Andreas Conducts Beethoven,

Danzmayr Returns with JIJI, Jurassic Park in Concert,

& Pirates! The Quest for Blackbeard’s Treasure

 

Rochester, NY, December 13, 2021 – Scientific studies have shown that music can lift our moods, combat depression, improve blood flow, lower levels of stress-related hormones, and even improve outcomes for patients after surgery. Your world-class Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) certainly has the cure for any post-holiday blues!

Kick off the new year with Andreas Conducts Beethoven on Thursday, January 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, January 15 at 8 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. A pre-concert talk is included and begins one hour prior to curtain. The concert will also be recorded for the digital RPO@Home* series, available from February 2 – March 18, 2022.

This delayed tribute to the composer’s 250th birthday in 2020 offers the perfect opportunity for audiences to experience his astounding growth during the 13 years that separated the first performances of Symphony No. 1 (1800) and Symphony No. 7 (1813). In between, Beethoven created four more symphonies, three piano concertos, the violin concerto, his opera Fildelio, 10 violin sonatas, 16 piano sonatas, and three string quartets. The Seventh was received especially warmly, with the audience demanding an immediate encore of the now familiar second movement, famously used in many films and television shows, including The King’s Speech and Mr. Holland’s Opus (video montage of 16 different titles here). Following the Seventh’s debut, Beethoven’s acclaim as one of the great masters of his day became virtually unanimous.

“The symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven are the holy books of every musician. The privilege of doing not one, but two of them in a single concert with one of America’s finest orchestras is beyond description,” says RPO Music Director Andreas Delfs. “A true testimony to the exciting relationship that the wonderful RPO players and I have been building, this is an evening of stimulating, profound, and powerful music that you don’t want to miss!”

From the sublime to the sensational, guest conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez leads Jurassic Park in Concert on Friday and Saturday, January 21 & 22 at 8 p.m. in Kodak Hall. Audiences will experience the action-packed adventure pitting humans against prehistoric predators projected in HD on the big screen while the RPO performs John Williams’ iconic score live.

Next up, Lopez-Yañez returns to conduct his own program, Pirates! The Quest for Blackbeard’s Treasure, for the second OrKIDStra concert of the season on Sunday, January 23 at 2 p.m. at Hochstein Performance Hall.  Costumes, actors, and storytelling will launch families on a musical journey to sail the seven seas in search of Blackbeard’s legendary prize. Due to COVID, the pre-concert activity will be replaced by take-home activity kits. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children.

Closing out January, Austrian guest conductor David Danzmayr – newly appointed Music Director of the Oregon Symphony for its 125th Anniversary Season – will lead Danzmayr Returns, featuring rising star Korean guitarist JIJI (Jiji Kim) performing Joaquin Rodrigo’s widely performed Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra in her RPO debut. Opening the evening is Icarus, a piece by contemporary Russian composer Lera Auerbach, one of today’s most sought-after and exciting creative voices worldwide who is equally prolific in literature and the visual arts. Tchaikovsky’s powerful and urgent Fourth Symphony, a staple in the orchestral repertoire, closes out this blockbuster program. A pre-concert talk begins one hour prior to the concert.

*RPO@Home is recorded live in concert at Kodak Hall, and available for $25 per digital access. The five-concert series began with Oct. 21 & 23rd’s Paremski + Rachmaninov (Andreas Delfs, conductor/Natasha Paremski, piano), available through Dec. 24, 2012. Nov. 18 & 20th’s Hansel & Gretel (Andreas Delfs, conductor/Grant Preisser, stage director) will be available Dec. 15 – Jan. 28, 2022. Gala Holiday Pops (Dec. 17-19) will be available Dec. 22 – Feb. 4, 2022. Andreas Conducts Beethoven (Jan. 13 & 15) will be available Feb. 2 – March 18, 2022. Ann Hampton Callaway “Diva to Diva” (Andreas Delfs, conductor/Ann Hampton Callaway, vocals) on March 18 & 19, 2022 will be available April 6 – May 20.

All tickets are available online anytime at rpo.org, by phone at 585-454-2100 (Monday-Friday, 10 am –5 pm, please note that the Patron Services Center is currently closed to in-person purchases), and in person 90 minutes prior to curtain at the Eastman Theatre Box Office (433 East Main St.) for Kodak Hall concerts.

Please note: Patrons aged 12 and up are required to show proof of vaccination plus photo ID, and all patrons are required to wear masks during the entire performance. Venue capacity is currently at 80%, and areas are available for those who feel more comfortable with social distancing. The RPO continues to monitor CDC, state, and local guidelines, so protocols are subject to change.

The Pops Series is sponsored by Wegmans and Canandaigua National Bank. Since the 2020-2021 Season, M & T Bank has sponsored the Philharmonic and Pops Series and continues its commitment as a Co-Sponsor for the 2021-22 Season. They are joined by Co-Sponsor Rochester Regional Health, now in its fourth year as a season sponsor. All concerts, artists, and schedules are subject to change.

ABOUT THE RPO: The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) has been committed to enriching and inspiring our community through the art of music since its origins in 1922. The RPO presents approximately 150 concerts and broadcasts a year, serving up to 170,000 people through ticketed events, education and community engagement activities, and concerts in schools and community centers throughout the region. Music Director Andreas Delfs joins the ranks of former notable RPO music directors, including Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman, Mark Elder, and Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman. Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, now in his 28th season, has earned a national reputation for excellence in pops programming during his tenure with the RPO. The RPO reaches more than 15,000 youth through its specific education programs.

Media please note: High-resolution images are at https://tinyurl.com/yuj7ktfz. Interviews and photo/footage opportunities are also available.

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