Featuring performances by The Philadelphia Orchestra, Angel Blue, Lang Lang, and Steve Martin, as well as special appearances by Billie Jean King
First onstage performance of Valerie Coleman’s Seven O’Clock Shout
(Philadelphia, September 16, 2020)—The Philadelphia Orchestra launches its 121st season on Wednesday, September 30, at 7 PM ET with the Opening Night Celebration Concert, presented on the Digital Stage at www.philorch.org. Led by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Orchestra will officially kick off its reimagined 2020–21 season with a celebratory program featuring selections by Rossini, Verdi, Mozart, and more, as well as the first onstage performance of Valerie Coleman’s Seven O’Clock Shout, commissioned by the Orchestra and written in honor of frontline workers in the COVID-19 pandemic. The evening will include a performance of the Orchestra with soprano Angel Blue, a new virtual collaboration with GRAMMY®-winning musician and actor Steve Martin,and a remote performance by pianist Lang Lang, as well as special appearances by sports icon and owner of the Philadelphia Freedoms Billie Jean King. The Opening Night Celebration Concert will feature performances captured without an audience at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, as well as pre-recorded messages.
“We are thrilled to open our season by welcoming close friends and collaborators Angel Blue, Lang Lang, Steve Martin, and Billie Jean King,” said Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who will begin his ninth season with the Orchestra. “Though this season looks different than originally planned, we know that music will continue to be an artistic force connecting us to each other and to the world around us.”
Orchestra President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky added, “The Philadelphia Orchestra continues to inspire joy and hope. This year’s Opening Night Celebration Concert launches a digital season of great innovation and artistic depth. The Opening Night Concert is made possible thanks to the dedication of our Volunteer Committees and many generous donors, resulting in what is sure to be an unforgettable event, a ray of optimism, and an extraordinary start to a new season of Your Philadelphia Orchestra.”
The Opening Night Celebration Concert will be presented on The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Digital Stage beginning September 30, 2020, at 7 PM ET, and will remain available to view through October 7, 2020. Tickets start at $50 and are on sale at www.philorch.org or by calling Ticket Philadelphia at 215.893.1999. The Orchestra is proud to offer complimentary tickets to its education and community partners, including the All City High School and Middle School Orchestras, the Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth, Project 440, the Philadelphia Sinfonia, the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, Musicopia, and the Settlement School. These complimentary tickets have been underwritten by the 2020 Opening Night Sponsors. For more information, visit www.philorch.org/openingnight.
Leadership and exemplary philanthropic support has been provided by the Opening Night Celebration Co-Chairs Deborah Ledley, Judy Foster Glick, and Carol Jantsch, as well as the Opening Night Committee, the Volunteer Committees, and the Board of The Philadelphia Orchestra.
The Volunteer Committees for The Philadelphia Orchestra 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 U.S. and abroad. The current Volunteer Committees for The Philadelphia Orchestra include Central, Chestnut Hill, Main Line, Musical Cocktails, 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 innumerable talents in service to The Philadelphia Orchestra and the people of the greater Philadelphia region. Beginning this season, the Volunteer Committees will be led by President Dianne Rotwitt.
Opening Night Celebration Concert
September 30 at 7:00 PM—Wednesday evening
Pre-concert show begins at 6:30 PM
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Billie Jean King Special Guest
Lang Lang Piano
Steve Martin Banjo
Angel Blue Soprano
Coleman Seven O’Clock Shout
Rossini Overture to The Thieving Magpie
Martin/orch. Jantsch “Rare Bird Alert”—First Philadelphia Orchestra Performance; World Premiere of this Orchestration
Verdi “Timor di me? ... D’amor sull’ali rosee,” from Il trovatore
Mozart Symphony No. 29
Join us for Our World NOW: An Opening Night Celebration, as Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra come together on stage for an evening of glorious music, uplifting joy, and inspiring connection on the Orchestra’s Digital Stage. Opening Night Co-Chairs Deborah Ledley, Judy Foster Glick, and Principal Tuba Carol Jantsch, and the Opening Night Committee look forward to welcoming you to this celebratory evening.
For tickets, visit www.philorch.org or call 215.893.1999.
The Philadelphia Orchestra extends its gratitude to the 2020 Opening Night Sponsors:
Diamond Benefactor
The Central Volunteer Committee
Edith R. Dixon
Leslie Anne Miller and Richard B. Worley
Joseph Neubauer and Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer
The PNC Financial Services Group
Platinum Benefactor
Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr.
Michael and Constance Cone
Mark and Tobey Dichter
Dr. and Mrs. John Glick
Neal W. Krouse
Ralph W. Muller and Beth B. Johnston
PECO
Mari and Peter Shaw
Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young
Constance and Sankey Williams
Gold Benefactor
Aurora Grace Chocolates
Richard and Claudia Balderston
Ballard Spahr LLP
Peter A. Benoliel and Willo Carey
Howard and Judy Bernick
Stephen and Naomi Breman
Judith Broudy
Nancy and Kenneth Davis
Mrs. Elise R.W. du Pont
Alexandra Victor Edsall and Robert Victor
Juliet J. Goodfriend and Marc R. Moreau
Harry and Kay Halloran
Martin and Cynthia Heckscher
Eric and Lenora Hume
Osagie and Losenge Imasogie
Christopher M. Keith
Joseph M. Manko, Sr.
Sandy and David G. Marshall
John H. McFadden and Lisa D. Kabnick
Robert E. Mortensen
Jon and Karen Richter
Caroline B. Rogers
Lyn Ross
Dianne and Jeffrey Rotwitt
Mr. and Mrs. Mark E. Rubenstein
Adele K. Schaeffer
Constance Smukler
Jack and Ramona Vosbikian
Wines ’Til Sold Out
About The Philadelphia Orchestra
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CONTACTS:
Ashley Berke
215.893.1939
[email protected]
Natalie Lewis
215.893.3136
[email protected]
Ashley Stahmer
215.893.3142
[email protected]