Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Celebrates Susan B. Anthony and the 19th Amendment
For Immediate Release
January 23, 2020
Media Contact:
Nicole Morelle, 399-3645
ROCHESTER PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA CELEBRATES
SUSAN B. ANTHONY AND THE 19TH AMENDMENT
Women’s Suffrage: Past + Present – January 30 and February 1
The Mother of Us All – February 6 & 8
Rochester, NY — The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s (RPO), under the baton of Music Director Ward Stare, will focus on Susan B. Anthony and the 19th Amendment for the next two Philharmonic weekends: January 30th & February 1st and February 6th & 8th. These concerts are part of a season-long celebration of trailblazers, innovators, rule breakers, and radicals in history and music.
Women’s Suffrage: Past + Present (January 30 & February 1): Ward Stare conducts the world premiere of All on Fire, a new work by Gemma Peacocke. Plus, playwright Mark Mobley premiers a new theatrical work setting the stories of five strong Rochester women to music. Those women include: Mayor Lovely Warren, former City Councilwoman Elaine Spaull (Executive Director, Center for Youth), Catherine Cerulli (Director, Susan B. Anthony Center, University of Rochester), Tamara Leigh (Director of Operations and Public Relations, Out Alliance), and Lola DeAscentiis (Susan B. Anthony Museum & House).
The Mother of Us All (February 6 & 8): The Mother of Us All, an opera by Virgil Thomson to a libretto by Gertrude Stein, examines the life and legacy of Susan B. Anthony. In fanciful style, it brings together characters, fictional and non-fictional, from different periods of American history.
All single tickets for these concert weekends are $24 or $40 and can be purchased online at rpo.org or by calling the RPO’s Patron Services Center at 454-2100.
The 2019/20 Season is presented by M&T Bank and Rochester Regional Health – The Lipson Cancer Institute.
Women’s Suffrage: Past + Present
Thursday, January 30th 7:30 p.m. & Saturday, February 1st 8 p.m.
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Ward Stare, conductor
Cast
Mayor Lovely Warren…..Shirlyn Washington
Elaine Spaull…..Nancy Berg
Catherine Cerulli…..Jodi Beckwith
Tamara Leigh…..E.B. Okung
Lola DeAscentiis…..Tali Beckwith-Cohen
Interviewer……Rick Staropoli
MENDELSSOHN-HENSEL: Overture in C major
GEMMA PEACOCKE: All on Fire
PERRY Short Piece for Orchestra
MARK MOBLEY True and Devoted A documentary-style play consisting of re-enacted interviews with five Rochester women, accompanied by the following orchestral selections:
JOAN TOWER Sixth Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman
ADOLPHUS HAILSTORK Church Street Serenade
SCHUBERT Act III Entr’acte (Andantino) from Rosamunde
ARVO PÄRT Frates
SMITH Allegretto amoravole from Symphony in C minor
COPLAND Corral Nocturne from Rodeo
DVORÁK Romanze from Czech Suite in D major, op. 39
The Mother of Us All
Thursday, February 6th 7:30 p.m. & Saturday, February 8th 8 p.m.
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre
Ward Stare, conductor
Susan Stone Li, director
Thomson The Mother of Us All
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) 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. 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, now in his 26th season, has earned a national reputation for excellence in pops programming during his tenure with the RPO. The RPO reaches more than 15,000 children through its specific programs for school-aged children.
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