Cunard Line Presents the National Symphony Orchestra 2008-2009 Red Series

NSO Musicians to Sail aboard Queen Mary 2’s September 8, 2009 Transatlantic Crossing

July 10, 2008 – Cunard Line is proud to announce a new partnership with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), an artistic affiliate of Washington, D.C.’s famed Kennedy Center.  A highlight of the new alliance is the organization’s upcoming debut aboard Queen Mary 2 as featured guests of the acclaimed Cunard Insights programme.  Six Kennedy Center Chamber Players and Nigel Boon, NSO director of artistic planning, will present programmes (including three performances and three lectures) on the ship’s September 8, 2009 Eastbound Transatlantic Crossing.  In addition, Cunard is the presenting sponsor of the NSO’s 2008 - 2009 Red Series, a seven-performance classical series spanning from October 2008 to May 2009 featuring the finest artistic programming and guest artists from around the world.

“This new partnership further illustrates Cunard’s commitment to supporting the performing arts,” said Carol Marlow, president of Cunard Line.   “Whether it is our sponsorship of cultural institutions such as the National Symphony Orchestra or our own Cunard Insights onboard enrichment programme, our dedication to culture and the arts is reflected in virtually everything we do.”
     
The National Symphony Orchestra performs approximately 175 concerts each year in Washington and abroad. Highlights of the Red Series include concerts with Iván Fischer, the NSO’s new Principal Conductor, as well as programmes by such luminaries as Itzhak Perlman, Michael Christie, Ilan Volkov and Kurt Masur. The Red Series comprises one-third of the NSO’s 21-week classical subscription season.
  
The Kennedy Center Chamber Players have earned extraordinary praise from its very first performance in November 2003. The chamber ensemble consists of National Symphony Orchestra principals and performs several times a year, exploring various facets of chamber music repertoire.  The core ensemble consists of six principal players: violinist Nurit Bar-Josef, violinist Marissa Regni, violist Daniel Foster, cellist David Hardy, pianist Lambert Orkis and clarinetist Loren Kitt.

In addition, Nigel Boon, the NSO’s director of artistic planning, will be on hand to present a series of lectures reflective of his 30 years of personal experience in classical music.  A master of languages and linguistics, Boon’s expertise spans music publishing, advertising, promotion, product management and production.  Most recently, he served as executive producer for conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s new CD label “Soli Deo Gloria.”  He joined the NSO in February 2007.
 
Throughout its 77-year history, the NSO has been committed to both artistic excellence and music education.  In 1986, it became the artistic affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the nation’s center for the performing arts, where it has presented a concert season annually since the Center opened in 1971. The Orchestra itself numbers 100 musicians, presenting a 52-week season of approximately 175 concerts each year. These include classical subscription series, pops concerts, and one of the country’s most extensive educational programs.   
     
Cunard has long been synonymous with onboard enrichment.  Delving deeply into a variety of compelling and relevant topics, Cunard Insights introduces guests to stimulating experts and accomplished visionaries who reflect the line's heritage of adventure and prestige.  Through a series of lectures, Q&A's, debates, social gatherings, and workshops, guests connect with personalities who have achieved notable distinction in areas including history, world affairs, science, politics, arts and literature.  Recently named “Best Onboard Educational Programme” by Porthole Magazine, the Insights programme underscores Cunard’s longstanding view that onboard entertainment should afford guests a provocative and rewarding cerebral experience.