N E W S R E L E A S E

CONTACT: Katherine Blodgett Vice President of Public Relations and Communications phone: 215.893.1939 e-mail: [email protected]

Jesson Geipel Public Relations Manager

phone: 215.893.3136 e-mail: [email protected] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: October 5, 2012

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA AND CITY WELCOME YANNICK! October 18 Concert and Gala Marks Yannick NézetNézet----Séguin’sSéguin’s Music Director DebutDebut:::: Launches Philadelphia OrchestraOrchestra’s’s’s’s 113113thththth Season Renée Fleming, America’s Favorite Soprano, Set to Perform

(Philadelphia, October 5, 2012)—The Philadelphia Orchestra welcomes its eighth music director, Yannick NézetNézet----SéguinSéguinSéguin, with the musical and social event of the Philadelphia cultural season: an Opening Night Concert and Gala on Thursday, October 18, 2012, at The Kimmel Center forfor the Performing ArtsArts. Nézet- Séguin joins a long line of music world titans who have held an artistic leadership post at the Orchestra, including Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Christoph Eschenbach, and Charles Dutoit. Nézet-Séguin’s inaugural concert occurs 100 years after Leopold Stokowski ascended the podium to lead his first concerts as music director in Philadelphia. Internationally- acclaimed opera star Renée Fleming joins Nézet-Séguin on the Verizon Hall stage for an evening of inspired musical collaboration not to be forgotten. The performance will feature Ravel’s Shéhérazade, Brahms’s Symphony No. 4, and Strauss’s “Mein Elemer!,” from Arabella .

“I have been anticipating this moment for so long—the crescendo that has been slowly building is now reaching a fortissimo,” comments Yannick Nézet-Séguin. “I am excited to build on the legacy and traditions of this great Orchestra, while bringing my own signature to our collective music-making—creating new concert experiences for our loyal patrons, as well as those who have yet to discover the true magic of our Orchestra.”

The Opening Gala begins with an exclusive cocktail rereceptionception at 5:30 PM for Benefactors in Perelman Theater followed by a 6:00 PM champagne reception for all Opening Night Concert attendees in the Kimmel Center’s Commonwealth Plaza. The Concert begins at 7:00 PM in Verizon Hall and will be performed without intermission. Immediately following the Concert, Gala attendees will enjoy a black-tie dinner in the Kimmel Center. The dinner includes Diamond Benefactors, Platinum Benefactors, Gold Patrons, Benefactors, and Patrons.

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Gala tickets, which are on sale now, are available by calling 215.893.3124. Concert-only tickets are now available to the general public by calling 215.893.1999 or visiting www.philorch.org . For more information on becoming a Benefactor, visit http://www.philorch.org/opening-night.

Musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra are graciously donating their services for the Opening Night concert. All gala events are organized by The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Volunteer Committees under the direction of Volunteer Committees President Stephanie BrandowBrandow. Priscilla Holmes and Osagie Imasogie are co-chairs for the Opening Gala 2012.

This year marks the 26th season for which The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Volunteer Committees have presented the Opening Night festivities. The Volunteer Committees were formed in 1904, four years after the Orchestra’s first concerts. The Women’s Committee, as it was originally called, was the first permanent organization of its kind in the U.S., and has since come to serve as a model for similar groups in the United States and abroad. The current Volunteer Committees include: The Central Committee for the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chestnut Hill, Chestnut Hill Musical Cocktails, Main Line, Main Line Associates, New Jersey, Rittenhouse Square, and West Philadelphia. Through their endeavors over the past century, thousands of members of the Volunteer Committees have given countless hours and their innumerable talents in service to The Philadelphia Orchestra and the people of the greater Philadelphia region.

Renée Fleming

One of the most beloved and celebrated musical ambassadors of our time, soprano Renée Fleming captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry, and compelling stage presence. Known as “the people’s diva” and named 2012 Female Singer of the Year by the German Echo awards, she continues to grace the world’s greatest opera stages and concert halls, now extending her reach to include other musical forms and media. Ms. Fleming has been sought after on numerous distinguished occasions, from the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the opening Olympic Committee Gala for the 2012 Olympics.

In January 2009, Ms. Fleming was featured in the televised “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial” concert. In June, in a historic first, she sang on the balcony of in the Diamond Jubilee Concert for Queen Elizabeth II. Ms. Fleming has performed for the U.S. Supreme Court and, in 2009, celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s “Velvet Revolution” at the invitation of Václav Havel. An additional distinction came in 2008, when she became the first woman in the 125-year history of the Metropolitan Opera to solo headline an opening night gala.

A three-time Grammy winner, Ms. Fleming won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for Verismo , featuring a collection of rarely heard Italian arias. In recent years, this 12-time Grammy nominated artist has recorded everything from Strauss’s complete Daphne to the jazz album Haunted Heart to the movie soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Ms. Fleming is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Hall Corporation, the Board of Sing for Hope, and the Advisory Board of the White Nights Foundation of America. In 2010 she was named the first ever Creative Consultant at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Among her other accolades are the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, Sweden’s Polar Prize, the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, and Honorary Membership in the Royal Academy of Music. For more information please visit www.reneefleming.com .

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Yannick NézetNézet----SéguinSéguin Yannick Nézet-Séguin became the eighth music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra with the start of the 2012-13 season. Named music director designate in June 2010, he made his Orchestra debut in December 2008. Over the past decade, Yannick has established himself as a musical leader of the highest caliber and one of the most exciting talents of his generation. Since 2008 he has been music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic and principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic, and since 2000 artistic director and principal conductor of Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain. He has appeared with such revered ensembles as the Vienna and Berlin philharmonics; the Boston Symphony; the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia; the Dresden Staatskapelle; the Chamber Orchestra of Europe; and the major Canadian orchestras. His talents extend beyond symphonic music into opera and choral music, leading acclaimed performances at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, London’s Royal Opera House, and the Salzburg Festival.

Highlights of Yannick’s inaugural season include his Carnegie Hall debut with the Verdi Requiem, two world and one U.S. premiere, and performances of The Rite of Spring in collaboration with New York-based Ridge Theater, complete with dancers, video projection, and theatrical lighting.

In July 2012 Yannick and Deutsche Grammophon announced a major long-term collaboration. His discography with the Rotterdam Philharmonic for BIS Records and EMI/Virgin includes an Edison Award- winning album of Ravel’s orchestral works. He has also recorded several award-winning albums with the Orchestre Métropolitain for ATMA Classique. In addition, his first recording with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, is available for download.

A native of Montreal, Yannick studied at that city’s Conservatory of Music and continued studies with renowned conductor Carlo Maria Giulini and with Joseph Flummerfelt at Westminster Choir College. In 2012 Yannick was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honors. His other honors include Canada’s National Arts Centre Award; a Royal Philharmonic Society Award; the Prix Denise-Pelletier, the highest distinction for the arts in Quebec; and an honorary doctorate by the University of Quebec in Montreal.

The PhilaPhiladelphiadelphia Orchestra Renowned for its distinctive sound, beloved for its keen ability to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences, and admired for an unrivaled legacy of “firsts” in music-making, The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the preeminent orchestras in the world.

The Philadelphia Orchestra has cultivated an extraordinary history of artistic leaders in its 112 seasons, including music directors Fritz Scheel, Carl Pohlig, Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Christoph Eschenbach, and Charles Dutoit, who served as chief conductor from 2008 to 2012. With the 2012-13 season, Yannick Nézet-Séguin becomes the eighth music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Named music director designate in 2010, Nézet-Séguin brings a vision that extends beyond symphonic music into the vivid world of opera and choral music.

Philadelphia is home and the Orchestra nurtures an important relationship not only with patrons who support the main season at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts but also those who enjoy the Orchestra’s other area performances at the Mann Center, Penn’s Landing, and other venues. The Philadelphia Orchestra Association also continues to own the Academy of Music—a National Historic Landmark—as it has since 1957.

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Through concerts, tours, residencies, presentations, and recordings, the Orchestra is a global ambassador for Philadelphia and for the United States. Having been the first American orchestra to perform in China, in 1973 at the request of President Nixon, today The Philadelphia Orchestra boasts a new partnership with the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. The Orchestra annually performs at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center while also enjoying a three-week residency in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and a strong partnership with the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.

The ensemble maintains an important Philadelphia tradition of presenting educational programs for students of all ages. Today the Orchestra executes myriad of education and community partnership programs serving over 45,000 annually, including its Neighborhood Concert Series, Sound All Around and Family Concerts, and eZseatU.

For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org ...

Opening Night October 18 at 7:00 PM – Thursday evening – Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

The Philadelphia Orchestra Yannick NézetNézet----SéguinSéguin Conductor Renée Fleming Soprano

Ravel Shéhérazade Brahms Symphony No. 4 R. Strauss “Mein Elemer!,” from Arabella

The concert is performed without an intermission. Musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra are graciously donating their services for the Opening Night concert.

For gala information and tickets, please call 215.893.3124 or visit www.philorch.org/opening-night.

Concert-only tickets: Call 215.893.1999 or visit www.philorch.org .

Sponsors Sapphire Sponsor: The Central Committee for The Philadelphia Orchestra Automotive Underwriter: Delaware Valley Audi Dealers Diamond Benefactor: Dilworth Paxson, LLP; Leslie Anne Miller and Richard Worley; Caroline and Sidney Kimmel Platinum Benefactors: Joseph Neubauer and Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer; PECO; PNC; PwC.; Trion®, A Marsh & McLennan Agency, LLC; PHLX Foundation Gold Patrons: The Gillespie Group, UPS

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