music coming from his Broadway shows. Denver-based maestro Brett Mitchell proved to be a lively host in his spoken introductions and drove the mighty music machine that is the NZSO with elan.
It was a shame the musical voyage to sunny Italy didn't encourage sufficient punters out into Auckland's squally weather, meaning that they missed what the programme booklet promised to be a magnificent account of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. In fact, it was delightful, re-affirming the perennial pleasures of this piece with its dazzling succession of fires, storms, pastoral contentment and domestic bliss, all rendered in music. All this was nicely caught by a smaller band of players together with soloist Angelo Xiang Yu.
After interval, the big guns came out. Mitchell took the orchestra for a thrilling ride through Berlioz's Roman Carnival, its bold, idiosyncratic harmonies and scoring emphasising why this composer remains a key figure in 19th century music.
The evening ended by Mitchell presenting Respighi's Pines of Rome as an unashamed musical spectacular. All we needed to do was relax and be dazzled, without worrying too much about what lay behind it. The ultimate reward was one of the grandest sunrises ever, splendidly assisted by a contingent from the Wellington Brass Band.
To read the complete review, please click here.
Review: 'Making a familiar piece sound fresh to jaded ears'
Brett Mitchell led an Italian-themed program with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at Auckland Town Hall on May 19.
AUCKLAND — Scoop has published a review of Brett Mitchell's Italian-themed program with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, presented at Auckland Town Hall on Saturday, May 19:
Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, which I haven’t heard live in over a decade, was every bit as enjoyable. Conductor Brett Mitchell did what I think is essential on these occasions, which is to try to make a familiar piece sound fresh to jaded ears.
Mitchell’s approach was to strip the orchestra right back, and it paid dividends. Everything was sharp and crisp, and the dynamics shifted precisely from level to level in the period manner, rather than being finally gradated. The soloist, young Chinese virtuoso Angelo Xiang Yu, also eschewed the traditional approach, producing instead a thrilling range of tones and timbres, from the sweetly soft to the frankly jagged.
After the interval came Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture, continuing the (very loose) Italian theme. Again, this was very well conducted, Mitchell’s unobtrusive style allowing the music to flow up out of the orchestra, as it were. It’s not a piece I knew at all, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and thought the central cor anglais melody was beautifully played.
To read the complete review, please click here.
Review: 'Bernstein at 100 by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra'
Brett Mitchell led the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's centennial celebration of Leonard Bernstein.
WELLINGTON — Stuff has published a review of Brett Mitchell's 'Bernstein At 100' concert with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, presented at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Friday, May 11:
What a fabulous concert this was.
A wonderful subject, superb programming, scintillating playing, marvellous singing and absolutely first rate conducting by Brett Mitchell.
Leonard Bernstein was a larger than life personality of incredible talent, whose composing life was spread across serious concert music and the world of musical theatre. His musical style made more conservative music lovers uncomfortable, his conducting was incandescent, his personality both complex and immensely communicative.
All of Bernstein's intensely individual story was brought to life in this marvellously involving concert under the baton of one of America's up and coming conductors.
Yes, there was the predictable - a lengthy, and very welcome, selection from West Side Story - but there was also a rare, and equally welcome, performance of the symphonic suite from his only film music - On The Waterfront. And also, not heard too often, was music from On The Town and some titillating pieces from Candide.
The orchestral playing was marvellous; both free and dazzlingly precise at the same time. One could have been in New York.
To read the complete review, please click here.
Review: 'Bernstein at 100' with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
WELLINGTON — Regional News has published a review of Brett Mitchell's 'Bernstein at 100' concert with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, presented at the Michael Fowler Center in Wellington on Friday, May 11:
Bernstein was known for being a truly ‘American’ composer, bringing together multiple styles and bridging the gap between classical and popular music. We were very ably guided through a great programme by American conductor Brett Mitchell who, like Bernstein, was trained in the United States. Maestro Mitchell enjoyed the experience as much as, if not more than, many in the audience and seemingly danced and almost jived his way through a variety of classics from Bernstein’s more popular work.
To read the complete review, please click here.
Review: 'NZSO: Bernstein at 100'
Brett Mitchell led the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 'Bernstein At 100' at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Friday, May 11.
WELLINGTON — DMS Review Blog has published a review of Brett Mitchell's 'Bernstein At 100' concert with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, presented at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Friday, May 11:
[Conductor Brett Mitchell's] florid, sinuous, enthusiastic style was quite dramatic and supremely confident.
The NZSO played marvellously and did Leonard Bernstein justice. His lyrical melodies were so beautifully played: ‘Dream With Me’ from Peter Pan, ‘Tonight’ and ‘Somewhere’ (the encore) from West Side Story were magic. His syncopated, jazzy numbers were full of energy and vitality – exciting, angry, dramatic, thrilling. The percussionists, the brass section, the clarinet section, the double basses (especially with the Mambo!) had a ball!
To read the complete review, please click here.
Review: 'Vivaldi triumphs in the NZSO’s Italian celebration'
Brett Mitchell led the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in an Italian-themed program at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Saturday, May 12.
WELLINGTON — Middle C has published a review of Brett Mitchell's Italian-themed program with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, presented at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Saturday, May 12:
What a boringly predictable world it would be if everything in it turned out as one anticipated! I sat pondering this earth-shattering truism during the interval of Saturday evening’s NZSO concert in the wake of the most inspiring and life-enhancing performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” I’ve heard since...the 1970s. Just as that performance blew away the cobwebs and reinvented the work for its time, so did Angelo Xiang Yu’s absolutely riveting playing of the solo violin part and the NZSO players’ galvanic response do much the same for me on this occasion.
I listened to the thistledown-like opening, and straightaway pricked up my ears at its wind-blown, spontaneous-sounding quality, replete with inflections of phrasing and dynamics that suggested the musicians seemed to really “care” about the music.
Both Angelo Xiang Yu and conductor Brett Mitchell readily encouraged the playing’s “pictorial” effects suggested by the music’s different episodes. The playing and its “engagement factor” simply went from strength to strength throughout each of the remaining concerti....
The spectacular opening of Respighi’s Pini di Roma (Pines of Rome), had plenty of impact, conductor Brett Mitchell keeping the music’s pulses steady, thus allowing the players space in which to generate plenty of weight of tone, and flood the ambiences with that barely-contained sense of excitement suggested by the opening Pines of the Villa Borghese. As the tempi quickened, everything came together in a great torrent of sound, as overwhelming in its insistence as tantalising in its sudden disappearance, leaving a vast, resonating space of darkness and mystery. Conductor and players here enabled those spaces to be filled with properly subterranean sounds of breath-taking quality, as if the earth itself was softly resonating with its own music...
For this performance the NZSO enjoyed the sterling services of a number of players from the Wellington Brass Band, whose body of tone with that of the full orchestra’s at the piece’s climax had an almost apocalyptic effect. As he’d done throughout, Brett Mitchell controlled both momentums and dynamics with great tactical and musical skill, holding the legions in check until they actually swung into view in the mind’s eye, and came among us, amid scenes of incredible splendour and awe. Respighi actually wanted the ground beneath his army’s feet to tremble with the excitement of it all, and conductor and players triumphantly achieved that impression over the piece’s last few tumultuous bars.
To read the complete review, please click here.
Review: 'Spectacular centenary concert for Leonard Bernstein from the NZSO'
Brett Mitchell led the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's centennial celebration of Leonard Bernstein.
WELLINGTON — Middle C has published a review of Brett Mitchell's 'Bernstein At 100' concert with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, presented at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Friday, May 11:
American conductor Brett Mitchell who I’d heard in a lively, Broadway-style interview on Upbeat at midday, entered and immediately launched into a startling performance of Dance of the Great Lover, the first of the three dances from On the Town which rather astonished me for the super-raunchy, trumpet-attacks from nowhere, then throaty trombones, cutting clarinets. There was nothing symphonically genteel about it and Mitchell exclaimed at its end, “the NZSO can swing!” I have sometimes dismissed remarks from conductors tackling this genre of American music, that the orchestra has a great feeling for its brazen energy, the rhythms and attack, as if the entire band had served its musical apprenticeship on Broadway. Here such praise seemed totally justified.
The Symphonic Dances from West Side Story is a more standard concert work that captures the vitality, violence, anger and occasional calm lyricism (‘Somewhere’ and the Finale) of the score and the orchestra’s playing exhibited all those characteristics with tremendous energy and unflagging precision. Finger-clicking, a shrill whistle... Nowhere more vividly than in the riotous ‘Mambo’ where the only missing element was the dancers.
To read the complete review, please click here.
Preview: 'Grunge, classical music and Leonard Bernstein'
Brett Mitchell will lead the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's upcoming 'Bernstein At 100' concerts in Wellington and Auckland. (Photo by Peter Lockley)
WELLINGTON — Brett Mitchell joined host Zoë George in the Radio New Zealand studios to discuss his upcoming 'Bernstein At 100' concerts with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, presented at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Friday, May 11, and Auckland Town Hall on Friday, May 18. Hear the complete interview below, or read more.
Classical music, grunge, and musical theatre all have something in common – Leonard Bernstein according to effervescent conductor Brett Mitchell.
Brett is in the country to conduct the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s Bernstein at 100 and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons concerts in Wellington and Auckland over the next two weekends.
He says what mattered to Bernstein was the quality of the music, not the genre and he embraced everything during his 50 year career. As a result many in America and around the globe embraced him, according to Brett.
West Side Story is arguably one of his most famous works. It combined jazz, cha cha, and mambo and reflected New York in the 1950s. “For me that’s part of his legacy – his willingness to embrace all different aspects of music available to him,” Brett says.
Brett says he knew of Bernstein’s music before he realised how big a deal he was. It was in 1990, when Bernstein died, that Brett started to understand the composer’s reach.
Brett Mitchell at the Radio New Zealand studios on Tuesday, May 8. (Photo by Tom Cardy)
Bernstein’s music has been described as the sound of New York, and Brett agrees. “There’s an energy about it. It sounds distinctly American. That is not French music. That is not German music. It’s not Percy Granger! It could only come from America.”
“We call America the melting pot… and what is West Side Story if not a melting pot of musical cultures.”
That melting pot is also reflected in Bernstein’s On The Town which follows the adventures of three navy sailors on shore leave through New York City during 40s wartime. Bernstein was 26 when he wrote it and included not only stories about boys having fun, but themes around female empowerment. “He was always at the forefront of things,” Brett says. “He was young and progressive. It’s not hard to figure out why in a show about three sailors on shore leave, there’s a fair amount of feminism in there. As it should be!”
Brett, who was also a jazz pianist before he picked up the baton, says ‘Some Other Time’ from On The Town became a favourite to play. He is thrilled the NZSO are performing it this week.
Only one or two other musicians have had such an effect on Brett. “His is the towering figure of American 20th century classical music,” he says. “He broke down the barriers… and the boundaries.”
Just before Leonard Bernstein died he was awarded a lifetime Grammy award. That had a monumental effect on Brett. “Well here’s this high-brow classical musician who’s hanging with Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and pop musicians I was growing up with,” Brett says.
“I remember him saying ‘listen - there are better and worse Mozart symphonies. There are better and worse Schubert songs. There are better and worse Beatles songs’.
“All that mattered was the quality of the music.”
Preview: 'Is it time to reassess the legacy of one of the great musical figures of the 20th century?'
Leonard Bernstein at the piano. Brett Mitchell will lead two concerts celebrating Bernstein's centennial with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra this month in Wellington and Auckland. (Photo by Getty Images)
WELLINGTON — The New Zealand Herald has published a preview of Brett Mitchell's upcoming 'Bernstein At 100' concerts with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, presented at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Friday, May 11, and Auckland Town Hall on Friday, May 18.
Leonard Bernstein broke the rules, dared us to follow him, and was so profoundly musical that the results sounded right, even when they were wrong.
Conductor Brett Mitchell, who leads the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in two concerts to celebrate what would have been Bernstein's 100th birthday, has an example from "Lenny the composer".
Mitchell points to one of Bernstein's most famous compositions, the song Maria from West Side Story, which opens with a tritone. Also referred to as "a devil in music", a tritone is a dissonant interval between two notes and was used regularly in avant garde music of the early 20th century.
"What pop song opens with a tritone?" asks Mitchell. "Bernstein knew how to push the boundaries in terms of complexity and yet find his way into the wider culture. We all take Maria for granted now."
Ironically, Bernstein the composer came to see West Side Story, his masterpiece packed with songs still recognised and loved today, as a millstone, the work that defined him until his death in 1990.
"I think there's a perception that West Side Story is 'only' a Broadway show," says Mitchell, "as though there's some qualitative difference in whether it's performed on West 42nd Street in Times Square [ie, Broadway] or West 57th Street where Carnegie Hall is."
The NZSO concert, which also features sometime Postmodern Jukebox vocalist Morgan James, steers closer to Broadway than Carnegie Hall. It includes music from West Side Story, On the Town and the jazzy operetta Candide, recently in Auckland as part of the arts festival.
To read the complete preview, please click here.
Preview: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra concerts celebrate Leonard Bernstein and 'The Four Seasons'
Brett Mitchell will lead the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in four performances in Wellington (May 11-12) and Auckland (May 18-19). (Photo by Jeff Nelson)
WELLINGTON — Scoop has published a preview of Brett Mitchell's upcoming performances with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra celebrates a giant of 20th-century music and one of the most popular works ever written for violin in two back-to-back concerts in Wellington and Auckland in May.
Bernstein at 100 marks the centenary of legendary American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, best known for the musical West Side Story. The Four Seasons will feature Vivaldi’s intoxicating concerti for violin, performed by acclaimed violinist Angelo Xiang Yu.
Both concerts will be conducted by American Brett Mitchell, Music Director of the Colorado Symphony, who has been hailed for his compelling performances of innovative and eclectic programmes.
Bernstein at 100 features American singer Morgan James, a talented Broadway star who is at home across genres. The concert will include the Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront, dances from the musicals On the Town and West Side Story, alongside "Dream with Me" from Peter Pan and "Glitter and Be Gay" from Candide.
“When you think about American music in the 20th century, it’s impossible not to think of Leonard Bernstein,” Mitchell has said.
“It’s amazing to me to think Bernstein was music director of the New York Philharmonic from 1958 to 1969. It was literally the year before he started that they released West Side Story, which is one of the great Broadway hits of all time. You’ve got somebody that really was every bit as comfortable in the Broadway world as he was in the classical, orchestral world.”
Bernstein at 100 is performed on 11 May and The Four Seasons on 12 May in Wellington. The following week Bernstein at 100 is performed on 18 May and The Four Seasons on 19 May in Auckland.
To read the complete preview, please click here.
Debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
VANCOUVER — Brett Mitchell will make his subscription debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on February 7, 8, and 9, 2019, as part of the orchestra's 100th-anniversary season, the organization has announced. The program will be:
SMETANA - The Moldau
GRIEG - Piano Concerto
Andrew von Oeyen, piano
DVOŘÁK - Symphony No. 8
For more information, please click here.
Debut with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Brett Mitchell will make his debut with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in May 2018, leading multiple subscription weekends in Auckland Town Hall (pictured above) and the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington.
WELLINGTON — Brett Mitchell will make his debut with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, leading two weekends of subscription programs in Auckland and Wellington in May 2018, the organization has announced.
On May 11 (Wellington) and May 18 (Auckland), Mr. Mitchell and the orchestra will present Bernstein at 100, a program celebrating the centennial of American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein:
• BERNSTEIN - Three Dance Episodes and selections from On the Town
• BERNSTEIN - "Dream with Me" from Peter Pan
• BERNSTEIN - Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront
• BERNSTEIN - Overture and selections from Candide
• BERNSTEIN - Symphonic Dances and selections from West Side Story
American singer, songwriter, and actress Morgan James will join Mr. Mitchell and the orchestra for vocal selections throughout the program.
The Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington, New Zealand.
On May 12 (Wellington) and May 19 (Auckland), Mr. Mitchell and the orchestra will present a program of Italian symphonic favorites:
• VIVALDI - The Four Seasons
• BERLIOZ - Roman Carnival
• RESPIGHI - Pines of Rome
Angelo Xiang Yu, winner of the 2010 Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition, will be the soloist for the Vivaldi.
Preview: "NZSO's Dynamic 2018 season"
WELLINGTON — Radio New Zealand has published a preview of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's 2018 season, which will feature Brett Mitchell's debut as he leads four concerts in Auckland and Wellington in May 2018.
Music Director of Colorado Symphony Brett Mitchell will conduct two projects, including Vivaldi's Four Seasons with violinist Angelo Xiang Yu.
Mitchell will also be conducting Bernstein at 100, marking the birthday of Leonard Bernstein. Broadway performer and Postmodern Jukebox vocalist Morgan James will lend her voice to the iconic pieces of music.
To read and listen to the complete preview, please click here. (Mr. Mitchell's programs are discussed from 11:30 to 17:00.)
For more information on Mr. Mitchell's programs with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, please click here.
Brett Mitchell receives commendations from Cleveland mayor and Confucius Institute
Anthony Yen presents Brett Mitchell with commendations from the Cleveland mayor and the Confucius Institute on Friday, May 12 at Severance Hall. (Photo by Zhang Xuhong
Hanban News (Beijing) has published an article about two commendations bestowed upon Brett Mitchell at his final concert as Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra:
In 2015, Brett Mitchell led the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra on an international tour to Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Ningbo, and conducted a barrier-free communication through the language of music to promote cultural exchange between China and the United States.
In recognition of Mr. Mitchell's contributions to exchanges between China and the United States, and to honor his musical achievements, Anthony Yen [Chairman of the Confucius Institute at Cleveland State University] presented Mr. Mitchell with a Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of the Confucius Institute. Mr. Yen also presented Mr. Mitchell with a Certificate of Recognition on behalf of the mayor of Cleveland.
To read the complete article (in Chinese), please click here.