Season to Feature Cliburn Winners

All three medalists in the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition will be soloists in the Pacific Symphony’s 13th summer season at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, the orchestra announced today.

This will be the second time the Pacific has presented all three Van Cliburn winners on its summer series. The first was in 1998. The 2001 competition will be held in May in Fort Worth. Each pianist will appear on a separate summer program.

Other soloists will include violinist Karen Gomyo, who won the 1997 Young Concert Artists International Auditions at age 15, and Polish cellist Fafal Kwiatkowski, who won the 1998 Young Concert Artists European Auditions in Leipzig.

Both artists will play on the Tchaikovsky concert that traditionally closes the summer season.

All programs begin at 8 p.m. Subscriptions are on sale for $100 to $300.

Tickets to individual concerts will be $16 to $65 and go on sale five weeks in advance of each concert.

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The 2001 Season

* July 4: Jack Everly, conductor; Anne Hampton Callaway, vocalist and dancer; G. Randolf Johnson, narrator; dancers from the Broadway show “Swing”: “John Brown’s Body” (world premiere), patriotic selections and fireworks.

* July 21: Carl St.Clair, conductor; Robert Thies, piano; Van Cliburn Competition medalist to be announced: Dvorak’s “Carnival” Overture, Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals,” Khachaturian’s “Sabre Dance,” Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Dance of the Buffoons” and piano concerto to be announced.

* Aug. 11: St.Clair, conductor; Cliburn medalist; women of the Pacific Chorale: Holst’s “The Planets,” John Williams’ theme from “Star Wars,” NASA projections and fireworks.

* Aug. 25: Mark Mandarano, conductor; Cliburn medalist to be announced: Falla’s “Three-Cornered Hat,” Suite from Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier,” Ravel’s “Bolero” and a piano concerto to be announced.

* Sept. 8: Dmitri Liss, conductor; Karen Gomyo, violin; Rafal Kwiatkowski, cello: Tchaikovsky program, including Valse Scherzo for violin and orchestra, “Variations on a Rococo Theme” for cello and orchestra, “Capriccio Italien,” “1812” Overture, and cannons and fireworks.

All concerts will be at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, 8800 Irvine Center Drive.

Information: (714) 755-5799.