Conductor Gustavo Dudamel’s Philadelphia Orchestra debut to feature world premiere of Esteban Benzecry’s MUYUY, The circle of life
John Williams to conduct program of film favorites featuring violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter
Kevin Puts’s new opera The Hours, with Renée Fleming and Kelli O’Hara, to receive concert premiere, conducted by Nézet-Séguin
Verizon Hall to transform into a virtual, multi-denominational sanctuary by digital artist Refik Anadol for Beethoven: Missa solemnis 2.0
New contemporary co-presentation of Fiddler on the Roof with University Musical Society
Nézet-Séguin to conduct world premiere of Mason Bates’s Piano Concerto with Daniil Trifonov
Nézet-Séguin to conduct world premiere of Valerie Coleman’s song cycle with Angel Blue
World premiere works by Composer-in-Residence Gabriela Lena Frank, Matthew Aucoin, and Melody Eötvös
Principal Guest Conductor Nathalie Stutzmann to conduct Beethoven and Brahms with Pianist Emanuel Ax
Eun Sun Kim to make Philadelphia Orchestra conducting debut
Following fall world premiere, Marsalis Tuba Concerto to receive one-night-only encore performance with Principal Tuba Carol Jantsch
New Digital Stage concerts to include streams of Florence Price’s Adoration, Missy Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
(Philadelphia, September 8, 2021)—Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra present a highly anticipated second half of the 2021–22 season with a spectrum of live concerts and Digital Stage streams from January–June 2022. Full of a diverse array of debuts, world premieres, treasured classics, and more, Winter/Spring 2022: Forward will continue to explore subjects of profound societal change, from technology to racial and social justice to the environment. A full digital press kit and chronological calendar can be found at www.philorch.org/press-room.
“Our winter/spring programming is a fitting and exciting culmination of a transformed season and musical landscape,” said Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. “We continue to move forward with renewed vision and energy, and with immense appreciation for the opportunity to share live music with audiences once again. From the music of Florence Price taking center stage to the world premiere of the concert version of Kevin Puts’s opera The Hours to finally realizing our vision for Beethoven’s Missa solemnis in collaboration with media artist Refik Anadol, the entire season is one to celebrate.”
President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky commented, “As Yannick and the Orchestra return to live performances with audiences, the context is a changed world. Our winter/spring season will continue the creative conversation to better understand each other and our world through music. With renewed vitality and forward motion, the experience of attending concerts of The Philadelphia Orchestra, in person and digitally, has never been more compelling.”
Subscription packages go on sale today at 12 PM ET and Create-Your-Own series will be available beginning October 27, 2021, at www.philorch.org/forward or 215.893.1955. Single tickets will go on sale mid-November. As a subscriber benefit, Digital Stage programs can be added to any Verizon Hall subscription package for $10 each. Subscribers to Verizon Hall concerts can also enjoy increased flexibility in ticketing with fee-free exchanges.
The winter/spring 2022 season features the Philadelphia Orchestra debut of conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who will lead a program that includes the world premiere of Esteban Benzecry’s MUYUY, The circle of life, commissioned by The Philadelphia Orchestra and written during the COVID-19 pandemic; Ginastera’s Piano Concerto with Sergio Tiempo, who will also be making his Orchestra debut; and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. Iconic Hollywood composer and conductor John Williams will return to conduct a one-night-only special event featuring his beloved works from the silver screen with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. With Nézet-Séguin on the podium, soprano Renée Fleming and Broadway star Kelli O’Hara star in the world premiere concert version of Kevin Puts’s new opera The Hours,based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Michael Cunningham and award-winning film. The Hours is supported by Constance and Michael Cone. The music of Florence Price continues to be a focal point with a performance of the composer’s Symphony No. 1, led by Nézet-Séguin.
Other artists making their Philadelphia Orchestra debuts include conductors Daniele Rustioni and Eun Sun Kim, soprano Kelli O’Hara, violinist Daniel Lozakovich, and organist Monica Czausz. Former Principal Guest Conductor Stéphane Denève and Fabio Luisi will both return to the podium, while longtime collaborators Emanuel Ax, Lisa Batiashvili (in subscription performances at the Academy of Music), Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet also join the Orchestra. Principal Guest Conductor Nathalie Stutzmann returns to the Verizon Hall stage for two programs. Orchestra members who appear as soloists include Principal Viola Choong-Jin Chang, First Associate Concertmaster Juliette Kang, Principal Tuba Carol Jantsch (in a one-night-only encore performance of Wynton Marsalis’s Tuba Concerto), and Principal Flute Jeffrey Khaner.
In partnership with the University Musical Society at the University of Michigan, The Philadelphia Orchestra will co-present a new semi-staged theatrical concert performance of Fiddler on the Roof. John Williams’s Academy Award-winning adaptation of the musical score by composer Jerry Bock will feature both Broadway stars and students from the University of Michigan’s celebrated Department of Musical Theatre. Though set against the backdrop of Imperial Russian persecution of Jews in 1905, the story of Fiddler on the Roof retains its relevance in examining modern international human rights. This production, made even more vivid by John Williams’s technicolor orchestrations—never before heard live in concert—will bring the beloved musical into a new and contemporary light. Performances will begin in Ann Arbor in February with the Grand Rapids Symphony ahead of the Verizon Hall performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra in March.
Scheduled to debut in fall 2020, and adapted for the Digital Stage in 2021, Beethoven: Missa solemnis 2.0 will finally take shape as originally intended in partnership with media artist Refik Anadol. Beethoven’s rarely performed Mass will be presented in the context of Anadol’s experiential “computer dreaming.” Combining images of religious landmarks, Anadol will utilize artificial intelligence and data visualization to design an immersive experience in the form of a virtual, multi-denominational sanctuary inside Verizon Hall. Beethoven: Missa solemnis 2.0 is supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
Numerous world premiere compositions by leading and emerging composers will also be presented throughout the winter/spring season. Acclaimed pianist and Philadelphia Orchestra recording partner Daniil Trifonov will give the world premiere performance of Mason Bates’s Piano Concerto, under the baton of Nézet-Séguin. In addition, Bates’s The Rhapsody of Steve Jobs, a Philadelphia Orchestra co-commission inspired by music from his opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, will receive its world premiere. Soprano Angel Blue will take the stage to premiere Valerie Coleman’s new song cycle based on texts from Philadelphia-based writers and poets. The world premiere of Matthew Aucoin’s Suite from his opera Eurydice will also appear on the same program. Composer Melody Eötvös will address climate change and global warming with the world premiere of her Philadelphia Orchestra-commissioned piece for organ When It Hits the Ocean Below, led by Xian Zhang in her first Philadelphia Orchestra subscription concerts. Composer-in-Residence Gabriela Lena Frank will draw inspiration from Beethoven and her Peruvian culture in Pachamama Meets an Ode.
The silver screen returns to Verizon Hall with three film projects: Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, An American in Paris, and The Princess Bride featuring composer Mark Knopfler’s score specially arranged for symphony orchestra.
Commitment to Safety
The safety of all is the top priority of The Philadelphia Orchestra. In coordination with the Kimmel Cultural Campus’s health and safety policy, patrons 12 years and older attending Orchestra performances in Verizon Hall and the Academy of Music are required to show proof of full COVID vaccination. Patrons must receive their final vaccine dose at least 14 days prior to the date of the performance. Proof of a negative COVID test will not be accepted, with the exception of children under the age of 12, who will be required to show a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of the event. All patrons are required to wear masks inside at all times except when actively consuming food or beverages in designated locations. More information regarding health and safety protocols can be found at www.philorch.org/plan-your-visit.
Digital Stage Concerts Continue
Audiences around the world will have the opportunity to stream five new programs on the Digital Stage. Renowned violinist Joshua Bell will appear on the Digital Stage as both conductor and soloist in Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, Florence Price’s Adoration, and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 (“Italian”) (January 26). Principal Guest Conductor Nathalie Stutzmann will conduct Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 (“Great”) and Missy Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres) (February 23). Nézet-Séguin will be featured leading three Digital Stage programs: Wynton Marsalis’s Tuba Concerto featuring Principal Tuba Carol Jantsch (March 30), Mason Bates’s Piano Concerto with Daniil Trifonov and Rachmaninoff’s The Bells (April 27), and Beethoven: Missa solemnis 2.0 (May 25). All Digital Stage programs will be available Wednesdays at 8 PM ET on their premiere date and will remain available for on-demand streaming through the following Wednesday at 11 PM ET.
Digital Stage Create-Your-Own three-subscription packages and single tickets go on sale today at 12 PM ET at www.philorch.org/forward. The high-resolution digital performances are accessible on mobile devices, computers, and TV via Chromecast and similar apps.
Lead support for the Digital Stage is provided by:
Claudia and Richard Balderston
Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr.
The CHG Charitable Trust
Edith R. Dixon
Innisfree Foundation
Gretchen and M. Roy Jackson
Neal W. Krouse
John H. McFadden and Lisa D. Kabnick
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Leslie A. Miller and Richard B. Worley
Ralph W. Muller and Beth B. Johnston
Neubauer Family Foundation
William Penn Foundation
Peter and Mari Shaw
Dr. and Mrs. Joseph B. Townsend
Waterman Trust
Constance and Sankey Williams
Wyncote Foundation
About The Philadelphia Orchestra
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CONTACTS:
Ashley Berke
215.893.1939
aberke@philorch.org
Natalie Lewis
215.893.3136
nlewis@philorch.org