“GMN.com has solidified its position as THE place for classical music, opera and jazz,” said Michael Lubin, GMN.com’s Chairman and CEO. “We want music lovers and novices to look, listen, learn and enjoy music,” said Lubin. “We want these performances to uplift spirits”.

An event not to be missed, the ACO’s diverse programme includes: the madrigal, Ascuigate I begli occhi by Gesualdo, a work composed by the young Australian composer Brett Dean entitled Carlo, Janácek String Quartet No 1 ‘The Kreutzer Sonata’ and Prokofiev Visions Fugitives transcribed for piano and orchestra by Richard Tognetti, leader of the ACO. In addition to Anne-Marie McDermott, pianist and GMN Family Artist, the brilliant Australian trumpeter Jeffrey Segal will join the ACO in a thrilling performance of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No 1.

Between 25 March and 15 April 2000, the ACO has embarked on one of its most exciting tours to date. A 12 concert, 11 city itinerary has taken the ACO across the U.S.A from Alaska to New York. This tour is the twenty-seventh international tour by the Orchestra which have included hugely successful American tours in 1995 and 1998.

“It’s been a thrilling experience to tour with this outstanding group of players. Everyone in the orchestra is so committed and involved, and the programme is creative, imaginative, evocative and substantive,” commented Anne-Marie McDermott. “Shostakovich and Prokofiev are two of my favourite composers. I am currently immersed in recording the complete piano works by Prokofiev, so it’s particularly meaningful to be doing the Visions Fugitives in this compelling arrangement. Exploring the repertoire in such depth, in this sequence of tour concerts is a deeply satisfying experience.”

About Australian Chamber Orchestra Founded in 1975, the Australian Chamber Orchestra is a national orchestra with an outstanding international reputation for artistic excellence, comprised of some of the finest young musicians in Australia. The orchestra consists of a core group of 17 strings and, depending on repertoire, is augmented by specialist players and soloists to a maximum of 40. The ACO’s national program of activities is extensive and includes subscription series in a number of cities as well as regular performances in regional centres. This national profile is the direct result of the ACO’s commitment to providing Australia with a world class chamber orchestra.

In addition, the ACO is Australia’s most travelled cultural organization, having toured frequently throughout the major concert halls of Europe, Asia, North and South America and the Pacific. This international reputation also extends to the ACO’s recordings, which currently number at 17 CD releases, plus the Orchestra signed a 7-year exclusive contract with Sony Music in 1991.

Jeffrey Segal, Principal Trumpet of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and known for his extraordinarily versatile musical technique, joined the ACO on their current tour.

About Anne-Marie McDermott Anne-Marie McDermott is widely celebrated by critics and audiences alike for her performances on the world’s concert stages. Since her Carnegie Hall debut at the tender age of 12, Anne-Marie has performed with leading American orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and is also an Artist Member of the acclaimed Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. She has been a GMN Family Artist since the beginning of the company and has an extensive home page on GMN.com, including numerous live and recorded works, many exclusively for GMN as well as exclusive video interviews.

About Global Music Network GMN.com (www.gmn.com), the leading Internet destination for jazz, opera and classical music, uniquely combines a market place and a performing arts space offering the highest-quality music available to a worldwide audience on-line. Yahoo Internet Life Magazine named GMN.com one of the 100 Best Sites for the year 2000. By bringing together its family of respected artists, currently numbering over 70, and the latest communications technology, GMN.com provides exclusive live webcasts, video interviews, lectures, and recitals, plus a wide array of related text and video on demand. GMN’s Shop, with over 300,000 selections on disc, enables viewers to preview entire tracks and complete performances of featured titles.

Committed to high quality audio and video, and the broadest dissemination of its artists and content, GMN.com has also forged relationships with other leading technology players, including Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL), Intel (Nasdaq:INTC), Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT), RealNetworks (Nasaq:RNWK), and InterVu (Nasdaq:ITVU), Akamai (Nasdaq:AKAM) and Loud Eye (Nasdaq:LOUD).