National Attention for RPO’s Ukraine Benefit Concert
Orchestra photo makes cover of Symphony magazine
Rochester, NY – On a snowy night this past March, Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre was filled for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO)’s Benefit Concert for Ukraine. A total of $58,000 was raised for Rochester’s ROC Maidan, a non-profit organization that is part of the Ukrainian Cultural Center of Rochester. A video of that concert was then made available to the public for free via the orchestra’s website, with a link for making additional donations to ROC Maidan.
But the story doesn’t end there. The prestigious Symphony magazine, a quarterly publication by the League of American Orchestras, devoted its Spring 2022 issue – “Music in Wartime” – to orchestras’ responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Not only is the RPO represented for its benefit concert within the magazine, along with a photo of the orchestra in Kodak Hall with special blue and yellow stage lighting, but the magazine’s cover photograph was also taken by RPO Manager of Digital Content & Marketing Tyler Cervini. The subject of that close-up photo, shot during the concert’s first rehearsal, is an RPO violinist with yellow and blue ribbons tied to her instrument.
“As I listened to the very first play-through of Myroslav Skoryk’s Melody, I was overcome with emotion – the first of many times this happened during the four days we had to put the concert together,” recalls Cervini. “Seeing my photo of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, an orchestra that I care so deeply about, on the cover of Symphony as a symbol for how orchestras responded to this crisis is one of the proudest moments of my life. It is an honor to play my small part in one of the most special orchestras in the country.”
Saturday, March 12th’s program, led by RPO Music Director Andreas Delfs, began with the Ukrainian national anthem, and featured music by Ukrainian composers Mykola Lysenko, Levko Revutsky and Myroslav Skoryk, as well as the U.S. premiere of Yevhen Stankovych’s violin concerto No. 5, written for and performed by Eastman School of Music Professor of Violin Oleh Krysa. The concert also included works by Howard Hanson and Beethoven.
“We stand in solidarity with the brave people of Ukraine,” says Maestro Delfs. “The world of classical music has long benefited from the great musicians and musical heritage of this region. Music provides a powerful and universal expression of hope, and in that spirit, we were honored and humbled to give our support to Ukrainians all over the world by performing this concert.”
2021-22 Sponsors: Since the 2019-20 Season, M&T Bank has been the RPO’s Season Sponsor. They are joined by Rochester Regional Health as Season Co-Sponsor. The Pops series is sponsored by Wegmans and Canandaigua National Bank.
ABOUT THE RPO: The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) has been committed to enriching and inspiring our community through the art of music since its origins in 1922. The RPO presents approximately 150 concerts and broadcasts a year, serving up to 170,000 people through ticketed events, education and community engagement activities, and concerts in schools and community centers throughout the region. Music Director Andreas Delfs joins the ranks of former notable RPO music directors, including Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman, Mark Elder, and Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman. Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, now in his 28th season, has earned a national reputation for excellence in pops programming during his tenure with the RPO. The RPO reaches more than 15,000 youth through its specific education programs.
ABOUT SYMPHONY: Symphony, the quarterly magazine of the League of American Orchestras, reports on the critical issues, trends, personalities, and developments of the orchestra world. Every issue includes news, provocative essays, in-depth articles, and cutting-edge research relevant to the entire orchestra field. Symphony profiles take readers behind the scenes to meet the people who are making a difference in the orchestra world, while wide-ranging survey articles reveal the strategies and tactics that are helping orchestras meet the challenges of the 21st century. Symphony is a matchless source of meaningful information about orchestras and serves as an advocate and connector for the orchestra field.
Readers include professional staff, musicians, and board members in the orchestra industry and related fields; orchestra patrons and volunteers; and music critics and arts media professionals. Symphony has faithfully served as a record of the orchestra field — from audience trends to personnel changes to media innovation — since its founding by the League of American Orchestras in 1942. Symphony’s numerous awards include repeated ASCAP Deems Taylor Awards for outstanding coverage of music, as well as several “Ozzie” design awards.
Media please note: Video from the live performance, high-resolution images, and other media assets can be found at https://tinyurl.com/yuj7ktfz. Interviews and photo/footage opportunities are also available.
