Thursday, November 3, 2016

Interview with Ida Angland, Music Director and Conductor of the Gateway Orchestra

Current Program

The question 'why aren't there more women conductors?' is still a relevant question in the music industry,yet there are now more women succeeding in this glorious vocation. Swimming against the tide of the classical music culture's history of a paucity of women conductors takes courage, persistence, vision, commitment and talent.  These qualities
are what helped Ida Angland succeed in her endeavour to be taken seriously in her
profession and bring classical music to a broader audience.


 I invited Ida Angland, conductor and music director of her own orchestra Gateway Classic Music Society and Orchestra to be a guest because she is one of Connecticut's women leading this frontier. She built her orchestra and produces classical music concerts in local churches and venues. Her mission is  offer an intimate experience of high quality classical music to her community. 

Her charismatic musicianship and breathtaking and abundant invention create
performances filled with exhilarating delight. To find out more about her concerts
go to her website www.gatewayclassical.org


The interview is being broadcast on Cablevision/Altice Channel 88 CT on Tuesday, November 8th at 9pm and  onThursday, November 10th at 5:30pm.  The program will repeat on subsequent Tuesdays and Thursdays on the times until December 2nd 2016


Ida Angland.





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ABOUT IDA ANGLAND

Ida Angland, Artistic Director and Conductor, is dedicated to providing opportunities for artists on the rise and reconnecting audiences to great masterworks through Gateway's performances designed to achieve impact and intimacy. Gateway's Great Works of Art performances with the Gateway Orchestra have received enthusiastic response by audiences in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey and have been described in reviews as ''thrilling,'' ''compelling'' (Greenwich Time) ''a revelation'' ''unforgettable,'' and ''amazing'' (The Italian Voice).  Ms Angland has been characterized as having ''inner genius,'' ''flair,'' ''idealism,'' and ''grit.'' (Italian Voice, Greenwich Time and Opera-L) and being "specially gifted" (Brooklyn Eagle).  ​​Prior  and concurrent to her involvement with Gateway, Ms Angland assistant conducted with the New York Grand Opera for seven years for numerous operas and concerts in Central Park and Carnegie Hall.  She began her music training as a pianist. When she was 12 years old, she was the youngest of four contestants chosen by the National Federation of Music Clubs and the University of North Carolina as the state's ''most promising'' musical talents. She continued her music training at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Peabody Conservatory and Indiana University studying with, among others, Konrad Wolff, Elaine Bonazzi and Margaret Harshaw. Ms Angland sang professionally as a soprano with regional opera companies. Other featured guest appearances have included the Metropolitan Museum of Art and WQXR.






One of Ida's missions is to develop and showcase young talented artists she features
in her concerts
Yezu (Elizabeth)Woo Violin Soloist


Yezu (Elizabeth) Woo, Violinist has performed as a recitalist and soloist in major concert halls and with orchestras worldwide including the North Czech Philharmonic, Slowakishe Radio Symphonie Orchester, Bulgaria Symphony, Romanian National Constanza Orchestra, Venezuela Philharmonic, New Jersey Philharmonic, Bozeman Symphony and the Pyongyang Symphony of North Korea, as well as the Sungnam, KBS, Jeju, Mostly Philharmonic and Gangwon Province's Orchestras of South Korea. She debuted at Carnegie Hall in 2004 as the youngest performer to have performed all of Paganini’s 24 Caprices for solo violin. She has performed outside the realm of classical music with the KBS Korean Traditional Orchestra that presents a fusion of Korean traditional music and classical music. ​​Born in Freiburg, Germany, Ms. Woo returned to Korea as an infant; and, at the age of 10, she moved to the U.S. where she later studied with Albert Markov at the Manhattan School of Music and with Catherine Cho at The Juilliard School. ​​The 2015 Gateway Orchestra Tri-State Tour featured Ms Woo in the Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1.


Xiao Wang, Violin Soloist


Xiao Wang, Violinist, was the first prize winner of the Szigeti International Violin Competition and laureate of the 2015 Queen Elizabeth Competition in addition to having won numerous other prizes and awards. He has performed as a soloist and collaborator with orchestras worldwide including the National Orchestra of Belgium, Kodaly Philharmonic Orchestra in Hungary, Gewandhaus Academisches Orchester in Leipzig, Germany, the Texas Music Festival Orchestra and others. Mr. Wang was quoted by the New York Times as “… wonderfully clean in Sibelius, and he made the most of its expressive opportunities.” He is a passionate chamber musician having collaborated with Phillip Entremont and the American String Quartet, as well as members of the Mendelssohn String Quartet and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Wang currently studies with Lucie Robert at the Manhattan School of Music where he has been awarded a full scholarship. The 2015 Gateway Orchestra Tri-State featured Mr. Wang in the Sibelius Violin Concerto

Other feature artists in Gateway Classical Music Society Performances




Lisbeth LLoyd, Soprano, has performed as a soloist throughout the United States, Europe, and the Far East. She has sung with New York City Opera, St. Louis Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera and in numerous concert halls throughout the United States. Ms Lloyd’s operatic roles have included Violetta in La Traviata, Musetta in La Boheme, Micaela in Carmen, and the Governess in The Turn Of The Screw. She has premiered many contemporary roles including the role of Blondie in Peter Schickele’s The Abduction of Figaro, which was broadcast on Public Broadcasting and performed at Avery Fisher Hall; Mrs. Charmond in Stephen Paulus’ The Woodlanders; and Livia in The Mask of Evil by Henry Mollicone. Ms Llloyd trained at The Juilliard School, works as a vocal coach and is the Director of Youth Choirs at the Second Congregational Church in Greenwich where, under her directorship, the Youth Choir has performed at St. Peter’s in the Vatican among places. The November 13th New World Initiative concert, will be Ms Lloyd’s first appearance with the Gateway Orchestra.



Guest Artist Violinist Davide de Ascanis

Davide de Ascaniis, Violinist, has toured as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Asia, Canada, USA and Europe. He has appeared in the festival of the Nippon Foundation in Tokyo, Mozarteum Festival in Salzburg, International Music Festival Bled (Slovenia) to high acclaim. He performed as a soloist at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Disney Hall in Los Angeles, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, National Theater and National Concert Hall of Taipei and Merkin Hall in New York. Born in Italy in 1991 to a family of musicians, Mr. de Ascaniis began studying the violin at the age of eight and made solo appearances with orchestra a year later. He received a Master’s Degree cum laude from the Conservatorio Pedrollo in Vicenza at the age of 16 where he graduated with honors. He also earned a Diploma at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and currently resides in New York City where he studies with Albert Markov. Mr. de Ascaniis played the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Gateway Orchestra for the 2014 spring mini tour in celebration of Gateway’s tenth anniversary year. 




Ida Angland with Guest Artist Violinist Davide de Ascanis