Conductor Jaap van Zweden has regrettably withdrawn from the April 4-6 performances due to family reasons. This Thursday, April 4, and Friday, April 5, Philadelphia Orchestra Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will conduct. On Saturday, April 6, Associate Conductor Cristian Măcelaru will lead the ensemble in his Philadelphia Orchestra subscription debut. As a result, the repertoire has been changed slightly. Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Strauss’s Suite from Der Rosenkavalier will remain on the program, while Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night will be replaced by Strauss’s Death and Transfiguration. Season 2012-2013 Thursday, April 4, at 8:00 Friday, April 5, at 2:00 The Philadelphia Orchestra Saturday, April 6, at 8:00 Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor (April 4 and 5) Cristian Măcelaru Conductor (April 6) Garrick Ohlsson Piano Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 I. Maestoso II. Adagio III. Rondo: Allegro non troppo Intermission Strauss Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24 Strauss Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59 This program runs approximately 1 hour, 55 minutes. Philadelphia Orchestra concerts are broadcast on WRTI 90.1 FM on Sunday afternoons at 2 PM. Visit www.wrti.org to listen live or for more details. 224 Story Title The Philadelphia Orchestra Jessica Griffin Renowned for its distinctive Philadelphia is home and Carnegie Hall and the sound, beloved for its the Orchestra nurtures Kennedy Center while also keen ability to capture the an important relationship enjoying a three-week hearts and imaginations not only with patrons who residency in Saratoga of audiences, and admired support the main season Springs, N.Y., and a strong for an unrivaled legacy of at the Kimmel Center but partnership with the Bravo! “firsts” in music-making, also those who enjoy the Vail festival. The Philadelphia Orchestra Orchestra’s other area The ensemble maintains is one of the preeminent performances at the Mann an important Philadelphia orchestras in the world. Center, Penn’s Landing, tradition of presenting and other venues. The The Orchestra has educational programs for Philadelphia Orchestra cultivated an extraordinary students of all ages. Today Association also continues history of artistic leaders the Orchestra executes a to own the Academy of in its 112 seasons, myriad of education and Music, a National Historic including music directors community partnership Landmark. Fritz Scheel, Carl Pohlig, programs serving nearly Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Through concerts, 50,000 annually, including Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, tours, residencies, its Neighborhood Concert Wolfgang Sawallisch, and presentations, and Series, Sound All Around Christoph Eschenbach, and recordings, the Orchestra and Family Concerts, and Charles Dutoit, who served is a global ambassador eZseatU. as chief conductor from for Philadelphia and for In February 2013 the 2008 to 2012. With the the U.S. Having been the Orchestra announced a 2012-13 season, Yannick first American orchestra recording project with Nézet-Séguin becomes the to perform in China, in Deutsche Grammophon, eighth music director of 1973 at the request of in which Yannick and The Philadelphia Orchestra. President Nixon, today The the ensemble will record Named music director Philadelphia Orchestra Stravinsky’s The Rite of designate in 2010, Nézet- boasts a new partnership Spring. Séguin brings a vision that with the National Centre extends beyond symphonic for the Performing Arts For more information on music into the vivid world of in Beijing. The Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra, opera and choral music. annually performs at please visit www.philorch.org. 4 Music Director Jessica Griffin Yannick Nézet-Séguin triumphantly opened his inaugural season as the eighth music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra in the fall of 2012. From the Orchestra’s home in Verizon Hall to the Carnegie Hall stage, his highly collaborative style, deeply-rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm, paired with a fresh approach to orchestral programming, have been heralded by critics and audiences alike. The New York Times has called Yannick “phenomenal,” adding that under his baton, “the ensemble, famous for its glowing strings and homogenous richness, has never sounded better.” 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. In February 2013, following the July 2012 announcement of a major long-term collaboration between Yannick and Deutsch Grammophon, the Orchestra announced a recording project with the label, in which Yannick and the Orchestra will record Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. 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. 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. To read Yannick’s full bio, please visit www.philorch.org/conductor. Associate Conductor Cristian Măcelaru began his tenure as assistant conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra with the 2011-12 season. He was promoted to associate conductor in November 2012, and his contract was extended through the 2013-14 season. In this role he conducts special non-subscription performances and covers concerts for Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and many of the ensemble’s guest conductors. A native of Romania, Mr. Măcelaru comes to the Orchestra from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where he served on the conducting staff and completed his Master of Music degree in conducting. Recently Mr. Măcelaru received the 2012 Sir Georg Solti Emerging Conductor Award, a prestigious honor awarded only once before in the foundation’s history. In February 2012 he made his Chicago Symphony subscription debut as a replacement for Pierre Boulez with overwhelming success and rave reviews. Other previous highlights include engagements with the Baltimore, Houston, and San Antonio symphonies and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Mr. Măcelaru’s 2012-13 season brings highly anticipated debuts with Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain, the Florida Orchestra, the Alabama Symphony, and the Naples Philharmonic, as well as a return to the Baltimore Symphony. Mr. Măcelaru has been a conducting fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and the Aspen Music Festival and served as assistant conductor at Dallas Opera. He made his Houston Grand Opera debut leading performances of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly in the 2010-11 season. While completing his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Miami, he was assistant conductor of the University of Miami Symphony, associate conductor of the Florida Youth Orchestra, conductor and founder of the Clarke Chamber Players, and concertmaster of the Miami Symphony. In 2006 he received a Master of Music degree in violin performance from Rice University, during which time he was also a member of the Houston Symphony. A strong supporter of music education, Mr. Măcelaru has served as a conductor with the Houston Youth Symphony, where he created a successful chamber music program. As the founder and artistic director of the Crisalis Music Project, he spearheaded a program in which young musicians perform in a variety of settings, side by side with established, renowned artists. Mr. Măcelaru started studying violin at the age of six in his native Romania. After winning top prizes in the National Music Olympiad of Romania, he attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he furthered his studies in both violin and conducting. He resides in Philadelphia with his wife, Cheryl; son, Beniamin; and daughter, Maria. 26 Soloist Paul Body Paul Pianist Garrick Ohlsson is a familiar presence on stage with The Philadelphia Orchestra, having appeared as soloist dozens of times since making his debut in 1970 in a performance of Chopin’s Concerto No. 1 with Eugene Ormandy. It was that same year that he became the only American ever to win the Gold Medal at the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. Long regarded as one of the world’s leading exponents of the music of Chopin, Mr. Ohlsson commands an enormous repertoire, ranging from Haydn and Mozart to works of the 21st century, many commissioned for him. Highlights of Mr. Ohlsson’s 2012-13 season include performances of Busoni’s rarely programmed Piano Concerto with the European Union Youth Orchestra led by Gianandrea Noseda; concerts with the London Philharmonic; a month-long tour in Australia; performances with the Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst and the Chicago Symphony and Mark Elder; a Kennedy Center appearance with the Iceland Symphony as part of the Center’s Nordic Festival; a tour with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra; and a return to Carnegie Hall with the Boston Symphony and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Ohlsson has collaborated with the Cleveland, Emerson, Takács, and Tokyo string quartets, among other ensembles.