SPRING INTO APRIL WITH YOUR RPO:
Back to the 80s, West Side Story
Music of Queen, The Envelope Please
OrKIDStra: Alice in OrchestraLand
Rochester, NY – Your Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO)’s April offerings begin with the Rochester premiere of Decades: Back to the 80s by Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik on Friday and Saturday, April 7 & 8 at 8 PM in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. (A pre-concert talk begins one hour prior to curtain.) This power-packed evening of the decade’s #1 hit songs includes “The Power of Love,” “Time After Time,” “Material Girl,” “Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” “Footloose,” “Addicted to Love,” and many others. Featuring the music of such iconic stars as Madonna, Debbie Gibson, Huey Lewis & The News, Phil Collins, Joe Cocker, Elton John and more, Back to the 80s contains all-new arrangements by Grammy-winner Tyzik and features three incredible vocalists: Brie Cassil, Paul Loren, and Colin Smith.
Next, Andreas Conducts West Side Story on Thursday, April 13 at 7:30 PM & Saturday, April 15 at 8 PM in Kodak Hall. (A pre-concert talk begins one hour prior to curtain.) RPO Music Director Andreas Delfs conducts Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. This American masterpiece expresses colliding cultures – a theme that plays out across the evening’s program. Chabrier’s España is paired with Lalo’s rhapsodic Cello Concerto to make up the first half of the program. Cellist Zlatomir Fung – the first American in four decades and the youngest musician ever to win First Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition Cello Division – joins the RPO as soloist. Robert Sierra’s colorful Fandangos follows the Bernstein to close out a lively evening.
For one night only on Friday, April 14 at 8 PM, Windborne’s Music of Queen comes to Kodak Center (200 W. Ridge Rd.). Arranger/Conductor Brent Havens leads your RPO in a program of Queen’s greatest hits including “We Will Rock You,” “Somebody to Love,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and more, while Filipino-Australian vocalist MiG Ayesa channels Freddie Mercury.
The Rochester Philharmonic League’s 2023 Young Artist Auditions (YAA) wrap up on Sunday, March 12 with live, final rounds judged by professionals in each field. The YAA is the region’s most prestigious competition for high school-age musicians, recognizing talent and dedication in Male Vocal, Female Vocal, Strings, Piano, and Instrumental categories. Finalists and runners-up compete for a $1,000 Instrumental Scholarship, a $1,000 Vocal Scholarship, and the Grand Prize: an opportunity to perform in concert with the RPO.
Just two days after Holocaust Remembrance Day, The Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester Presents: Israel at 75 on Thursday, April 20 at 7:30 PM in Kodak Hall. Maestro Delfs conducts works by Boskovich, Bruch, Prokofiev, Schulhoff, Williams, and a new piece written for the occasion by composer Avner Dorman. Tickets start at $18.
Next up, on Friday and Saturday, April 21 & 22 at 8 PM in Kodak Hall, Jeff Tyzik conducts The Envelope Please, another brand-new program of Grammy, Tony, and Academy Award-winning songs performed by three of Broadway’s best. (A pre-concert talk begins one hour prior to curtain.) Vocal sensation Mamie Parris – of CATS, Wicked, and School of Rock fame – is joined by Phantom of the Opera stars and Rochester favorites Doug LaBrecque and Lisa Vroman for an evening of prize-winning picks from Broadway, Pop, and American film.
The third of four OrKIDStra concerts this season, Alice in OrchestraLand, takes place on Sunday, April 23 at 2 PM in Hochstein Performance Hall with guest conductor, Conner Gray Covington. The program follows Alice on her adventures as she meets Lewis Carroll’s beloved characters – the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, and more. Hands-on activities are included and begin one hour prior to the concert. Tickets are $20 adults/$10 children.
Tickets for all RPO Kodak Hall shows (except where listed otherwise) start at $24/$12 for children ages 3-17 and are available online anytime at rpo.org, by phone at 585-454-2100, and in person at RPO Patron Services at 225 East Avenue (Monday -Friday, 10 AM-5 PM) and one hour prior to curtain at the Eastman Theatre Box Office (433 East Main St.). RPO Centennial Season (2023-24) subscriptions are now on sale at https://rpo.org/subscribe/. COVID protocols: vaccinations are no longer required to attend concerts and masking is currently optional.
The RPO thanks Season Sponsor M&T Bank, Pops Series Sponsors Canandaigua National Bank & Wegmans, and Special Series Sponsor Pittsford Federal Credit Union. RPO performances are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. The RPO is supported in part by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support general operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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. Andreas Delfs was named music director in 2020 following notable RPO music directors Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman, Mark Elder and Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman. Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, now in his 29th 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.
Media please note: High-resolution images and other media assets for the 2022-23 Season can be found at https://bit.ly/3Rki4CL. Interviews and photo/footage opportunities are also available.