MAESTRO DELFS BUILDS ON CENTENNIAL MOMENTUM FOR THE 24/25 SEASON
“Building on the exciting momentum of our breathtaking 100th-anniversary year, we have once again created a Philharmonics Season that will showcase the artistic prowess of this Great American Orchestra!”
ANDREAS DELFS, MUSIC DIRECTOR
9 IN TUNE
Anticipation:
in the spotlight With 24/25 season, Maestro Delfs builds on unprecedented Centennial momentum
Among highlights: a sensational season opener, more community collabs, and superstar Emanuel Ax CENTENNIAL MOMENTUM:
Director Andreas Delfs and the RPO take
bow at the Centennial Season’s blockbusting RPO Eclipse Spectacular.
The successes of the Centennial Season resonate into the new one, with RPO Music Director Andreas Delfs programming another rich mix of crowd-pleasers and world premieres, guest superstars, and community collaborations.
“Building on the exciting momentum of our breathtaking 100th-anniversary year, we have once again created a Philharmonics Season that will showcase the artistic prowess of this Great American Orchestra!” Delfs explained, adding the 24/25 Phils offerings include several of his personal favorites, including the season-opening Tchaikovsky’s Fifth, as well as Beethoven’s Pastoral, and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 7 (included in the program Dvořák in Love).
“It is our continuing mission to perform your favorite music with the utmost skill and passion, introduce new compositions that will enrich your concert experience, and collaborate with some of the world’s finest artists in performances that will move, inspire, and entertain,” Delfs said.
SUPERSTAR GUESTS: The 24/25 season includes a rare Rochester performance by seven-time Grammy-winning pianist Emanuel Ax. (Photo by Nigel Parry)
Among the special guest artists this Philharmonics Season is seven-time Grammy Awardwinning superstar pianist
Emanuel Ax, performing Beethoven’s magnificent Piano
Concerto No. 3. “He is one of the greatest soloists,” Delfs noted.
“He’s someone who you normally must go to New York, Boston, or Cleveland to hear. But we will have him here in Rochester, and it will be an event you don’t want to miss.”
Other Phils guests include Grammy- and Emmy-winning string trio Time for Three, the dynamic Russian-born, USraised pianist Natasha Paremski, acclaimed twin pianists Christina & Michelle Naughton, Buffalo concertmaster Nikki Chooi and his brother, award-winning violinist Timothy Chooi, Canadian concert pianist and composer Stewart Goodyear, Grammy-nominated pianist Joyce Yang, preeminent cellist Zlatomir Fung, buddingsuperstar violinist Tessa Lark, and Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski.
COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS:
The RPO continues collaborations with locally based, nationally acclaimed arts groups including the Rochester City Ballet. (Photo: T.R.Rodriguez, Rochester City Ballet)
On the heels of triumphant RPO collaborations with other locally based and nationally acclaimed arts groups, the 24/25 season sees the RPO reuniting with the Rochester Oratorio Society for Mozart’s deeply affecting Requiem. The Rochester City Ballet returns for its 25th year with the orchestra performing the holiday favorite The Nutcracker. And Maestro Delfs conducts Prokofiev’s enchanting Peter and the Wolf, with RIT Director of Dance Thomas Warfield providing narration.
In addition to the bulk of Philharmonics programs, Maestro Delfs conducts the popular Sunday Matinees at Naz series—with four concerts featuring Bach performed by RPO musicians in the intimate setting of Beston Hall at Nazareth University.
ENDLESS SUMMER:
From the Podium Tyzik brings disco and new wave into Kodak Hall
By MIKE CIDONI Movements Senior Writer
Donna gets a royal tribute in this season’s first Pops concert, Disco Divas.
RPO Principal Pops
Conductor Jeff Tyzik yet again delivers a new Pops series filled with fresh spins on tried-and-true crowdpleasers.
This season, however, two of his concerts are fresher than usual. There’s the seasonopening, ’70s-tastic Disco Divas (Oct. 4–5), and The New Wave (Nov. 14–15) —the latter paying tribute to disco’s pop-trend successor dubbed “new wave” (1979–88), which included a wide array of sounds including synth-pop, alternative dance, and post-punk. Some examples: Eurythmics’ 1983 “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” Soft Cell’s 1981 “Tainted Love”/”Where Did Our Love Go,” and “Message in a Bottle” (1979) by The Police.
Jeff admits both concerts were inspired by another “Tyzik.”
TYZIK: The ideas came from my daughter and manager Jami Tyzik, who is an Eastman grad in voice, and, in 2012, created Greenberg Artists, which reps quite a few musicians, and produces, among others, the programs that Jami and I develop for the Symphonic Pops world.
MOVEMENTS: Given the musical strength of last year’s Shayna Steele showcase, American Divas, I can see you jumping on Disco Divas right away—but not so much new wave.
TYZIK: That’s right. Jami convinced me that there was something there with this concept. She really knows that music. New wave was at its height right when she was growing up. I didn’t realize that a lot of what she was talking about was music I had admired back in the day. I just never made the connection between, say, The Police and new wave. She also reminded me of records I liked at the time, never thought of as “new wave,” but were perfect prospects for moving into a symphonic setting.
For one example, Eurythmics’
“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” which doesn’t use a single acoustic instrument, but had this beautiful wall of sound swirling around Annie (Lennox)’s gorgeous voice— so, rearranging for orchestra was pretty organic. On the other hand, Blondie’s “One Way or Another” is a straight-ahead, stripped-down hard-rock record, almost punk, and it took a lot of doing to make it work for the RPO. Well, let’s hope it works. (Laughs.)
With Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), Eurythmics pushed new wave into the mainstream, topping the US pop charts 1983.
MOVEMENTS: Let’s jump back to Disco Divas.
TYZIK: I was in my mid-20s when disco took off around 1975, but you’d never find me in a dance club. I was probably in another club playing jazz that night! I was also touring with Chuck Mangione. It was a crazy period.
MOVEMENTS: Still, there was no avoiding at least an awareness of disco, not with Donna Summer and the Bee Gees dominating the global pop charts.
TYZIK: Absolutely not. Right before she became a superstar with the live (1978) and “Bad Girls” (1979) albums, I recall hearing Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” (1977), and it was like
nothing I’d ever experienced. That huge, hypnotic sound that (producer) Giorgio Moroder created with just a Moog synthesizer wasn’t gimmicky, it was groundbreaking. And I think it’s still influential. It was fun translating the synth sound to a full symphonic orchestra setting.
MOVEMENTS: Speaking of Donna Summer, she is the most-represented artist on the Disco Divas set list with four songs.
TYZIK: She really did live up to the title “The Queen of Disco,” for a lot of reasons. She had a powerhouse voice. But most people have no idea what a creative force she was. Her delivery of the lyrics and the way she sang was very compelling. You really believed every word and every note. She co-wrote or wrote most of her hits. And consider that she came up with the concept for “Bad Girls,” which was about... bad girls, though she was a devout Christian. By the late ’70s, she saw the writing on the wall for disco and embraced other genres: “Hot Stuff” is really a rock record. She pivoted to pop and soul, and her career endured long after disco had supposedly died, which it really didn’t.
I remember being outside a bar in 1983 and hearing the band performing “She Works Hard for the Money,” and thinking, “Wow, Donna Summer’s still going strong.”
MOVEMENTS: I love that the title Disco Divas is used in a gender-neutral way. In fact, the second most-represented artist on the set list is the Bee Gees.
TYZIK: True, we also cover Earth, Wind & Fire (“Boogie Wonderland”), and McFadden and Whitehead (“Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now”).
But I must say that we do deliver on the show’s title. All three of our featured vocalists are female: the amazing Shayna Steele, Kelly Levesque and Crystal Monee Hall.
MOVEMENTS: So, you’ve moved on to disco and new wave. Pop’s next big thing would be hip hop. Should we brace ourselves for next season’s Run-DMC Meets the RPO?
TYZIK: (Laughs.) Well, I’m not sure how well that would work for the symphonic setting, but I’m not saying, “No.” Right now, I’m thinking about doing something with anthems, power ballads like Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” That would be a great show for the RPO.
MOVEMENTS: I can’t wait.
TYZIK: I’ll keep you posted.
Disco Divas opens the RPO Pops Season Oct. 4–5, and The New Wave will be performed Nov. 15–16 in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. For further info: RPO.ORG, and RPO Patron Services, 255 East Ave., Rochester, NY 14604, 585-454-2100 (M–F, 10 AM–5 PM)
OCT 4 & 5
THE NEW WAVE NOV 15 & 16
in tune
Anticipation: RPO musicians look ahead to new season
Maura McCune Corvington, RPO Second Horn:
One of the reasons I love playing as second horn of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is the fact that we have such a diverse season of offerings. I have a 2-year-old, and I can't wait to take him to an OrKIDStra show. I can't wait for the Specials. I can't wait for the Sunday Matinees at Nazareth.
But I am trained, first and foremost, to play Philharmonics’ series programs, so those always catch my eye. In November (9-10), we have a program (Zarathustra!) that includes the iconic Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, and, as a horn player, this is extremely exciting for me because there's an expanded horn section. This often means we get to bring in local players on our sub lists, and it keeps us on our toes to be playing next to our students, colleagues from out of town, to bring this piece to life. So, the more horns, the better, for sure!
James Marshall, RPO Fourth Chair Viola, is also excited about playing Strauss’ demanding Also sprach Zarathustra, but for a more personal reason: I also really love it because back in 2015, I was a student at Interlochen Arts Camp as a high schooler. I played this piece as the principal violist, and the guest conductor for that week was Andreas Delfs. So, when I saw him at my RPO audition for the very first time, I told him that I looked forward to working with him again because I had played under him before. So, that piece will be really special to play again, and play it again with him—but in a very different orchestra.
Wesley Nance, Second Trumpet: The one that catches my eye right now is the Bruch's Romantic Violin Concerto (Jan. 11-12) because it has Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 6 on it, which is a favorite of mine and has a fantastic trumpet solo in the middle of the Scaria movement that's really great.
Herb Smith, Third Trumpet: Shostakovich's No. 6 to me is just really raw and angry. He's one of my favorite composers. He really knows how to get aggressive and show that anger through the music using the instruments and the timbres of the orchestra.
David Bruestle, Principal Trombone: I’m looking forward to Fountains of Rome (Oct. 24/26) conducted by Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Music Director JoAnn Falletta because we've worked together in the past. She hired me in my position in the Virginia Symphony before I came to Rochester, so I'm excited that she'll be back to do a program with some exciting repertoire: Fountains of Rome (Respighi), The Banks of Green Willow (Butterworth), Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (Ranjbaran), and La Mer (Debussy).
The 24/25 Philharmonics Season opens Sept. 21–22 with RPO Music Director Andreas Delfs conducting Tchaikovsky’s Fifth and Kevin Puts’ Contact, featuring special guest Time for Three. Tickets are available at RPO.ORG, and at the RPO Patron Services Center, 255 East Ave., Rochester, NY 14604, 585-454-2100 (M–F 10AM–5PM).
in harmony
At last, the RPYO will be back on the road
February’s trip is youth orchestra’s first in five years
RPYO oboists Tristan Zhang, Kimberly Wang, and Jiwoo Han
(Photo: Joyce Tseng)
The Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (RPYO) is taking its show on the road again. And it’s about time.
“This will be the RPYO’s first major trip since the pandemic,” said RPO Vice President of Education Barbara Brown, who recalled the orchestra’s last trip was to Washington, D.C. for a February 2020 performance at Kennedy Center.
“For this upcoming trip,” Brown continued, “we are so excited to go on a loop from Rochester to Boston to Montreal and then back for a homecoming concert March 9.”
The trip should not be confused with a vacation. The musicians’ itineraries are packed with performance and educational opportunities, including concerts featuring the Boston and Montreal Symphony Orchestras.
“Other groups just do a sightseeing thing, which only has a musical undercurrent,” said RPYO Music Director Jherrard Hardeman. “But we are really focused on giving these students the best educational experience possible, the best performing experience possible.”
The approximate cost of the trip per student is $3,000, and each RPYO musician will participate, regardless of ability to pay.” The RPO is committed to providing aid to every student. Each participant will receive some financial help in the form of a scholarship from us to help cover the costs,” Brown said, adding, “There’s aid available to chaperones, too.”
Aid is coming from, among other sources, RPO donors and patrons, and the public— while some RPYO musicians are doing their own fundraising.
“My son is really looking forward to the trip,” said Chris Chadwick, whose son Asche plays viola in the RPYO.
“He has already started talking to the family about using birthday-gift money to put toward the trip. He’s trying to organize can drives and whatever else he’s able to do to earn enough money to make this worthwhile for him.”
Hardeman promised the trip would be worthwhile. “These musicians would bring home a ton of memories—from hilarious things that happened over the trip to amazing educational experiences they’d never be able to have if they just stayed home.”
To contribute to the RPYO 2025 tour, visit rpo.org/support.
The post-trip ”homecoming” concert is a side-by-side event, with RPYO and RPO musicians performing together, 3 PM March 9 at Kodak Hall. For information: RPYO.ORG/events
Music Director Jherrard Hardeman conducts the RPYO
(Photo: Joyce Tseng)
The last RPYO road trip was in 2020
NOTEWORTHY
NAZARETH UNIVERSITY, BESTON HALL AT GLAZER MUSIC PERFORMANCE CENTER
NEW!
Join us SUNDAY AFTERNOONS at Kodak Hall!
When our audience speaks, we listen. For 100 years, your RPO Philharmonics concerts have been evening affairs. As we move into our next century, we’re offering classical music fans a chance to join us in the daytime! For the first time in our history, your RPO Philharmonics Series will host six Sunday afternoon concerts and one Saturday afternoon concert at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.
Choose your Sunday Matinees @ Naz seats!
Thank to our loyal Sunday Matinees @ Naz Series fans, we sold out every performance last season! New this season, due to high ticket demand, all concerts in this series have been changed from general admission to reserved seating. Tickets are going fast, so lock in your seats now and don’t miss this season’s slate of Bach suites and complementary classical music, each featuring a different RPO soloist.
SEASON OPENER!
TCHAIKOVSKY’S FIFTH
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 | 2 PM
ZARATHUSTRA!
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 | 2PM
BRUCH’S ROMANTIC VIOLIN CONCERTO SUNDAY, JANUARY 12 | 2 PM
EMANUEL AX PLAYS BEETHOVEN
SUNDAY, MARCH 2 | 2 PM
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
SUNDAY, MAY 4 | 2 PM
SEASON FINALE THE FIREBIRD!
SUNDAY, JUNE 1 | 2 PM
Welcome new RPO Board Chair Diana Clarkson, Esq.
We’d like to formally welcome Diana Clarkson, Esq. as the new chair of the RPO board of directors. Diana has been a member of the board since 2020, previously heading the governance committee. You may see Diana and her husband, Jim Donnelly, who regularly attend RPO concerts.
We’d also like to formally thank outgoing Board Chair Ross P. Lanzafame, Esq. Ross led the Board of Directors for five seasons and helped successfully navigate the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic. Ross will continue with the RPO as governance committee Chair and serve as an officer of the Board as immediate past chair.
Celebrate Classical Music Month with your RPO!
President Bill Clinton declared September Classical Music Month 30 years ago. We’ve curated a list of ways you can celebrate whether you’re a diehard fan or just starting your journey!
• Listen to classical music on WXXI
• Attend one or both of our September RPO concerts –September 15: Bach & Beethoven –September 21/22: Season Opener! Tchaikovsky’s Fifth
• Read books on classical music— https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/classical-music
• Identify classical music in your favorite movies
• Create your own classical music playlist on Spotify— or check out some of ours for upcoming concerts
• Learn about classical music—attend a pre-concert chat 1 hour prior to Philharmonics concerts in Kodak Hall
• Share about it on social media!
1. Eastman East wing entrance—closest to East End Garage
2. Wolk Atrium entrance—for purchasing tickets day or night of and picking up Will Call tickets; handicap accessible entrance*—closest to the elevators
3. NEW Oval Lobby entrance—if you already have tickets in hand already
4. Gibbs Street entrance—entry through Kilbourn Hall
* Please Note: Our handicap accessible entry location has changed from Gibbs Street to the Wolk Atrium entry on Main Street for your convenience.
Return of Kodak Hall’s Oval Lobby Entrance
For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Kodak Hall is opening its Oval Lobby doors (off Gibbs and East Main) to ticketholders during all RPO concerts at Eastman Theatre.
All RPO patrons who arrive at Kodak Hall with tickets in hand (or on your phone) can now enter through the main lobby doors. Ushers will be stationed to scan your tickets and help you proceed into the hall.
If you need to pick up or purchase tickets on the night of a concert, your RPO’s Will Call and Box Office tables will remain in the Eastman Theatre Box Office Lobby, located in the Wolk Atrium.
Opening up the Oval Lobby entrance to ticketholders will provide a more organized and efficient experience for our patrons and reduce traffic around our night-of-service Will Call and Box Office tables. RPO staff and ushers will be present outside the Hall to help direct you to the proper entrance.
We hope you enjoy our 24/25 Season and thank you for your continued support of the RPO.
