New Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians Named - Sept. 2013

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA NAMES TWO NEW MEMBERS, YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN’S FIRST APPOINTMENTS TO THE ORCHESTRA

 Associate Concertmaster Ying Fu and Second Trumpet Anthony Prisk Join Orchestra at Start of 2013-14 Season

(Philadelphia, September 23, 2013)—The Philadelphia Orchestra is pleased to announce that two new members join the Orchestra at the start of the 2013-14 season, Ying Fu as associate concertmaster and Anthony Prisk as second trumpet.

Mr. Fu comes to The Philadelphia Orchestra from the Cleveland Orchestra, where he had been a member of the first violin section since August 2011. He has served as the concertmaster of the Schleswig-Holstein Symphony in Germany and has been a prizewinner of many violin competitions, most recently winning first prize at the 31st “Rodolfo Lipizer” International Violin Competition in Italy in 2012. A native of Shanghai, China, Mr. Fu earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

Mr. Prisk was a member of the Houston Symphony for 11 seasons prior to joining The Philadelphia Orchestra. He has performed internationally with numerous orchestras and music festivals, such as the Los Angeles and Moscow philharmonics, the Grant Park Festival Orchestra, and the Montreal, Boston, and New World symphonies. He has won two international trumpet competitions through the International Trumpet Guild. A native of Chicago, he received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois and a Master of Music degree from McGill University.

Mr. Fu and Mr. Prisk’s appointments are the first under Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s tenure as music director, who said: “We welcome Ying Fu and Anthony Prisk into The Philadelphia Orchestra with great anticipation. They are among the most talented musicians in the world and will bring an exciting freshness to the ensemble’s work together.  At the same time, they will fit seamlessly into the overarching culture of the ensemble, keeping alive the legendary connection that has been the hallmark of The Philadelphia Orchestra for generations.  We are eager to begin our work together!”                                                                                 

For complete bios of Ying Fu and Anthony Prisk visit http://www.philorch.org/about/musicians.

The Philadelphia Orchestra launches its 2013-14 season with a 15% increase in paid audience capacity since 2010, impressive gains in fundraising and patron retention, and exciting connections between Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the musicians of the Orchestra, and audiences throughout Philadelphia and beyond. Building on the remarkable success of his first season as music director, the Orchestra begins the new season with a spectacular Opening Night Gala featuring virtuoso violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, and with the release of its first recording with Mr. Nézet-Séguin on the Deutsche Grammophon label—Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and favorite orchestral transcriptions by Leopold Stokowski. One week later Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestra open Carnegie Hall’s 2013-14 season joined by special guest soloists Joshua Bell and Esperanza Spalding. Artistic highlights in the season include a Philadelphia Commissions Micro-Festival, for which three leading international composers have been commissioned to write solo works for three of the Orchestra’s principal players, all presented over one weekend; the next installment in Nézet-Séguin’s multi-season focus on requiems with Fauré’s Requiem; and a unique, theatrically-staged presentation of Richard Strauss’s revolutionary opera Salome, the Orchestra’s first-ever co-production with Opera Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the preeminent orchestras in the world, renowned for its distinctive sound, desired for its keen ability to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences, and admired for a legacy of innovation in music-making. The Orchestra is inspiring the future and transforming its rich tradition of achievement, sustaining the highest level of artistic quality, but also challenging—and exceeding—that level by creating powerful musical experiences for audiences at home and around the world.

Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin triumphantly opened his inaugural season as the eighth artistic leader of The Philadelphia Orchestra in the fall of 2012. His highly collaborative style, deeply-rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm, paired with a fresh approach to orchestral programming, have been heralded by critics and audiences alike. The New York Times has called Nézet-Séguin “phenomenal,” adding that under his baton, “the ensemble … has never sounded better.” He is embraced by the musicians of the Orchestra, audiences, and the community itself. His concerts of diverse repertoire attract sold-out houses, and he has established a regular forum for connecting with concert-goers through Post-Concert Conversations.

Under Nézet-Séguin’s leadership the Orchestra returns to recording with a newly-released CD on the Deutsche Grammophon label of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Leopold Stokowski transcriptions. In his inaugural season the Orchestra has also returned to the radio airwaves, with weekly Sunday afternoon broadcasts on WRTI-FM.

Philadelphia is home and the Orchestra nurtures an important relationship not only with patrons who support the main season at the Kimmel Center but also those who enjoy the Orchestra’s other area performances at the Mann Center, Penn’s Landing, and other venues. The Philadelphia Orchestra Association also continues to own the Academy of Music, a National Historic Landmark.

The Philadelphia Orchestra maintains a strong commitment to collaborations with cultural and community organizations on a regional and national level. Since Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore’s arrival in 2010 the Orchestra has reinvigorated and launched new partnerships with Opera Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadelphia Live Arts (Fringe Festival), Philadanco, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Ridge Theater Company, and stage director James Alexander, among others.

Through concerts, tours, residencies, presentations, and recordings, the Orchestra is a global ambassador for Philadelphia and for the United States. Having been the first American orchestra to perform in China, in 1973 at the request of President Nixon, today The Philadelphia Orchestra boasts a new partnership with the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. The ensemble annually performs at Carnegie Hall while also enjoying a three-week residency in Saratoga Springs, New York, and a strong partnership with the Bravo! Vail festival.

The Philadelphia Orchestra continues its decades-long tradition of presenting learning and community engagement opportunities for listeners of all ages across the Delaware Valley. Concerts for families and schoolchildren; eZseatU, which allows full-time college students to attend an unlimited number of Orchestra concerts for a $25 annual membership fee; free Neighborhood Concerts; and PreConcert Conversations before every subscription concert are only a few examples of ways in which the Orchestra introduces orchestral music to a new generation of listeners. Musician-led initiatives, including recent highly-successful Cello and Violin Play-Ins, shine a spotlight on the Orchestra’s musicians, as they spread out from the stage into the community, and serve a key role in growing young musician talent and a love of classical music in their own dedicated roles as teachers, coaches, and mentors.   

For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org.

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