RPO 2015-16 single tickets on sale Friday, July 31 at 10 AM

July 30, 2015

RPO 2015-16 single tickets on sale Friday, July 31 at 10 AM
Ward Stare’s inaugural season has new works, audience favorites & rising stars
Highlights: Yuja Wang, Final Fantasy, Pines of Rome, Megan Hilty, Doc Severinsen, Simone Porter, From the Top,
Disney in Concert, Olga Kern, Home Alone 

Rochester, NY – Single tickets for more than 60 concerts in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO)’s 93rd season, presented by Dawn and Jacques Lipson, go on sale this Friday, July 31, at 10 a.m. Tickets start at $22 for the majority of the concerts, and 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 (through August 31), by phone at (585) 454-2100, or online at rpo.org. Subscriptions for the upcoming season will continue to be available.

 “Between the excitement surrounding Ward Stare’s inaugural season and a compelling lineup of artists and repertoire, we have every reason to believe that single tickets will be in high demand again this season,” says RPO President & CEO Charles Owens, noting that both subscription renewals for next season and single ticket sales last season were the highest in four years.

Ward Stare’s inaugural season as the RPO’s 12th music director means that – although he was appointed to his position a year ago (July 28, 2014) – this will be the first season that he has programmed and for which he will serve as main conductor for the Philharmonics Series. The Pittsford, NY native announced the upcoming season in grand style in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre this past February, with the entire orchestra performing selected excerpts on stage to an enthusiastic full house.  

Maestro Stare will conduct eight of the 12 Philharmonics Series (sponsored by M&T Bank) concerts, beginning with Season Opener: Ward Stare Conducts Pines of Rome on Thursday, September 17, 2015at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, September 19 at 8 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Showcasing the orchestra itself, this musical kaleidoscope includes four unforgettable sonic showpieces:  Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Rimini, and Barber’s Adagio for Strings, in addition to Respighi’s breathtaking Pines of Rome.

NEW:  The season-opening celebration, dubbed Magnifico!, will begin with a gala event at the Genesee Valley Club on Wednesday, September 16, and continue with a pre-concert reception at Max of Eastman Place on the 17th.  Please contact Olivia Grant at ogrant@rpo.org or (585) 454-7311, ext. 249 for more information. All ticketholders for each performance will be invited to a complimentary post-concert dessert reception, underwritten by Amore by Wegmans, at Eastman Theatre.

A few highlights for the remainder of the Philharmonics Series include:

  • Violin sensation, 18-year old Simone Porter, will make her RPO debut on Barber’s Violin Concerto in Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet (Nov. 19 & 21).
  • Seaman Conducts Brahms 4 (October 15 & 17, 2015), with RPO Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman (The Christopher Seaman Chair, Supported by Barbara and Patrick Fulford and The Conductor Laureate Society)
  • International phenomenon, pianist Yuja Wang, makes her RPO debut in the first-ever RPO Philharmonics performance of Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 1. (April 14 & 16, 2016)
  • Two Van Cliburn International Piano Competition winners return: Vadym Kholodenko (March 3 & 5), and Olga Kern (June 2 & 4)

“Our 2015/16 Philharmonics Series will not only showcase our world-class orchestra, but will expose audiences to new works – both contemporary as well as older repertoire never before performed by the RPO – and introduce rising star soloists,” says Stare, who is now residing fulltime in Rochester.

The RPO will kick off its 2015/16Pops Series (sponsored by Canandaigua National Bank & Trust and Fibertech Networks) the previous weekend (Friday and Saturday, September 11 and 12, 2015at 8 p.m.) with An Evening with Megan Hilty, led by Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik. Vocalist Hilty – who dazzled on NBC’s Smash, has taken Broadway by storm with starring roles in Wicked and 9 to 5, and was crowned “the new princess of Broadway” by Time Magazine – will make her RPO debut. NEW:  limited availability to a special meet-and-greet, post-concert reception with Megan Hilty on the 11th is available for $150 per person in addition to ticket purchase. Call (585) 454-2100 or visit the Eastman Theatre Box Office (433 East Main Street) in person.

Some 2015/16 Pops Series highlights include:

  • Disney in Concert: Tale as Old as Time (October 23 & 24, 2015) with Jeff Tyzik (RPO first performance)
  • Gala Holiday Pops (December 18-20, 2015) with Jeff Tyzik, the Festival High School Chorale and the Community Children’s Chorus
  • Doc Severinsen (January 22 & 23, 2016)

Next season’s Special Concerts in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre have grown from three to four since the season announcement in February:

  • Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy ®, featuring the music of Japanese video game composer Nobuo Uematsu, makes it Rochester/RPO debut on Thursday, October 29, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. The Strong is a presenting partner for this global entertainment phenomenon.
  • From the Top Live with Host Christopher O’Riley takes place Sunday, January 17, 2016 at 3 p.m.  Music Director Ward Stare conducts one of the most popular classical music programs on the radio, and the concert will be taped and aired on NPR.  WXXI is a media partner.
  • Pop pianist Jim Brickman, for one night only, Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 8p.m. NEW: very limited availability to a special post-concert, meet-and-greet with Brickman is $100 per person in addition to ticket purchase. Call (585) 454-2100 or visit the Eastman Theatre Box Office (433 East Main Street) in person.
  • NEW: Faithfully – A Symphonic Tribute to the Music of Journey will take place Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 8 p.m.

Holiday Concerts in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre:

  • The Nutcracker returns with Rochester City Ballet and Bach Children’s Chorus for six performances, Wednesday, November 25, 2015 at 7 p.m. – Sunday, November 29 at 2 p.m.
  • Home Alone will be on the big screen with live orchestral accompaniment on Saturday, December 12, 2015 at 7 p.m.

The 2015/16 OrKIDStra Series (sponsored by Wendy’s) features four 2 p.m. concerts at the Performance Hall at Hochstein, with pre-concert activities starting at 1 p.m.

  • Dr. Seuss’ The Sneetches, Sunday, October 11, 2015 (NEW: date was changed after season announcement)
  • Blast Off to Space, Sunday, November 15, 2015
  • Carnival of the Animals, Sunday, January 24, 2016
  • The Magic of Animation, Sunday, May 22, 2016

 

The upcoming season’s Sunday Matinee Series – also at the Performance Hall at Hochstein – consists of six 2 p.m. concerts, beginning with Brahms and Haydn on October 25, 2015 with RPO Principal Conductor for Education and Community Engagement Michael Butterman (The Louise and Henry Epstein Family Chair) conducting.

 

For a full and detailed listing of 2015/16 concerts, please visit rpo.org.

RPO performances are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional sponsors include Monroe County; the City of Rochester; the Alfred Davis and Brunhilde Knapp Artists Performance Fund; the Mozart Performance Fund: Sarah D. Atkinson, M.D. and Steven Hess; City Newspaper; Kids Out And About.com; WARM 101.3; the Katherine T. and Jon L. Schumacher Orchestra Musician Soloist Fund.

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 160 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 21-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 endowed position of its kind in the country – the RPO reaches more than 12,000 children through its specific programs for school-aged children.

Media please note: High-resolution images for next season’s Philharmonics concerts can be downloaded at https://drive.google.com/?authuser=0#folders/0B8FkJzlaIpThNWs1ZzJHR2VwWDA; Pops images at

https://drive.google.com/?authuser=0#folders/0B8FkJzlaIpThMzF2Y3h3empsNjQ; and Specials, Holiday, OrKIDStra at https://drive.google.com/?authuser=0#folders/0B8FkJzlaIpThMldQam4tdXI0cm8. A full concert listing is available, and interviews as well as photo and footage opportunities can be arranged.

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