RPO’s Program of Honor for Veterans Day
Rochester, NY – The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra pays tribute to war veterans with Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik’s personal stamp with Honor: An American Salute, the Casual Sunday Matinee concert on Sunday, November 11 at 2:00 p.m. at the Eastman Theatre. Ticketholders are invited to Bagels with Jeff in the Atrium at Miller Center beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Tyzik opens the concert with the traditional Star-Spangled Banner, then dons his composer’s hat for Fantasy on American Themes, Bravo! Colorado, Pleasant Valley Suite (narrated by Jay Stetzer), his own arrangement of the Armed Forces Song Medley and closes with Sousa’s uplifting Stars and Stripes Forever. Tyzik’s Bravo! Colorado – dedicated to the memory of President Gerald Ford, a World War II Navy veteran – makes its East Coast premiere. Tyzik met President Ford during the RPO’s summer residency at the Bravo! Colorado Vail Valley Music Festival. Pleasant Valley Suite for orchestra and narrator has a local slant, having been commissioned by the Genesee Country Village & Museum to commemorate its 25th Anniversary in 2003. In this performance, well-known local storyteller Jay Stetzer brings the narration to life.
General admission tickets are $15; $12 for seniors, students, subscribers and members, available online 24/7 at www.rpo.org, by phone (454-2100) in person from the RPO Box Office, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (non-concert Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.); and seven days a week at area Wegmans. A convenience fee may apply.
The Casual Sunday Matinee Series is sponsored by Rochester Magazine and Strong Health; bagels and coffee are generously provided by Bruegger’s Bakeries. RPO performances are made possible in part with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; the State of New York; Monroe County and the City of Rochester.
Celebrating its 85th season in 2007-08, the RPO inspires and enriches the community through the art of music. The Orchestra is passionately dedicated to outstanding musical performance at the highest artistic levels, and has a unique tradition of musical versatility, commitment to music education in the broadest sense and a deep and enduring engagement with the community. The RPO has been honored with the New York State Governor’s Arts Award and two recent ASCAP awards for adventurous programming.
Note: Photos of Tyzik and Jay Stetzer are available upon request.
