Peking Acrobats Spring Into Rochester
For Immediate Release: March 11, 2015
Media Contacts: Sally Cohen, 585-749-1795, sally@sallycohenpr.com
RPO Info: rpo.org, facebook.com/RochesterPhilharmonic, twitter.com/RochesterPhil, rochesterphilharmonic.blogspot.com
PEKING ACROBATS SPRING INTO ROCHESTER
Plus: Christopher Seaman & Jon Nakamatsu Return
David Higgs joins RPO at Third Presbyterian Church for Organ Masterworks
Rochester, NY – April with your Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) opens with a jaw-dropping Pops spectacular: The Peking Acrobats on Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18 at 8 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik leads the orchestra while these astounding contortionists, jugglers, cyclists and gymnasts dazzle and amaze in their RPO debut, joined by JIGU! Thunder Drums of China. Clive Davis of the New York Post sums it up: “The Peking Acrobats (are) pushing the envelope of human possibility. Pure artistry!” Tickets start at $23.
On Sunday, April 19 at 2 p.m., guest conductor Shizuo Kuwahara—first-prize winner of the prestigious Georg Solti International Conductors’ Competition and current music director of Symphony Orchestra Augusta—will lead the RPO in Organ Masterworks at Third Presbyterian Church (4 Meigs St., 14607). One of America’s leading concert organists, Eastman Professor of Organ David Higgs showcases the sonic splendor of the church’s Sanctuary Organ with some of the greatest organ works every composed. The program features Baroque classics from Bach (including his Toccata and Fugue in D Minor) and Handel as well as music by 20th century American composers Howard Hanson and Samuel Barber. Tickets are $25/$10 for students.
Two Rochester favorites close out April: RPO Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman (The Christopher Seaman Chair, Supported by Barbara and Patrick Fulford and the Conductor Laureate Society) and pianist Jon Nakamatsu. Seaman and Nakamatsu Return takes place Thursday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 2 at 8 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, and features Stravinsky’s colorful rendering of a puppet that comes to life—Petrushka (1947). Also on the program are Elgar’s In the South (Alassio) and Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor featuring the incomparable Nakamatsu. Tickets start at $23/$10 for students.
Tickets for all of the above 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.
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 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. Recently appointed 12th Music Director Ward Stare joins the ranks of former notable RPO music directors, including 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 Community Engagement (The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair)—the first position of its kind in the country—the RPO reaches more than 13,000 children through its specific programs for school-aged children.
Media please note: High-resolution images for Philharmonics concerts may be downloaded at: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B8FkJzlaIpThcVY4TS1ScWhlcDQ&usp=sharing; Pops at: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B8FkJzlaIpThNUxERDVDUkdmM0k&usp=sharing. Interviews and photo and footage opportunities can also be arranged.
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