A Letter from Music Director Christopher Wilkins

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 19^th season of the Orlando Philharmonic.

The 2011-12 season charts a dramatic course.  It begins with Verdi’s The Force of Destiny Overture and operatic hits made famous in part by World Cup Soccer. The Pops Series gets underway with some of Hollywood’s greatest film scores performed to screenings of Oscar-winning films.

I am especially excited about our November program related to Appalachia and Florida. It features a world-premiere inspired by Zora Neale Hurston, created by two artists who know Zora and her writings well: actress and director Elizabeth Van Dyke and composer Adolphus Hailstork. The concert is presented in collaboration with the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, and features the combined choirs of Florida Opera Theatre and the “Negro Spiritual” Scholarship Foundation.

Collaborations are at the heart of what we do. The Orlando Philharmonic has strived from its earliest days to align itself with the interests of the community.  We enjoy partnering with great performers from Central Florida of every stripe, in styles and genres as diverse as the world of music itself.

The New Year begins with a dynamic work by Rollins College faculty member Dan Crozier, and continues with the first-ever OPO performance of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. We eagerly anticipate the debuts of JoAnn Falletta and Michael Ludwig of the Buffalo Philharmonic in March, and the premiere of Pulsar by two-time Young Composers Challenge honoree, John Callahan. Finally, the season concludes with a fully staged production of a work named by Time magazine as the best musical of the 20^th century, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel.

You can be sure the fabulous musicians of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra will deliver every note with zeal and zest. It promises to be a wonderful year. We look forward to sharing a season of great music with you!