UC Irvine, La Sierra conductors to lead "String Spectacular"

The La Sierra University Orchestra and the strings of the University of California, Irvine Symphony Orchestra will combine their talent under the skilled direction of their respective conductors, Dr. Daniel Cummings and Dr. Stephen Tucker.
 
The group's performance, “String Spectacular,” will include Benjamin Britten's “Simple Symphony,” directed by Cummings, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's “Serenade for Strings,” directed by Tucker. The UC Irvine orchestra under Tucker's direction will also debut the world premiere of “Winter in Spring,” performing one movement of this new work by Hollywood film industry composer Christopher Wong.
 
The concert will be held Feb. 12, 2011, 7 p.m., at the La Sierra University Church, 4937 Sierra Vista Ave., Riverside. Admission is free. For further information call 951-785-2036.
 
Cummings holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from UCLA and is pursuing post-doctoral studies with Tucker. His musical performances and positions include a faculty post with the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, chamber music coach for the UCLA Summer Music Academy, music director and conductor for the UCLA Music Theatre Workshop and assistant conductor of the UCLA Opera Workshop. He has also served as conducting assistant to John Mauceri of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and served as arranger and pianist for the Carol Burnett Awards.<br/><br/>Tucker serves as assistant music professor and conductor at UC Irvine. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in orchestral conducting from the University of California, Los Angeles and diplomas in conducting from the Vienna Conservatory and the International Institute of Symphonic Conducting. At the latter institution he studied under Maestro Herbert Blomstedt, former music director of the San Francisco Symphony and the Dresden Staatskapelle.
 
His wide-ranging conducting experiences include leading the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra in Budapest; the Slovak Radio Symphony, Bratislava, Slovakia; serving as guest conductor of the “No Boundaries” concert at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York;  as conductor for “Fields of Wonder” recording with tenor Darryl Taylor and players of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Opera orchestras; and as guest conductor for “Opera Noir,” a tribute to Luther Vandross.  
 
Tucker has arranged, produced, and conducted on more than 15 recordings and served as composer on at least one feature film. He has served as guest conductor or cover conductor for the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. He has conducted the UCLA Philharmonia and the UCLA Opera orchestra and served as principal conductor of the Atlantic Union College Symphony in South Lancaster, Mass.
 
Known nationally for his work with youth orchestras, Tucker has conducted such groups in Boson, Maine, and Utah. In addition, he has conducted the Southern California Young Artists Symphony, the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, SCSBOA's “All Southern Orchestra,” and the Long Beach “All City Honor Orchestra.” Since 1999 he has trained the festival orchestras at Arrowbear Music Camp.
 
Locally, Tucker previously served as a piano instructor and guest conductor at the University of California, Riverside and as choir director and organist at All Saints Episcopal Church in Riverside for 10 years. He founded and directed the former, Riverside-based Neumark Ensemble, a chamber orchestra and chorus.

PR Contact: Larry Becker
Executive Director of University Relations
La Sierra University
Riverside, California
951.785.2460 (voice)