David Wolf Joins ISO For "Concert With A Cause"

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra welcomes NASA astronaut and Indianapolis native David Wolf, who will provide narration as part of ISO Principal Tuba Anthony Kniffin's performance of the popular children's work Tubby the Tuba to highlight a special concert evening benefiting Riley Children's Foundation and the Orchestra in the second annual Concert With A Cause Tuesday, January 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Hilbert Circle Theatre.

Also joining the Orchestra will be guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero and the Cantantes Angeli group of the Indianapolis Children's Choir. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Riley Children's Foundation's mission to support research and treatment at Riley Hospital for Children, Camp Riley for Youth with Physical Disabilities, and the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home, as well as the Indianapolis Symphony's 2007 Annual Fund, which supports the Orchestra's education outreach programs. Concert With A Cause is sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company.

The concert will include movements from Beethoven's popular Symphony No. 5 in C Major, David Wolf's collaboration with Anthony Kniffin (whose infant twin son was recently treated at Riley Hospital for Children) in George Kleinsinger's Tubby the Tuba, excerpts from Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel featuring the Indianapolis Children's Choir, the opening fanfare from Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey), with other special works and surprises to be featured as part of the program. Following the concert, Dr. Wolf will participate in an informal "Family Chat" question and answer session near the stage.

Individual concert tickets range from $30-$125 with the highest price including both Dress Circle seating and admittance to a post concert reception with David Wolf in The Wood Room. An affordable four-ticket "Family Pass" for $99 also is available for additional savings off from single ticket prices. Tickets to the post-concert reception may be added to other concert seating by purchasing a separate reception ticket for $25 each.

Through the generosity of donors, the Riley Children's Foundation supports Riley Hospital for Children, Camp Riley for Youth with Physical Disabilities and the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home. As Indiana's only comprehensive hospital dedicated exclusively to the care of children, Riley Hospital, a part of the nationally ranked Clarian Health Partners, has provided compassionate care, support and comfort to children and their families since 1924. More than 230,000 families turn to Riley for care each year. Children come from every county in Indiana, across the nation and throughout the world. Riley Hospital's partnership with Clarian Health and its strong affiliation with the Indiana University School of Medicine make Riley Hospital for Children the leader in pediatric care in the state and the region.

Dynamic conductor Giancarlo Guerrero has served as Music Director of the Eugene Symphony since 2002, with previous posts as Associate Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra, and Music Director of the Tachira Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela. He has guest conducted with many of America's prominent orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC, plus the Dallas, Seattle, Houston, Detroit, and Nashville symphony orchestras, among others. Born in Nicaragua and raised in Costa Rica, he also is in demand in both Central and South America and regularly conducts in Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica, among others, in concerts and on opera stages. In 2004, he received the prestigious Helen M. Thompson Award from the American Symphony Orchestra League.

A native of Indianapolis and a graduate of North Central High School, Dr. David A. Wolf serves as Chief of the Astronaut Office Extravehicular Activity Branch for NASA, in which he is responsible for development, test, training and conduct of spacewalks for the International Space Station assembly, maintenance and emergency repair. A graduate of Purdue University with a degree in electrical engineering in 1978 and a doctorate of medicine from Indiana University in 1982, Dr. Wolf has logged 158 days in space over three separate missions, including a long duration stay on the Russian MIR space station, and has conducted four spacewalks utilizing both the American and Russian space suits logging more than 23 hours of extravehicular activity. He is an expert in spacewalks, spacesuit design and rendezvous navigation. Dr. Wolf and his associated teams are engaged in engineering and operations development for the return to the moon and Mars expedition programs.

Anthony Kniffen was appointed to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in September 1997 after serving in a similar position with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. A native of Kirkwood, Missouri, his major teachers have included Daniel Perantoni, Harvey Phillips and Gene Porkorny. Kniffen has performed as a substitute with the Chicago, Saint Louis and New Mexico symphony orchestras and has toured with Summit Brass. He has won four concerto competitions and also appeared as soloist with the ISO, the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, the 1997 International Tuba Conference in Italy, the 2003 U.S. Army Band Tuba Conference and the 2003 Midwest Tuba Conference.

A graduate of Indiana University, he has substitute taught for a semester and appeared as guest recitalist at IU. He previously held a faculty position at the University of Hawaii and currently is affiliated with the University of Indianapolis. His wife, Amy, is a member of the ISO viola section, and Concert With a Cause will be her first concert with the Orchestra since returning from maternity leave after giving birth to a twin daughter and son last summer.

Now in its 21st season, the Indianapolis Children's Choir remains as one of the largest and most successful children's choral programs in America with more than 1,700 singers in 18 choirs. Founded in 1986, the Children's Choir has performed in numerous concerts and series with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, has appeared many times at Carnegie Hall and has toured nationally and abroad, including trips to Argentina, Australia Austria, brazil, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland and Switzerland.

By www.indianapolissymphony.org