Mahler & Villa-Lobos
Jorge Soto, conductor & Music Director Finalist
Sarah Brailey, soprano
WEBER arr. MAHLER
Die drei Pintos - Entr’acte
VILLA-LOBOS
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5: Aria (Cantilena)
MAHLER
Symphony No. 4 in G major
Jorge Soto, conductor
Sarah Brailey, soprano
About the Community Partner
Benefiting Violence Transformed
Violence Transformed, an arts and social justice initiative of the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University, draws upon the creative energies of artists throughout New England to document and celebrate the many ways in which our diverse communities harness art’s potential to effect social change and transform our environments. Learn more >>
About the Music Director Finalist
Photo by Toby Oft
Jorge Soto, conductor
Jorge Soto is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist with an active and diverse career both in North and South America. Currently, he is the Principal Conductor of the New Philharmonia Orchestra, the Principal Guest Conductor of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, and the Music Director of the Sistema Side-by-Side Orchestra at Longy School of Music.
In addition to his regular posts, Mr. Soto has collaborated with several orchestras, most recently the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has twice conducted the Boston Symphony Chamber Players: first in October 2019 for a performance of Stravinsky’s Octet at Jordan Hall, and again at Symphony Hall in December 2020, leading the ensemble in Elena Langer’s Five Reflections on Water. The latter performance was filmed and released as part of a BSO streaming concert in January 2021. Mr. Soto also served as assistant or cover conductor on several occasions throughout the BSO’s 2020-21 online season. In addition, he assisted Gustavo Dudamel in the preparation of Puccini’s Turandot with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela in December 2015. Also a passionate educator, he has worked with orchestras at Assumption University and Clark University.
Born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Mr. Soto is a product of El Sistema, an innovative program that uses classical music as a vehicle for social change. He began his musical studies in Venezuela at the Vicente Emilio Sojo State Conservatory, later studying violin at the Latin American Academy of Violin under Rhio Sanchez and José Francisco Del Castillo. A founding member of the Simón Bolívar National Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, he has also performed with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. He remains very active in El Sistema in Venezuela, where he teaches violin, coaches chamber music, and conducts orchestras around the country, including serving as a guest conductor with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Soto graduated with a Master of Music degree in conducting from the New England Conservatory. His conducting teachers and mentors include Harold Farberman, Stephen Tucker, Jani Telaranta, and Charles Peltz. On violin, he has studied with Sophie Vilker, Janne Malmivaara, Peter Sulski, and Timothy Schwarz.
About the Soloist
Photo by Miranda Loud
Sarah Brailey, soprano
GRAMMY Award-winning soprano Sarah Brailey enjoys a versatile career that defies categorization. Praised by The New York Times for her “radiant, liquid tone,” and by Opera UK for “a sound of remarkable purity,” she is a prolific vocalist, cellist, recording artist, and educator.
Sarah’s numerous career highlights include performing Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato with the Mark Morris Dance Group, serenading the Mona Lisa with John Zorn’s Madrigals at the Louvre in Paris, and performing the role of The Soul in the world premiere recording of Dame Ethel Smyth’s The Prison, for which she received the 2020 GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. Other notable recent and upcoming projects include Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Colorado Symphony; Julia Wolfe’s Her Story with the Lorelei Ensemble and the Boston, Chicago, Nashville, National, and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras; and the Brahms Requiem with the Johnstown Symphony.
Sarah is a member of Beyond Artists, a coalition of artists that donates a percentage of their concert fees to non-profit organizations. Through Beyond Artists, she supports the Natural Resources Defense Council, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, and the Animal Welfare Institute. Sarah is the Director of Vocal Studies at the University of Chicago. www.sarahbrailey.com.
Audience Health and Safety
Longwood Symphony, at its core, is deeply committed to the health and safety of our audience, musicians and staff.
Proof of vaccination is required for all guests. Masks are recommended.
All audience members must present proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 (including a BOOSTER for all who are eligible) upon arrival. Proof of a negative COVID-19 test will be allowed for children under the age of 5 only. Please visit our Health & Safety Guidelines page for more details and to review additional protocols.
Exchanges and ticket donations can be made up to 24 hours in advance of the originally ticketed concert date by emailing info@longwoodsymphony.org or calling 617-987-0100. We cannot guarantee the same seats will be available for the exchanged concert. Refunds will be offered if you are unable to exchange or donate. Subject to availability.
Discounts for groups of 10 or more are available. Please contact info@longwoodsymphony.org or call 617-987-0100 to arrange.
All programs are subject to change.