ARTHUR BEER INGA WILSON JONATHAN WEST JET PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF • by Vidaliamsay-Dethiraye Young conductor brings classical music to new audiences. Suzanne Chessler Special to the Jewish News J oshua Weilerstein, a 27-year-old conductor, tries to be collaborative as he moves among orchestras. "I try to take what an orchestra gives and mold it into what I think the composer was looking for," says Weilerstein. "I try to work together without imposing myself on the orchestra. Obviously, musicianship and technique are very important, but conduct- ing [involves] knowing how to work and making the atmosphere positive:' During an upcoming visit to Michigan, the conductor, who also plays violin, will appear in a series of concerts April 30-May 3. He will divide his time among neighbor- hood venues and Orchestra Hall as part of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series. The series brings Weilerstein's first appearances on area stages and his first col- laboration with the DSO, and will spotlight visiting pianist Louis Schwizgebel (who also makes his DSO debut). He will conduct a Mozart and More program, which includes Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 ("Jeunehomme"); Britten's "Four Sea Interludes" from Peter Grimes; Arvo Part's Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten; and Schumann's Symphony No. 1 ("Spring"). "While the program is varied, there are some deep and tenuous connec- tions among the pieces," Weilerstein says. "I think it's an exciting program" Weilerstein points out the obvious con- nection between the Britten and Arvo Part memorial segments. He also calls attention to the Mozart and Schumann pieces as being the works of young men. Based in New York, where he recently completed a three-year appointment as assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Weilerstein has been conducting the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra before he moves on to Detroit, part of a season that places him around the country and amid concert centers in Europe and Asia. Next, he will begin his tenure as artistic director designate of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne in Switzerland for the 2015-16 season. Weilerstein grew up in a Jewish household among professional musicians: His father, Donald, plays violin; his mother, Vivian, plays piano; and his sister, Alisa, plays cello. "I wasn't one of those kids who picked up the violin and decided this was it:' Weilerstein says. "I started the violin when I was 4 or 5 and quit. I started again when I was around 8, but it was not something I wanted to do as a job until I was about 15. "I went on a tour with my youth orchestra to Panama and Guatemala, where we played some concerts for thousands and thousands of kids who had never heard a symphony orchestra before. It was so inspiring to see how excited they got, and that influenced me. Also, the music we played was so won- derful that I felt I couldrit live without it" Conducting became his interest while studying at the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he worked with Ludovic Morlot, now Seattle Symphony conductor, and saw a DVD of Carlos Kleiber conducting. "It was life-changing to hear what Kleiber was able to do',' says Weilerstein, who has become one of the most sought-after conduc- tors in the world. He is committed to opening the traditional classical canon to new audi- ences while enlivening concert-going. Weilerstein had another life-changing event while in Jerusalem: He met his wife, Bernice Keshet, now a social work graduate student at Columbia University. "My wife is a cellist, but she's not doing that professionally," he says. "[Our meeting] was very serendipi- tous. It was her last festival on the cello, and it was my last festival on the violin:' The conductor sometimes helps his wife in volunteering at Upbeat NYC, part of the international El Sistema movement that teaches instrumental music to underprivi- leged youths. "When I went to Guatemala, it was incredible to hear what kids in El Sistema were capable of doing; he says. "Social change also was achieved. A lot of the kids have been taken off the streets and are doing something productive:' Weilerstein believes orchestras should have artistic and social missions, especially with public schools losing arts funding. "I think it's incredibly important to bring the arts to people' he says. "We cherish the devoted audiences, but bringing the orches- tra to communities is to the social good" DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHEII muggy night as we sii on the pine i a ' rangelcomesloSmaTiil, ouisiana setting off unimagined ripples Thai Mith fulfill athild's fish and lest a family's love and strength . *OFFICIAL SELECTION* *WINNER* AYTON PLAYHOUSE FUTUREFEST AUDIENCE FAVORITE 0014 .:-,-- 7 LONG BEACH PLAYHOUSE NUMBS FESTIVAL „ 2014 .• eo WINNER* AYTON PLAYHOUSE EllTUREFEST BRIAR ENSEMBLE THEATRE GENERATIONS Ann 2014 *OFFICIAL SELECTION* << PERFORMANCENETWORK FIRESIDE FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS 2014 Mil 248.788.2900 - WWW.JETTHEATRE.ORG JET Performs in the Ilion DeRos Theatre looted in the KC on the tomer of Maple & hike Roads in West Bloomfield MASCO THE KRESGE twittery FOUNDATION Pinteresq SHUBERT \ vu PARS s RESTAURANT Mediterranean Persian Cuisine 30005 Orchard Lake Road Farmington Hills (North of 13 Mile) www.parslresturant.com 248.851.8200 Pars Mediterranean Restaurant 20% Off Total Food Bill ❑ Joshua Weilerstein will conduct the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield; 10:45 a.m. Friday, May 1, at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn; and 8 p.m. Saturday, May 2 and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at Orchestra Hall in Detroit. $10-$25. 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