Program Notes

Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Music Director Jherrard Hardeman opens your RPYO season with an evening focused on change. Stella Sung’s exhilarating Loco-Motion takes the audience on a train ride through an ever-changing landscape, while October by Eric Whitacre evokes the brilliance of summer turning to autumn. The RPYO plays William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 2 “Song of a New Race”, reflecting an increasingly diverse American culture and the celebrations and perils inherent in societal change. The evening finishes with a triumphant toast to the new season with Strauss’ Kaiser-Walzer!