ORLANDO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES 2020-2021 SEASON

 Expands FAIRWINDS Classics Series 

Composer-in-Residence London-born, Grammy-nominated composer Anna Clyne

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra announces its 2020-2021 Season today, including six concerts on the FAIRWINDS Classics Series with two performances of each program. The Pops Series will include four programs of two performances each, taking place at the new Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The Focus Series includes five concerts that take place at The Plaza Live Theater located in The Milk District just east of Downtown Orlando.

This year, the Philharmonic will bring in some amazing guest artists and celebrate a sense of home and the journey of heroes throughout the 2020-2021 Season. Returning for his sixth season with the Philharmonic, Music Director Eric Jacobsen will conduct all of the FAIRWINDS Classics Series concerts and select performances on the Pops and Focus Series. Soloists headlining the FAIRWINDS Classics Series include acclaimed Bassist Edgar Meyer, superstar Pianist Yuja Wang, and Violinist Colin Jacobsen.

The Orlando Philharmonic is excited to feature Anna Clyne as the Composer-in-Residence for the 2020-2021 Season. She has been lauded by The New York Times for her “uncommon gifts” and her music will be presented throughout the Season.

The 2020-2021 Pops Series, opens with a new and exciting take on the holiday concert, Home for the Holidays: A Midnight Clear, a celebration of Gershwin in January, and John Williams’ big-screen blockbusters in March. Eric Jacobsen will take the podium in May to close out the Pops Series with a celebration of America with Grammy Award winner singer/songwriter Aoife O’Donovan, who will present a World Premiere of songs celebrating the passing of the 19th Amendment.

Subscription renewals for current subscribers begin in the coming days and new subscriptions for the 2020-2021 Season will go on sale later in February. For more information, please contact the Box. Office and 407.770.0071 or boxoffice@orlandophil.org.

Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra 2020-2021 Season

FAIRWINDS Classics Series

Steinmetz Hall

 

Opening Weekend: The Rite of Spring

September 26, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.

September 27, 2020 at  3 p.m.

Eric Jacobsen, conductor

Program

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

It’s Opening Night at the brand-new Steinmetz Hall!  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

October 10, 2020 at  7:30 p.m.

October 11, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. 

Eric Jacobsen, conductor

Edgar Meyer, bass

Sam Boco, PVC pipe

 

Montgomery- Records from a Vanishing City

EDGAR 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

November 7, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.

November 8, 2020 at 3:00 p.m.

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

January 9, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.

January 10, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.

Eric Jacobsen, conductor

Yuja Wang, piano

 

RACHMANINOFF – Piano Concerto No. 1

RACHMANINOFF – Piano Concerto No. 4

RACHMANINOFF – Piano 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

March 20, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.

March 21,2021 at 3:00 p.m.

Eric Jacobsen, conductor

Benjamin Hochman, pianist

University of Central Florida University Choir

 

MOZART – Ave Verum Corpus

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS           – Serenade to Music

BEETHOVEN – Choral Fantasy

  1. 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’

April 24, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. 

April 25, 2021 at  3:00 p.m.

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

Steinmetz Hall

Home for the Holidays: A Midnight Clear

November 28, 2020 at 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.

Vic Vanacore, conductor

Dustin Morgan, bass

Victor Vanacore III, drums

The Holiday Singers

Come home for the holidays – to the new Steinmetz Hall!  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

January 30, 2021 at 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.

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

March 13, 2021 at 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.

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

May  8, 2021 at 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.                    

Eric Jacobsen, conductor

Aoife O’Donovan, 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

The Plaza Live

Lara St. John Plays Beethoven

October 19, 2020 at 7 p.m.

Eric Jacobsen, conductor

Lara St. John, violin

ANNA CLYNE – World Premiere

BEETHOVEN – “Kreutzer” Sonata

SCHUMANN – Symphony No. 1

 

An Evening of Fanfare

November 16, 2020 at 7 p.m.

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  arr. T Higgins – 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            

February 8, 2021 at 7 p.m.

Chloé van Soeterstède, conductor

Rimma Bergeron-Langlois, Alex Stevens, violins

MENDELSSOHN- Märchen von der schönen Melusine

MOZART – Concertone

BEETHOVEN – Symphony No. 4

 

Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto              

March 1, 2021 at 7 p.m.

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                                   

April 12, 2021 at 7 p.m.

Eric Jacobsen, conductor

Karen Ouzounian, cello

BEETHOVEN – Overture to Prometheus

LEMBIT BEECHER – Cello Concerto (World Premiere)

SCHUMANN – Symphony No. 2

 

Symphony Storytime Series

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                                

September 12th at 10 & 11:30 a.m.

September 13th at 11 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.

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               

December 5th at 10 & 11:30 a.m.

December 6th at 11 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.

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                  

February 20th at 10 & 11:30 a.m.

February 21st at 11 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.

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 

May 15th at 10 & 11:30 a.m.

May 16th at 11 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.

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.

 

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Celebrating its 27th Season, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is led by Music Director

Eric Jacobsen and is comprised of creative musicians and artists from around the world. The Philharmonic annually presents the FAIRWINDS Classics Series and Pops Series at Bob Carr Theater and its Focus Series at The Plaza Live, a historic Central Florida venue. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s mission is to enrich and inspire the diverse communities of Central Florida through the transformative power of live music, and it presents more than 170 live concerts and impacts more than 70,000 children, youth and families annually through its Young People’s Concerts, Symphony Storytime Series, Notes in Your Neighborhood program, and free outdoor community concerts. A resident company of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the Philharmonic will perform in Steinmetz Hall when it opens in 2020. Learn more at orlandophil.org.

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All programs and artists are subject to change. Visit orlandophil.org for the most

up-to-date information.

 

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