Honoring frontline workers at concerts November 6 and January 8
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra (OPO) is honored to welcome our Central Florida Healthcare Heroes, First Responders, and Teachers to special appreciation events and evenings of music as part of the Classics Series at Calvary Orlando. We are thrilled to honor these truly incredible people who work right here in our community and are pleased to offer two complimentary tickets to each patron working in the healthcare, first responder, and education fields.
On Saturday, November 6, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. the Orlando Philharmonic will honor our healthcare workers and first responders during the concert titled “Hochman, Brahms & Sibelius” at Calvary Orlando. The deadline to request complimentary tickets for this concert is Tuesday, November 2, 2021. Link to request tickets: https://orlandophil.org/heroes-event/
In the November 6 program, Benjamin Hochman returns to the OPO stage for Brahms’s First Piano Concerto, technically brilliant and unabashedly romantic (with a not-so-subtle declaration of love to Clara Schumann in its glowing Adagio). A silvery flight of swans inspired Sibelius’s glorious Fifth Symphony, while his fierce, stirring Finlandia, with its hymn-like outcry for freedom, is often called Finland’s unofficial national anthem. Waltzes by Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor raise the curtain.
The complete program for this evening includes:
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor– Two Waltzes
Johannes Brahms– Piano Concerto No. 1
Jean Sibelius– Symphony No. 5
Jean Sibelius– Finlandia
On Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. the Orlando Philharmonic will honor our local educators during the concert titled “Gershwin’s Concerto in F” at Calvary Orlando. The deadline to request complimentary tickets for this concert is Tuesday, January 4, 2022. Link to request tickets: https://orlandophil.org/educator-appreciation-night/
Acclaimed pianist Aaron Diehl excels at both jazz and classical music, making Gershwin’s jazzy-bluesy Concerto in F the perfect vehicle for his show-stopping talents. A community choir, including some persons who have experienced homelessness, will be featured in Gabriel Kahane’s “magnum opus, which unflinchingly confronts an American social problem that continues to worsen: homelessness” (~Chicago Tribune) as expressed through pop, folk, classical music, humor, biting satire, and sometimes outrage. Finally, the lyrics of “America, the Beautiful” stirred Wang Jie’s patriotism in her hopeful riff on the song.
The Orlando Philharmonic has partnered with the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida through the 2022-2023 Season to draw attention to this challenging issue confronting many in our community. For more information and to contribute to their work, visit https://www.centralfloridahomeless.org/.
The evening’s complete program includes:
Wang Jie– Symphonic Overture, “America, the Beautiful”
George Gershwin– Concerto in F
Gabriel Kahane– emergency shelter intake form
Each healthcare worker, first responder, and educator are offered two free complimentary tickets to their respective appreciation concerts. Requests will be based on available seating, and ADA tickets are available by contacting The Frank Santos/Dan Dantin Box Office at 407.770.0071 Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. Tickets must be picked up at Will Call and a valid work ID must be shown to claim tickets. For these performances and all remaining in all concert series in the 2021–2022 Season, $10 tickets are also available for purchase. These $10 tickets also must be picked up at Will Call and a valid work ID must be shown to claim them.
Strict safety protocols will be enforced on the concert night, to ensure the safety of the patrons, staff, and musicians in attendance. Face masks will be required by all before being allowed admittance into Calvary Orlando, and must be kept on at all times except when actively eating or drinking. Calvary Orlando has a large and spacious auditorium with 3,400 seats, so there will be plenty of room for everyone to feel comfortable. Note that for OPO’s concerts at Calvary Orlando, a negative COVID test or vaccination is recommended but not required.
Tickets to Hochman, Brahms & Sibelius, and Gershwin’s Concerto in F are now on sale and can be purchased through the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Frank Santos/Dan Dantin Box Office. Tickets start at $35. Student tickets, as well as tickets for healthcare workers, first responders, and teachers, are available for $10. A valid student or work ID must be shown to pick up tickets.