THE MAGAZINE OF THE RPO APR 2025
A TOUR OF ROCHESTER’S HISTORIC MUSIC LIBRARY
“The RPO has really wrapped their arms around these young musicians and said, ‘we’re going to help you become the very best versions of yourselves that we can’.”
JHERRARD HARDEMAN, RPO ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Education and Community Engagement Chair
ON THE COVER: In the spring of 1924, George Gershwin autographed and wrote the first two bars of
Rhapsody in Blue in the Eastman School of Music guest book, one of thousands of holdings in the Sibley Music Library.
STAND PARTNERS: RPYO and RPO musicians perform Shostakovich 11 together
From the podium Sharing the Stage
The Importance of Side-by-Side Concerts
Imagine you’re a high school musician with an opportunity to perform on stage alongside your professional counterpart in front of an audience of classical music patrons. It’s easy to see how daunting that could be knowing the considerable gap in music knowledge and education between students and the pros. But with a collaborative orchestra like the Rochester Philharmonic, all student musicians are welcomed with open hearts and musical minds.
In February, the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra embarked on a one-week international performance tour to Boston and Montreal, completing the final leg of their journey back at Kodak Hall playing alongside the RPO. RPYO Music Director Jherrard Hardeman chose Shostakovich’s challenging 11th Symphony knowing the students would rise to the occasion amidst RPO support.
“For these students to come back to this stage surrounded and supported by the entire RPO,” said Hardeman, “and for these professional musicians to say not only are we going to be here when you get back but we’re going to play with all our heart for you, that’s something very special.”
The RPYO isn’t the only organization that benefits from these side-by-side experiences with the RPO. ROCmusic was founded in 2012 to provide exceptional music education and performance experiences for students in the city of Rochester and the RPO has been there from the beginning as a proud founding member. Earlier this month, ROCmusic students performed their annual side-by-side with the RPO, playing classic pieces including Edward Elgar’s Nimrod from Enigma Variations and Patrick Roszell’s Take Flight.
The side-by-side experience is about more than just performing on stage with the pros—it’s about learning how to play in an ensemble and understanding musical dynamics and interpretation. It’s also a chance to learn first-hand how professional musicians approach
both rehearsal and concert settings; something that may take years to fully understand when students are only afforded the opportunity to practice in a rehearsal room, without their professional counterparts.
Students are also learning firsthand about the discipline, dedication, and professionalism it requires to perform in an orchestra at the highest level. Seeing how professionals rehearse, interact, and adjust to real-time challenges offers an education that extends far beyond the classroom.
These formal concerts are not the only way to experience this special side-by-side opportunity: RPO wind, brass, and percussion musicians are dropping into classrooms at RCSD’s School of the Arts and Irondequoit High School to perform alongside school band members. Plus, the RPO Jazz Trio lead by Bob Snider will perform at the Lilac Festival alongside School #58 students.
“The RPO,” said Hardeman, “has really wrapped their arms around these young musicians and said, ‘we’re going to help you become the very best versions of yourselves that we can’.”
RPYO Music Director Jherrard Hardeman
SHARED EXPERIENCE: ROCmusic students perform alongside RPO musicians
Sibley Music Library’s RPO archive is the envy of other orchestras
By
CIDONI
Sibley Music Library Special Collections Librarian and Archivist David Peter Coppen presents Maestro Delfs with bound book of RPO programs
MIKE
Movements Senior Writer
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) Music Director Andreas Delfs was in seventh heaven during his recent first visit to the Sibley Music Library of the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester.
“I was stunned,” Delfs acknowledged shortly after the private tour. “I mean, the treasure trove they have there. It’s amazing.”
Located at 27 Gibbs St., just across from RPO’s home in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, Sibley is the thirdlargest music library in the United States. Its holdings rank behind only those in the music divisions of the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Amassing nearly three-quarters of a million items since its founding in 1904, Sibley is the largest and most comprehensive academic music library in North America.
The relationship between the library and the RPO has been strong since the orchestra was founded in 1922. However, a new chapter for the two entities began in summer 2023, when Sibley Music Library Special Collections Librarian and Archivist David Peter Coppen began providing the RPO with invaluable documents to support marketing and publicity features during the orchestra’s 2023–2024 Centennial Season. Soon after, Coppen and Associate Dean and Head Librarian Jon Sauceda extended an open invitation to Delfs, who happily accepted.
“This is where the history of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra lives,” Delfs explained. “Very few orchestras had resources for any kind of archive, and certainly nothing as comprehensive as this. We are so fortunate to know exactly what the Rochester Philharmonic did in their first concert more than a century ago, in our most recent concert, and
First RPO full-season program Oct 17, 1923
in any other concert in between. Most, if not all, orchestras would be envious of this.”
For Delfs, the visit was more than casual. To prepare for the RPO’s Centennial Gala, he was eager to review the library’s original concert programs for the orchestra’s first performance in March 1923, as well as its first full season.
“I was surprised to learn that programs were much longer in those days,” Delfs commented. “They took over two hours nearly every time and sometimes were close to three hours. And it was much more of a hodgepodge of styles in the same program: some very serious works combined with some very lighthearted works.”
The highlight of the visit for Delfs was Coppen’s one-on-one guided tour of the library’s original manuscripts.
At the start of the tour, Coppen led Delfs to a display case containing manuscripts from a collection on loan from the Universal Edition-Kurt Weill Archives in Vienna, including Weill’s original manuscript for “The Ballad of Mack the Knife” from The Threepenny Opera (1928).
Detail of Kurt Weill’s original manuscript for The Threepenny Opera (1928), with pencil marks made in 1952 by conductor Leonard Bernstein
David Peter and Andreas discuss the original manuscript for The Threepenny Opera.
“This is, of course, very close to my heart,” Delfs told Coppen, who responded, “What’s interesting is that there are numerous markings in English, which have been authenticated by scholars as being in the hand of Leonard Bernstein.”
Those notes date to 1952, when Bernstein conducted and recorded a highly regarded concert performance of The Threepenny Opera at the Brandeis University Creative Arts Festival in the Adolph Ullman Amphitheatre, Waltham.
Coppen later moved to an oversized flat blue box on a desk.“This is easily the most acclaimed manuscript in the library,” referring to a holograph short score of Claude Debussy’s La Mer (1905) purchased by the library in 1929 for just 30,000 French francs.
The multi-colored piece of art seemed to take Delfs’ breath away. “A treasure,” he said, carefully turning the pages. “It looks like it was written yesterday, except the paper is faded. It’s so exacting that it’s hard to believe it was written with quill pen and inkwell... Not a blot anywhere.”
Reflecting on his hands-on experience at Sibley Music Library, Delfs observed, “I was very impressed how open it is. I asked [Coppen], ‘Is it as exclusive as certain libraries that I know in Europe, where you can only get in with a police escort and white gloves?’ And I was very glad to hear that wasn’t the case. I learned it’s very easy for students and anybody interested in studying these priceless manuscripts to go through these old programs and old photographs.”
“For anyone who loves music,” Delfs continued, “I can see getting lost in there for days. The RPO and Rochester are fortunate to have access to this incredible resource.”
SIBLEY MUSIC LIBRARY, BY THE NUMBERS
1 3
Rank among academic music libraries in North America
Rank among all music libraries in the United States
300
Subscriptions to music periodicals
375,000
750,000
12 m THE
Cataloged books and scores
Total items in the collection
Public Domain Score downloads in UR Research
Source: Sibley Music Library
The Sibley Music Library is in the Miller Center, 27 Gibbs St., Rochester, NY 14604. Regular hours are 8 AM–9 PM Mondays–Thursdays; 8 AM–5 PM Fridays, 1–5 PM Saturdays, and 1–9 PM Sundays. The library is closed for select holidays and hours may differ during school breaks. It is open to both Eastman students and the general public. For information: 585-274-1300
in tune A Double Dose Of Gershwin
Movements asked four RPO musicians, all soloists on the recent Mozart & Brahms concert, to share their favorite Gershwin piece.
“I think George Gershwin is the greatest American composer,” said RPO Music Director Andreas Delfs. years any composers will be still performed, George Gershwin will be among them.”
RPO Concertmaster Juliana Athayde
“Orchestras love playing George Gershwin’s music. And my personal favorite is An American in Paris. I just love the jazzy rhythms and the energy that you can feel in the orchestra.”
RPO Principal Oboe Erik Behr
‘Swonderful (8 PM April 25 & 8 PM April 26), an entire evening of selections which run the gamut from the Great American Songbook, with standards such as to the symphonic
The following weekend (8 PM May 3 & 2 PM May 4), Gershwin’s
beloved An American in Paris a program featuring all American composers, also including
Tickets start at $24 and can be purchased at rpo.org and in person or by phone 10 AM–5 PM Monday–Friday from RPO Patron Services, 255 East Avenue, (585) 454-2100.
There’s an iconic clarinet solo at the beginning and the great piano part. There’s so much fun for the orchestra. There’s so much jazz. There’s so much to that piece. You know, it’s both high art and incredibly fun at the same time.”
is absolutely one of my favorites. Just because is always a blast to play, and I didn’t really know that piece before joining the RPO. So, I sort of associate that
‘SWONDERFUL A TRIBUTE TO GEORGE GERSHWIN
APRIL 25 & 26
PARIS
Peyton Crony: Pathways to Performance
One Rochester student’s musical education journey By LAUREN MACDONOUGH, Movements Staff Editor
VIBRANT VIOLA: RPYO First Viola Peyton Crony performs under RPYO Music Director Jherrard Hardeman’s baton.
JOYCE TSENG
Earlier this month, Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra principal violist Peyton Crony was the featured guest artist on the ROCmusic Side-by-Side concert with the RPO, performing the third movement in Paul Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher. For Peyton, this was just one of many stops on her musical education journey, which has charted a course through a multitude of programs offered to Rochester City School District students who wish to pursue their musical interests and education.
Peyton’s path began at a young age, a familiar starting place for most musicians, with piano lessons starting at 5 years old, following in her father’s childhood footsteps. In 2nd grade, she joined the ROCmusic program (a collaborative effort combining many of Rochester’s cultural, educational, and governmental agencies to provide music education and performance experiences for Rochester youth), where she learned basic music skills on the recorder, as well as singing and rhythm patterns.
“In third grade my teacher introduced the four standard string instruments. Shockingly, I was the only one to willingly choose the viola!” Peyton was drawn to the instrument’s rich tones, but she said, “I quickly became frustrated that I couldn’t make a good sound and wondered if I could ever sound like the RPO.”
Through continued encouragement from her ROCmusic teachers and mentors, Peyton eventually auditioned for and secured a spot in the Pathways Scholarship Program at the Eastman Community Music School (ECMS) in 5th grade, studying with Alexander Peña and Roberta Zalkind. The program provided weekly viola lessons, additional ensemble performance opportunities, and an advanced music education. “I took full advantage of what was being offered,” she said, “including music theory, aural skills, music history, exams, recitals, and solo festivals. Without these programs and a strong supportive teacher, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Peyton is an RCSD School of the Arts senior, taking on a full
academic course load in addition to rigorous instrumental studies. RPO Lisk Morris Foundation Vice President of Education Chair Barbara Brown has followed Peyton’s growth for years and sees this performance as a defining moment in her journey. “Watching Peyton take the stage as a featured soloist with the RPO at the ROCmusic concert was incredibly special,” Brown said. “She has come full circle—from a young student discovering the viola to a leader and role model for the next generation. Her dedication, musicianship, and passion for learning are inspiring, and I have no doubt that she will continue to make an impact wherever her musical path takes her.”
The 24/25 season marks Peyton’s third and final year with the RPYO which has provided her the opportunity to play challenging music on stage with the best high school musicians from all over Monroe County, something she wouldn’t have had with her own school’s orchestra. “Being principal violist has taught me so much about leading a section and the intricacies that come with being one part in a massive orchestra.”
Her favorite piece to play? Capriccio in C minor by Henri Vieuxtemps. “It has a lot of rich chords and the climax is really powerful. It has a lot of emotional depth and showcases the viola really well.”
So, what’s next for Peyton? “I’m very much looking forward to my senior recital, graduating high school, going to a prestigious summer music program, starting music conservatory, and traveling! In the next five years, I see myself graduating with my bachelor’s in viola performance, becoming fluent in ASL, possibly living and studying abroad, performing in new and exciting places, and saving money for my future.”
MUSICAL JOURNEY: Crony plays at the RPYO’s 2024 Fall Retreat
MAY
SUNDAY
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Calendar Reminder:
Next Sunday Afternoon
Phils Concert is May 4!
Mark your calendar for Sunday, May 4 as your RPO presents An American in Paris, featuring a full program of legendary American composers led by Music Director Andreas Delfs. The performance starts at 2 PM in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre and features a virtual “Who’s Who” of American symphonic music including George Gershwin, John Adams, Leonard Bernstein, and Aaron Copland.
Last Chance to Renew! Deadline is May 3rd to Lock in Your Seats
If you haven’t renewed your subscription to the RPO’s 25/26 Season, now’s your chance! Our renewal deadline is May 3rd for all Phils, Pops, Compose Your Owns (CYOs), and Sunday Matinees at Nazareth series, so lock in your seats now and make sure you don’t miss a single beat of the exciting new 25/26 RPO Season! Visit RPO. ORG or call our Patron Services Center at 585-4542100 and a representative will be happy to assist you.
Save the Date
Gala Gala Gala Gala Gala Gala G ala 25 SEASON
A Gala That Moves!
Don’t miss this incredible celebration of “Music That Moves” featuring exclusive performances by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Garth Fagan Dance, and Rochester City Ballet. All proceeds of this special fundraising event will benefit the RPO’s Education and Community Engagement Programs. Click the link below to reserve your seats today! Sponsorship opportunities available!
April is International Guitar Month
The thing we love most about guitars is that there are as many different types and playing styles as there are people who play them. Whether your thing is classical, jazz, pop flamenco, folk, blues, rock, country, bluegrass, metal or somewhere in between, guitars not only meet musicians where they’re at musically, but also inspire them to create and explore new and exciting worlds.
A few facts about guitars:
• The world’s oldest surviving guitar-like instrument dates back over 3,500 years and was found in ancient Egypt.
• The largest playable guitar in the world is over 43 feet long and weighs more than 2,000 pounds!
• Jimi Hendrix, one of the most legendary guitarists of all time, was left-handed but played a right-handed guitar flipped upside down.
• The Guitar Hero video game sold over 25 million units and more than $2B in revenue between 2005–2015.
So, whether you’re just learning how to strum your first chords or shredding like a pro, take some time this month to tune up the ol’ Strat and celebrate #InternationalGuitarMonth!
The most expensive guitar ever sold was Kurt Cobain’s Martin D-18E, which fetched a whopping $6 million at auction in 2020.
(Image: Julien’s Auctions)