In a review of a Los Angeles Philharmonic concert, the LA Times described guest conductor Christie as a "daredevil fully in control." In conducting Respighi's Pines of Rome, the paper declared, "Christie drove the orchestra like a Lamborghini screeching down narrow, curvy Roman streets at high speeds, and never lost traction."
If we have forgotten that music is meant to give pleasure, it is Christie's gift to remind us.
~Arizona RepublicChristie pays homage to the classics with deft swipes of his baton, but he is also engaged in attracting a younger audience and creating a non-threatening environment for the classically initiated and uninitiated alike.
~Boulder WeeklyMichael Christie is innovative, energetic and enthusiastic—he is simply a joy to behold. The orchestra responds well to Michael, the soloists shine and the audience seems thrilled. The program choices are provocative, and I always leave with a renewed spirit and sense of wonder, and respect for Michael and the musicians.
~Colorado Music Festival patron
Dec 09 Jan 10 Feb 10 Mar 10 Apr 10
[Click on dates below to purchase tickets]
- Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m.—Phoenix Symphony, Sing-along Handel's Messiah—Symphony Hall
- Phoenix Symphony and Chorus, Handel's Messiah by Candlelight —Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m. (Church of the Beatitudes, Phoenix); Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m. (Rio Verde Community Church, Rio Verde); Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m. (North Hills Church of God, Phoenix); Dec. 13, 7 p.m. (Pinnacle Presbyterian Church, Scottsdale); Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m. (Central United Methodist Church, Phoenix), and Dec. 20, 2 p.m. (Mesa Arts Center)
- Jan. 8 and 9—Charlotte Symphony, Calin Lupanu, violin; Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Op. 8, Nos. 1-4, Bach/arr. Elgar's Fantasia and Fugue, Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4, Op. 90 (“Italian”)
Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m., Jan. 15,11 a.m., and Jan. 16, 8 p.m.—Phoenix Symphony, Puppeteer Basil Twist and The Escapades of Don Quixote with Tahuantinsuyo; Revueltas' Sensemayá, Gabriela Lena Frank's Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout, Ginastera's Estancia and de Falla's Master Peter’s Puppet Show—Symphony Hall
- Jan. 22 and Jan. 23, 8 p.m.—Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Piazzolla's Four Seasons of Buenos Aires with Robert Mealy and Karen Gomyo, violins—Orpheum Theatre
- Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 19, 11 a.m. and Feb. 20, 8 p.m.—Phoenix Symphony, Prokofiev's Symphony No. 1 "Classical," John Adams' Shaker Loops and Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf with 2008 Oscar-winning Best Animated Short Film—Symphony Hall
Mar. 4, 7:30 p.m., Mar. 5, 11 a.m. and Mar. 6, 8 p.m.—Phoenix Symphony, Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante with Daniel Mueller-Schott, cello, and Tchaikovsky's Suite for Orchestra No. 3—Symphony Hall
Beethoven Festival (April 1-10)
Apr. 1, 7:30 p.m. (Scottsdale Center for the Arts) and Apr. 3, 8 p.m.(Symphony Hall)—Phoenix Symphony, Beethoven's Violin Concerto with concertmaster/soloist Steven Moeckel and Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral"
- Apr. 2, 11 a.m.—Beethoven's Violin Concerto with concertmaster/
soloist Steven Moeckel and Symphony No. 1—Symphony Hall- Apr. 2, 8 p.m.—Beethoven's Violin Concerto with concertmaster/
soloist Steven Moeckel and Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"—Symphony Hall- Apr. 8, 7:30 p.m.—Beethoven's Grosse Fuge, German Dances and Symphony No. 7—Symphony Hall
- Apr. 9, 7:30 p.m.—Selections from Beethoven's Creatures of Prometheus, Symphony No. 7 and Symphony No. 8—Pinnacle Presbyterian Church, Scottsdale
- Apr. 10, 7:30 p.m.—Selections from Beethoven's Creatures of Prometheus, Leonore Overture No. 2 and Symphony No. 8—Symphony Hall
- Apr. 29, 7:30 p.m.—American Masters, Copland's "The City," John Adams' Chamber Symphony, Barber's Adagio for Strings and Hanson's Symphony No. 2 "Romantic"—Scottsdale Center for the Arts
- Apr. 30, 11 a.m.—John Adams' Chamber Symphony, Barber's Adagio for Strings and Hanson's Symphony No. 2 "Romantic"—Symphony Hall
December 2009
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