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Home , Branford Marsalis, Cello Concerto (Thomson), Chick Corea, Christoph Eschenbach, Gil Shaham, Lang Lang

This season, this , this music director, this performance, this moment ... don’t blink.

2020–21 SEASON

MUSIC DIRECTOR YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN

1 Welcome to Your Orchestra’s 2020-21 Season

Our World NOW is both a visit to the music you know and love and a vision of familiar works heard and perceived in new ways. In this chronological listing of concerts, we invite you to Choose Your

Own season of music to fit your tastes, your schedule, and your budget. Pick any six (or more) and relax knowing that you have reserved time in your life for enjoyment, escape, and invigoration. Choose a Create-Your-Own 6-concert series for as little as $39 per concert. Create your own season of music at a savings over individual ticket prices when you subscribe today.

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Subscribing automatically saves you money over general public single ticket prices. Save up to 20% off single ticket prices depending on the concert and section you choose. Plus, add tickets and the savings continue.

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Why worry about finding a place to park? As a subscriber, you can purchase pre-paid discounted parking for all your concerts in the Avenue of the Arts Garage, located steps away from the Kimmel Center.

For a full list of subscriber benefits, please visit philorch.org/subscriberbenefits.

3 WomenNOW

Jane in Concert October 13

Hilary Hahn Plays Prokofiev January 7–9

Identity

Tchaikovsky Ballet Trilogy November 5–8

South Pacific 2021 April 23–25 Season Highlights

The Natural World

Songs from the Earth February 26–28

The Rite of Spring March 18–20

The Digital Age

Beethoven: Missa solemnis 2.0 October 9–11

Mitsuko Meets Yannick May 6–9

John Williams Plus Anne-Sophie Mutter

Act now and subscribe by phone, 215.893.1955. philorch.org/subscribe Yannick Leads Chopin’s Concerto Ravel Favorites No. 2

Thursday, October 1 / 7:30 PM Thursday, October 22 / 7:30 PM Friday, October 2 / 2:00 PM Friday, October 23 / 2:00 PM Saturday, October 3 / 8:00 PM Saturday, October 24 / 8:00 PM

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Conductor Seong-Jin Cho Piano

Ravel Le Tombeau de Couperin Holcomb Paradise (world premiere— Szymanowski No. 1 commission) Chausson Poème, for violin and orchestra Chopin No. 2 Ravel Bolero Schumann Symphony No. 2

We open our new season with two of Ravel’s Hear Seong-Jin Cho live when the 25-year-old most revered works: Bolero and Le Tombeau de rising star performs the evocative Romantic Couperin, which will spotlight new Principal repertoire that made him famous. Philippe Tondre.

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Beethoven: Branford Marsalis Missa solemnis 2.0 and the Sax Concerto

Friday, October 9 / 8:00 PM Thursday, October 29 / 7:30 PM Saturday, October 10 / 8:00 PM Friday, October 30 / 2:00 PM Sunday, October 11 / 2:00 PM Saturday, October 31 / 8:00 PM

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Rafael Payare Conductor Jennifer Rowley Soprano Branford Marsalis Karen Cargill Mezzo-soprano Rodrick Dixon Tenor Strauss Eric Owens Adams Saxophone Concerto Philadelphia Symphonic Choir Dvořák Symphony No. 7 Joe Miller Director Refik Anadol Visual Design Grammy-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis joins the Orchestra for John Beethoven Missa solemnis Adams’s Saxophone Concerto, inspired by the works of greats and Refik Anadol, one of the world’s leading visual . artists, brings Beethoven’s Missa solemnis to life as he transforms Verizon Hall into a virtual, multi-denominational cathedral.

Beethoven: Missa solemnis 2.0 has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

5 215.893.1955 | philorch.org/subscribe Tchaikovsky Ballet Trilogy Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 Thursday, November 5 / 7:30 PM Friday, November 6 / 2:00 PM Friday, November 20 / 2:00 PM Saturday, November 7 / 8:00 PM Saturday, November 21 / 8:00 PM Sunday, November 8 / 2:00 PM Sunday, November 22 / 2:00 PM

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Lahav Shani Conductor Brian Sanders’ JUNK Piano

Tchaikovsky Selections from , Prokofiev Lieutenant Kijé and Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 Stravinsky Brian Sanders’s provocative /physical theater company returns to Verizon Hall for This is a program of pure Russian poetry, a modern mash-up of Tchaikovsky’s three steeped in the sound that made the famous ballets. Philadelphians famous.

Joyce, Yannick, and Mahler Brahms’s Symphony No. 1

Thursday, November 12 / 7:30 PM Friday, November 27 / 8:00 PM Friday, November 13 / 2:00 PM Saturday, November 28 / 8:00 PM Saturday, November 14 / 8:00 PM Alan Gilbert Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Juliette Kang Violin Joyce DiDonato Mezzo-soprano Chin Frontispiece for Orchestra Mahler Rückert Lieder Bartók Violin Concerto No. 2 Mahler Symphony No. 4 Brahms Symphony No. 1

The voice of the “out-of-this-world” Joyce First Associate Concertmaster Juliette Kang DiDonato (as Yannick describes her) is made takes center stage for Bartók’s ingenious for Mahler’s ethereal Rückert Lieder, and the Second Violin Concerto, infused with special connection these two stars share on Hungarian folk-dance melodies. stage only enhances the bliss of the music.

215.893.1955 | philorch.org/subscribe Premium Premium

Rhapsody in Blue with Gustavo Dudamel Chick Corea Debuts

Thursday, December 10 / 7:30 PM Thursday, January 14 / 7:30 PM Friday, December 11 / 2:00 PM Friday, January 15 / 2:00 PM Saturday, December 12 / 8:00 PM Sunday, January 17 / 2:00 PM Sunday, December 13 / 2:00 PM Gustavo Dudamel Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Sergio Tiempo Piano Chick Corea Piano Benzecry (world premiere—Philadelphia Ellington Solitude Orchestra commission) Gershwin Ginastera Piano Concerto No. 1 Price Symphony No. 1 Shostakovich Symphony No. 5

Jazz legend Chick Corea joins the hottest big Join us for the highly anticipated debut of band on the planet for this classic melting Gustavo Dudamel, who electrifies audiences pot of American musical styles. around the globe with his passionate approach to everything he conducts.

Hilary Hahn Plays Prokofiev Return to the Academy

Thursday, January 7 / 7:30 PM Thursday, January 21 / 7:30 PM Friday, January 8 / 2:00 PM Friday, January 22 / 2:00 PM Saturday, January 9 / 8:00 PM Academy of Music, Philadelphia

Xian Zhang Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Monica Czausz Organ Hai-Ye Ni Hilary Hahn Violin Prokofiev Symphony-Concerto Eötvös When It Hits the Ocean Below (world Prokofiev Symphony No. 5 premiere—Philadelphia Orchestra commission) Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 The Symphony-Concerto is both cello Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 (“Organ”) concerto and full-throated symphony, a sublime match for the Orchestra and Prokofiev’s urgent and rapturous First Violin Principal Cello Hai-Ye Ni. Concerto soars in the captivating hands of Hilary Hahn.

RESERVE TIME for Yourself— Choose Any 6 Concerts and Save

7 Pictures from an Exhibition Songs from the Earth

Friday, February 5 / 2:00 PM Friday, February 26 / 8:00 PM Saturday, February 6 / 8:00 PM Saturday, February 27 / 8:00 PM Sunday, February 7 / 2:00 PM Sunday, February 28 / 2:00 PM

Andrew Davis Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor David Kim Violin Ekaterina Gubanova Mezzo-soprano Piotr Beczała Tenor Rimsky-Korsakov Capriccio espagnol Massenet “Meditation,” from Thaïs, for Debussy La Mer violin and orchestra Mahler Sarasate Carmen Fantasy, for violin and orchestra In this program, we celebrate the beauty Musorgsky Pictures from an Exhibition of nature, and how it connects us to our world and to our souls. Concertmaster David Kim offers the wonderfully delicate “Meditation” from Massenet’s Thaïs and Sarasate’s fiery Carmen Fantasy.

Ravel: Daphnis and Chloé Emanuel Ax Plays Mozart

Friday, February 12 / 8:00 PM Thursday, March 4 / 7:30 PM Satuday, February 13 / 8:00 PM Friday, March 5 / 2:00 PM Sunday, February 14 / 2:00 PM Saturday, March 6 / 8:00 PM

Stéphane Denève Conductor Louis Langrée Conductor Gautier Capuçon Cello Emanuel Ax Piano Westminster Symphonic Choir Joe Miller Director Mozart Overture to La clemenza di Tito Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9, K. 271 Purrington Words for Departure Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 (world premiere—Philadelphia Orchestra commission) Emanuel Ax is the ideal interpreter for Connesson Mozart’s joyful Ninth Piano Concerto, Ravel Daphnis and Chloé (complete ballet) which will prepare you for music on a large scale in the form of Tchaikovsky’s Stéphane Denève returns to lead the great Romantic Fifth Symphony. complete version of Ravel’s love story ballet.

215.893.1955 | philorch.org/subscribe Love and Tragedy

Thursday, March 11 / 7:30 PM Thursday, March 18 / 7:30 PM Friday, March 12 / 2:00 PM Friday, March 19 / 2:00 PM Saturday, March 13 / 8:00 PM Saturday, March 20 / 8:00 PM

Nathalie Stutzmann Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Daniel Lozakovich Violin Frank Picaflor (world premiere—Philadelphia Brahms Tragic Overture Orchestra commission) Wagner Prelude and “Liebestod,” from Stravinsky The Rite of Spring Tristan and Isolde Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky’s vision of pagan Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet rituals, still astounds a century after its riotous Paris premiere. Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet will leave your heart swelling with its famous love theme, one of the most recognizable in all of .

Special Event: Brahms and Chamber Orchestra Garrick Ohlsson of Europe Thursday, March 25 / 7:30 PM Friday, March 12 / 8:00 PM Friday, March 26 / 2:00 PM Sunday, March 28 / 2:00 PM Chamber Orchestra of Europe Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Conductor Lisa Batiashvili Violin Garrick Ohlsson Piano Westminster Symphonic Choir Brahms Violin Concerto Joe Miller Director Brahms Symphony No. 3 Ives A Symphony: New England Holidays The renowned Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 comprised of the greatest virtuosic musicians from throughout Europe, will pay a rare visit to ’s New England Holidays, a Philadelphia led by none other than Yannick, radical-for-its-time look at Americana, is led an honorary member of the ensemble. by the acclaimed Michael Tilson Thomas.

Please note: The Philadelphia Orchestra does not perform on this concert.

Make Time for MUSIC ­—Breathe—You’ll Thank Us Later

9 Premium

Mirga Returns South Pacific 2021

Thursday, April 8 / 7:30 PM Friday, April 23 / 8:00 PM Saturday, April 10 / 8:00 PM Saturday, April 24 / 8:00 PM Sunday, April 11 / 2:00 PM Sunday, April 25 / 2:00 PM

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla Conductor Andy Einhorn Conductor

Šerkšnytė De Profundis Rodgers South Pacific Schubert Symphony No. 8 (“Unfinished”) Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 Our version of this Broadway classic reexamines the issues of race, nationalism, The magnetic conductor Mirga Gražinytė- imperialism, and identity, which remain Tyla returns to our podium for the first time relevant today more than 70 years after since her acclaimed 2018 Verizon Hall debut. the work’s premiere.

Khatia and Weinberg and the Korngold Violin Concerto Thursday, April 15 / 7:30 PM Friday, April 16 / 2:00 PM Thursday, April 29 / 7:30 PM Saturday, April 17 / 8:00 PM Friday, April 30 / 2:00 PM Saturday, May 1 / 8:00 PM Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla Conductor

Khatia Buniatishvili Piano Tugan Sokhiev Conductor Gil Shaham Violin Xi Ensō (world premiere—Philadelphia Orchestra commission) Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 (“Classical”) Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 Korngold Violin Concerto Weinberg Symphony No. 3 Dvořák Symphony No. 8 Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 has Erich Korngold is the rare composer everything we associate with the composer: renowned both for his golden age of exquisite melodies, sophisticated interplay Hollywood movie scores (including the between soloist and orchestra, and Oscar-winning The Adventures of Robin Hood) fireworks to spare. and his classical works.

215.893.1955 | philorch.org/subscribe Mitsuko Meets Yannick Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8 Thursday, May 6 / 7:30 PM Saturday, May 8 / 8:00 PM Friday, May 14 / 8:00 PM Sunday, May 9 / 2:00 PM Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Paolo Bordignon Organ Piano Bach Selections from The Art of the Fugue, Bates Suite from The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs for organ and mixed ensembles (world premiere—Philadelphia Orchestra Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 co-commission) Ravel Piano Concerto in G major A direct response to the horrors and heroism Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 of World War II, Shostakovich’s towering Eighth Symphony initially condemned The divine Mitsuko Uchida reveals all in the composer’s Soviet homeland. the spirit of Ravel’s jazzy concerto, while Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 8 evokes the heroism of World War II.

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Puccini: La bohème Yannick Leads Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” Thursday, May 13 / 7:30 PM Saturday, May 15 / 7:30 PM Friday, May 21 / 2:00 PM Saturday, May 22 / 8:00 PM Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Ailyn Pérez Soprano (Mimì) Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Charles Castronovo Tenor (Rodolfo) Latonia Moore Soprano (Musetta) Sibelius Symphony No. 6 Quinn Kelsey Baritone (Marcello) Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (“Pathétique”) Andrey Zhilikhovsky Baritone (Schaunard) Christian Van Horn Bass-baritone (Colline) Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony is a soaring Donald Maxwell Baritone (Benoit/Alcindoro) work filled with raw emotions ranging from Philadelphia Symphonic Choir sunny exuberance to solemn introspection. Joe Miller Director With his lush and graceful melodies, no composer captures this Puccini La bohème spectrum of sentiments better than Tchaikovsky. With the Orchestra front and center and a superb cast, this is Puccini’s beloved tale of Parisian bohemian artists as you’ve never heard it before.

Choose 6 or more concerts today!

11 Films

Comedy and adventure, classic and contemporary, our film series has it all, with The Philadelphia Home Alone in Concert

Orchestra sweeping you right Friday, December 4 / 8:00 PM Saturday, December 5 / 8:00 PM into the middle of the action. Sunday, December 6 / 2:00 PM

Constantine Kitsopoulos Conductor The Choirs of the College of New Jersey John Leonard Director

Williams Home Alone (complete with film)

John Williams’s Oscar®-nominated score is one of the main characters in this holiday slapstick classic.

© 1990 Twentieth Century Fox

Jane in Concert

Tuesday, October 13 / 7:00 PM

Lina Gonzalez-Granados Conductor

Glass Jane (complete with film)

The music of Philip Glass sets the scene for Jane Goodall’s expeditions deep into the ’s City Lights rainforests of Tanzania. Saturday, January 2 / 8:00 PM Sunday, January 3 / 2:00 PM

William Eddins Conductor

Chaplin City Lights (complete with film)

The Princess Bride in Concert

Friday, October 16 / 8:00 PM Saturday, October 17 / 8:00 PM Sunday, October 18 / 2:00 PM Jurassic Park in Concert

David Newman Conductor Friday, January 29 / 8:00 PM Saturday, January 30 / 8:00 PM Knopfler The Princess Bride (complete with film) Sunday, January 31 / 2:00 PM

Composer Mark Knopfler’s unforgettable Damon Gupton Conductor score to this cult classic has been specially arranged for symphony orchestra. Williams Jurassic Park (complete with film)

© The Princess Bride Limited. All Rights Reserved. Featuring visually stunning imagery and groundbreaking special effects, the action- packed adventure of Jurassic Park pits man against prehistoric predators in the ultimate battle for survival.

© Universal City Studios LLC and Amblin Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

215.893.1955 | philorch.org/subscribe Family Ignite your child’s imagination and love of music with delightful, kid-sized concerts, designed with a Concert captivating blend of storytelling and classical music. Series Family packages start at $21.

Halloween Celebration Travels with Peer Gynt

Saturday, October 31 / 11:30 AM Saturday, May 1 / 11:30 AM

Erina Yashima Conductor Erina Yashima Conductor Enchantment Theatre Company Put on your best Halloween costume and the Orchestra will put on theirs! We’ve got plenty Grieg Peer Gynt, incidental music of musical treats to fill up your goodie bag. The Philadelphia Orchestra explores the spooky and Join us on a wild journey with our friend Peer the silly in this orchestral adventure, an annual Gynt! Popularized by Looney Tunes and The audience favorite. Simpsons, Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite will guide you from the lush Scandinavia countryside to the Arabian desert with popular tunes like “Morning–Mood” and “In the Hall of the Mountain King.”

Holidays Symphony Saturday, March 27 / 11:30 AM Live Michael Tilson Thomas Conductor

How does a holiday sound? The eccentric American composer Charles Ives gave us MUSIC his musical memory of holidays from his childhood, from the cacophonous Fourth of July to the serene and patriotic sounds of Memorial Day. Beautiful and provocative, Always Ives’s music encourages us to think about sound in new ways. Acclaimed conductor Michael Tilson Thomas leads the Orchestra. Makes Things Better

13 Add these special events to your Special Concerts package today. All prices online at philorch.org.

Puccini

Puccini

Opening Night Concert Puccini: La bohème

Wednesday, September 30 / 7:00 PM Wednesday, May 19 / 7:30 PM

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Lang Lang Piano Ailyn Pérez Soprano (Mimì) Charles Castronovo Tenor (Rodolfo) Rossini Overture to di seta Latonia Moore Soprano (Musetta) Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 Quinn Kelsey Baritone (Marcello) Andrey Zhilikhovsky Baritone (Schaunard) Yannick opens our season with Beethoven in Christian Van Horn Bass-baritone (Colline) celebration of his 250th birthday featuring Donald Maxwell Baritone (Benoit/Alcindoro) Lang Lang and the Second Piano Concerto. Philadelphia Symphonic Choir Joe Miller Director

Add Opening Night Concert-only tickets to Puccini La bohème your subscription. With the Orchestra front and center and a superb cast, this is Puccini’s beloved tale of Parisian bohemian artists as you’ve never heard it before.

Listen UP! Music Is a Language

FAMILY CONCERT SPECIAL EVENT Saturday, November 28 / 11:30 AM

Nicholas Kendall Violin

Did you know music has a lot to say? Without any words at all, it tells stories, expresses A Night with John Williams feelings, and even makes us think. Get ready and Anne-Sophie Mutter for an exciting morning with Your awesome Philadelphia Orchestra, along with Nicholas Tuesday, January 26 / 8:00 PM Kendall, violinist from the internationally acclaimed classical music string band Time for John Williams Conductor Three, who will host. He and the entire orchestra Anne-Sophie Mutter Violin will “speak” through the Language of Music!

The Music of John Williams Christmas Kids’ Spectacular Renowned composer and conductor John Williams and superstar violinist FAMILY CONCERT SPECIAL EVENT Anne-Sophie Mutter bring a special program Saturday, December 12 / 11:30 AM of Williams’s beloved film music (Harry Potter, Star Wars, Schindler’s List, and more) to Lina Gonzalez-Granados Conductor Verizon Hall for a one-night-only concert featuring Your Philadelphia Orchestra. It’s the start of the holiday season! Join us for a festive celebration of all your favorite Christmas sounds and sing-alongs. Listen closely for those jingle bells, too—you never know who might pay a special visit to Verizon Hall. Add these tickets on to your subscription today as this one sells out each year!

215.893.1955 | philorch.org/subscribe Spend the most wonderful time of the year with Holidays Your Philadelphia Orchestra.

Messiah

Sunday, December 20 / 2:00 PM

Julian Wachner Conductor Philadelphia Symphonic Choir Joe Miller Director

Handel Messiah

Shortly after sending Handel his libretto for a new oratorio, Charles Jennens wrote to a friend, hoping that the composer “will lay out his whole genius and skill upon it.” In 24 days of feverish writing, Handel did just Organ and Brass Christmas that, creating his immortal Messiah. Conductor Julian Wachner joins the Orchestra and the Thursday, December 3 / 7:30 PM Philadelphia Symphonic Choir for a revelatory performance of this masterwork. Hark the herald (and horns, , and ) sing! The unmatched sound and musicality of members of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s legendary brass section usher in the holiday season on a high note. And the glory of the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ adds another heavenly voice to this collection of treasured Christmas music.

The Glorious Sound of Christmas®

Thursday, December 17 / 7:00 PM Friday, December 18 / 7:00 PM Saturday, December 19 / 7:00 PM Tuesday, December 22 / 7:00 PM New Year’s Eve

Bramwell Tovey Conductor Thursday, December 31 / 7:30 PM The Glorious Sound of Christmas has been Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor a Philadelphia Orchestra tradition since the Philadelphians and Yannick returns, bringing his inimitable charm released the now-iconic recording in 1962. and joy to our New Year’s Eve concert. Bring Make these jubilant and family friendly on the bubbly and ring in 2021 with the concerts part of your holiday tradition. Fabulous Philadelphians.

15 One South Broad Street, 14th Floor, Philadelphia PA 19107

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Tchaikovsky Ballet Trilogy November 5–8

Rhapsody in Blue with Chick Corea December 10–13

Emanuel Ax Plays Mozart March 4–6

Create-Your-Own 6-Concert Series

Subscribe and get early access to the best seats at the best prices for the 2020–21 season. Choose a Create-Your-Own 6-concert package today. Subscribe TODAY philorch.org/subscribe | 215.893.1955