Look up "globe trotter" in the dictionary, and there just might be a picture of Corrado Rovaris. In any given year, the conductor might be traveling throughout Europe, appearing on symphony stages, opera stages and in recording studios. But for the past six years, the end of May means he's in Northwest Arkansas.
Born in Bergamo, Italy, Rovaris studied organ and composition at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Milan, after which he served as assistant chorus master at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan from 1992 until 1996. He began conducting almost by accident when a conductor fell ill, and since then, he's appeared with the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and many others.
FYI
Artosphere
Festival Orchestra
2016 Schedule
Russian Masterworks — With Italian pianist and Van Cliburn International Piano Competition medal winner Benedetto Lupo, 8 p.m. Saturday, Walton Arts Center. $10.
Heroic Beethoven — With the Dover Quartet as soloists for the American debut of “Impetus: Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra” by Daniel Schnyder, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Walton Arts Center. $10.
Live from Crystal Bridges — Mozart in the Museum, 8 p.m. May 27. Sold out.
INFO — 443-5600
Back this year to lead the Walton Arts Center's Artosphere Festival Orchestra, Rovaris took time from his busy schedule to answer these questions for What's Up!
Q. How has the depth and the talent of the orchestra grown over the past six years?
A. We were lucky to have excellent talent from the beginning. With time the talent has remained top level, but through working together for several seasons we have been able to create a special chemistry between the musicians to makes our music even more special.
Q. How do you create the unified sound of an orchestra with musicians coming from so many directions and walks of life?
A. That is the job of a conductor. Of course that is not easily done in a few days, but with many musicians returning each year and having played many styles together now we start to know how to approach every kind of repertoire. For example, because this will be our third Mozart in the Museum, we know how to approach that period and style and we will work hard together to add that even more polish and refinement.
Q. What do you reach for in the selection of music to reflect the Artosphere mission?
A. We have come to use geography to help program symphonic sounds from different landscapes around the world. For example our first concert will feature Russian music and our second will explore the music of Beethoven and Daniel Schnyder from Central Europe.
Q. What music excites you most this year?
I think that every musician should be most excited about the music they are currently playing, right in that moment, and should never forget to feel the privilege of having the opportunity to play music from all these wonderful composers.
-- Becca Martin-Brown
NAN What's Up on 05/20/2016