[NEohioPAL] Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis and Oberlin Students Collaborate on Telarc Recording; Environmental Defense Fund to Benefit

[Marci Janas]

Media Contacts Only:
Marci Janas, Director of Conservatory Communications
440-775-8328 (office); 440-667-2724 (cell); marci.janas at oberlin.edu
Charlotte Landrum, Associate Director of Conservatory Media Relations
440-775-5474 (office); charlotte.landrum at oberlin.edu

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*
*
**ACCLAIMED HARPIST YOLANDA KONDONASSIS AND STUDENTS FROM THE OBERLIN
CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC COLLABORATE
ON RECORDING; A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL
DEFENSE FUND*

*Telarc Release, **Air**, Features Music of Debussy and Takemitsu and
Performances by Flutist Joshua Smith and Violist Cynthia Phelps*

*<Music critics please note: Review CDs are available upon request.>*

OBERLIN, OHIO (October 1, 2008)—Yolanda Kondonassis, Assistant Professor of
Harp at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and one of the most recorded
harpists in the world, has combined her passion for music with her joy in
working with young musicians to produce *Air*, her newest recording for
Telarc. Performing on the disc, which will be released on October 28, 2008,
is Joshua Smith, principal flute of the Cleveland Orchestra; Cynthia Phelps,
principal viola of the New York Philharmonic; and the string orchestra
Oberlin 21, an ensemble of Oberlin Conservatory students conducted by
Bridget-Michaele Reischl, Music Director of the Oberlin Orchestras.

The album features the music of Claude Debussy (*Danses sacrée et profane
for Harp and String Orchestra, Syrinx for Solo Flute,* and *Sonata for
Flute, Viola, and Harp*) and Toru Takemitsu (*And Then I Knew 'Twas Wind for
Flute, Viola, and Harp*; *Air for Solo Flute*; and *Toward the Sea II for
Alto Flute, Harp, and String Orchestra*). *Air* was recorded with the
support and sponsorship of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin's
Warner Concert Hall in January 2008. The CD is available at major record
outlets, through www.telarc.com, and iTunes.

Kondonassis is a dedicated environmentalist; she and the Oberlin
Conservatory of Music are pleased to donate a portion of their royalties
from the sale of *Air* to the Environmental Defense Fund. Kondonassis writes
about her commitment to raising public awareness about global warming on her
web site, www.yolandaharp.com, and notes that her choice to record Debussy
and Takemitsu was motivated in part by the great inspiration both composers
took from the earth. They "transmuted that inspiration into an impressionist
fusion that continues to touch listeners today." This is not the first time
that non-profit environmental organizations have benefited from Kondonassis'
philanthropy; royalties from her 2000 Telarc release, *Music of Hohvaness*,
support the Rainforest Alliance.

Oberlin College consistently appears on national short lists of
environmentally responsible campuses. *The Kaplan College Guide 2009*,
published by *Newsweek*, named Oberlin one of the nation's top 25 most
environmentally responsible schools, and Oberlin is one of only 15 colleges
and universities to achieve the highest grade, "A-," on the Sustainable
Endowments Institute's 2009 College Sustainability Report Card. Oberlin is
also one of the ten "Coolest Schools" in *Sierra Magazine's* annual Green
College Guide.

Hailed by the *New York Times* for her "powerful playing and musicianly
energy," Kondonassis has appeared all over the world as a concerto soloist,
recitalist, and chamber musician. Equally powerful as a teacher, she has
guided her Oberlin students to success in many prestigious competitions,
including the American Harp Society National Competition, the American
String Teachers Association National Solo Competition, and the WAMSO Young
Artist Competition.

Kondonassis recently told *International Musician* magazine: "Teaching helps
my playing, which helps my recording, performing, and writing books, so it
doesn't feel like I have nine jobs, rather, it's one really interesting,
diverse job."

Beyond the walls of her teaching studio, Kondonassis' next collaboration
with Oberlin students will be a performance of Bright Sheng's harp concerto
*Never Far Away,* the composer's first concerto for harp and orchestra.
Composed for Kondonasssis, the concerto is underwritten by the San Diego
Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the Grand Rapids Symphony, and the Oberlin
Conservatory of Music. Kondonassis, performing with the San Diego Symphony
under the baton of Jahja Ling, will present the world premiere of *Never Far
Away* at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego on October 24, 2008. A
performance of the concerto by the Oberlin Orchestra, with Kondonassis as
soloist, is slated for the 2009-10 season.

*About Yolanda Kondonassis*
Yolanda Kondonassis is recognized as one of the world's foremost harpists,
performing both as a concerto soloist and as a recitalist throughout the
United States, Asia, and Europe.

Since making her debut at age 18 with the New York Philharmonic and Zubin
Mehta, she has appeared as soloist with such major orchestras as the
Cleveland Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, New York
Chamber Symphony, Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Phoenix
Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Florida Orchestra and
Hong Kong Philharmonic, to name a few. Other solo appearances include
engagements at Lincoln Center, the 92nd Street Y and Taiwan's National
Concert Hall.

As a Telarc recording artist, praised by *Gramophone* magazine for the
"clarity, colour, and rhythmic vitality of [her] playing," Kondonassis has
won universal critical acclaim for her 13 discs, which include much of the
standard repertoire, as well as her own transcriptions and compositions for
harp. With more than 100,000 albums sold worldwide, her latest
recording, *Salzedo's
Harp: Music of Carlos Salzedo *was released in 2007. Considered one of the
world's preeminent performers of the works of Carlos Salzedo, Kondonassis
presents an authentic and exciting glimpse of Salzedo's genius in this new
collection.

A devoted chamber musician, Kondonassis has performed at the Marlboro,
Spoleto, Tanglewood, Vail, Bay Chamber, Strings in the Mountains, Innsbrook,
and Mainly Mozart Festivals. She has collaborated with members of the Alban
Berg, Guarneri, Shanghai, and Vermeer string quartets. She also appears
regularly in concert with the Rossetti String Quartet, violinist Chee-Yun,
and flutist and CBS commentator Eugenia Zukerman. For more information,
visit www.yolandaharp.com.

*About Oberlin 21*
Oberlin 21 is comprised of an exceptional group of young artists at the
Oberlin Conservatory of Music, all of whom share a respect for the art and
sensibility of chamber music making in every ensemble setting, large or
small. In keeping with the mission of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music,
Oberlin 21 is devoted to creating music of the highest quality, showcasing
extraordinary talent, and exploring new musical landscapes. The ensemble was
founded in 2008.

*About the Oberlin Conservatory of Music*
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, founded in 1865 and situated amid the
intellectual vitality of Oberlin College since 1867, is the oldest
continuously operating conservatory in the United States. Renowned
internationally as a professional music school of the highest caliber and
pronounced a "national treasure" by the *Washington Post*, Oberlin's alumni
have gone on to achieve illustrious careers in all aspects of the serious
music world. Many of them have attained stature as solo performers,
composers, and conductors, among them Jennifer Koh, Steven Isserlis, Denyce
Graves, Franco Farina, Christopher Robertson, Lisa Saffer, George Walker,
Christopher Rouse, Huang Ruo, David Zinman, and Robert Spano. All of the
members of the contemporary sextet eighth blackbird, most of the members of
the International Contemporary Ensemble, and many of the members of Apollo's
Fire are Oberlin alumni. The Miró, Pacifica, Juilliard, and Fry Street
quartets, among other chamber ensembles, include Oberlin-trained musicians,
as do major orchestras and opera companies throughout the world. For more
information about Oberlin, visit www.oberlin.edu/con.

###

Marci Janas
Director of Conservatory Communications
and Editor, Oberlin Conservatory Magazine
Oberlin Conservatory of Music
39 West College Street
Oberlin, OH  44074
www.oberlin.edu/con
Voice: 440.775.8328
Fax: 440.775.5457
marci.janas at oberlin.edu
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