Stokowski Celebration at The Academy of Music

In Celebration of Leopold Stokowski and His Transformative Artistic Leadership, Music Director Designate Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra Return to the Academy of Music for a Weekend of Special Performances in June 2012

The Philadelphia Orchestra kicks off its season-long centennial celebration of the arrival of Leopold Stokowski in Philadelphia with a series of inspired programs in its historic former concert hall.

(Philadelphia, January 25, 2012)—One hundred years from the arrival of Leopold Stokowski as music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1912, the world-renowned ensemble that he was so instrumental in putting on the world’s stage will celebrate his visionary leadership with a series of performances inspired by Stokowski’s legacy of innovation.

Led by Music Director Designate Yannick Nézet-Séguin, The Philadelphia Orchestra will return to the stage of the Academy of Music—its home for its first 100 years—and pay tribute to Stokowski with four performances. Original programs from Stokowski’s inaugural 1912 season will inspire three concerts, while a fourth concert will pay homage to the legendary maestro’s annual tradition of allowing the audience to choose the works performed by his “Fabulous Philadelphians.” In recognition of Stokowski, who first introduced a children’s concert in 1921, the weekend will also include a special Family Concert in which Yannick will lead The Philadelphia Orchestra in the music from the classic Disney film, Fantasia, which is often considered Stokowski’s greatest international achievement while in Philadelphia.

The celebration of Stokowski at the Academy of Music will begin Thursday, June 21, and conclude Saturday, June 23. The concerts will not only honor the unparalleled history of this landmark building but also bring a 21st-century experience to the classic works and performances that served as hallmarks of Stokowski’s tenure with The Philadelphia Orchestra. The hall will be transformed by dynamic lighting, video projections, and theatrical enhancements, which are reminiscent of Stokowski’s innovation. The Orchestra’s repertoire will also reflect Stokowski’s musical tastes and traditions, delighting audiences with works by Brahms, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, and much more during these concert celebrations.

“It is so moving for me to realize that in 1912, Leopold Stokowski became the music director of the Orchestra,” said Yannick Nézet-Séguin. “One hundred years later, I am privileged to step into this wonderful tradition and heritage that Stokowski has given all of us.” 

The centennial celebration of Leopold Stokowski is an important theme of the 2012-13 season—a season that marks another important moment in the history of the Orchestra. Just as Philadelphia welcomed Stokowski a century ago, the city will welcome Yannick as only the eighth music director in the Orchestra’s 112-year history. In the spirit of Stokowski’s bold choices, Yannick arrives with a fresh vision for the Orchestra—a vision that respects the past but is well suited to connect with contemporary audiences and develop the next generation of classical music lovers in Philadelphia and around the world. 

“To have Yannick arrive exactly one hundred years after Leopold Stokowski would seem to be kismet,” said Allison Vulgamore, president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra. “These are different men in vastly different times. Yet it is through the music, their shared passion, and the ability to connect with audiences in such a personal way that binds them to each other within the history of The Philadelphia Orchestra. These concerts at the Academy in June will allow all to see that no matter how much may change, the ‘Philadelphia Sound’ is forever. Joining our celebration of the Stokowski centenary with Yannick’s inaugural season, all in our beloved ‘Grand Old Lady of Locust Street,’ will be a moment not to be missed.”

For more information regarding The Philadelphia Orchestra and its Stokowski Celebration at the Academy of Music in June 2012, please visit www.philorch.org.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Over the past decade, Yannick Nézet-Séguin has established himself as a strong musical leader and one of the most exciting talents of his generation. Music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic, and artistic director and principal conductor of Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain, he has made wildly successful appearances with the world’s most revered ensembles—the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, among many others. Throughout Europe and North America, Yannick’s appearances have left indelible marks on the international classical music scene, making him one of the most sought after conductors in the world.

Widely praised for his musicianship, dedication, and charisma, Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s talents extend beyond symphonic music and into the world of opera and choral music. His critically acclaimed performances at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Milan’s La Scala, London’s Royal Opera House, and the historic Salzburg Festival demonstrate that he is an artist of remarkable versatility and depth.

Named music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra in June 2010, Yannick Nézet-Séguin made his Philadelphia Orchestra debut in December 2008, with Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 featuring André Watts. He has since led the Orchestra in a breadth of repertoire ranging from the intimate—Haydn’s Symphony No. 100—to the monumental—Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 and launched a multi-year exploration of the world’s great requiems with performances of the Mozart Requiem in January 2011 and Brahms’s German Requiem in November 2011. Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra will commence his inaugural season with the Verdi Requiem in October 2012.