Audiences to Access Concerts and Subscriptions through Enhanced Digital Platform, the Digital Stage
Digital Tickets on Sale Beginning September 10
Seven Concerts to Be Led by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Including Opening Night Celebration Concert on September 30 Featuring Valerie Coleman’s Seven O’Clock Shout, Commissioned by The Philadelphia Orchestra
Assistant Conductor Erina Yashima and Conducting Fellow Lina Gonzalez-Granados to Conduct Concerts with Additional Guest Conductors and Programs to Be Announced
New Performances with Emanuel Ax, Angel Blue, Yefim Bronfman, Janai Brugger, Lang Lang, Branford Marsalis, Gil Shaham, and More
Concerts to Feature Works by Today’s Leading Composers Including Composer-in-Residence Gabriela Lena Frank, Valerie Coleman, Vivian Fung, Jessica Hunt, Missy Mazzoli, Jessie Montgomery, and Carlos Simon
Performances by Small Ensembles at Greater Philadelphia Locations Including National Marian Anderson Museum, Harriett’s Bookshop, Historic Belmont Mansion/Underground Railroad Museum, The Franklin Institute to Stream Free for All
HearTOGETHER Series on Racial and Social Justice, and Creative Equity and Inclusion, to Continue Monthly with Industry Thought Leaders and Guest Artists
Educational Offerings to Include a Digital School Concert, Sound All Around, Master Classes, and At-Home PlayINs
(Philadelphia, August 17, 2020)—Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra will return to the stage and community for a transformed fall season, continuing a commitment to provide music of the highest artistic caliber imbued with deep civic purpose and social responsibility. With health and safety as the top priority, performances will be reimagined and filmed without audiences at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts (in September and October) and in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (in November and December) to be presented weekly on the Orchestra’s Digital Stage at www.philorch.org. Subscription packages and single tickets to the Digital Stage will be available for purchase on Thursday, September 10, at 12 PM ET at www.philorch.org or by calling Ticket Philadelphia at 215.893.1999. A chronological calendar of performances is available at www.philorch.org/press-room. Weekly small ensemble performances from locations throughout the Philadelphia region will also be made available to audiences for free.
“I cannot wait to be reunited with my beloved Philadelphia Orchestra,” said Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. “To be able to capture this feeling and this moment—which will surely be full of emotion—and to share it with the world will be incredibly special. I am so proud of how The Philadelphia Orchestra has continued to bring the joy of music to audiences throughout this difficult time. Though we cannot be together with our fans in person this fall, music will continue to connect us in powerful ways.”
Subscribers and ticketholders can enjoy unprecedented access to The Philadelphia Orchestra via weekly one-hour concerts on the Digital Stage, featuring many works rarely or never performed before by the Orchestra. The season will launch with the Opening Night Celebration Concert on Wednesday, September 30, featuring a performance by acclaimed soprano Angel Blue with the Orchestra and a remote performance by superstar pianist Lang Lang. Additional guest stars will be announced at a later date. The special fundraising concert will also include a performance by the Orchestra, for the first time together in person, of Valerie Coleman’s Seven O’Clock Shout, the Orchestra’s commissioned anthem in response to COVID-19. Information about pricing and benefits for the Opening Night Celebration Concert can be found at www.philorch.org/openingnight.
In addition to leading the Opening Night Celebration Concert, Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will return to Philadelphia to lead the Orchestra in six programs. The new fall season will feature collaborations with some of music’s most compelling voices, including Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Janai Brugger, Branford Marsalis, and Gil Shaham. Assistant Conductor Erina Yashima and Conducting Fellow Lina Gonzalez-Granados will also lead the Orchestra in several programs.
The Orchestra will move forward with its season theme, Our World NOW, with music that reflects and responds to this moment in time. The Philadelphians will perform recent works by Composer-in-Residence Gabriela Lena Frank, Valerie Coleman, Vivian Fung, Missy Mazzoli, and Jessie Montgomery, in addition to rescheduled premieres by Jessica Hunt and Carlos Simon. Also slated to be presented are works from the standard repertoire for which the ensemble is well-known, including pieces by Beethoven, Brahms, Copland, Mahler, Mozart, and Vivaldi plus compositions by Florence Price and George Walker. The previously planned collaboration with digital artist Refik Anadol will be transformed for online audiences.
“When we announced Our World NOW as our 2020–21 season in March, we never could have imagined just how relevant it would be,” said Orchestra President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky. “Yannick and the Orchestra have responded to the COVID-19 crisis with great resilience and innovation, never ceasing to bring music to audiences worldwide. This commitment to serving our communities at home and abroad is at the core of who we are and what we do, and we look forward to moving ahead, responsibly and safely, with great artistic and civic significance this fall.”
In addition to a paid subscription and single-ticket service, audiences can experience weekly free online concerts performed by small ensembles at iconic cultural locations and Black-owned businesses throughout the Philadelphia region, including the National Marian Anderson Museum, Harriett’s Bookshop, the Historic Belmont Mansion/Underground Railroad Museum, and The Franklin Institute. The Orchestra’s monthly HearTOGETHER series on racial and social justice, and creative equity and inclusion, will also continue with a variety of industry thought leaders and guest artists.
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Digital Stage offers a new standard in the orchestral digital experience. Digital Stage tickets cost $15 and three-concert packages are $39. College and university students can access unlimited Digital Stage concerts for $25 with an eZseatU membership, and the Orchestra’s APPLE program will continue with free tickets for employees of the School District of Philadelphia. The Orchestra’s high-resolution performance videos are accessible on mobile devices and on TV via Chromecast and similar apps and will be made available for on-demand streaming each Thursday at 8 PM until Sunday at 11 PM. New features will be added to the Digital Stage throughout the season, including a Digital Lobby, where audiences can watch pre-concert conversations with artists and conductors and other curated content.
Fans can enjoy a sneak peek of the Digital Stage concert experience on Tuesday, September 8, at 7 PM, as the Orchestra and the Mann Center for the Performing Arts share for free a performance filmed on August 6 at the Mann—the first time members of the ensemble performed together since March 12. A preview clip is available at www.philorch.org/digitalstage/preview.
In an expanding programmatic and production collaboration, The Philadelphia Orchestra will partner with WHYY to make available several concert programs to WHYY television audiences. More details will be announced at a later date. Weekly broadcasts of past subscription concerts will continue on WRTI and SiriusXM. Music students and teachers will continue to have access to Philadelphia Orchestra educational resources, content, and learning opportunities through new installments of the popular Sound All Around series, a School Concert presented on the Digital Stage, at-home PlayINs, and more. Philadelphia School District students will have regular access to music education through the Orchestra’s School Partnership and School Ensemble programs, which have been adapted into virtual curriculums. All City Orchestra fellows will continue with remote lessons, rehearsals, and opportunities for career development and skill building. More information can be found at www.philorch.org/virtual/learn.
The September 8 free inaugural concert on the Digital Stage is sponsored by Beth Johnston and Ralph Muller in dedication to the life and work of John Lewis.
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s HearTOGETHER series is generously supported by lead corporate sponsor Accordant Advisors. Additional major support has been provided by the Otto Haas Charitable Trust.
Support for the collaboration with Refik Anadol has been provided to The Philadelphia Orchestra by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s PlayINs are funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Free weekly online concerts performed by small ensembles are supported in part by the William Penn Foundation, with additional support provided through the PNC Arts Alive initiative and the National Endowment for the Arts.
LEARN initiatives of the Virtual Philadelphia Orchestra are supported by Wells Fargo.
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]