A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS – Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the classical music’s most famous foray into the world of exoticism. His Scheherazade is clad in luxurious orchestral colors. – the fairy tales of the One Thousand and One Nights have never been told with more vibrancy!

When you want to take a fantastic journey into the Far Far Away lands, there is hardly a better vessel than the orchestra. Symphonic music is peerlessly evocative. Just consider this description from our featured composition: the ship breaks up against a cliff surmounted by a bronze horseman. Now imagine the full orchestra playing that scene!

Recreating the legend of the Sultan Schahriar and the Sultana Scheherazade, the Russian Romantic composer Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the classical music’s most famous foray into the world of exoticism. His Scheherazade is clad in luxurious orchestral colors. The majestic tutti sections are intertwined with numerous instrumental solos. This is a perfect family outing – the fairy tales of the One Thousand and One Nights have never been told with more vibrancy!

# # # #

Sunday, June 17, 2018 – 3:00 PM

Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College – LeFrak Hall

65-30 Kissena Boulevard

Flushing, NY 11367

A Thousand and One Nights

Martin Majkut, Music Director & Conductor

Martin Majkut, Music Director of the Queens Symphony Orchestra in Queens, New York and the Rogue Valley Symphony in Ashland, Oregon, was named a 2016 Emerging Artist by the League of American Orchestras.

Born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), Martin graduated from the State Conservatory and served as Assistant Conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic while earning his Ph.D. in conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts. He worked with the Slovak Philharmonic, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Slovak State Philharmonic and Slovak Sinfonietta, among others.

Martin came to the U.S. as a Fulbright scholar in 2003 and earned a D.M.A., his second doctorate, in 2008, at the University of Arizona. He served as Resident Conductor of the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra and the Arizona Opera Studio Artist in Conducting. He also studied with Gianluigi Gelmetti at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy and Salvador Mas Conde at the Wiener Meisterkurse in Vienna, Austria.

Martin has served as Music Director of the Rogue Valley Symphony (RVS) in Ashland, Oregon since 2010. The RVS has experienced a remarkable growth under his leadership

and is enjoying an unprecedented level of support and enthusiasm in the community. The orchestra’s budget has more than doubled during his tenure while remaining balanced every year.

Starting with the 2017/18 season, Martin assumed the music directorship of the Queens Symphony Orchestra in New York. He is excited to be performing music for the most ethnically diverse community in the world.

Martin’s ability to inspire the orchestra and deliver exciting, polished and powerful performances results in enthused audiences and many sold out concerts. He has been called “amazing, supremely gifted” and “an incomparable, unique and perhaps irreplaceable asset” by the press.

The Queens Symphony Orchestra

For over 62 years, the Queens Symphony Orchestra has brought innovative and often groundbreaking programs to the Borough of Queens, the City of New York, and the nation. These programs have included Family Concerts, Masterworks Concerts, and the Salon series that have influenced classical music presentations across the City.

The Queens Symphony Orchestra is proud to be the host of three unparalleled core programs, with numerous presentations throughout the year; the Family Series, The Masterworks Series and the Salon Series. These programs, along with classic QSO programs such as the summer Concerts on the Green, allow the Queens Symphony Orchestra to accomplish its goal of bringing world-­‐class music and music education to the international community of Queens, while staying true to its mission of educating city residents and visitors of all ages about the universal value and necessity of orchestral music.

Through the Family Series, the QSO presents 3-­‐4 concerts per year at LeFrak Concert Hall on the campus of CUNY Queens College. At these concerts, music from around the world is presented in an exciting and informative program at a world-­‐class concert hall. These concerts are not only an excellent introduction to classical music for the young, but also an amazing opportunity for new and seasoned classical music-­‐lovers to witness a monumental live music experience free of charge; a rare occurrence today. The programs are just the right length, running approximately 90-­‐minutes on selected Sunday afternoons.

The QSO also features annual Masterworks concerts which, in the past, have featured the work of historic and contemporary American composers, and the great composers of Europe and the world. Masterworks concerts have also featured opera-­‐in-­‐concert performances with works by Puccini and other great operatic composers and librettists.

The Great Lawn Concerts are QSO classics. Each year, the Queens Symphony plays free, outdoor concerts at Astoria Park and St. John’s University, Queens Campus and at other venues in the borough. These concerts continue the New York City tradition of free, open-­‐ air summer classical concerts and have become a fixture in their communities.