Make Special Memories with RPO Holiday Traditions

For Immediate Release: November 6, 2013
Media Contacts:   Sally Cohen, 585-749-1795, sally@sallycohenpr.com, @PR4Arts
RPO Info:  rpo.org, facebook.com/SuperRPO, twitter.com/SuperRPO, rpo-land.blogspot.com

Rochester, NY – Make special holiday memories with your Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) as its 2013-14 season, presented by Dawn & Jacques Lipson, continues with The Nutcracker in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre for six performances: Friday, November 29 at 2 and 7 p.m., Saturday, November 30 at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, December 1 at 2 and 7 p.m.  Rochester’s only full-length, live-music performance of this enchanting classic is the 15th annual collaboration with Rochester City Ballet (Jamey Leverett, artistic director), the Bach Children’s Chorus (Karla Krogstad, director), and 175 local children. RPO Principal Conductor for Education and Outreach Michael Butterman (The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair) once again conducts this all-ages delight, which features brand-new choreography for the favorite “Land of Snow” scene.

Celebrating the season continues with Bach’s Magnificat in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre on Thursday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, December 14 at 8 p.m. (pre-concert chat begins one hour before curtain in Kodak Hall). Guest conductor and harpsichordist James Feddeck will lead a festive program that includes J.S. Bach’s glorious Magnificat, featuring the select Eastman Chorale directed by William Weinert, as well as vocal soloists from the Eastman School of Music: Kara Mulder, Athene Mok, Kendra Wieneke, Nathaniel McEwen and Samuel Krall. Also on the program are Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major (includes “Air on a G String”), and Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances Suite No. 1, as well as his luminous Trittico Botticelliano: Adoration of the Magi. 

Rochester’s favorite musical holiday tradition, RPO’s Gala Holiday Pops, was begun by Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik in his very first season with the orchestra. He’ll lead this 20th anniversary edition in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre on Friday, December 20 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, December 21 at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, December 22 at 2 p.m.  (A performance on Thursday, December 19 at 7:30 p.m. benefits the Rochester Rotary Sunshine Campus and Monroe Community Hospital Foundation.*) Making its RPO debut will be the new Community Children’s Chorus (Karla Krogstad, director), made up of young singers from the Bach Children’s Chorus, Amadeus Chorale, Genesee Valley Children’s Chorus and students from 11 different school districts. The concert will once again feature the seven-county Festival High School Choral (Harold McAulliffe & Amy Story, co-directors), and a mix of carols, holiday favorites and more.

“This year’s Holiday Pops promises to be one of the best yet,” says Tyzik. “I’m excited to work with our new children’s choir, the wonderful Festival High School Chorale and, of course, the world-class RPO.”

Tickets for all of the above start at $22, with $10 student/child tickets available (*except for the RR/MCH benefit, which are $20/$45). All tickets may be purchased in person at the Eastman Theatre Box Office (433 East Main Street) and at all Wegmans That’s T.H.E. Ticket! locations, by phone at (585) 454-2100, or online at rpo.org. 

In addition to these Kodak Hall concerts, thousands of area residents will attend holiday RPO performances in Clifton Springs, Newark, Keuka Park, Livonia and Canandaigua.

The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has been committed to enriching and inspiring our community through the art of music since its founding in 1922. The RPO presents up to 150 concerts a year, serving nearly 200,000 people through ticketed events, education and community engagement activities, and concerts in schools and community centers throughout the region. Notable former music directors include Eugene Goossens, José Iturbi, Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman, and Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman; Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik has earned a national reputation for excellence in pops programming during his 20-year tenure with the RPO. With Michael Butterman as Principal Conductor for Education and Outreach (The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair) – the first position of its kind in the country – the RPO reaches 14,000 children through its specific programs for school-aged children. The RPO’s 2013-14 season highlights include Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik’s 20th anniversary celebration, and a performance at Carnegie Hall on May 7, 2014, as part of the Spring For Music festival.

Media please note:  High-resolution images for Philharmonics concerts are available at docs.google.com/folder; high-res photos for Pops and other concerts are available at docs.google.com/folder/d. More details are available at rpo.org and upon request. Interviews, as well as photo and footage opportunities, can also be arranged.