THE MAGAZINE OF THE RPO
BEETHOVEN AND DANCE FESTIVALS— A 25/26 SEASON PREVIEW!
25/26
SEASON PREVIEW:
With an exhilarating blend of timeless classics, cutting-edge premieres, and dazzling collaborations, the RPO’s 25/26 season promises to be one of our most unforgettable yet.
from the podium
Jeff
Tyzik is in
a New York state of mind
RPO mainstay triumphs with the NY Phil
By MIKE CIDONI LENNOX Movements Senior Writer
In December, RPO Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik marked his debut conducting the historic New York Philharmonic at its longtime home in New York City, Lincoln Center.
While Rochester will always be one of Jeff Tyzik’s treasured homes away from home, it’s no wonder the RPO principal pops conductor has been in a New York state of mind.
December 14 marked the first time Tyzik stepped on the podium to conduct a performance with the New York Philharmonic in Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall at the historic Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Tyzik, who grew up 90 miles north of New York in Hyde Park, said a life-changing moment came early on, as he watched the New York public-television affiliate WNET’s broadcast of Zubin Mehta conducting the NY Phil in Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.
“I didn’t say, ‘Well, I want to be a conductor,’” Tyzik recalled.
“It was more like, ‘Wow, this was so incredible. That’s what I want my life to be. I want to go into music.’”
Fast forward to Sept. 22, 2023, when Tyzik made his NY Phil debut, conducting a movie-music program in The McKnight Center at Oklahoma State University.
“So, I’m finally standing in front of that orchestra,”
Tyzik remembered. “It was phenomenal for me, it felt like the closing of a big circle.”
On the heels of that success, the NY Phil called Tyzik again – this time to ask him to conduct the orchestra at Lincoln Center. “They said, ‘We have these holiday concerts that we normally do with just our brass and percussion section. But we’d like to do it as an orchestral concert, and we’d love you to do it.”
“It was phenomenal for me, it felt like the closing of a big circle.”
After six weeks developing the program with the NY Phil, Tyzik ended up with something remarkably like his beloved 31-year RPO tradition, Gala Holiday Pops. “I had these two youth soloists come out, and I featured players from the orchestra, and they had never done this before,” Tyzik noted. “So, it was totally new to them.”
Despite the program’s familiarity, the experience was also new to Tyzik, who remembered walking into Lincoln Center the first of his two sold-out nights. “You know, the heebie jeebies went down. But when I walked out on stage and I looked down and I saw people and I saw kids, it was nice, welcoming. It just, it felt great.”
Jeff Tyzik conducts the RPO performing musical-theater favorites, including tunes from the current smash revival of Sunset Blvd and the blockbusting bigscreen adaptation of Wicked, in Broadway Tonight!, 8 PM, March 7 & 8 in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, 60 Gibbs St. Tickets start at $30 at RPO.ORG and (10 AM–5 PM, M–F) from RPO Patron Services, 255 East Ave., Rochester, N.Y. 14604, 585-454-2100.
BROADWAY TONIGHT! MARCH 7 & 8
For two sold-out nights conducting the New York Phil, Tyzik gave New Yorkers a taste of his cherished 31year RPO tradition, Gala Holiday Pops.
FESTIVAL SEASON:
Anchoring the 25/26 season are an All-Beethoven Festival in October and a Dance Festival in
A first look at the 25/26 Season
FAMILIAR FACES: This season’s guest artists include, from l to r: Anne Akiko Myers (violin), Jon Nakamatsu (piano), Karen Gomyo (violin), Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano), and Gil Shaham (violin).
Brace yourself for another RPO season that continues to build upon the orchestra’s recent artistic momentum, highlighted by fresh takes on cherished Phils and Pops traditions, two multi-weekend festivals, and a string of groundbreaking world premieres—including one composed by RPO Music Director Andreas Delfs.
As he has since joining the RPO in 2021, Delfs—along with RPO Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik—has curated a season where all offerings, from treasured crowd-pleasers to a host of new commissions, aim to move the orchestra forward while appealing to both long-time subscribers and patrons who’ve never experienced a concert in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.
“We are committed to bringing beloved core repertoire as well as invigorating new compositions to our audiences,” Delfs said. “I believe this formula is demonstrated once again with a mix of our favorite symphonies and so many exciting world premieres by today’s leading composers.”
For the first time in recent history, the orchestra will present two marathon music festivals, each spanning consecutive weekends in October and January, respectively. The first is an all-Beethoven affair featuring 12 selections over four separate programs starting Thursday, October 23. Maestro Delfs leads the orchestra through the genius of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”), No. 5, No. 6 (“Pastoral”), and No. 7, as well as concerti featuring an incredible lineup of guest artists: pianists Jon Nakamatsu and Jonathan Biss, violinist Benjamin Beilman, and RPO stars Juliana Athayde (violin), Ahrim Kim (cello), and Chiao-Wen Cheng (piano).
“We have developed a real Beethoven style,” Delfs noted, “and I look forward to back-to-back weekends and four programs that will show off what this Great American Orchestra can do.”
Next, the RPO Dance Festival takes center stage starting Saturday, January 24 with all-new choreography by RPO community-arts partners Garth Fagan Dance and the Rochester City Ballet. Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performs a world-premiere piano concerto by Aaron Jay Kernis commissioned through the RPO’s Voices of Today initiative, while the showcase of the weekend will be a new arrangement of Prokofiev’s Suite from Romeo & Juliet, written exclusively for the festival by Delfs.
Other season highlights include the return of piano legend Yefim Bronfman and violin virtuoso Gil Shaham, while cellist Julian Schwartz makes his Rochester debut performing the world premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Cello Concerto, another major addition to the contemporary repertoire. Additional Voices of Today commissions in the 25/26 lineup include trailblazing new works by Avner Dorman and Lowell Liebermann.
The Philharmonics season concludes in spectacular fashion with Carl Orff’s epic Carmina Burana, boasting another RPO community-arts collaboration—this one with the Rochester Oratorio Society (ROS). Orff’s epic composition, performed under Delfs command with the powerhouse vocals of the ROS, promises to be an exhilarating finale to a compelling season.
Not to be outdone, Tyzik delivers another thrilling Pops Series lineup offering a wide array of beloved classics and unforgettable performances. This season features three exciting premieres:
• Summer Breeze: Yacht Rock Classics—A smooth-sailing tribute to ‘70s and ‘80s icons including Steely Dan, Toto, and Christopher Cross.
• The Sounds of Laurel Canyon: ‘60s & ‘70s Rock Legends—A nostalgic journey featuring the music of Los Angeles-based legends such as Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Crosby, Stills & Nash.
• Fiesta Sinfónica: A Symphonic Celebration—A vibrant Latin music showcase starring Camille Zamora and the Mambo Kings.
A movie milestone concludes with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™, Part 2—In Concert, the finale to the historic eight-film series, which cemented “live-to-film” performances as fixtures in virtually every major orchestra. You also won’t want to miss our own Herb Smith making his RPO Pops Series conducting debut with Endless Love: R&B Love Songs and Duets, starring Broadway sensations Chester Gregory and Shayna Steele.
“Herb is becoming well known as a Pops conductor around the country,” said Tyzik, noting that Smith will be on the podium with seven other American orchestras next season.
“Everywhere he goes he gets rave reviews from the musicians and the audience.”
Film-music fans will be thrilled by Heroes and Villains: Movie Music Classics, featuring epic themes from legendary spy and superhero films. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Pops Season in Rochester without Tyzik’s own Gala Holiday Pops, returning for its 32nd year and showcasing the region’s top young vocalists in the Festival High School Chorale.
Also, prepare for a voyage beyond the stars as Starship RPO launches SPACE!, a breathtaking reprise of highlights from last season’s Eclipse Spectacular, blending the greatest musical hits, artistic collaborations, and stunning visual effects from last spring’s sold-out performance at Blue Cross Arena.
With its exhilarating blend of timeless classics, cutting-edge premieres, and dazzling collaborations, the RPO’s 25/26 season promises to be one of its most unforgettable yet.
POPS PREMIERES: Summer Breeze: Yacht Rock Classics is one of three world-premieres on this year’s pop’s schedule. Other highlights include the eighth and final installment in the Harry Potter film series, the Eastman Theatre return of Troupe Vertigo, Rochester’s favorite tradition, Gala Holiday Pops, and movie music classics featuring themes from legendary spy and superhero films.
Herb Smith
More new works, more new venues
What lies ahead for the RPO
Now that we have a preview of the 25/26 season, Movements asked RPO President and CEO Curt Long what he sees in the orchestra’s future.
I think the RPO of tomorrow will look in some ways similar to what it looks like now, and in some ways different. I think we’ll continue to have our Philharmonic and Pops series at the Eastman Theatre for large audiences, and we’ll continue to mix the traditional repertoire with some new shows and new commissions every year.
But beyond that, I see us having a stronger presence at venues outside of the Eastman Theatre. We’re excited about plans New York State has to develop a park at High Falls, and we think there’s an opportunity to get an outdoor amphitheater built there. That could be a summer home for the RPO as well as for others who hold events between Memorial Day and Labor Day. I think that it would be a terrific opportunity for us to attract people downtown for fun summer evenings along the river.
We’re also excited about the new performing arts venue that’s being built at RIT, and trying to create programming aimed at younger, non-traditional audiences. We think it could be a good venue for that, as well as building (a new series of) videogame-music concerts.
So, again, the RPO will look quite similar in some ways, but you’ll also see some innovative programs designed to serve different parts of our community.
WISH LIST: A summer home for the RPO in the proposed state park at High Falls and new performance spaces at RIT to host non-traditional programming, including video-game concerts.
Curt Long
WELCOMING SPACE: Mother and son pet a therapy dog at the RPO’s sensory-friendly concert, creating a welcoming space for music lovers of all abilities.
in harmony
Sense and sensibility
For the sensory sensitive, sensory-friendly concerts make live music accessible
By LAUREN MACDONOUGH, Movements Staff Editor
Although music is a universal language, attending an orchestral performance in a concert hall full of people may not be the best way for everyone to enjoy and appreciate the experience.
Performing-arts organizations around the world, including the RPO, understand this challenge and work to carefully craft experiences that welcome and accommodate all audiences. Thanks to the orchestra’s Care & Wellness Initiative, small chamber ensembles of RPO musicians routinely travel to senior living communities and organizations serving children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to reach those communities not able to make it to Kodak Hall. But as Barbara Brown, Lisk Morris Foundation Vice President of Education Chair, can attest, “Bringing the entire RPO everywhere would be great, but we’re a little too big to fit just anywhere!”
Enter the Sensory-Friendly Concert: a safe space for music lovers of all ages and levels of sensory sensitivities to experience the orchestra in a way that works for them. With the exception of programming a select set of music, a sensoryfriendly concert is not much different than a traditional concert. There’s just a shared expectation that the audience can react to the music in their own way, which makes the
AUDIENCE ACCOMMODATIONS:
Headphones are available to those who may need to reduce the sound in the hall to enjoy the concert.
concert experience vastly different. Brown says, “Sensory-friendly concerts are safe spaces for everyone to move, vocalize, and react however they choose.”
Accommodations are offered to ensure everyone can have a joyful experience. Music too loud? Use the quiet room or wear headphones to reduce the sound in the hall. Need a
furry friend to calm you down? Visit the friendly therapy dog on site. Nervous about what happens in a concert? Review the online social narrative with your family before coming so you know what to expect.
The RPO has performed only a handful of sensory-friendly concerts so far, but the results speak for themselves. A high school (middle/elementary) student from Fairport with sensory sensitivities was so moved by a recent opportunity to experience the orchestra in this way, that when offered the chance to donate money to a charity of his choice (thanks to Fairport administration and teachers), he chose the RPO so that others like him could also experience the orchestra in this unique way.
APRIL 5 ALL MUSIC LOVERS
The RPO’s next sensory-friendly concert will be April 5, 2025 at Hochstein Performance Hall and will feature a string orchestra. The concert is free to attend.
Music Educators Month
The RPO celebrates Music In Our Schools
Throughout March, the RPO pays tribute to music teachers as part of Music in Our Schools Month (MIOSM). This initiative started March 14, 1973, as a single-day celebration across New York State. Today, MIOSM is a national, monthlong effort where music educators showcase programs to their schools and communities, and convey the importance of music for students of all ages. As part of Music in Our Schools Month, our musicians honor local teachers with the RPO Musicians’ Awards for Outstanding Music Educators. This year’s winners will be recognized at the Mozart & Brahms concert on Thursday, March 20 in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
MOZART & BRAHMS
MARCH 20 & 22
HONORING
TEACHERS:
Eastridge High School Choral Director
Ellice McQuay accepts a 2023 Music Educators’ Award from Maestro Andreas Delfs. These annual awards are given to area music educators on behalf of the musicians of the RPO.
JOYCE TSENG
BROADWAY TONIGHT!
MARCH 7 & 8
Spring Is In the Air
Spring is right around the corner and daylight saving is here! Spend some time on Broadway with your RPO that weekend (March 7 and 8) and remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour Sunday, March 9.
Then, join your RPO in celebrating the first day of spring with Mozart & Brahms March 20 (& 22). Soloists from your RPO will debut a fresh Voices of Today commission from Roberto Sierra featuring oboe, bassoon, violin, and cello! Plus, symphonies from Mozart and Brahms open and close the program.
Snuggle up with Dr. Seuss’ ‘Sneetches’!
Sunday, April 6, it’s Storytime in Your PJs, with RPO-accompanied narrations of bedtime stories for kids of all ages, featuring Dr. Seuss’ beloved The Sneetches.
First published in Redbook magazine in 1953, Sneetches is a tale of tolerance so powerful that, after years of reading it to his children, current RPO Board Member Dr. Sidney Sobel was inspired to commission composer Lorenzo Palomo to write an original underscore for the narrative, which the RPO premiered in 2012.
Sobel said Sneetches is as relevant as ever. “This story has the potential to change behavior,” he noted. While that’s serious business, families can expect an afternoon of serious fun, with RPO Assistant Conductor Jherrard Hardeman at the podium, Star Trek: The Next Generation actor John de Lancie doing the reading, and illustrations from the original Sneetches book projected on the screen.
The PJs, of course, are optional.
The performance is at 2 PM, Sunday, April 6 at Hochstein Performance Hall, 50 N. Plymouth Ave., Rochester, NY 14614. Tickets are $10 for children and $20 for adults (plus service fees) at RPO.ORG and 10 AM–5 PM M–F at RPO Patron Services, (585) 454-2100, 255 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14604
STORYTIME IN YOUR PJS
APRIL 6
Juliana Athayde, concertmaster, The Caroline W. Gannett & Clayla Ward Chair
Ahrim Kim, principal cello, The Clara and Edwin Strasenburgh Chair
Erik Behr, principal oboe, The Dr. Jacques M. Lipson Chair
Matthew McDonald, principal bassoon, The Ron and Donna Fielding Chair