Although Mr. Dudley stepped in for conductor William Eddins on less than one day's notice to conduct the CSO in two subscription concerts with guest pianist Jon Kimura Parker last season, these concerts mark his formal CSO subscription debut.

"I'm incredibly excited to conduct these subscription concerts with the CSO," said Eric Dudley. "Dvořák's Fourth Symphony is a lush, beautiful and rarely-heard youthful masterpiece deserving of much more attention, and it will be the perfect pairing for Dennis Matsuev's fiery interpretation of Prokofiev's show-stopping Third Piano Concerto. I'm also thrilled to be able to lead the Cincinnati premiere of Steven Paulus's brilliant Concertante-with the composer himself in attendance, it promises to be a wonderful and even historic event."

Audiences are invited to learn more about the music at Classical Conversations with Stephen Paulus, composer, one hour before the performances. Classical Conversations is presented by Joseph-Beth Booksellers.

The CSO thanks The Private Client Group at National City Bank for its generous support of these concerts.

Denis Matsuev

Since winning the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1998, Denis Matsuev has enjoyed a busy international career. In Russia he has performed with the major Russian orchestras and in 2003 was invited to participate at a concert celebrating the 300th anniversary of the city of St. Petersburg. Among the American orchestras he has performed with are Baltimore, Cincinnati (his debut, in December 2002), Indianapolis, Toledo and Utah.

Denis Matsuev was born into a family of musicians in the city of Irkutsk, Siberia in 1975. He began piano studies at an early age and made his debut at the age of nine. When he was 16 he moved to Moscow to continue his professional training at the Moscow Central Specialized Music School and graduated from the Moscow Conservatory. His awards include being named a Laureate of the 1998 International Piano Competition in Paris.

Mr. Matsuev has served as the artistic director for the Stars on Baikal Festival in Irkutsk and the Crescendo Festival in Moscow, which pairs the most gifted Russian soloists from around the world with the top Russian orchestras. The success of the Crescendo Festival led to it being under the patronage of the President of the Russian Federation.

Mr. Matsuev's recordings on the BMG Classics/RCA Red Seal label include his debut CD, Tribute to Horowitz and Tchaikovsky's Seasons paired with Stravinsky's Petrouchka.

Eric Dudley

Eric Dudley was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in August 2004. In addition to his duties as cover conductor for the CSO and Pops, Mr. Dudley is the conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra-the 11th conductor for the CSYO since its founding in 1964.
Now in his third season with the CSO, Mr. Dudley's role has grown to include the planning and conducting of the complete Young People's Concerts series, as well as the popular Lollipop Family Concerts. This season he leads concerts with the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, including the annual joint concert with the CSO at Music Hall in May.

Since his arrival in Cincinnati, Mr. Dudley has been active in community outreach at area schools, special events, and radio and television shows. As part of the CSO's Sound Discoveries program, he visits classrooms around the region to work with student ensembles and talk about conducting and classical music. He helps to organize the CSO's popular pre-concert Classical Conversations series, on which he continues to appear frequently as a speaker and host. -- www.cincinnatisymphony.org