HearTOGETHER podcast guests to include Reena Esmail, Charlotte Blake Alston,
Lina Gonzalez-Granados, inti figgis-vizueta, and Joseph Conyers
New Our City, Your Orchestra episodes feature Family Promise of Burlington County,
Johnson House Historic Site, and the Paul Robeson House
(Philadelphia, January 24, 2022)—The Philadelphia Orchestra kicks off the new year with new episodes of its HearTOGETHER podcast and Our City, Your Orchestra web series, both dedicated to fostering community connections and insightful conversations.
HearTOGETHER, with host Tori Marchiony, is a space for honest conversations about music, social justice, and the lived experiences that inform and drive artists, academics, and activists working toward a more equitable and inclusive future for music. Upcoming episodes of the podcast feature new stories and guests each month:
- January: Composer Reena Esmail shares what it’s like growing up between two cultures and two religions, the toxicity of competition, and the importance of constantly challenging her own worldview.
- February: Philadelphia Orchestra Storyteller, Narrator, and Host Charlotte Blake Alston discusses her transition from being a teacher to a full-time creative, the weight and obligation she carries in her responsibility to honesty, and the pillars of her craft.
- February: In a special episode, Marchiony hosts “From Programming to Progress,” a live version of HearTOGETHER that took place on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. The discussion opens with a spotlight interview with Andrea Custis, president and CEO of the Urban League of Philadelphia. The conversation continues with Michelle Cann, Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music; Dr. Fredara M. Hadley, ethnomusicology professor at the Juilliard School; and Dr. Cassandra W. Jones, senior director for Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church and CEO of Next Step Associates.
- March: Philadelphia Orchestra Conducting Fellow Lina Gonzalez-Granados discusses her evolution from pianist to conductor, her journey moving from Colombia to the United States, and the importance of empathy to her artistic practice.
- April: NYC-based composer inti figgis-vizueta discusses how their work reflects their non-binary and Quechua/Latinx identity, the hardships from institutional experiences that brought them to self-expression within freelance composing, and the vision for contemporary music they are working to craft.
- May: Philadelphia Orchestra Acting Associate Principal Bass and Project440 Founder Joseph Conyers shares observations of concert music as both a musician and a leader of youth, his aspirations for the development of concert music for future generations, and how living through the pandemic has changed his outlook.
New episodes of HearTOGETHER are released on the first Friday of each month and are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more, as well as at www.philorch.org/heartogether. HearTOGETHER is supported by lead corporate sponsor Accordant Advisors. Additional major support has been provided by the Otto Haas Charitable Trust.
The online video series Our City, Your Orchestra also returns with new episodes through spring 2022. Originally designed as a way to support Black-owned businesses, non-profit institutions, and other iconic Philadelphia locations affectedby the COVID-19 pandemic, Our City, Your Orchestra connects The Philadelphia Orchestra with communities through music and dialog and celebrates the diversity and vibrancy of the Philadelphia region. Musical selections are chosen specifically for, and in collaboration with, each organization to showcase its unique mission, and interviews help tell the inspiring stories of each location. Upcoming episodes will feature organizations advocating for change, sites of historical significance, and businesses that represent and serve resilient communities:
- January: Family Promise of Burlington County provides support to those experiencing housing insecurity.
- March: The Johnson House Historic Site is dedicated to the history of social justice advocacy in the Johnson family, as well as how those efforts continue to this day.
- April: The Paul Robeson House and Museumexplores the journey of actor, orator, athlete, lawyer, singer, author, scholar, activist, and linguist Paul Robeson and his life’s work fighting against injustice. This performance also falls during Robeson’s birthday month.
New episodes of Our City, Your Orchestra are available on the first and 15th of each month at www.philorch.org/ocyo. Our City, Your Orchestra is supported in part by the William Penn Foundation, with additional support provided through the PNC Arts Alive initiative, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Presser Foundation.
Our City, Your Orchestra
Winter/Spring 2022
Saturday, January 1 12:00 PM
Family Promise of Burlington County Episode 1
Jennifer Montone Horn
Davyd Booth Piano
Randy Gardner Horn
Ponce “Estrellita“
Brahms “Weg der Liebe II”
Brahms “Es rauschet das Wasser”
Jennifer Montone holds the Gray Charitable Trust Chair.
Saturday, January 15 12:00 PM
Family Promise of Burlington County Episode 2
Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia English Horn
Jennifer Montone Horn
Randy Gardner Horn
Beethoven Fourth movement (Finale: Presto), from Trio in C major, Op. 87
Arthur, Jr. “The River"
Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia holds the Joanne T. Greenspun Chair.
Jennifer Montone holds the Gray Charitable Trust Chair.
Tuesday, March 1 12:00 PM
Johnson House Historic Site Episode 1
Tuesday, March 15 12:00 PM
Johnson House Historic Site Episode 2
Juliette Kang Violin
Kirsten Johnson Viola
Daniel Matsukawa Bassoon
Juliette Kang holds the Joseph and Marie Field Chair.
Daniel Matsukawa holds the Richard M. Klein Chair.
Friday, April 1 12:00 PM
Paul Robeson House and Museum Episode 1
Friday, April 15 12:00 PM
Paul Robeson House and Museum Episode 2
About The Philadelphia Orchestra
About Yannick Nézet-Séguin
About the 2021–22 Season
About the Digital Stage
Our Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Strategies (IDEAS)
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CONTACTS:
Ashley Berke
267.250.5148
aberke@philorch.org
Alyssa Moore
215.893.3142
amoore@philorch.org