Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Begins To Scout Conducting And New Music Terrain Beyond Kent Nagano And 2009

On Thursday, Kent Nagano led the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra in Berlin-based Grawemeyer Prize winning composer Unsuk Chin's "Cantatrix Sopranica" for two sopranos and countertenor; as well as George Benjamin's "Olicantus", for Oliver Knussen's birthday. Next season, the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra will audition three conductors to replace Kent Nagano in 2009. Quasi-humanistic new music highlights of next season include Mr Nagano conducting Toshio Hosokawa's Piano Concerto (with Momo Kodama); Hugh Wolff conducting Aaron Jay Kernis's "... of Feet and Meters," Osvaldo Golijov's "Night of the Flying Horses," and Shostakovich's "From Jewish Folk Poetry"; Guillermo Figueroa conducting Roberto Sierra's "Boriken"; and Laura Jackson conducting Susan Botti's "Translucence."