Ken Herman, San Diego Story, 7th June 2015
With newly minted Mainly Mozart Festival Music Director Michael Francis on the podium Saturday (June 6), the first festival orchestra concert of the 2015 season catapulted the packed Balboa Theatre audience into an ebullient mood. A combination of Francis’ bracing tempos, pianist Jon Kimura Parker’s keyboard wizardry, […]
Jim Chute, U-T San Diego, 6th June 2015
“Francis’ gift is his ability to energize a melodic line, or a phrase, or a group of phrases, or an entire section of music. There are no dead spots. The line, whether on a micro or a macro level, is always in a dynamic state, and most […]
Elizabeth Bloom, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 16th May 2015
“To keep the symphonic literature fresh, the only thing as effective as premiering a new work is giving a repeat performance of a slightly older one. To that end, Friday’s Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concert marked one of the most important artistic endeavors of the season.
Led by British conductor […]
William Thomas Walker, Classical Voice of North Carolina, 10th April 2015
“Guest conductor Michael Francis led the orchestra in a superb interpretation [of Messiaen’s Les Offrandes oubliées]. It had all the French virtues, clarity, color, and precision – all hallmarks of correct style since the age of the Couperins. String intonation was excellent in the […]
Press Release, The Florida Orchestra, 2nd March 2015
With music inspired by fairy tales, a princess and a hero, The Florida Orchestra will perform “Play Me a Story,” a free concert exclusively for young patients and their families at All Children’s Hospital at 2:30 p.m. Friday, March 13. Musicians also will play in the hallways, […]
Michael Bruze, Norrköping Tidning, 15th February 2015
“Michel Francis lifted the orchestra in a sharp performance which exposed the full potential of this crowded piece´s wide rythmical surcharge and compelling momentum….”
Stephanie Hayes, Tampa Bay Times, 8th February 2015
For his first season leading the Florida Orchestra, the silken thread running through the selections is not what you might expect from British conductor Michael Francis:
America.
“One of the visions is looking at America as a cultural icon, both in terms of the compositions produced by Americans and […]
Kurt Loft, Tampa Tribune, 8th February 2015
The state’s largest performing arts organization is too busy mapping out a progressive future to worry about prognostications on the demise of classical music.
Yes, Beethoven and the boys are long dead, but they represent only part of a rich and relevant repertoire embraced by a thriving arts industry, […]
Janelle Gelfand, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31st January 2015
“Elgar’s Symphony No. 1 in A-flat Major formed the second half, and Francis spoke engagingly to the audience about the work. Friday’s concert was Cincinnati Symphony’s first performance of it in more than 70 years, under then-music director Eugene Goossens.
A onetime bass player, Francis, 37, recently was named […]
James Chute, U-T San Diego, 2nd January 2015
It’s a time of change for San Diego’s classical music organizations. Whether embracing new priorities, new leadership or new opportunities, the city’s key musical institutions are in transition. Here are five to watch in 2015:
Mainly Mozart
Mainly Mozart’s new music director, Michael Francis, officially begins his tenure in […]
