Glacier Symphony premieres conductor John Zoltek’s cello concerto

The 39th season of the Glacier Symphony and Chorale celebrates the 25th anniversary of the leadership of Maestro John Zoltek as music director and conductor with the upcoming concert titled “Illumination” Nov. 20 and 21. The concert will feature the world premiere of Zoltek’s newly composed cello concerto, “Through Tamarack and Pine,” written for and performed by Robert deMaine, acclaimed principal cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

A first-prize winner in national and international competitions, deMaine was the first cellist to win the grand prize at San Francisco’s prestigious Irving M. Klein International Competition for Strings. As soloist, he has collaborated with many of the world’s distinguished conductors, and performed nearly all the major cello concertos with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in his decade there as principal cellist. A founding member of the Ehnes Quartet in 2010, he also performs in a piano trio with violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Natalie Zhu.

DeMaine and Zoltek have been acquainted for years.

“... We share a common ancestral bond and a commonality of music aesthetics,” Zoltek said. “Robert has appeared twice before as soloist with the Glacier Symphony and I approached him about another opportunity (as I enjoy his deep love of music, fun spirit, communication talent and substantial musical artistry!).” It was in discussions about what work to perform on this MasterWorks Concert that the idea came for an original composition.”

“I was deeply honored that he agreed to write something for me — especially since John’s plate is so full as music director and conductor of the Glacier Symphony and Festival Amadeus,” deMaine said.

Over the course of four months the manuscript of the three movement concerto was completed on Sept. 13.

“For a number of years I had been composing and playing specific musical material with a rhapsodic and rustic quality for a work that I was hoping to one day fashion into a nature-inspired symphonic piece,” Zoltek said. “This material became the foundation for the second middle movement of this concerto. The subtitle alludes to one who is perhaps gazing through a scene of beautiful trees on towards a mountainscape in the distance ...The contemplation of our perception and the rugged power and silence of the mountains in the distance is what informs the extra-musical content.”

“I truly believe it has the potential to be one of the important American cello concertos in the repertoire,” deMaine said. “John has an instinctive feel for the cello. Throughout the piece there is gorgeous lyricism, even in the fast passages.”

Also on the program is the “Firebird Suite” by Igor Stravinsky, compiled from his complete ballet of the same name, and Jean Sibelius’s beautiful and pivotal work, the “Symphony No. 3 in C Major.”

The concerts will take place at the Performance Hall of Flathead High School Saturday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 21, at 3 p.m. All patrons and individuals are strongly encouraged to wear facial coverings while in attendance at the venue.

Tickets are available by calling the box office at 406-407-7000. More information for each concert and the purchase of tickets online can be found on the website https://glaciersymphony.org/.