The National Symphony Orchestra is proud to announce that this summer we will undertake our first international tour with Music Director Christoph Eschenbach. The "Americas Tour" will include eight concerts in five countries from June 12-27, 2012, as well as education and outreach events. The tour is sponsored by The Down Chemical Company and Whirlpool Corporation . We're very excited! Here's the official press release…

(WASHINGTON, D.C.)—Beginning June 12, 2012, the National Symphony Orchestra embarks on its first international concert tour under the leadership of Music Director Christoph Eschenbach. The “Americas Tour” will open in Mexico City, and will include concerts in four other countries: Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; Buenos Aires and Rosario, Argentina; Montevideo, Uruguay; and three concerts in Brazil, two of which will take place in São Paulo and one in Rio de Janeiro.

“I am very pleased to be making my first international tour with my wonderful orchestra,” said Christoph Eschenbach. “Part of my goal for the National Symphony is to bring this great orchestra to wider recognition. It is especially pleasing that this tour visits a part of the world that occupies a very important place in the NSO’s history, as it does in mine. One of my very earliest tours as a pianist included many of the same countries we will visit, and to this day I remember the warmth and welcome of the audiences. I’m sure that our concerts will be enjoyed by our audiences, and will contribute to greater international artistic friendship.”

The tour is made possible through the generosity of The Dow Chemical Company and Whirlpool Corporation.

“The NSO’s touring history began in South America a little over 50 years ago, so it seems especially appropriate that our first tour with Maestro Eschenbach will take us to several of the countries we visited then. We are deeply appreciative of the support of our two sponsors,” said Executive Director Rita Shapiro. “In addition, we look forward to exploring opportunities for our musicians to interact with local students and musicians.”

“After the resounding success of the Asia Tour, Dow is pleased to continue our partnership with the NSO for the Americas Tour,” stated Andrew Liveris, Chairman and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company. “It is an honor to collaborate with Whirlpool to bring one of the great national treasures of the United States—the National Symphony Orchestra—to our employees, customers and other community members throughout this region.”

Whirlpool Corporation Chairman and CEO, Jeff Fettig remarked: “For a century, Whirlpool Corporation has been improving lives with our world class products and services. Our company has been doing business in Latin America since 1957 and it is an honor to assist in sponsoring the NSO tour to highlight the strong cultural ties between the people of these two parts of the world.”

The repertoire for the tour includes Blue Blazes, a new work by American composer Sean Shepherd, commissioned by the NSO made possible by the John and June Hechinger Commissioning Fund for New Orchestral Works. The NSO will also perform two symphonies from the standard repertoire: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. The Roman Carnival Overture of Berlioz will also be performed, as will the Suite from Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss, and Lalo’s Cello Concerto.

Claudio Bohórquez, the soloist in the Cello Concerto, is of Peruvian and Uruguayan descent. Highlights of his current season have included concerts with the Frankfurter Oper- und Museumsorchester, Dresden Philharmonic, and Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg under Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos.

While on tour, members of the NSO have been invited to give master classes in Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Brazil. Additionally, Maestro Eschenbach will work with the Trinidad and Tobago Youth Philharmonic. More specific information will be available closer to the tour.

Before the NSO travels to Mexico City, the Orchestra will devote its final two subscription concerts of the season to preparation of the tour repertoire. Concerts May 31, June 1 and 2 will include Shepherd’s Blue Blazes, the Strauss Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. June 7-9, the program will include the Berlioz Overture, Roman Carnival, Lalo’s Cello Concerto, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5.

Mexico City

The tour will open in Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes. In addition to the concert, through the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, the NSO will provide musicians for master classes at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes.

Port of Spain

The NSO’s performance in Port of Spain commemorates the 50th anniversary of independence of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Maestro Eschenbach will work with the Trinidad and Tobago Youth Philharmonic, and NSO members have been invited to give master classes at the University of Trinidad and Tobago.

Buenos Aires and Rosario

The NSO’s performance in Buenos Aires will take place in the legendary Teatro Colón, considered one of the finest performance venues in the world. The NSO will also perform in Rosario, Argentina’s second largest city, at Teatro El Círculo.

Montevideo

The NSO’s performance will take place in Montevideo’s Auditorio Nacional del Sodre, the city’s leading venue for the performing arts.

Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo

The National Symphony will give two performances in São Paulo and another in Rio de Janeiro. While there, members of the NSO have been invited to present master classes and to perform outreach in Rio de Janeiro.

NSO Touring: Notes on a Half-Century of Travel

The NSO’s touring history includes many significant milestones. The first international tour was in 1959. It was indeed a mammoth undertaking. Twelve weeks, 15,000 miles, and 68 concerts in 19 Latin and South American countries, undertaken as part of President Eisenhower’s Program for Cultural Presentations, a project of the U. S. State Department, for the purpose of building goodwill throughout the region.

Other highlights of NSO touring include two trips to China; the more recent tour took place in 2009, at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture in 2009, marking first the 30th anniversary of Sino-U.S. relations. The previous tour to China was in 1999, led by the NSO’s fifth music director, Leonard Slatkin, who also led the NSO in U.S. and European tours.

With Mstislav Rostropovich, in addition to tours of Europe, Asia, and South America, the NSO made two visits to Russia, and in the course of the 1993 tour, gave the first orchestral concert ever performed in Red Square.

Wednesday, June 13

Mexico City

Palacio de Bellas Artes

Friday, June 15

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

National Academy for the Performing Arts

Monday, June 18

Rosario, Argentina

Teatro El Círculo

Thursday, June 21

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Teatro Colón

Friday, June 22

Montevideo, Uruguay

Auditorio Nacional del Sodre

Sunday, June 24

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Teatro Municipal

Monday, June 25

São Paulo, Brazil

Teatro Municipal

Tuesday, June 26

São Paulo, Brazil

Teatro Municipal

REPERTOIRE TO INCLUDE:

Beethoven Symphony No. 7

Berlioz Roman Carnival Overture

Lalo Cello Concerto Shepherd Blue Blazes

Strauss Suite from Der Rosenkavalier

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of more than $18 billion in 2010, 71,000 employees, and 66 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world. Additional information about the company can be found at www.whirlpoolcorp.com.

Stay tuned for more information—visit our Americas Tour Tumblr page for the latest news!