Carnegie Hall today announced that mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk has graciously agreed to replace Ekaterina Gubanova as soloist in Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette, performed by Maestro Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra on Tuesday, February 23 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. Joining Ms. Semenchuk as soloists for the Berlioz work will be tenor Dmitry Voropaev and bass Evgeny Nikitin, as previously announced. For further ticket information, the public may contact CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800.

A member of the Mariinsky Theatre, Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk took part in international tours under Valery Gergiev’s baton to Covent Garden, La Scala, Teatro Real, the Metropolitan Opera, Washington Opera, Salzburg Festival, Israel, China, and many European countries. In St. Petersburg she appeared as Fenena in Verdi’s Nabucco, the title role in Bizet’s Carmen, Nicklausse in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Laura in Dargomyzhsky’s The Stone Guest, Hanna in Rimsky-Korsakov’s May Night, and many others. Other appearances during the season include performances as Didon in Berlioz’s Les Troyens at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg and in concert on Wednesday, March 10 at 8:00 p.m. at Carnegie Hall.

Past appearances include the role of Preziosilla in Verdi’s La forza del Destino at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, where she also sang Paulina in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades conducted by Daniel Barenboim; Marina in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov at Opéra de Monte-Carlo; Olga in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin at Aix-en-Provence conducted by Daniel Harding; Ascanio in Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden; and Charlotte in Massenet’s Werther at Oper Graz. She sang the title role of Carmen at the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the Dallas Opera, the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, in Tokyo and Seoul with Myung-whun Chung, and with José Cura in Warsaw. As a recitalist, Ms. Semenchuk has performed at Wigmore Hall and has toured throughout Europe, North America, and Argentina. Her debut recording of Russian songs is available on the Harmonia Mundi label.

Ms. Semenchuk’s concert performances have included Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette with the Göteborgs Symfoniker conducted by Carlo Rizzi and Berlioz’s La Mort de Cléopâtre with Gergiev at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Recent stage performances include the roles of Paulina in The Queen of Spades and Olga in Eugene Onegin at the Metropolitan Opera; Olga at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; and Sesto in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito; and Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto for Settimane Musicali di Stresa under Gianandrea Noseda. A commensurate concert artist, Ms. Semenchuk sang Mahler’s Third Symphony with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop and with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Pietari Inkinen. She has also performed Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder in Japan with the Philharmonia Orchestra and conductor Eliahu Inbal, and Verdi’s Requiem with the Göteborgs Symfoniker under Gustavo Dudamel.

Program Information
Tuesday, February 23 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
MARIINSKY ORCHESTRA
Valery Gergiev, Music Director and Conductor
Ekaterina Semenchuk, Mezzo-Soprano
Dmitry Voropaev, Tenor
Evgeny Nikitin, Bass
Chorus of the Mariinsky Theatre
Andrei Petrenko, Chorus Master

HECTOR BERLIOZ Roméo et Juliette, Op. 17

This concert is underwritten by Yoko Nagae Ceschina.

This concert and the Choral Classics series are made possible, in part, by an endowment fund for choral music established by S. Donald Sussman in memory of Judith Arron and Robert Shaw.

**NOTE: Supersedes Carnegie Hall Press Release Dated 1/13/2010**

Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.

Ticket Information
Tickets priced at $46, $55, $71, $97, $132, and $146 are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

For Carnegie Hall Corporation presentations taking place in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of seats, priced at $10, will be available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supply lasts. The exceptions are Carnegie Hall Family Concerts and gala events. These $10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit per customer.

In addition, for all Carnegie Hall presentations in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage a limited number of partial view (seats with obstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50% of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts.

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Image from top of release: Photo by Shelia Rock