The Philadelphia Orchestra Kicks Off 2013-14 Season with Opening Night Concert and Gala: September 25

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Celebrates Second Season as Music Director

Internationally-Acclaimed Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter Set to Perform

(Philadelphia, June 27, 2013)—Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra kick off Philadelphia’s cultural season, and the Orchestra’s 114th subscription season, with an Opening Night Concert and Gala on Wednesday, September 25, 2013, at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. On the heels of his inaugural year as the Orchestra’s new music director, Nézet-Séguin returns to Philadelphia for a highly-anticipated second season of subscription concerts that build upon the foundation established at the beginning of his tenure. Highlights include the next phase of his multi-season focus on the requiem, exciting collaborations with the world’s most acclaimed soloists, and unique combinations of new and familiar works lending a refreshing aesthetic to the concert season.

This evening of music-making and festive collaboration at the Orchestra’s home of Verizon Hall features the incomparable Anne-Sophie Mutter performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. The remainder of the all-Tchaikovsky concert includes the Marche slave and Romeo and Juliet. This program serves as a prelude to the Orchestra’s all-Tchaikovsky Celebration taking place over the course of three weeks in January showcasing this great composer’s works alongside those of his Russian contemporaries.

The black-tie Opening Night Gala begins with an exclusive pre-concert Chairmen’s Reception for Benefactors and Principal Benefactors at 5:30 PM in Perelman Theater followed by a 6:00 PM pre-concert Champagne Reception for all Opening Night concert-goers in the Kimmel Center’s Commonwealth Plaza. The Concert begins at 7:00 PM in Verizon Hall and will be performed without intermission. Immediately following the concert, Gala attendees will enjoy an elegant Dinner in the Kimmel Center with after-dinner musical entertainment provided by the DePue Brothers.

For more information on becoming a Benefactor or to purchase Gala tickets, visit www.philorch.org/openingnight or call 215.893.1956. Concert-only tickets will be available for purchase beginning September 3 by visiting www.philorch.org or calling 215.893.1999.

Musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra are graciously donating their services for the Opening Night Concert. All gala events are organized by The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Volunteer Committees under the direction of Volunteer Committees President Stephanie Brandow. Nancy Galloway and Charles K. Valutas are chairmen for the Opening Gala 2013.

This year marks the 28th season for which The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Volunteer Committees have presented the Opening Night festivities. The Volunteer Committees were formed in 1904, four years after the Orchestra’s first concerts. The Women’s Committee, as it was originally called, was the first permanent organization of its kind in the U.S., and has since come to serve as a model for similar groups in the United States and abroad. The current Volunteer Committees include: Central Committee for the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chestnut Hill, Chestnut Hill Musical Cocktails, Main Line Associates, New Jersey, Rittenhouse Square, and West Philadelphia. Through their endeavors over the past century, thousands of members of the Volunteer Committees have given countless hours and their innumerable talents in service to The Philadelphia Orchestra and the people of the greater Philadelphia region.

About Anne-Sophie Mutter

About Yannick Nézet-Séguin

About The Philadelphia Orchestra

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

Opening Night

September 25 at 7:00 PM – Wednesday evening – Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

The Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Anne-Sophie Mutter Violin

Tchaikovsky Marche slave
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet 

The concert is performed without an intermission. Musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra are graciously donating their services for the Opening Night Concert.

For Gala information and tickets, please call 215.893.1956 or visit www.philorch.org/opening-night.

Concert-only tickets will be available beginning September 3: Call 215.893.1999 or visit www.philorch.org.