Bravo! Vail Music Festival (July 8–16)
Mann Center for the Performing Arts (July 21–23)
Saratoga Performing Arts Center (July 27–August 13)
(Philadelphia, PA—May 24, 2022)—The Philadelphia Orchestra will return to its summer homes at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, and Saratoga Performing Arts Center, July 8–August 13, 2022, with performances that reflect the Orchestra’s commitment to IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Strategies). Concerts will feature unforgettable performances of beloved classics and exciting new works—by Brahms, Beethoven, Florence Price, Carlos Simon, Stacy Garrop, Valerie Coleman, Kevin Puts, Missy Mazzoli, and Gabriela Lena Frank, among others—with an impressive range of guest artists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Angel Blue, Lara Downes, Randall Goosby, Ledisi, BalletX, Haochen Zhang, Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, and many more.
Bravo! Vail Music Festival
The Philadelphia Orchestra will begin its 15th residency at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival, in the pastoral Rocky Mountains, with two performances led by former Principal Guest Conductor Stéphane Denève. The series will open with a performance of Carlos Simon’s Fate Now Conquers, a Philadelphia Orchestra commission;Sibelius’s Violin Concerto featuring Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider; and Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben (July 8). The following evening Denève will conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra premiere of Stacy Garrop’s Penelope Waits, Kirill Gerstein in Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3(July 9). George Daugherty will lead Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, a concert perfect for the whole family, complete with more than a dozen classic Looney Tunes projected on the big screen (July 10).
Principal Guest Conductor Nathalie Stutzmann will lead the Orchestra in a second week of stunning concerts, including an evening of Beethoven and Schubert, featuring Haochen Zhang performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (July 14); works by Tchaikovsky alongside Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with Daniel Lozakovich (July 15); and a finale performance featuring Principal Clarinet Ricardo Morales and Principal Viola Choong-Jin Chang in Bruch’s Concerto for Clarinet, Viola, and Orchestra, as well as Brahms’s Fourth Symphony (July 16).
Mann Center for the Performing Arts
The Philadelphia Orchestra will dazzle audiences at home with three concerts over one week in July at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts. Earlier this year, the Mann Center and the Orchestra announced a multi-year residency through 2027, allowing for additional opportunities to partner and plan together on artistic programming, new commissions, and community engagement and education programming.
Assistant Conductor Erina Yashima will lead the Orchestra in the fan favorite Tchaikovsky Spectacular, featuring the Symphony No. 4 and Variations on a Rococo Theme with cellist Thomas Mesa in his Philadelphia Orchestra debut. The evening will conclude with a dazzling fireworks display (July 21). Next, GRAMMY® Award–winning singer Ledisi will join the Orchestra for a Tribute to Nina Simone. Conducted by William Eddins, the performance will take the audience on an exhilarating exploration through the legendary artist’s repertoire (July 22). The Mann series will conclude with a screening of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone™,brought to life with the score performed live by The Philadelphia Orchestra as the celebrated film is shown on the Mann’s 40-foot main stage screen as well as on two giant screens for fans on the Great Lawn (July 23).
Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC)
The Philadelphia Orchestra will conclude its summer residencies with three weeks in Saratoga Springs, New York, joined by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and a host of special guests for a diverse series of performances.
The first week at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center marks several Orchestra and SPAC premieres, with BalletX performing alongside the Orchestra in choreographer Tiler Peck’s setting of Valerie Coleman’s Umoja, Anthem for Unity (July 27). The next evening, the Orchestra will perform the East Coast Premiere of Pulitzer Prize–winner Kevin Puts’s Contact for string trio and orchestra, a SPAC co-commission, featuring the ensemble Time for Three. The concert will also include the SPAC premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres) and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”) (July 28). Both concerts will be led by Assistant Conductor Erina Yashima.
Renowned violinist Joshua Bell and soprano Larisa Martinez will join the Orchestra for “Voice and the Violin,” an evening of romantic arias and modern classics by Berlioz, Mascagni, Sarasate, Verdi, and Bernstein, among others, led by conductor Michael Stern (July 29).
Conductor William Eddins will lead the Orchestra through three concerts in week two, beginning with Ledisi in a Tribute to Nina Simone (August 3). The following evening will include The Philadelphia Orchestra and SPAC premieres of A Lovesome Thing: Billy Strayhorn Suite, co-commissioned by SPAC,and the SPAC premiere of Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement, both featuring pianist (and NPR host) Lara Downes in her Orchestra and SPAC debuts (August 4). Acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma will return to the SPAC stage for the first time in five years to perform the Aria from Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas brasileiras No. 5 and Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto No. 1 (August 5).
Audiences can also enjoy Saturday evenings at the movies with live-score performances of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ (July 30) and The Princess Bride (August 6).
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will join The Philadelphia Orchestra for the final week, with performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Iman Habibi’s companion piece, Jeder Baum spricht, commissioned by the Orchestra (August 10), as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”) alongside Jessica Hunt’s Climb, another Orchestra commission, and Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with Randall Goosby making his Orchestra and SPAC debuts (August 11). Soprano Angel Blue will also make her SPAC debut, lending her stunning vocals to Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Coleman’s This Is Not a Small Voice, a Philadelphia Orchestra commission that was given its world premiere in February 2022(August 12). The three-week series will conclude with a triumphant performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 featuring Angel Blue, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Russell Thomas, Ryan McKinny, and the Albany Pro Musica chorus. Philadelphia Orchestra Composer-in-Residence Gabriela Lena Frank’s Pachamama Meets an Ode, an Orchestra commission that draws inspiration from Beethoven and from Frank’s Peruvian culture, will be given its SPAC premiere. The evening will culminate with a fireworks display (August 13).
The Philadelphia Orchestra Summer Calendar
(July 8–August 13, 2022)
A Hero’s Life with Denève
July 8 at 6:00 PM—Friday evening—Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail
Stéphane Denève Conductor
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider Violin
Smith “The Star-Spangled Banner”
Skoryk Melody, for solo violin and string orchestra
Simon Fate Now Conquers
Sibelius Violin Concerto
Strauss Ein Heldenleben
Inspired by an entry in Beethoven’s journal, Fate Now Conquers draws on uncertainty and turns it into inspiration. The exceptional Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider brings his “enormous presence and charisma” (Philadelphia Inquirer) to the impassioned and inventive Violin Concerto by Sibelius. Strauss’s virtuosic tone poem is an astounding musical autobiography, depicting life, love, struggles, and fulfillment.
Tickets are available through the Box Office, by calling 877.812.5700, or by visiting www.bravovail.org.
Rachmaninoff’s Third Symphony
July 9 at 6:00 PM—Saturday evening—Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail
Stéphane Denève Conductor
Kirill Gerstein Piano
Garrop Penelope Waits—First Philadelphia Orchestra Performance
Liszt Piano Concerto No. 2
Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 3
This is an enthralling, voluptuous dream of a program, a musical marriage made in heaven for the famous “Philadelphia Sound.” The gentle longing of Penelope Waits set the scene for the “serious, intelligent, and virtuosic music-making” (The Observer) of Kirill Gerstein in a dazzling concerto by Liszt. Finally, the program concludes with Rachmaninoff’s magnificent Third Symphony, which intertwines a modern melancholy with lustrous, life-affirming Romanticism.
Tickets are available through the Box Office, by calling 877.812.5700, or by visiting www.bravovail.org.
Warner Bros. Presents Bugs Bunny at the Symphony
July 10 at 7:30 PM—Sunday evening—Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail
George Daughtery Conductor
“Bugs Bunny at the Symphony 30” (complete with film)
Brilliant Warner Bros. Looney Tunes like “What’s Opera, Doc?”, “Corny Concerto,” and “The Rabbit of Seville” have introduced the exhilarating experience of classical music to generations of audiences worldwide over the past 80 years. Bring the whole family to experience over a dozen of these beloved cartoons projected on the big screen, while their extraordinary original Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn scores are played live by The Philadelphia Orchestra. (In the hilarious “Long Haired-Hare,” Bugs even masquerades as the Orchestra’s iconic Leopold Stokowski, music director from 1912 to 1941!) This new edition celebrates the 30th anniversary of this critically acclaimed production that has delighted audiences all over the world for three decades. Created and produced by George Daugherty and David Ka Lik Wong.
LOONEY TUNES and all related characters and elements © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s22)
Tickets are available through the Box Office, by calling 877.812.5700, or by visiting www.bravovail.org.
Beethoven & Schubert with Stutzmann
July 14 at 6:00 PM—Thursday evening—Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail
Nathalie Stutzmann Conductor
Haochen Zhang Piano
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1
Schubert Symphony No. 9 (“Great”)
Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto starts simply and evolves into an epic journey, especially in the hands of Haochen Zhang, “a musician of extraordinary technical and perception” (New York Arts). Schubert’s colossal Symphony No. 9 is an awe-inspiring revelation masterwork filled with complex melodic interplay, surprising tonal shifts, and brilliant, fearless exuberance.
Tickets are available through the Box Office, by calling 877.812.5700, or by visiting www.bravovail.org.
Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony
July 15 at 6:00 PM—Friday evening—Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail
Nathalie Stutzmann Conductor
Daniel Lozakovich Violin
Tchaikovsky Polonaise, from Eugene Onegin
Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (“Pathétique”)
Pure Russian romance awaits with a bewitching Polonaise from Tchaikovsky’s most popular opera, and the Bravo! Vail debut of the “exceptional” (Le Figaro) violinist Daniel Lozakovich in Prokofiev’s enthralling Second Violin Concerto. Tchaikovsky himself conducted the premiere of his “Pathétique” Symphony just a week before his death. Sometimes described as his own personal requiem, it lives on as one of the composer’s most cherished creations.
Tickets are available through the Box Office, by calling 877.812.5700, or by visiting www.bravovail.org.
Brahms’s Fourth Conducted by Stutzmann
July 16 at 6:00 PM—Saturday evening—Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail
Nathalie Stutzmann Conductor
Ricardo Morales Clarinet
Choong-Jin Chang Viola
Copland Fanfare for the Common Man
Bruch Concerto for Clarinet, Viola, and Orchestra—First Philadelphia Orchestra Performance
Brahms Symphony No. 4
Bruch’s gorgeous double concerto is a rare gem, and an electrifying showcase for the Orchestra’s principal clarinet and viola. Hauntingly beautiful and filled with emotional nuance, the transcendent Fourth Symphony by Brahms is a fitting finale for the Fabulous Philadelphians’ season at Bravo! Vail.
Tickets are available through the Box Office, by calling 877.812.5700, or by visiting www.bravovail.org.
Tchaikovsky Spectacular
July 21 at 8:00 PM—Thursday evening—Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia
Erina Yashima Conductor
Thomas Mesa Cello—Philadelphia Orchestra Debut
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4
Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations, for cello and orchestra
The Tchaikovsky Spectacular with The Philadelphia Orchestra returns to the TD Pavilion at the Mann on Thursday, July 21! Pack a picnic and enjoy fireworks under the stars as Erina Yashima leads the Orchestra in timeless Tchaikovsky pieces: Symphony No. 4, Rococo Variations, and more, culminating in an epic display of fireworks!
Tickets are on sale now via MannCenter.org, Ticketmaster.com, 800.982.2787, and the Mann Box Office.
Ledisi Sings Nina
July 22 at 8:00 PM—Friday evening—Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia
William Eddins Conductor
Ledisi Vocalist—Philadelphia Orchestra Debut
Tribute to Nina Simone
On July 22, Ledisi, the New Orleans-born and Oakland-raised singer, pays tribute to the legendary Nina Simone with a live performance of her album Ledisi Sings Nina, accompanied by none other than The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Ledisi Sings Nina balances upbeat, big-band energy with atmospheric balladry, and an attention to historic detail that succeeds in updating the music for a modern hip-hop/R&B era. With the prowess of Ledisi’s voice, the artistry of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the messages of Simone’s music, this performance is sure to speak to a generation facing the same harsh challenges and bitter struggles of the 1960s.
Ledisi Sings Nina, the singer’s 10th album, caps more than a year of impressive achievement, including a GRAMMY® for Best Traditional R&B Performance; her first PBS TV special, Ledisi Live: A Tribute to Nina Simone; a role on HBO’s Between the World and Me; the release of her album Wild Card; and the release of her second book, Don’t Ever Lose Your Walk: How to Embrace Your Journey. Ledisi’s path forward promises to be as varied stylistically and format-wise as ever.
Tickets are on sale now via MannCenter.org, Ticketmaster.com, 800.982.2787, and the Mann Box Office.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ in Concert
July 23 at 8:00 PM—Saturday evening—Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia
Justin Freer Conductor
Williams Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (complete with film)
“You’re a wizard, Harry!” We’re going back to the movie that started it all! The Harry Potter™ Film Concert Series returns to the Mann this summer with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone™ in Concert, the first film in the Harry Potter series. On July 23, The Philadelphia Orchestra performs John Williams’s unforgettable score live while the entire film plays in high-definition on a 40-foot screen.
In 2016, CineConcerts and Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced the Harry Potter Film Concert Series, a global concert tour celebrating the Harry Potter films. Since the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Concert in 2016, more than 2.7 million fans have enjoyed this magical experience from the Wizarding World, which is scheduled to include over 1,295 performances across more than 48 countries worldwide through 2022.
WIZARDING WORLD and all related trademarks, characters, names, and indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s22)
Tickets are on sale now via MannCenter.org, Ticketmaster.com, 800.982.2787, and the Mann Box Office.
Festive Fireworks
July 27 at 7:30 PM—Wednesday evening—Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs
Erina Yashima Conductor
BalletX—Philadelphia Orchestra Debut
Christine Cox Artistic Director
Shostakovich Festive Overture
Coleman Umoja, Anthem for Unity
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4
Opening Night of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s residency will kick-off with Shostakovich’s Festive Overture.
Highlighting the program will be the Orchestra and SPAC debuts of BalletX, premiering a new work choreographed by New York City Ballet’s Tiler Peck. The piece will be performed with the Orchestra to Valerie Coleman’s Umoja, Anthem for Unity, which draws from Afro-Cuban, jazz, and classical genres.
Tickets are available from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 518.584.9330 (handling fees apply), or at www.spac.org/tickets.
New Worlds
July 28 at 7:30 PM—Thursday evening—Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs
Erina Yashima Conductor
Time for Three
Mazzoli Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
Puts Contact, for string trio and orchestra—First Philadelphia Orchestra Performance
Dvořák Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”)
Highlighting the program on Thursday, July 28, is the East Coast premiere of Contact by Pulitzer Prize–winner Kevin Puts featuring Time for Three. The new work was co-commissioned by SPAC and draws inspiration from Time for Three’s extraordinary energy and spontaneity as a boundary-breaking ensemble. The work was originally planned as part of SPAC’s 2020 season.
Also featured is the SPAC premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres), which, in the composer’s words is “a piece that churns and roils, that inches close to the listener only to leap away at breakneck speed” and Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony, one of the most beloved works in the repertoire with its lush melodies and majestic conclusion.
Tickets are available from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 518.584.9330 (handling fees apply), or at www.spac.org/tickets.
Voice and the Violin
July 29 at 7:30 PM—Friday evening—Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs
Michael Stern Conductor
Joshua Bell Violin
Larisa Martinez Soprano—Philadelphia Orchestra Debut
Berlioz Overture to Beatrice and Benedict
Mendelssohn “Ah, ritorna, età dell’oro,” from Infelice
Dvořák “Songs My Mother Taught Me”
Delibes “Les Filles de Cadix”
Mascagni Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana
Sarasate “Habanera,” from Carmen Fantasy, for violin and orchestra
Verdi Overture to Nabucco
Hérold “Jours de mon enfance,” from Le Pré aux clercs—First Philadelphia Orchestra Performance
Chopin Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2—First Philadelphia Orchestra Performance
Smetana Dances from The Bartered Bride
Bernstein Medley from West Side Story
Tonight, violinist Joshua Bell and soprano Larisa Martinez come together with The Philadelphia Orchestra to present “Voice and the Violin,” an evening of beloved romantic arias and modern classics.
Tickets are available from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 518.584.9330 (handling fees apply), or at www.spac.org/tickets.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ in Concert
July 30 at 7:30 PM—Saturday evening—Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs
Justin Freer Conductor
Albany Pro Musica
José Daniel Flores-Carabello Artistic Director
Williams Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (complete with film)
The third installment of the popular series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™, will be screened alongside the Orchestra performing, live to picture, every note.
WIZARDING WORLD and all related trademarks, characters, names, and indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s22)
Tickets are available from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 518.584.9330 (handling fees apply), or at www.spac.org/tickets.
Ledisi Sings Nina
August 3 at 7:30 PM—Wednesday evening—Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs
William Eddins Conductor
Ledisi Vocalist
Tribute to Nina Simone
Following her recent PBS special Ledisi Live: A Tribute to Nina Simone, 2021 GRAMMY® winner and 14-time GRAMMY®-nominated powerhouse vocalist Ledisi will capture the spirit of singer, pianist, and activist Nina Simone in this special program. Performing alongside The Philadelphia Orchestra, Ledisi will take on the legendary musician’s emotionally searing and socially conscious songs.
Tickets are available from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 518.584.9330 (handling fees apply), or at www.spac.org/tickets.
Lara Downes Plays Price
August 4 at 7:30 PM—Thursday evening—Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs
William Eddins Conductor
Lara Downes Piano—Philadelphia Orchestra Debut
Strayhorn/arr. Walden A Lovesome Thing: Billy Strayhorn Suite—First Philadelphia Orchestra
Performance
Price Piano Concerto in One Movement
Brahms Symphony No. 2
Making her Orchestra and SPAC debuts on this program is American pianist Lara Downes, a trailblazer on stage and off and an acclaimed NPR host. As a chart-topping recording artist, a powerfully charismatic performer, a curator, and tastemaker, she is recognized as a cultural visionary on the national arts scene.
Downes will perform two SPAC premieres: A Lovesome Thing: Billy Strayhorn Suite, co-commissioned by SPAC, Downes, and the Boston Symphony and featuring three selections from the music of Billy Strayhorn (also an Orchestra premiere), as well as Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement, which evokes Price’s experiences as a Black woman raised in the post-Civil War South. This stunning Concerto includes references to spirituals, call-and-response, and the juba—a lively, syncopated plantation dance that predates the Civil War.
Closing the program is Brahms’s Second Symphony, possibly his most popular, and said to be his personal favorite. Its pastoral aura surely accounts for some of its appeal, but there is tension and drama as well, building to an extraordinary, triumphant finale.
Tickets are available from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 518.584.9330 (handling fees apply), or at www.spac.org/tickets.
Yo-Yo Ma Returns
August 5 at 7:30 PM—Friday evening—Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs
William Eddins Conductor
Yo-Yo Ma Cello
Villa-Lobos “Ária (Cantilena),” from Bachianas brasileiras No. 5
Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1
Rimsky-Korsakov Sheherazade
World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma will make his return to SPAC for the first time since 2017 with a program that opens with the “Ária” from Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas brasileiras No. 5, a delightful blend of Brazilian folk tunes and Bach-inspired chamber music.
Following is Saint-Saëns’s sparkling First Cello Concerto, one of the greatest and most technically challenging cello pieces ever written, in the masterful hands of Yo-Yo Ma. The evening closes with Rimsky-Korsakov’s sweeping Sheherazade—core Russian Romantic repertoire seemingly invented to showcase the Philadelphia Sound.
Tickets are available from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 518.584.9330 (handling fees apply), or at www.spac.org/tickets.
The Princess Bride in Concert
August 6 at 7:30 PM—Saturday evening—Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs
Constantine Kitsopoulos Conductor
Knopfler The Princess Bride (complete with film)
Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles. Experience one of the most beloved films of all time as never before … with the power of a full symphony orchestra performing the entire musical score live-to-picture!
© The Princess Bride Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Tickets are available from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 518.584.9330 (handling fees apply), or at www.spac.org/tickets.
Beethoven’s Fifth
August 10 at 7:30 PM—Wednesday evening—Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Dvořák Carnival, concert overture, Op. 92
Rachmaninoff The Isle of the Dead
Habibi Jeder Baum spricht
Beethoven Symphony No. 5
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin returns to Saratoga to lead the Orchestra in four programs, beginning on Wednesday, August 10.
Highlighting the evening is Beethoven’s indelible Fifth Symphony, originally scheduled as part of the 2020 season to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. Written in 1807–08, and on the program when The Philadelphia Orchestra gave its first concert in 1900, it’s an epic tour de force that still resonates today.
Also inspired by nature, and based on a direct quote from Beethoven, composer Iman Habibi’s Jeder Baum spricht imagines Beethoven’s response to today’s climate crisis.
Tickets are available from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 518.584.9330 (handling fees apply), or at www.spac.org/tickets.
Beethoven’s “Eroica”
August 11 at 7:30 PM—Thursday evening—Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Randall Goosby Violin—Philadelphia Orchestra Debut
Rossini Overture to The Thieving Magpie
Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1
Hunt Climb
Beethoven Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”)
Twenty-six-year-old violin superstar Randall Goosby makes his Orchestra and SPAC debuts performing Bruch’s youthful yet expressive Violin Concerto No. 1.
Also featured on this program is composer Jessica Hunt’s Climb, a letter-through-time to Beethoven, expressing her gratitude for his work. Hunt relates Beethoven’s personal struggles to her own experience with chronic illness.
A vast ode to heroism, revolution, and freedom, the “Eroica” is considered by many to be the greatest of not just Beethoven’s symphonies, but the greatest of all time. From its indelible opening theme to its thundering finale, the “Eroica” Symphony is one of Beethoven’s most popular works.
Tickets are available from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 518.584.9330 (handling fees apply), or at www.spac.org/tickets.
Angel Blue Sings Coleman & Barber
August 12 at 7:30 PM—Friday evening—Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Angel Blue Soprano
Rossini Overture to The Thieving Magpie
Barber Knoxville: Summer of 1915
Coleman Eternal Flame [World premiere]
Coleman This Is Not a Small Voice
Dvořák Symphony No. 7
Beginning with Rossini’s effervescent Overture to The Thieving Magpie, this program features the SPAC debut of soprano Angel Blue.
In a performance grounded in our shared connection to a sense of place, Angel Blue transports us to Knoxville: Summer of 1915 through Samuel Barber’s dream-like depiction of the world through the eyes of a child. Valerie Coleman creates an inspiring new work for voice and orchestra using a text by Sonia Sanchez.
Closing the evening is the towering triumph, Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony. Cascading from brooding themes to the serenity of woodwinds to the overwhelming tragic grandeur of the finale, the work has astounded audiences since its April 1885 premiere in London.
Tickets are available from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 518.584.9330 (handling fees apply), or at www.spac.org/tickets.
Beethoven’s Ninth
August 13 at 7:30 PM—Saturday evening—Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Angel Blue Soprano
Jennifer Johnson Cano Mezzo-soprano
Russell Thomas Tenor
Ryan McKinny Bass-baritone—Philadelphia Orchestra Debut
Albany Pro Musica
José Daniel Flores-Carabello Artistic Director
Frank Pachamama Meets an Ode
Beethoven Symphony No. 9 (“Choral”)
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s residency finale is highlighted by Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Written just a few short years before his death, “Beethoven’s profound ode to brotherhood, salvation, and pure joy reminds us why we are here as an orchestra,” says Yannick, “and why we constantly try to make our world better by playing music.”
Philadelphia Orchestra Composer-in-Residence Gabriela Lena Frank draws inspiration from Beethoven and her Peruvian culture in Pachamama Meets an Ode, challenging us to look at gifts from the past with new and searching eyes.
The evening culminates with a brilliant fireworks display.
Tickets are available from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Box Office, by phone at 518.584.9330 (handling fees apply), or at www.spac.org/tickets.
About The Philadelphia Orchestra
About Yannick Nézet-Séguin
About Nathalie Stutzmann
About the 2022–23 Season
About the Digital Stage
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CONTACTS:
Ashley Berke
267.250.5148
aberke@philorch.org
Stephanie Williams
610.952.6836
swilliams@philorch.org
Alyssa Moore
215.893.3142
amoore@philorch.org