Sunday morning Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra announced the
concert line-up for its 2014-15 season. As with the
current season, the 2014-15 season Philharmonics Series will be led by a series
of guest conductors as the RPO continues the search for a permanent music
director following the departure of Arild Remmereit during the 2012-2013.
Several of the guest conductors from the 2013-14 season will
return to the RPO podium next season, including Rochester native Ward Stare,
who will open the season September 18 & 20 with guest-star violinist Midori;
Jun Märkl, Daniel Meyer, and RPO
Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman. Other conductors familiar to RPO patrons
from past seasons include Daniel Hege, Yoav Talmi, and Jeffrey Kahane.
Guest performers for the Phils
Series include 2014 Musical America Instrumentalist of
the Year, pianist Jeremy Denk, and 2013 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Vadym Kholodenko,
along with returning favorites pianist Jon
Nakamatsu, violinist Augustin Hadelich, and pianist Stephen Hough.
Big-name guests also fill the Pops Series schedule, again
overseen by Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik. Emmy-
and Grammy-nominated vocalist and pianist Michael Feinstein will perform in May
2015; other guest artists this season include the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
and Peking Acrobats.
The season will see changes in the approach to programming, with 12
weekends of Philharmonics offerings instead of the usual 14, and nine Pops
weekends instead of 10. The RPO release says that the change “[opens] up three weekends for a set of innovative
and new concert offerings,” noting that those concerts will be announced in
late March.
Series
subscriptions are currently available to current subscribers, and new subscriptions
open to the public starting Friday, February 21, at 10 a.m. Packages start at
$108, or $19 per concert. They can be purchased by phone at 454-2100, online at
the RPO website, or in person at the Eastman Theatre Box Office (433 E. Main
St.). Single-concert tickets will go on sale in August.
In the meantime, the 2013-14 season continues
for the RPO. Highlights include Jeff Tyzik’s 20th
Anniversary Celebration on March 21-22, the return of Christopher Seaman on
March 6 & 8, the performance of Howard Hanson’s opera “Merry Mount” in both
Kodak Hall (April 10 & 12) and New York City’s Carnegie Hall (May 7), the
music of John Williams (May 9-10), and the season finale featuring Holst’s “The
Planets” (May 29 & 31).
The full RPO announcement follows:
RPO ANNOUNCES 2014/15 PHILS & POPS SEASON
Highlights include Midori, Michael Feinstein, Beethoven’s
Fifth
Dance collaborations take center stage with RCB, FuturPointe
Rochester, NY – The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO)
announces most of its 92nd season today, presented by Dawn &
Jacques Lipson, which will officially open on September 18 (with a Gala
Opening Celebration) and 20, 2014, with mega-star violinist Midori and
Rochester native Ward Stare as guest conductor, and will close on June 4
and 6, 2015, with Orff’s haunting CarminaBurana.
In between, the Philharmonics Series will showcase some of the
world’s greatest virtuosos and familiar showstoppers: 2014 Musical America Instrumentalist
of the Year Jeremy Denk and 2013 Van Cliburn
Gold Medalist VadymKholodenko,
along with returning favorites Jon Nakamatsu, Augustin
Hadelich and Stephen Hough. In addition to
CarminaBurana,
audiences will hear masterworks including Beethoven’s 5th Symphony
andDvořák’s picturesque “New World”
Symphony.
Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik has
planned a spectacular Pops Series, sponsored by Canandaigua National
Bank and Trust and Fibertech Networks,
and anchored by Emmy and Grammy®
Award nominee Michael Feinstein. The 2014/15 Pops series will open on
September 12 and 13 – one week prior to the Philharmonics opener – on September
12 and 13 with Broadway’s Golden Age and Beyond,
featuring vocalists Lisa Vroman and Doug LaBrecque. Other tempting Pops offerings include the
jaw-dropping Peking Acrobats, New Orleans’ own Preservation Hall Jazz
Band, a tribute to Nat King Cole, and the Halloween-themed Phantom
of the Opera Silent Film.
“We’ve been tremendously gratified at the overwhelmingly positive
response from our audiences this season, and so next season builds upon this
year’s programming philosophy that emphasizes compelling repertoire and
first-rate visiting artists,” says RPO President and CEO Charles Owens.
“The unsung hero in program planning at the RPO is Richard Decker, our
Vice President of Artistic Administration, who has worked closely with the
musicians of the RPO Artistic Advisory Committee to create a beautifully
balanced season of popular favorites and less-familiar works – all designed to
provide our audiences with stimulating and uplifting experiences week after
week.”
As announced at its annual meeting last month, the RPO has restructured
its program offerings for the 2014/15 season. There are now 12 Philharmonics
weekends instead of 14, and nine Pops weekends instead of 10, opening up three
weekends for a set of innovative and new concert offerings. These will be
announced in late March, along with lineups for the 2014/15 OrKIDStra Series, Sunday Matinees and Ithaca Series.
Dance takes center stage this season, with Rochester City Ballet collaborating on three programs: annual holiday favorite TheNutcracker;
world-premiere choreography of Jeff Tyzik’s Images on the Pops season; and Philharmonics program, A Night of
Dance, which will also feature Rochester’s FuturPointe Dance.
“We are so excited to be expanding the RPO/RCB relationship to include
three performances this season,” exclaims Rochester City Ballet Artistic
Director Jamey Leverett. “Celebrating 16 years
of our annual Nutcracker, bringing George Balanchine’s legendary Serenade to the Eastman stage, and collaborating once again with the great Jeff Tyzik – I’m thrilled! This is a season not to be missed.”
Involvement by the Eastman School of Music continues, with Piano
Professor Douglas Humpherys featured in Brahms
& Rachmaninoff,and former Eastman conductor Donald Hunsberger leading Phantom of the Opera Silent
Film. And, once again, the RPO will be joined by local arts organizations
including the Bach Children’s Chorus for The Nutcracker, the Festival
High School Chorale for Gala Holiday Pops, and the Rochester
Oratorio Society for both Handel’s Messiah and CarminaBurana.
The RPO shines the
spotlight on its own luminaries as well: Principal Bassoonist Matthew McDonald
(The Ron and Donna Fielding Chair) will make his first RPO solo
performance with Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto in Mozart & Prokofiev,
and Concertmaster Juliana Athayde(The
Caroline W. Gannett & Clayla Ward Chair)will
solo on Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony program as well as for Pops audiences on Piazzolla’sFour Seasons in Tango Caliente.
Debuting and returning guest conductors continue to bring an
anticipatory energy to the 2014-15 season, as the RPO
narrows down its search for a new music director. Returning from the current
season are Ward Stare, Jun Märkl, Daniel
Meyer and RPO Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman. Returnees from
recent seasons include Daniel Hege, YoavTalmi and Jeffrey
Kahane. And, making their RPO debuts are
conductors ChristophKönig,Case Scaglione, José Luis Gomez, Marcelo Lehningerand Gregory Vajda.
Subscription renewals(which include free
concert parking in the East End Garage if renewed by March 7)are
available now, with new subscriptions available to the public starting Friday,
February 21 at 10 a.m. In addition to the best seats at the best
prices, subscribers receive free and easy ticket exchanges, a complimentary
seat upgrade for one performance, discounted prices for additional tickets,
presale priority for special concerts, and pre-concert dinner discounts at
local restaurants. Subscriptions packages start at just $19 per concert
(lowest-price package is $108) and are available in person at the Eastman
Theatre Box Office (433 East Main Street), by phone at (585) 454-2100, or online
at rpo.org. Single tickets will go on sale
in August, and will also be available at all WegmansThat’s the Ticket! outlets.
The 2014/15 concert lineup: a list including program information is available on request
9/12 & 13, 8pm:Broadway’s
Golden Age and Beyond
Jeff Tyzik, conductor; Lisa Vroman and Doug LaBrecque,
vocalists
9/18 & 20, 8 pm: Season Opener with Midori and Ward Stare
Ward Stare, guest conductor; Midori, violin
10/2, 7:30pm & 10/4, 8 pm:Denk Plays Beethoven PlusSymphonieFantastique
Jun Märkl, guest conductor; Jeremy Denk, piano
10/9, 7:30pm & 10/11, 8pm:An American in Paris
Jeffrey Kahane, guest conductor and piano
10/23, 7:30pm & 10/25, 8 pm:Mozart & Prokofiev
Case Scaglione, guest conductor; Matthew
McDonald, bassoon (The Ron and Donna Fielding Chair)
10/31 & 11/1, 8pm:Phantom of the Opera Silent Film
Donald Hunsberger, guest conductor
11/6, 7:30pm & 11/8, 8pm:Brahms & Rachmaninoff
ChristophKönig, guest
conductor; Douglas Humpherys, piano
11/13, 7:30pm & 11/15, 8pm:Van Cliburn Gold & Mozart’s “Jupiter”
José Luis Gomez, guest conductor; VadymKholodenko, piano
11/28, 29 & 30, 2 & 7pm: The Nutcracker
Michael Butterman, conductor; Rochester City
Ballet, Jamey Leverett, artistic director; Bach
Children’s Chorus, Karla Krogstad, director
12/13, 7:30pm: Handel’s Messiah
Rochester Oratorio Society, Eric Townell,
director
12/14, 2pm: The Snowman
12/19 & 20, 8 pm; 12/20 & 21, 2 pm:Gala Holiday Pops
Michael Butterman, conductor (The Louise
and Henry Epstein Family Chair); Festival High School Chorale, Amy Story
and Harold McAulliffe, co-directors
1/23 & 24, 8pm: Tango Caliente
Jeff Tyzik, conductor; Eva Lucera
& Patricio Touceda, tango dancers: Juliana Athayde, violin (The Caroline W. Gannett & Clayla Ward Chair); MalenaDayen, vocalist; Hector Del Curto,
bandoneon
2/5, 7:30pm & 2/7, 8pm:Beethoven’s Fifth
Marcelo Lehninger, guest conductor; Stephen
Hough, piano
2/13 & 14, 8pm:Preservation
Hall Jazz Band
3/5, 7:30pm & 3/7, 8pm:Copland & Dvořák
Daniel Hege, guest conductor; Augustin Hadelich, violin
3/12, 7:30pm & 3/14, 8pm:A Night of Dance
Daniel Meyer, guest conductor; Rochester City Ballet, Jamey Leverett, artistic director; FuturPointe
Dance, N’Jelle Gage and Guy Thorne, co-founders
3/20 & 21, 8 pm:DenzalSinclaire
Sings the Nat King Cole Songbook
Jeff Tyzik, conductor; DenzalSinclaire, vocalist
4/17 & 18, 8pm:The
Peking Acrobats
Jeff Tyzik, conductor
4/30, 7:30pm & 5/2, 8pm:Seaman & Nakamatsu Return
Christopher Seaman, Conductor Laureate (The Christopher Seaman Chair,
Supported by Barbara and Patrick Fulford and the
Conductor Laureate Society); Jon Nakamatsu, piano
5/8 & 9, 8pm:Tyzik’sImages
Jeff Tyzik, conductor; Rochester City Ballet,
Jamey Leverett, artistic director
5/21, 7:30pm & 5/23, 8pm:Dvořák’s “New World”
Symphony
YoavTalmi, guest conductor; Juliana Athayde, violin (The Caroline W. Gannett & Clayla Ward Chair)
5/29 & 30, 8pm:Michael
Feinstein
TBD, guest conductor; Michael Feinstein, vocals and piano
6/4, 7:30pm & 6/6, 8pm:CarminaBurana
Gregory Vajda, guest conductor; Rochester
Oratorio Society, Eric Townell, director
Vocal soloists TBA
Season sponsors in
addition to those already mentioned include Wendy’s (OrKIDStra
series); County of Monroe; City of Rochester; NYSCA; The
Alfred Davis and Brunhilde Knapp Artists Performance
Fund; The Mozart Performance Fund: Sarah D. Atkinson, M.D. and Steven Hess; and
Katherine T. and Jon L. Schumacher Orchestra Musician Soloist Fund.
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has been committed to
enriching and inspiring our community through the art of music since its
founding in 1922. The RPO presents approximately 150 concerts and broadcasts a
year, serving up to 200,000 people through ticketed events, education and
community engagement activities, and concerts in schools and community centers
throughout the region. Notable former music directors include Eugene Goossens, José Iturbi, Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman, and Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman;
Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik has earned a
national reputation for excellence in pops programming during his 20-year
tenure with the RPO. With Michael Butterman as
Principal Conductor for Education and Outreach (The Louise and Henry Epstein
Family Chair) – the first position of its kind in the country – the RPO
reaches more than 13,000 children through its specific programs for school-aged
children. The RPO’s 2013-14 season highlights include Principal Pops Conductor
Jeff Tyzik’s 20th anniversary celebration, and a
performance at Carnegie Hall on May 7, 2014, as part of the Spring For Music festival.
This article appears in Feb 12-18, 2014.
