VOICES OF TODAY COMPOSERS REFLECT OUR EVOLVING COMMUNITY
“These concerts get students excited about each instrument...we hope the concerts inspire them to want to play an instrument in fourth grade.”
BARBARA BROWN, THE LISK MORRIS FOUNDATION VICE PRESIDENT OF EDUCATION CHAIR
FRONT COVER: Some of the composers recently commissioned by the RPO through Voices of Today, a multiyear initiative showcasing and documenting the works and creative process of a diverse group of voices in classical music today. Clockwise from top right: Jennifer Higdon; Kevin Puts; Clarice Assad; James Lee III; Roberto Sierra; Aaron Jay Kernis; Avner Dorman; Anna Clyne; Carlos Simon. The Connecting and Reflecting feature, pgs. 8 and 9, details how Voices of Today and other programs are part of the RPO’s commitment to better connect with the orchestra’s evolving community.
Peter Bay held five conducting posts with the RPO from 1987–2000 and has been a frequent guest ever since—logging a total of more than 300 performances with the orchestra. Now, Bay returns to Kodak Hall to celebrate the beloved film compositions of John Williams.
From the Podium For Peter Bay, John Williams is always cause to celebrate
By MIKE CIDONI LENNOX Movements Senior Writer
Peter Bay calls himself, “a
John Williams nerd.”
And, indeed, there’s no denying his deep passion for the revered composer of the indelible scores for films including Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the ExtraTerrestrial, three of the Harry Potter features and, most significantly, the primary entries in the Star Wars series.
Bay, who held five posts with the RPO from 1987–2000, reunites with the orchestra for Happy Birthday, John Williams! which celebrates the composer’s 93 years. (He was born February 8, 1932.)
But back to Bay, the Williams fanboy: “I’ve tried to collect every, every scrap of his.” And that’s a lot of scraps, considering Williams has composed 120-odd film scores, which began with the B-movie Daddy-O in 1959. During the ’60s and ’70s, Williams hit home runs, winning Oscars for adapting the score for Fiddler on the Roof and for composing Jaws (1974). But Bay said it wasn’t until 1977 that John Williams became... well... John Williams.
Conductor Bay says the symphonic music for Star Wars (1977) was a benchmark for both composer John Williams and contemporary film underscores. (Sony Classical)
“Star Wars was the turning point,” Bay explained. “He brought the symphony orchestra back to the film world, and since that time, rarely have orchestras not been employed for films.”
Williams scores are so popular that curating an all-Williams program requires something of a balancing act. “You know that the audience wants to hear what they recognize. But he’s written so much wonderful music for films that maybe not everyone has seen that I feel it’s my job to mix it up.”
Of those on the RPO set list are slightly lesser-known Williams themes from The Witches of Eastwick and Memoirs of a Geisha. Audiences should also expect special appearances from longtime Rochester TV newscasters Doug Emblidge and Rebecca Leclair, who will introduce each piece.
“The audience is going to learn how the music came to be,” Bay noted. “And that’s going to add a lot to the experience.”
Conductor Peter Bay and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra present Happy Birthday, John Williams! ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY, Saturday, February 15 at 8 PM
Available tickets start at $30 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.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN WILLIAMS! FEB 15 | 8 PM
John Williams’ 120+ film credits include the 1959 B-movie Daddy-O, his Oscar-winning 1974 score for Jaws and his Oscar-nominated 2005 score for Memoirs of a Geisha. (Photo credits: Daddy O/American International, Jaws/Universal Studios, Memoirs of a Geisha/Sony Pictures.)
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Thorgy Thor said her successes performing with major orchestras are no fluke. “My love affair with classical music goes back, like, well… how long do you have?”
in the spotlight
Thorgy Thor drags newcomers into the hall
But the ‘Drag Race’ all-star wants to delight longtime subscribers, too
By MIKE CIDONI LENNOX Movements Senior Writer
When Thorgy Thor joins the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Assistant Conductor Jherrard Hardeman on the Kodak Hall stage February 13, the audience will witness history: the first time in the orchestra’s 101 years where a program’s headliner is a professional drag queen.
At 7 feet tall, in 6-inch heels and a bouffant, Thor is a towering example of the RPO’s expanding reflection of and connection to its community. (See “Connecting and Reflecting” feature on pgs. 8 and 9.) She’s an LGBTQcommunity superstar whose shows attract younger ticket buyers, some who’ve never seen a major orchestra in their lives.
But drag is only one part of this story. The 40-year-old Thor wouldn’t be performing with the RPO if she didn’t have the musical chops: “My love affair with classical music goes back, like, well... how long do you have?”
The condensed version: She was born Shane Thor Galligan in Ronkonkoma, NY, to parents who encouraged her to express herself at an early age. “I’d been playing violin since I was incredibly young. And I was a crazy kid who liked colors, decorating my body, clothing of every gender.”
She began musical studies at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School and was working around the clock. “I would practice all day long, teach students, and then, come midnight, I would perform in the nightclub until 5 AM, and I did this for 10 years.” Thor graduated from the State University of New York at Purchase with a Bachelor of Music in both viola and violin performance in 2006. She is also fluent in cello.
After college came a move to Brooklyn where Thor went on to conquer the competitive local drag scene, and, at last, in 2016, she made it to RuPaul’s Drag Race—Season 8, placing sixth. The following year, she appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars—Season 3, placing ninth.
The TV appearances catapulted Thor to international drag-circuit stardom and allowed for a return to her musical roots. “After RuPaul’s Drag Race, I got to combine both my loves with Thorgy and the Thorchestra.” Co-
created by Thor in collaboration with Canadian conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, the show blends orchestral performances of traditional and modern classical repertoire and contemporary pop songs with drag’s fierce fashion and a wicked wit.
Thor said balancing two personas is challenging: Performing classical music is tough enough, but doing it in drag can be brutal. “One moment, I’m playing so seriously that I’m sweating my eyelashes off,” Thor commented. “The next thing you know, I’m winking at somebody in the audience. It’s all about discipline, and drag is just as much a discipline as string playing.”
Since the launch of Thorchestra, Thor has performed with a slew of notable orchestras including Boston, Toronto, and Pittsburgh. “I always ask the audience, ‘How many of you are here because you love Drag Race or you saw me on television?’” Thor said. “And it’s usually about half the audience, and it’s usually a young crowd. And then I say, ‘How many have season tickets to the symphony, and have no idea who I am?’ And it’s usually about the other half.
“I feel it’s my responsibility to bring these two groups of people together. If I bring a younger audience into concert halls, some for the first time—and entertain the orchestra’s long subscribers, I am proud of that.”
Thorgy Thor and the Thorchestra Thursday, February 13 at 7:30 PM at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.
Tickets start at $24 and can be purchased at rpo.org and in person or by phone 10 AM–5 PM MondayFriday from RPO Patron Services, 255 East Avenue, (585) 454-2100. THORGY THOR FEB 13 | 7:30 PM
Connecting and Reflecting
Voices of Today
RPO’s acclaimed five-year initiative is to present, preserve, and disseminate daring new works, as well as tell the stories of their composers—each selected from a talent pool including those underrepresented in the classical-music mainstream. “Today we regard Beethoven and Mozart as eternal geniuses,” said RPO President and CEO Curt Long, who continued, “but 235 years ago, they were contemporary composers who were writing music they hoped would speak to, connect with, and inspire the audiences of their day—and pay the bills! Our Voices of Today program is a chance to shine a spotlight on today’s composers who have distinct musical voices and something to say that we believe will resonate with Rochester audiences. And it’s not just about performing their music. We’re telling their stories, which opens a window on the creative process that leads to the creation of new music that audiences can hear live, right here in Eastman Theatre. Music is a universal language that has the power to speak to and for everyone, and we hope that Voices of Today is a chance to spotlight new works that speak to and for the entire Rochester community on our stage.”
A snapshot of RPO’s commitments to connect with and reflect our community
Amplifying voices of yesterday and today “Classical music is typically considered European, but that’s not a true story,” said RPO Trumpet Herb Smith. “There have been people of color playing classical music as long as classical music has been around. There are just so many examples of diverse composers who wrote pieces in the 1700s that are just now coming to light. And lately I have seen more pieces from those composers, from those underrepresented races and creeds and colors of people who write classical music, I’ve seen much, much more of that in this orchestra. The very first piece we did through our Voices of Today initiative was from a young composer named Derrick Skye. We performed a piece by Florence Price, the first Black woman to have a composition played by a major orchestra. So, this is a new thing that is happening at the RPO. And I think that is important. I think as an orchestra, as a community, as a city, we’re better with diversity.”
OPUS
RPO Board Member Daisy R. Algarin on the impact of OPUS, the Orchestral Program for Urban Students: “If you really want to tug at someone’s heart, visit one of our OPUS opportunities. You’ll see how your donation dollars are helping children who might not have access to an instrument rental, or exposure to diverse kinds of music so we can bring whatever God-given talent they have in music into what we can offer and bring it together.”
Reflecting the community
Immediate Past Chair RPO Board
Chair Ross P. Lanzafame, Esq., on how the RPO’s board of directors continues to evolve: “I think the board of today is vastly different than the board of six years ago. It’s a younger board; it’s a more diverse board. It really is more reflective of our community than it’s ever been, which is really the board that we need going forward if we want to connect with the community in a meaningful way. We need to have people at the table that are representative of the entire community.”
Getting up, getting out
“It’s important for the orchestra to get out into the community,” said RPO Principal Violist Josh Neuberger, “because this isn’t just a job for us. It’s your RPO, these are programs available to everyone. And so, we want to make sure that we’re not just serving those who are interested in coming to Kodak Hall on Saturday evenings, but also going to those who don’t have access, who can’t afford to join us, or who have other barriers to experience the kind of programming we have to offer.”
Community arts partnerships
Garth Fagan Dance (GFD) Artistic and Rehearsal Director Norwood “PJ” Pennewell reflects on the historic teaming of the RPO and GFD for The Rite of Spring in January 2024. “For both organizations, it was about coming together spiritually and artistically. There are those interested in classical music and the RPO and people interested in Garth Fagan Dance—and then those who frequent both. I think it was particularly important for both of us because we were able to tap into audiences who wouldn’t normally see us. Witnessing this new association between the two organizations was a beautiful thing.”
Care & Wellness
“A few years ago, I was part of a small wind ensemble that played at Mary Cariola Children’s Center, and it was honestly one of the most moving experiences of my entire career,” recalled RPO Fourth Horn Stephen Laifer. “These are kids with severe developmental difficulties, and there was a little boy sitting in the front row whose mother said he had been non-responsive for six or seven months. So, as we started playing, he lit up and when he heard the horn, he had this look on his face, which startled me. I lost my place for a second. Afterwards, his mother came up and said, ‘He seems particularly fascinated by your instrument. Can he touch it while you play?’ Oftentimes, the vibrations will bring out different reactions. So, I said ‘absolutely.’ I played a few notes, and he put his hand on the bottom of the horn and his face just lit up. His mother said that was the biggest reaction she had seen out of him in half a year. It was amazing. It was very moving.”
A Primary Objective
Education concerts at core of RPO’s mission
SUNNY SMILES: Students head into Kodak Hall to experience an RPO concert designed especially for them.
Drive by the Eastman Theatre mid-morning over the next couple months and you may find dozens of yellow school buses lining the corners and parking lots near Gibbs and East Main Streets. More than 30 school districts from seven counties throughout the Greater Rochester region will transport thousands of local school children to Kodak Hall between February and March for the RPO’s annual music education concerts.
A vital part of the Rochester Philharmonic’s mission (and one of the reasons George Eastman helped create the orchestra), the RPO began performing education concerts in schools in 1929. The Primary and Intermediate Concert series, created in 1962, were designed to allow students to experience orchestral music—many for the first time ever— within the dramatic confines of Kodak Hall.
PACKED HOUSE: Each February and March, thousands of students and their teachers settle in for the RPO Education concerts.
February starts our Primary Concerts for 1st-3rd graders. This year’s theme: Superheroes! Assistant Conductor Jherrard Hardeman leads “RPO to the Rescue,’ a program introducing students to each instrument,” Barbara Brown, the Lisk Morris Foundation Vice President of Education Chair, looks forward to these concerts every year. “They get students excited about each instrument,” said Brown. “We hope the concert inspires them to want to play an instrument in fourth grade.”
Our Intermediate Concerts in March are geared toward 4th-6th graders. This year, “Music-The Ultimate Storyteller” will highlight how music tells a story. Before attending, students are asked to create art inspired by music on the program. Teachers send in the creations and when the orchestra plays, they see their art (drawings, poems, etc.) projected on a giant screen above the stage.
Rebecca Ferrigno, 5th grade teacher at Palmyra-Macedon, has been bringing her students to education concerts at Eastman Theatre for years. “We prepare for the concert by listening to excerpts of the music in class. We discuss our reactions to the music and learn about the composers. Since we do not have an orchestra in our school, we spend time throughout the year learning about how a full orchestra differs from our band.”
Ferrigno believes this experience is one students carry with them as they grow. “Last year we were seated in the balcony so the kids had an incredible time looking into the orchestra and locating the instruments they play and asking questions about the instruments they haven’t seen in person.”
In May, the RPO leaves Kodak Hall to travel around Greater Rochester for Tiny Tots Concerts geared toward children in Pre-K and Kindergarten, heading to Fort Hill Performing Arts Center and Churchville-Chili to name a few.
These concerts are not just a way to get students out of the classroom; each teacher is provided a lesson plan to nurture a love of music before and after each concert and guide them in their journey of music education.
Education Concerts may be the first exposure to music for young ones outside of the classroom. Brown says, “Whether it ignites an interest in playing an instrument or just a love of music, the ultimate goal for these concerts is to spark joy.”
COLLABORATION: Students who attend Intermediate concerts submit their artwork based on the concert’s music.
2 MARCH SUNDAY
calendars:
Next Sunday
Afternoon
Philharmonics
Concert is March 2
Spend a Sunday afternoon with the philharmonic sounds of your RPO as we present Emanuel Ax Plays Beethoven with guest conductor Peter Oundjian.
NOTEWORTHY
Welcome Maestro Delfs back to Rochester for our Sunday,
Nazareth University will be RPO principal trombone David Bruestle (the Austin E. Hildebrandt Chair) performing a program featuring Bach, Lars-Erik Larsson, and Mendelssohn.
The performance is Sunday, March 2 at 2 PM in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre and features music from Carlos Simon, Beethoven, and Rimsky-Korsakov.
Get a recording of Ax playing Beethoven’s magnificent Fourth Piano Concerto that he will perform with us here
RPYO Hits the Road
This month, the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra journeys to Boston and Montreal! Led by RPO Assistant Conductor Jherrard Hardeman, the RPYO will perform in both cities and attend Boston and Montreal Symphony Orchestra concerts as well as get the chance to explore each city’s cultural offerings. Hardeman says, “We are really focused on giving these students the best educational experience possible, the best performing experience possible.” Don’t miss your chance to watch the RPYO perform the same program side-by-side with your Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra March 9 at 3 PM in Kodak Hall. The concert will feature Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11. The RPYO last toured in February 2020 to Washington D.C. to perform at the Kennedy Center.
Celebrate Love Through Music!
Celebrate the many facets of love this February with our specially curated playlists. From upbeat and playful tunes to deeply emotional melodies, it’s the perfect soundtrack for every expression of love. You might even recognize some of them from this season!
Our Valentines Pops Playlist
NAT KING COLE L-O-V-E
WHITNEY HOUSTON I Wanna Dance with Somebody
LOUIS ARMSTRONG What a Wonderful World
FRANK SINATRA Fly Me to the Moon
A-HA Take On Me
DONNA SUMMER Hot Stuff
WHITNEY HOUSTON I Will Always Love You
TOM JONES It’s Not Unusual
PERRY COMO Catch a Falling Star
THE CURE Just Like Heaven
DEAN MARTIN Ain’t That a Kick in the Head
WHITNEY HOUSTON How Will I Know
EARTH, WIND & FIRE September
BOBBY WOMACK Across 110th Street
Download the Spotify playlist here!
Our Valentines Philharmonics Playlist
TCHAIKOVSKY Serenade for Strings: II. Waltz
STRAUSS Roses from the South Waltz
BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture
PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet Suite
BRAHMS Symphony No. 3, Movement III: Poco Allegretto
BARBER Adagio for Strings
RACHMANINOV Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini: Variation 18
RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 2: I. Adagio
GLUCK Dance of the Blessed Spirits (from Orfeo ed Euridice)
