Florida Philharmonic Performs Florida Premiere of Work by Miami Native
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich - Pianist Jeffrey Biegel and Florida Philharmonic
to Perform Millennium Fantasy by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich

Fort Lauderdale, FL - Pianist Jeffrey Biegel and the Florida Philharmonic
Orchestra (FPO) under the baton of guest conductor Michael Christie will
present the Florida Premiere performances of Pulitzer Prize-winning
composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Millennium Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra
on April 25-May 1, 2002.  Other selections on the program include Antonin
Dvorak's Carnival Overture and Symphony No. 6 in D Major, op. 60 and
Cesar Franck's Symphonic Variations (for Piano and Orchestra).  This FPO
Masterworks Series concert will be presented: Thursday, April 25 at the
Kravis Center for the Performing Arts; Friday, April 26 at the Boca Raton
Community Church; Saturday, April 27 at the Gusman Center for the
Performing Arts; and Tuesday, April 30 and Wednesday, May 1 at the Broward
Center for the Performing Arts.  Unless noted, all FPO Masterworks Series
Concerts begin at 8:00 PM.

The Fantasy is dedicated to the loving memory of the FPO's dear board
member and co-supporter of the commission, Phyllis Katz.  The April 27
concert at the Gusman Center is sponsored by Miami Salon Group, Inc.,
and is dedicated to the memory of Arnold Rosen.

For more information about guest conductor Michael Christie or the Florida
Philharmonic Orchestra, logon to http://www.floridaphilhamonic.org/

Tickets for these concerts are $19 -- $88 (Kravis Center tickets
start at $27).  For ticket information, please contact the box office at
1-800-226-1812.  Pre-Concert Lectures for ticket holders at Kravis Center
and BRCC begin at 6:45 PM.  Post-Concert TalkBacks will be held following
all concerts.

The Millennium Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra grew out of discussions
in 1998 between pianist Jeffrey Biegel and arts consultant Jeffrey James
regarding Mr. Biegel's interest in commissioning new music.  The composer
has described the work in this way: "The musical point of departure of
Millennium Fantasy is a folk song my grandmother sang to me when I was
a small child.  I can still "hear" her voice when I remember this, so I
thought it would be a special pleasure to create a musical fantasy based
on it." Millennium Fantasy is in two movements in which the folk song
occasionally rears its head, but more often serves as a springboard for
a larger musical design.  While there is significant interaction between
the solo piano and the orchestra, the solo piano leads the exploration
in virtuosic style.

Millennium Fantasy has received many performances, as 26 other orchestras
across the United States are part of the group that commissioned the work.
The World Premiere performances were presented by the Cincinnati Symphony
Orchestra in September 2000.  The group of orchestras crosses the entire
spectrum of sizes and geographic locations - from Maine's Bangor Symphony
to California's Music in the Mountains Festival orchestra.  This
"ecumenical" group represents a complete cross-section of the American
symphony orchestra community.

Project support has also been received from the Adele Marcus Foundation,
Abraham J.  and Phyllis Katz Foundation, Marvin and Isa Leibowitz and the
South Florida Council of the Chopin Foundation of the United States.

For more information about the Millennium Fantasy consortium project,
please visit http://www.jamesarts.com/biegel-mill_con_pro.htm.  For more
information about pianist Jeffrey Biegel, visit him on the web at
http://www.cyberecital.com.

Florida Philharmonic Orchestra
CONTACT: TERRY W. SCHLENDER
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Phone: 954 938 6712 (note new number)
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Alternate Contact: Sue Schierer
Phone: 954 938 6702 (note new number)
E-mail: [log in to unmask]

Jeffrey James <[log in to unmask]>