A night of elegance and inspiration
showcasing young talent

Jackie Evancho
International recording artist and soprano phenomenon Jackie Evancho starts her eagerly anticipated Dream With Me tour with the Sun Valley Summer Symphony Benefit Concert on July 31. This tour is on the heels of the release of Jackie's classical crossover album Dream With Me and her PBS Special, produced by the legendary David Foster. The tour will feature Jackie on a repertoire ranging from classical arias and pop classics to Oscar-winning tunes, bringing Jackie's great vocal ability to interpret some of the most majestic and classic songs of our time. Jackie Evancho comes into her own with the Dream With Me album. Highlights include two extraordinary superstar duets showcasing the young vocalist performing with music legend Barbra Streisand ("Somewhere" from West Side Story) and international phenomenon Susan Boyle ("A Mother’s Prayer") on her debut album.

A contestant on "America's Got Talent" in 2010, Evancho catapulted into the quarter finals round when her unaffectedly pure performance of Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro" handily won the show's YouTube round. Jackie performed five times on the show over the summer. Her astonishing classical crossover soprano performances marked the arrival of a major musical talent.

Jackie Evancho will be joined by two extraordinary young talents: Ryu Goto, violin and Alfredo Rodríguez, piano.

Ryu Goto
The 22-year old Japanese-American violinist Ryu Goto is an accomplished classical artist with a significant and growing international following. Ryu made his concert debut at the age of seven. Since then, he has appeared with numerous orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Wiener Symphoniker, European Union Youth Orchestra, and Shanghai Symphony, among others. In May 2010, he made his debut at New York's Carnegie Hall with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Beginning in 1996, Fuji TV broadcasted a documentary series entitled "Ryu Goto's Odyssey", which aired annually for ten years. Since then, he has appeared on a number of television and radio programs, as well as magazines throughout Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Ryu records exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon and plays a 1722 Stradivarius violin, known as the 'Jupiter' on loan to him from Nippon Music Foundation. Ryu graduates from Harvard University with a BA in Physics in May 2011.

Alfredo Rodríguez
A young pianist of astonishing virtuosity and imagination, Cuban-born Alfredo Rodríguez calls up images of legendary jazz pianists like Keith Jarrett, Thelonious Monk, Art Tatum, Bill Evans and his compatriot Chucho Valdés. Discovered at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2006 by Quincy Jones, Rodríguez’s star has risen rapidly under the tutelage of the famed producer. Of Alfredo Rodríguez, Quincy Jones said, “Alfredo is very special and I do not say that easily because I have been surrounded by the best musicians in the world my entire life. He is without doubt one of the best young pianists I’ve ever seen and with the enormous skills that he already possesses, his potential is limitless.” Sun Valley Summer Symphony audiences will hear Alfredo’s dazzling rendition of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

Constantine Kitsopoulos
Constantine Kitsopoulos has made a name for himself as a conductor whose musical experiences span the worlds of opera and symphony. He conducts in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and can be found leading orchestras on Broadway. Mr. Kitsopoulos is in his fifth year as music director of the Queens Symphony Orchestra and continues as General Director of Chatham Opera, which he founded in 2005. Mr. Kitsopoulos kicks off his 2011/12 season with a Philadelphia Orchestra debut at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and will conduct Jackie Evancho’s portion of the Dream with Me concert.