James Lowe - Comeback!
Vasa stadsorkester
cond. James Lowe
sol. Monika-Evelin Liiv
The British conductor James Lowe, who was chief conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra from 2016 to 2020, is making a long-awaited comeback with the orchestra. The soloist in this southern-tinged, warming concert is the Estonian mezzo-soprano Monika-Evelin Liiv, a member of the singing ensemble at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London. In both Manuel de Falla’s Seven Spanish Folksongs and the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi’s Il Tramonto, she will have the opportunity to display both drama and her full technical artistry. We will also hear Juan Arriaga’s Symphony in D major—full of fire and temperament—as well as de Falla’s suite from the ballet El sombrero de tres picos. These works naturally belong to the canon of Spanish music.
Program
Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga
Symfoni i D-dur
Manuel de Falla
Siete canciones populares españolas
Ottorino Respighi
Il tramonto
Manuel de Falla
Svit ur baletten El sombrero de tres picos
Artists
James Lowe, conductor
Former Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra, James Lowe is the 8th Music Director of the Spokane Symphony USA, a position he has held since the 2019/20 season. Internationally recognized for his imaginative programming, and deep commitment to connecting music with communities, he has shaped a dynamic artistic vision in Spokane, championing underrepresented voices, creating programs that resonate across generations, and affirming his belief that classical music is for everyone. Alongside his work on the podium, he remains dedicated to engaging new audiences and to his long-standing commitment to youth music.
Lowe’s career has taken him to five continents, collaborating with leading orchestras in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the United States. As a guest conductor he has appeared with ensembles including the Indianapolis Symphony, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Osaka Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, The Hallé Orchestra, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic, Luxembourg Philharmonic, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Scottish Ballet, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony, and the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera.
Previously, Lowe served as Chief Conductor Prueßisches Kammerorchester (Germany), as Associate Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and as Orchestras Advisor to the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland. His work as Artistic Director of the Hallé Harmony Youth Orchestra was featured in a four-part documentary broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK. A recipient of the Bernard Haitink Fund for Young Talent, he also worked as Assistant Conductor to Haitink in performances with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.
Educated at the University of Edinburgh, Lowe further developed his craft as Benjamin Zander Conducting Fellow with the Boston Philharmonic and in masterclasses with renowned teachers including Jorma Panula, Neeme Järvi, Bernard Haitink, and Valery Gergiev. In addition to his conducting work, Lowe is an active educator and conducting teacher. He is a regular guest teacher with the conducting class at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, has frequently taught alongside Professor Johannes Schlaefli in international workshops, and worked as a guest teacher of the conducting class at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and the Elder Conservatorium, Adelaide. His current research examines how orchestras can effectively engage with a broader public, building on his lifelong commitment to expanding access to classical music.
Monika-Evelin Liiv, mezzo soprano
Praised by Opera Now as a “world-class mezzo with scrupulous musicality and fine technique,” Estonian mezzo-soprano Monika-Evelin Liiv is a graduate of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, the Lithuanian Music Academy, and a former member of the Royal Opera House’s prestigious Jette Parker Young Artist Programme.
Liiv made her Covent Garden debut as Flora in La traviata alongside Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky. She has since returned to perform a wide range of roles at the Royal Opera House including Mercédès (Carmen), Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte), 2nd Maid (Elektra), Ines (Il trovatore), Popova (The Bear), Die Kunstgewerblerin (Lulu), and Flora in La traviata-the latter two released on DVD by Opus Arte. She has also covered key roles such as Mary (Der fliegende Holländer), Olga (Eugene Onegin), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Jocaste and Merope in Enescu’s Oedipe.
A recipient of the Estonian Cultural Endowment Award and two-time winner of the Estonian Theatre Award for Outstanding Performance, Liiv’s operatic highlights include Amneris (Aida), Polina (Pique Dame), Dritte Dame (Die Zauberflöte), and both Cornelia and the title roles in Giulio Cesare and Rinaldo at the Estonian National Opera. Other notable performances include Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) and Polina (Pique Dame) with Israeli Opera and several roles at the Finnish National Opera such as Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Polina (Pique Dame), Voice from Above (Parsifal), and the Serving Maid/Voice of an Unborn Child (Die Frau ohne Schatten) as well as appearances in France as Ulrika (Un ballo in maschera), Eboli (Don Carlo), and Annina (Der Rosenkavalier).
Liiv is also an accomplished concert soloist, with repertoire including Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Mozart’s Requiem, and Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky. She has performed internationally in France, Canada, Finland, Estonia, Israel, Lithuania, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, and the USA, under the baton of conductors such as Sir Antonio Pappano, Daniel Oren, Sir Mark Elder, Carlo Rizzi, Keri-Lynn Wilson, Stefano Ranzani, Jan Latham-Koenig, Eri Klas, Arvo Volmer, Andres Mustonen, Leif Segerstam, Daniele Rustioni and Mikko Franck.
Recent highlights include appearances at the Edinburgh International Festival and the BBC Proms, as well as a return to the Royal Opera House for Azucena (Il Trovatore), Marthe (Faust), Grimgerde in Wagner’s Walküre, Azucena (Il Trovatore) at the Estonian National Opera and Verdi’s Requiem with both the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and the West London Symphony Orchestra. Upcoming engagements include Erda (Das Rheingold) in Tartu, which will be the first performance of Wagner’s Ring Cycle in Estonia, as well as a reprise of Azucena (Il Trovatore) at the Estonian National Opera.