{"id":685,"date":"2008-10-04T01:32:32","date_gmt":"2008-10-04T01:32:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2008\/10\/04\/oregon-east-symphony-press-release\/"},"modified":"2008-10-04T01:34:47","modified_gmt":"2008-10-04T01:34:47","slug":"oregon-east-symphony-press-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2008\/10\/04\/oregon-east-symphony-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Oregon East Symphony Press Release-"},"content":{"rendered":"

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October 3, 2008<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: <\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

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Pendleton \u2013 The Oregon East Symphony<\/span> regrets to announce that Kenneth Woods<\/span>, will be stepping down as the orchestra\u2019s Conductor and Music Director<\/span> at the end of this season. Woods made his announcement at a Board of Directors meeting on Thursday night. <\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

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Woods originally came to Eastern Oregon<\/span> in 1999, when he took\u00a0up the\u00a0position of professor of cello at Eastern Oregon University and music director of the Grande Ronde Symphony.One year later, he came to\u00a0Pendleton and the Oregon East\u00a0Symphony, when, at\u00a0the conclusion of the orchestra\u2019s conductor search in 2000, Woods was chosen to take over as Music Director and Conductor. Even after relocating to Wales in 2003, Woods maintained his connection to the symphony, commuting across the Atlantic for concerts and other events. <\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIt wasn\u2019t an easy decision to make, or to announce,\u201d said Woods of his resignation. \u201cI\u2019ve genuinely loved every concert and project we\u2019ve done throughout these nine years, and I\u2019ve made many life-long friends here. But, moving ahead is important for all artists, and, much as I\u2019ll miss my friends in the orchestra and the community, it\u2019s time to move on to new projects and new challenges.\u201d<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

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Through a widely hailed improvement in artistic standards and active recruitment of soloists of international standard, Woods re-energized local and regional audiences and players during the early years of his tenure with OES. He also played a big role in the creation of the organization\u2019s preparatory orchestra and popular Summer Music Camp. <\/strong>Under Woods\u2019 direction, the orchestra has presented world premieres of works by regional composers, tackled some of the biggest works in the symphony repertoire, and hosted its first composer-in-residence in 2003. In 2005, he started a series of chamber music concerts<\/span> and recitals in support of musician compensation. In his final season with OES, Woods will direct the group in its fourth Mahler symphony in as many seasons and complete the orchestra\u2019s cycle of Beethoven\u2019s symphonies, both rare feats for a rural orchestra. <\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThroughout my time here, this has been an orchestra of surprises, always making something special happen at every concert,\u201d said Woods,\u00a0 \u201cbut these last few years when we discovered that not only could we play Mahler here, but do it rather well, are ones I\u2019ll always remember.\u201d<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

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Woods has agreed to stay on as musical advisor, to assist the OES board with the search for a new music director<\/span> and to oversee programming and artistic planning until a new conductor is in place. He is also scheduled to conduct the first concert of next season. \u201cI\u2019m pleased that Ken has made himself available in this capacity,\u201d says OES Executive Director, Christina van der Kamp, \u201cin addition to his talent as a conductor, he has always been a wonderful professional resource for the organization and has provided a valuable connection to the larger symphonic music world.\u201d <\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

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Once he moves on from Pendleton, Woods\u2019 will continue his busy schedule of conducting orchestras across Britain and the US,\u00a0and broadcast work with the BBC. He recently signed a recording contract with Avie Records<\/span> and will begin recording the first disk with the Northern Sinfonia<\/span> next September.\u00a0 He will also continue to travel to Portland each summer to direct the Rose City International Conductors Workshop, which he founded in 2005, and now one of the premiere summer training institutes for up-and-coming conducting talent in the US . <\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

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For further information contact: <\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

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Christina van der Kamp<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Executive Director<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

director@oregoneastsymphony.org<\/span><\/font><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

(541) 276-0320<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

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