JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition

THREE FINALISTS NAMED IN 2010 JOANN FALLETTA INTERNATIONAL GUITAR CONCERTO COMPETITION

Winner to be chosen after finals event with BPO on June 4

BUFFALO, NY – June 2, 2010 After two days of performances and considerable deliberation by the judges, three classical guitarists will proceed to the finals round of the fourth biennial JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition, produced by WNED and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Artyom Dervoed of Russia; Nemanja Ostojić of Serbia; and Thomas Viloteau of France were selected following semifinal rounds held on Tuesday and Wednesday at Kleinhans Music Hall. The announcement was made by BPO Music Director JoAnn Falletta, for whom the Competition is named. (See biographies below.)

“From a pool of 40 of the world’s finest young guitarists, the real challenge has been to find the three that will represent the Falletta Competition on the world stage,” said Competition Artistic Directors Joanne Castellani and Michael Andriaccio. “Selecting the winner will be an exciting and fascinating process.”

The three finalists will perform concerti for judges and a live audience on Friday, June 4 at 7:30 pm in Kleinhans Music Hall with the BPO, directed by Falletta. Immediately following, audience and orchestra members will cast ballots to select the winners of the Audience Favorite Award and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Musicians Choice Award, respectively.

The competition winner, to be announced following Friday’s performances, will receive a prize package featuring $7,500 cash (US); broadcast exposure; a concert tour, including a return engagement with the BPO and appearances with the Virginia Symphony (JoAnn Falletta, Music Director), at the Round Top Music Festival in Texas and other venues; and a Luthier Concert Guitar from Guitarras Alhambra in Spain.

The competition is judged by Castellani and Andriaccio, internationally acclaimed touring and recording artists; Michael Colina, New York-based Grammy® winning jazz composer; Micaela Pittaluga, founder of the Alessandria International Guitar Competition and president of the Pittaluga Competition; Ernesto Bitetti, a classical guitarist who has performed with orchestras worldwide; Ernesto Cordero, a composer and guitarist whose Caribbean-influenced music is performed and recorded worldwide; and Laura Oltman, a guitarist acclaimed for her recital and chamber music performances.

Tickets for the finals event ($37-$70) are available at the door; at the BPO box office (weekdays, 9 am to 6 pm) at Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 14201 (Porter Avenue entrance); by phone at (716) 885-5000; or online at www.bpo.org.

Free Guitar Days community performances will each feature one of the remaining 2010 semifinalists. The public is invited to attend the events taking place on June 3 at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute Atrium (11 a.m. – 1 a.m.); the Buffalo & Erie County Central Library, Fables Café (11 a.m. – 1 a.m.); Merge Restaurant, 439 Delaware Ave., Buffalo (11 a.m. – 1 a.m.); and the Chautauqua Institution, Fletcher Hall, withfree parking and entry to grounds (11 a.m. – noon) and on June 4 at the Roycroft Inn, 40 S. Grove St., East Aurora (11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., tentative time); Park Creek Senior Living Community, 410 Mill St, Williamsville (1:30 p.m. performance followed by private reception); and Holy Cross Church, 7th and Maryland Sts., Buffalo (1 – 3 p.m. Guitarra Dia program in Spanish and English). Select guitarists also will visit schools and work with local students.

For more information, contact Wendy Diina, Managing Director, at 716-845-7000, ext. 346, or visit www.fallettacompetition.org.

The 2010 Falletta Competition is presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York. It is also sponsored, in part, by: NOCO, 757 Productions, Inc., T.G. DeZastro MD, Fichte Endl & Elmer Eyecare, Niagara Lutheran Health System, Alesco Advisors, Ward Family Foundation, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Buffalo Spree Magazine, Catholic Health, Buffalo Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau, Child and Family Services, Kaz Brothers, Buffalo Optical, Park Creek Senior Living Community, Robertson & Bach Fine Jewelry, OTB, Batavia Downs Casino, Dunn Tire, Ecology and Environment, Inc. and ECVA Eyecare.

Additional support is provided by GSP San Francisco, Adam’s Mark hotel, Prospero Restaurant, Wegmans, the Anchor Bar, Savarez, Editions Orphée, Fleur du Son Classics, Alhambra Guitars, Pearl Street Grill and Brewery, and the Friends of Falletta.

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