N E W S R E L E A S E
CONTACT: Katherine Blodgett phone : 215.893.1939 e-mail: [email protected]
Vincent Geels phone: 215.893.3140 e-mail: [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: November 18, 2011
Philadelphia Orchestra Celebrates the Holiday Season with three Festive Concert Offerings Wells Fargo-supported outreach gives the community access to the Orchestra’s popular holiday offerings
(Philadelphia , November 18, 2011)–The Philadelphia Orchestra brings holiday cheer to audiences with its three holiday concert offerings—The Glorious Sound of Christmas, Handel’s Messiah, and the Orchestra’s beloved New Year’s Eve Concert. This year Wells Fargo continues its support of the Orchestra’s outreach activities by providing greater community access to the Orchestra’s popular holiday offerings. Through a special open rehearsal for the Glorious Sound of Christmas, hundreds of under-served school children will have the opportunity to experience a performance. In addition, Wells Fargo is donating tickets to under- served families from the region to provide the community access to all of the Orchestra’s holiday concerts.
The GloriGloriousous Sound of Christmas, named after the Orchestra’s 1962 best-selling album, will commence the holiday performances. Led by Rossen Milanov and featuring the Mendelssohn Club of PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, this year’s set of concerts is a collaboration between the Orchestra, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. This joyful program includes radiant carols, timeless holiday classics, and a narration of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” set to music by William Holcombe and featuring special guest narrator Pat Ciarrocchi from CBS3-TV.
The annual performance of Handel’s Messiah will be led for the first time in the Orchestra’s performance history by a woman conductor. Jane Glover, in her Philadelphia Orchestra debut, will conduct this Baroque classic that has become as integral to the American holiday season as Dickens’s A Christmas Carol . Messiah , which Handel penned in 24 days in the summer of 1741, remains a miracle of musical creation, not just because of the speed with which it was composed but because of its unflagging inspiration and extraordinary durability.
The holiday season culminates in the Orchestra’s beloved New Year’s Eve Concert, led by Sarah Hicks. Featuring two classic Strauss waltzes, “Voices of Spring” and “On the Beautiful Blue Danube,” the New Year’s Eve Concert is the perfect way to start the New Year in style with The Philadelphia Orchestra.
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Guest Conductors
A sought-after guest conductor on the international music scene, RosRossensen Milanov has been recognized as “one of the most-promising figures in the upcoming generation of conductors” ( Seattle Times ). He currently holds the positions of music director of the Princeton Symphony, Symphony in C, and the New Symphony Orchestra in his native city of Sofia, Bulgaria. To read his full bio, please visit http://www.rossenmilanov.net/biography.php .
Jane GloverGlover, music director of Chicago’s Music of the Baroque since 2002 and artistic director of opera at London’s Royal Academy of Music, makes her Philadelphia Orchestra debut with Messiah. Click here to view Ms. Glover’s full bio: http://www.janeglover.co.uk/biography.htm .
Associate conductor of the North Carolina Symphony and staff conductor at the Curtis Institute of Music, Sarah HickHickssss makes her debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra in its beloved New Year’s Eve Concert. Please visit http://sarahhicksconductor.com/web/bio.aspx to view Ms. Hicks’s full biography.
Guest Artists
Performing under the auspices of one the Orchestra’s most storied partners, the Curtis Institute of Music, violinists Anastasia AgapovaAgapova,,,, Rebecca AndersonAnderson, Maia CabezaCabeza, and JiJiJi-Ji ---WonWon Song join The Philadelphia Orchestra for the Glorious Sound of Christmas. For more information on the Curtis Institute of Music, please visit: http://www.curtis.edu/ .
Soprano Elizabeth Zharoff and tenor Cody Austin perform a scene from Act I of Puccini’s beloved La bohème , under the auspices of the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Ms. Zharoff’s full bio can be viewed here: http://www.elizabethzharoff.com/ . For Mr. Austin’s full bio, please click here: http://www.piperanselmi.com/austin.html .
The Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia continues its partnership with the Orchestra as its singers once again perform at the Glorious Sound of Christmas. For more information about the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, click here: http://www.mcchorus.org/wp/ .
Co-host of CBS 3’s Emmy Award-winning news and lifestyle program, Talk Philly, Pat Ciarrocchi narrates William Holcombe’s ’Twas the Night Before Christmas for a second year in a row. Ms. Ciarrocchi’s full bio can be viewed here: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/personality/pat-ciarrocchi/ .
Soprano Susanna Phillips , mezzo-soprano Phyllis Pancella , tenor John McVeigh , and baritone Stephen Powell perform as guest soloists in the Orchestra’s presentation of the Baroque classic Messiah. The artists’ bios can be viewed by clicking on the artist’s name.
The Philadelphia Singers Chorale continues its association with The Philadelphia Orchestra by joining it for performances of Handel’s Messiah . To learn more about the Philadelphia Singers Chorale, click here: http://www.philadelphiasingers.org/default.asp .
- more - Philadelphia Orchestra Celebrates the Holiday Season with three Festive Concert Offerings PAGE 3 Under the auspices of Dance Affiliates and Artistic Director Randy Swartz, dancers Adrienne CantemaCantema, Randy DiasDias, Viktorija DDiasiasiasias,,,, and Rasta Thomas perform in The Philadelphia Orchestra’s New Year’s Eve Concert. For additional information on Dance Affiliates, please click here: http://danceaffiliates.org/index.php .
THE GLOGLORIOUSRIOUS SOUND OF CHRISTMAS December 15 at 7:00 PM – Thursday evening – Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts December 16 at 7:00 PM – Friday evening – Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts December 17 at 7:00 PM – Saturday evening – Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
The Philadelphia Orchestra lends its lush sound to timeless holiday classics! Named for the Orchestra’s best- selling Christmas album, these concerts are ideal for listeners of all ages and are sure to put you into the holiday spirit!
The Philadelphia Orchestra Rossen Milanov Conductor Anastasia Agapova Violin Rebecca Anderson Violin Maia Cabeza Violin JiJiJi-Ji ---WonWon Song Violin Elizabeth Zharoff Soprano Cody Austin Tenor Pat Ciarrocchi Narrator Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia Alan Harler Artistic Director
Mendelssohn “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” Bach “Dona nobis pacem,” from Mass in B minor Vivaldi Concerto for Four Violins Tchaikovsky Excerpts from The Nutcracker Various The Many Moods of Christmas , Suite II Bass Gloria Puccini Scene from Act I of La bohème Fry “The Hall Bedecked!” Holcombe ’Twas the Night Before Christmas Gruber “Silent Night” Handel “Hallelujah,” from Messiah
The violinists appear under the auspices of the Curtis Institute of Music. La bohème soloists appear under the auspices of the Opera Company of Philadelphia.
Special holiday events sponsored by Wells Fargo.
Tickets: $10-$107, 215.893.1999 or www.philorch.org.
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MESSIAH December 18 at 7:30 PM – Sunday evening – Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
This Baroque classic has become as integral to the American holiday season as Dickens’s A Christmas Carol or the film It’s a Wonderful Life. First performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1958, Messiah has been an annual Orchestra tradition since 1961.
The Philadelphia Orchestra Jane Glover Conductor Susanna Phillips Soprano Phyllis Pancella Mezzo-soprano John McVeigh Tenor Stephen Powell Baritone The Philadelphia Singers Chorale David HayHayeses Music Director
Handel Messiah
Special holiday events sponsored by Wells Fargo.
Tickets: $10-$124, 215.893.1999 or www.philorch.org.
NEW YEAR’S EVE December 31 at 7:30 PM – Saturday evening – Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Start your New Years celebration in style with The Philadelphia Orchestra. The concert ends in time for you to continue on with your own grand festivities.
The Philadelphia Orchestra Sarah Hicks Conductor Adrienne Cantema Dancer Randy Dias Dancer ViViViktorijaVi ktorija Dias Dancer Rasta Thomas Dancer
Program includes: Strauss “Voices of Spring” Waltz Strauss “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” Waltz
The dancers appear under the auspices of Dance Affiliates, Randy Swartz, artistic director.
Special holiday events sponsored by Wells Fargo.
Tickets: $10-$149, 215.893.1999 or www.philorch.org.
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