New Season Announced!

Dear Orlando,

We are thrilled to announce the programming for the 2020-2021 Season of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. The music is sure to delight musical senses, and I am thrilled for you to hear some of the amazing guest artists we will have on stage in the 2020-2021 Season!

New in the 2020-2021 Season, is the expansion of the FAIRWINDS Classics Series from a five-concert series to six programs. We look forward to presenting these concerts on Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m.

The Focus Series at The Plaza Live will celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s genius and weave his masterworks throughout the Season.

On the Pops Series, we breathe new life into our holiday performance, celebrate Gershwin in January, and present John Williams’ big-screen blockbusters in March. I’m delighted to take the podium in May to close out the Pops Series with a celebration of America and my wife, Grammy Award winner Aoife O’Donovan.

So much great music to share with you!

Yours,

Music Director

Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra

FAIRWINDS Classics Series

Opening Weekend: The Rite of Spring

7:30PM, Saturday, September 26, 2020

Eric Jacobsen,conductor

SMITH- The Star-Spangled Banner

MOZART- Le nozze di Figaro (Overture to the Marriage of Figaro)

CLYNE- Abstractions ‘River’

TCHAIKOVSKY- Serenade

ADAMS- Harmonielehre for orchestra; III. Meister Eckhardt and Quackie

STELLA SUNG- Peace Corps from Stella’s Rockwell Reflections

RAVEL- La Valse

STRAVINSKY- The Rite of Spring

A program designed to showcase the virtuoso musicians of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra culminating in Stravinsky’s monumental The Rite of Spring.

America's Own Edgar Meyer

7:30PM, Saturday, October 10, 2020

Eric Jacobsen,conductor

Edgar Meyer,bass

Sam Boco ,PVC pipe

MONTGOMERY- Records from a Vanishing City

MEYER-Bass Concerto No. 2 (Revised, World Premiere)

DVOŘÁK-Symphony No. 7

The Orlando Philharmonic welcomes Grammy Award winner Edgar Meyer - hailed as “the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively unchronicled history of his instrument”- for the world premiere of his Second Bass Concerto. Plus, Music Director Eric Jacobsen conducts Dvořák’s dazzling Seventh Symphony.

Rimma Plays Shostakovich

7:30PM, Saturday, November 7, 2020

Eric Jacobsen,conductor

Rimma Bergeron-Langlois,violin

ZHURBIN- Pulse, a memorial (World Premiere)

SHOSTAKOVICH- Violin Concerto No. 1

PROKOFIEV- Symphony No. 5

In 1944 - late in World War II - Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev penned his hopeful Fifth Symphony to “sing the praises of the free and happy man.” Concertmaster Rimma Bergeron-Langlois - in celebration of 10 years with the Orlando Philharmonic - is the soloist for the First Violin Concerto of Dmitri Shostakovich.

Yuja Wang Plays Rachmaninoff

7:30PM, Saturday, January 9, 2021

3:00PM, Sunday, January 10, 2021

Eric Jacobsen,conductor

Yuja Wang,piano

RACHMANINOFFPiano Concerto No. 1

RACHMANINOFFPiano Concerto No. 4

RACHMANINOFFPiano Concerto No. 2

She was named Musical America’s “Artist of the Year” for 2017 and heralded by The Financial Times as “an artist with poetry as well as fire in her soul.” Be there as Yuja Wang tackles three ravishing Rachmaninoff Piano Concerti in a single performance!

Concert Sponsors are Frank & Mary Doherty.

A Hero's Life

7:30PM, Saturday, March 20, 2021

3:00PM, Sunday, March 21, 2021

Eric Jacobsen,conductor

Benjamin Hochman,piano

University of Central Florida University Choir

MOZART-Ave Verum Corpus

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS- Serenade to Music

BEETHOVEN-Choral Fantasy

STRAUSS- Ein Heldenleben, (A Hero’s Life)

The University of Central Florida University Choir joins the Orlando Philharmonic for a trio of vocal masterworks including Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy” - the inspiration for his monumental Ninth Symphony. The program concludes with the heroic tone poem, Ein Heldenleben, of Richard Strauss.

Mahler's 'Titan'

7:30PM, Saturday, April 24, 2021

3:00PM, Sunday, April 25, 2021

Eric Jacobsen,conductor

Colin Jacobsen,violin

CLYNE- Restless Ocean

KORNGOLD-Violin Concerto

BLOCH- Nigun Solo Violin

MAHLER-Symphony No. 1 'Titan'

“A symphony should be like the world. It should contain everything,” proclaimed Gustav Mahler. He put his theory to the test with his path-breaking First Symphony. Music Director Eric Jacobsen leads his brother Colin in the stunning Violin Concerto of Hollywood composer Erich Korngold.

Pops Series

Home for the Holidays: A Midnight Clear

1:30PM, Saturday, November 28, 2020

7:30PM, Saturday, November 28, 2020

Vic Vanacore,conductor

Dustin Morgan,bass

Victor Vanacore III,drums

The Holiday Singers

Come home for the holidays! The sounds of the season as Guest Conductor Vic Vanacore leads the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, The Holiday Singers, and special guests in your favorite songs and carols of the holiday season.

A Gershwin Celebration

1:30PM, Saturday, January 30, 2021

7:30PM, Saturday, January 30, 2021

Michael Krajewski,conductor

Kevin Cole,piano

Rimma Bergeron-Langlois,violin

Acclaimed Pops Conductor Michael Krajewski and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra celebrate the genius of George Gershwin. This ‘swonderful program features An American in Paris, plus a pair of virtuoso turns as Kevin Cole – hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “today’s leading piano interpreter of music by George Gershwin” – performs Rhapsody in Blue and Orlando Philharmonic’s own Rimma Bergeron-Langlois is the soloist for Fantasy on Porgy ‘n Bess.

John Williams: Big Screen Blockbusters

1:30PM, Saturday, March 13, 2021

7:30PM, Saturday, March 13, 2021

Michael Krajewski,conductor

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra presents the music of multiple Academy-Award winner John Williams. Enjoy highlights from blockbuster scores from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Hook, Saving Private Ryan and more!

An American Celebration

1:30PM, Saturday, May 8, 2021

7:30PM, Saturday, May 8, 2021

Eric Jacobsen,conductor

Aoife O'Donovan,Grammy Award winner singer/songwriter

Music Director Eric Jacobsen leads the Orlando Philharmonic in a season-ending celebration of America, featuring highlights from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, Aaron Copland’s Hoedown, and George Gershwin’s An American in Paris. Plus, internationally acclaimed Grammy Award winning folk singer Aoife O’Donovan takes center stage for the world premiere of her song cycle honoring the anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment.

Focus Series at The Plaza Live

Lara St. John Plays Beethoven

7:00PM, Monday, October 19, 2020

Eric Jacobsen,conductor

Lara St. John,violin

CLYNEWorld Premiere

BEETHOVEN“Kreutzer” Sonata

SCHUMANNSymphony No. 1

An Evening of Fanfare

7:00PM, Monday, November 16, 2020

Michael Atkinson,conductor

COPLAND- A Fanfare for the Common Man

JOAN TOWER- Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 1

GABRIELI- Canzon Septimi Toni No. 2

GABRIELI- O Magnum Mysterium

GABRIELI-Canzon per Sonare No. 2

TOMASI- Fanfares Liturgiques

BERNSTEIN arr. German Brass- Overture to Candide

BEETHOVEN- Wellington’s Victory

GERSHWIN arr. German Brass- Suite from Porgy and Bess

SOUSA- The Stars and Stripes Forever

Beethoven & Mozart

7:00PM, Monday, February 8, 2021

Chloé van Soeterstède,conductor

Rimma Bergeron-Langlois,violin

Alexander Stevens,violin

MENDELSSOHN- Märchen von der schönen Melusine

MOZART- Concertone

BEETHOVEN-Symphony No. 4

Beethoven's 'Emperor' Concerto

7:00PM, Monday, March 1, 2021

Corrado Rovaris,conductor

Colton Peltier,piano

VASKS- Epifania for string orchestra

BEETHOVEN- Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor)

MOZART- Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter”

Schumann Symphony No. 2

7:00PM, Monday, April 12, 2021

Eric Jacobsen,conductor

Karen Ouzounian,cello

BEETHOVEN-Overture to Prometheus

BEECHER- Cello Concerto (World Premiere)

SCHUMANN-Symphony No. 2

Symphony Storytime Series at The Plaza Live

Enjoy live music for young children, ages three to seven by Philharmonic musicians, along with narration and beautiful hand-drawn illustrations that bring favorite children’s classics to life.

Pre-concert activities will be held 1-hour prior to all performances. A Toddler Zone for children up to the age of two is also available. These events will now be ticketed and a physical ticket will be required for entrance into performances.

Goldilocks & The Three Bears

10:00AM, Saturday, September 12, 2020

11:30AM, Saturday, September 12, 2020

11:00AM, Sunday, September 13, 2020

12:30PM, Sunday, September 13, 2020

While in the forest, Goldilocks discovers the family home of three bears: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear. Feeling hungry and tired, Goldilocks explores the bear’s cottage while the bears are away. The music presented by your Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra String Quartet will seem just right in this fresh re-telling designed especially for the Symphony Storytime Series.

Holly Jolly Sounds of Christmas

10:00AM, Saturday, December 5, 2020

11:30AM, Saturday, December 5, 2020

11:00AM, Sunday, December 6, 2020

12:30PM, Sunday, December 6, 2020

Join members from the brass and percussion families for a musical celebration and capture the spirit of the season! Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra musicians will play their way through holiday classics, from Frosty the Snowman to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The perfect way to celebrate the season with family!

Carnival of the Animals

10:00AM, Saturday, February 20, 2021

11:30AM, Saturday, February 20, 2021

11:00AM, Sunday, February 21, 2021

12:30PM, Sunday, February 21, 2021

Come take a walk on the wild side with this timeless classic brought to you by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s Woodwind Quintet. This musical menagerie brings music inspired by animals to life. You will be transported to exotic locales as (musical) birds chirp, fish swim, elephants trumpet, and lions roar!

The Emperor and the Nightingale

10:00AM, Saturday, May 15, 2021

11:30AM, Saturday, May 15, 2021

11:00AM, Sunday, May 16, 2021

12:30PM, Sunday, May 16, 2021

In our final Symphony Storytime of the 2020-2021 Season, three of our four instrument families come together to tell the classic Hans Christian Anderson tale of a Chinese Emperor and a Nightingale with a voice like no other. A gorgeous re-telling with flute, strings, and percussion, The Emperor and the Nightingale will captivate and delight children of all ages.