Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin returns this season to Carnegie Hall to lead The Philadelphia Orchestra in three concerts in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, beginning on Tuesday, November 15 at 8:00 p.m. ViolinistBenjamin Beilman joins the orchestra for Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19, on a program that also includes Ravel's Le tombeau de Couperin and Daphnis et Chloé(complete) with the Westminster Symphonic Choir.
Next spring, mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoungand bass
John Relyea partner with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Mr. Nézet-Séguin for a performance of Bartók's
Bluebeard's Castle, Op. 11 on
Tuesday, March 7 at 8:00 p.m. in a program that also features selections from Tchaikovsky's
Swan Lake. The orchestra returns for their final
Carnegie Hall performance of the season on
Tuesday, May 9 at 8:00 p.m. with Mr. Nézet-Séguin conducting
Leonard Bernstein's Symphony No. 1, "Jeremiah" with mezzo-soprano
Sasha Cooke, and Schumann's Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61. The program also features pianist Radu Lupu, who joins the orchestra for Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, K. 491.
Prior to these three concerts, The Philadelphia Orchestra kicks off its 2016-2017
Carnegie Hall season on
Monday, October 10 at 8:00 p.m. in a performance conducted by
Sir Simon Rattle. The program-part of the conductor's
Carnegie Hall Perspectives series-focuses on Mahler, the composer who Mr. Rattle credits as having inspired him to become a conductor. The evening features Mahler's powerfully tragic Symphony No. 6 in A Minor.
About the Artist
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin is now confirmed to lead The Philadelphia Orchestra for a decade into the future, through the 2025-2026 season, an extraordinary and significant long-term commitment. Additionally, he will become the third music director in the history of the Metropolitan Opera, beginning with the 2021-2022 season, and from 2017-2018 will be music director designate. This consolidates Mr. Nézet-Séguin's professional activity around two of the world's pre-eminent artistic organizations, concentrating and honing his musical future.
Mr. Nézet-Séguin has taken The Philadelphia Orchestra to new musical heights in performances at home in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, at the Academy of Music,
Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, in Philadelphia neighborhoods, and around the world. His concerts of diverse repertoire attract sold-out houses, and he continues to make connections within Philadelphia's rich arts community, showing his commitment to engaging music lovers of all ages across the region. In his fifth season as music director, he launches exciting artistic initiatives, including a year-long exploration of American Sounds, with works by
Leonard Bernstein,
Christopher Rouse, Mason Bates, and Christopher Theofanidis; music inspired by Paris interwoven throughout the season, including a three-week Music of Paris Festival; and the continuation of a focus on opera and sacred vocal works, including Bartók's
Bluebeard's Castle and Mozart's Mass in C minor. Mr. Nézet-Séguin is embraced by the musicians of the orchestra and by audiences wherever they perform. He made his inaugural tour with The Philadelphia Orchestra with the 2014 tour of Asia, and the following year he took the orchestra on their first European tour together, during which the Guardian of London exclaimed, "... it's proving a remarkable partnership." In September 2015, he led the orchestra in two performances for Pope Francis as part of the World Meeting of Families, at the Festival of Families and the Papal Mass. And in May-June 2016, he and the orchestra returned to Asia.
A native of Montreal, Mr. Nézet-Séguin studied piano, conducting, composition, and chamber music at Montreal's Conservatory of Music and continued his studies with renowned conductor Carlo Maria Giulini. He also studied choral conducting with
Joseph Flummerfelt at Westminster Choir College. Mr. Nézet-Séguin was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2012, one of the country's highest civilian honors, and an Officer of the National Order of Quebec in 2015. His other honors include Musical America's 2016 Artist of the Year; a Royal Philharmonic Society Award; Canada's National Arts Centre Award; the Prix Denise-Pelletier, the highest distinction for the arts awarded by the Quebec government; and honorary doctorates from the University of Quebec in Montreal, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, NJ.
Twenty-six year old American violinist Benjamin Beilman is recognized as one of the fastest rising stars of his generation, winning praise in both North America and Europe for his passionate performances and deep rich tone, which the
Washington Post called "mightily impressive," and
The New York Times described as "muscular with a glint of violence."
The Times also praised his "handsome technique, burnished sound, and quiet confidence [which] showed why he has come so far so fast." Following his performance of the Sibelius Concerto at the Montreal Competition, the
Straddescribed his performance of the slow movement as "pure poetry."
Michelle DeYoung has already established herself as one of the most exciting artists of her generation. She appears frequently with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the
New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, The Met Orchestra (in
Carnegie Hall), the Met Chamber Ensemble, Vienna Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Bayerische Staatsoper Orchestra, Berliner Staatskapelle, Sao Paulo Symphony, and the Concertgebouworkest. She has also appeared in the prestigious festivals of Ravinia, Tanglewood, Aspen, Cincinnati, Saito Kinen, Edinburgh, Salzburg, St Denis, and Lucerne.
John Relyea continues to distinguish himself as one of today's finest basses. Mr. Relyea has appeared in many of the world's most celebrated opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera (where he is an alumnus of the Merola Opera Program and a former Adler Fellow), Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Paris Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper, Vienna State Opera, Theater an der Wien, and the Mariinksy Theater. His roles include the title roles in
Attila,
Le Nozze di Figaro,
Bluebeard's Castle,
Don Quixotte, and
Aleko; Zaccaria in
Nabucco, Raimondo in
Lucia di Lammermoor, Colline in
La Bohème, Don Alfonso in
Lucrezia Borgia, Don Basilio in
IL Barbiere di Siviglia, Alidoro in
La Cenerentola, Giorgio in
I puritani, Banquo in
Macbeth, Garibaldo in
Rodelinda, Méphistophélès in both
Faust and
La Damnation de Faust, Escamillo in
Carmen, Marke in
Tristan und Isolde, Nick Shadow in
The Rake's Progress, and King René in
Iolante, among many others.
Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano
Sasha Cooke is sought after by the world's leading orchestras, opera companies, and chamber music ensembles for her versatile repertoire and commitment to new music. Highlights of recent seasons include performances of Mahler's
Das Lied von der Erde with the San Francisco and New World symphonies and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler's Symphony No. 3 with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Handel's
Messiah with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Nashville and Seattle symphonies. She gave the world premiere of Marc Neikrug's Canta-Concerto with the
New York Philharmonic, and made her role debut as Magdalena in Sir
David McVicar's production of Wagner's
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg with the San Francisco Opera. In the spring of 2016, Hyperion released
Liszt: The Complete Songs, Vol. 4 with Ms. Cooke alongside pianist Julius Drake.
Radu Lupu is firmly established as one of the most important musicians of his generation and is widely acknowledged as a leading interpreter of the works of Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Schumann, and Schubert. Since winning the prestigious Van Cliburn (1966) and Leeds Piano Competitions (1969), Mr. Lupu has regularly performed as soloist and recitalist in the musical capitals and major festivals of Europe and the United States. He has appeared many times with the Berlin Philharmonic since his debut with that orchestra at the 1978 Salzburg Festival under Herbert von Karajan, and with the Vienna Philharmonic, including the opening concert of the 1986 Salzburg Festival under Riccardo Muti. Mr. Lupu is also a frequent visitor to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and all the major London and American orchestras. He has played at most of the notable music festivals and has been a regular guest at the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals.
The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the preeminent orchestras in the world, renowned for its distinctive sound, desired for its keen ability to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences, and admired for a legacy of imagination and innovation on and off the concert stage. The orchestra is transforming its rich tradition of achievement, sustaining the highest level of artistic quality, but also challenging-and exceeding-that level by creating powerful musical experiences for audiences at home and around the world.
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, The Philadelphia Orchestra today boasts a new partnership with the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. The ensemble annually performs at
Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, while also enjoying summer residencies in Saratoga Springs, New York, and Vail, Colorado.
The Philadelphia Orchestra serves as a catalyst for cultural activity across Philadelphia's many communities, as it builds an offstage presence as strong as its onstage one. The orchestra's award-winning Collaborative Learning initiatives engage more than 50,000 students, families, and community members through programs such as PlayINs, side-by-sides, PopUp concerts, free Neighborhood Concerts, School Concerts, and residency work in Philadelphia and abroad. The orchestra's musicians, in their own dedicated roles as teachers, coaches, and mentors, serve a key role in growing young musician talent and a love of classical music, nurturing and celebrating the wealth of musicianship in the Philadelphia region.
Program Information
Monday, October 10 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor
Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 6 in A Minor
Tickets: $49-$156
Sponsored by Breguet, Exclusive Timepiece of
Carnegie Hall
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Tuesday, November 15 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Music Director and Conductor
Benjamin Beilman, Violin
Westminster Symphonic Choir
Joe Miller, Conductor
Maurice Ravel Le tombeau de CouperinSergei Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19
Maurice Ravel Daphnis et Chloé (complete)
Tickets: $43-$131
This performance is proudly supported by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
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Tuesday, March 7 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Music Director and Conductor
Michelle DeYoung, Mezzo-Soprano
John Relyea, Bass
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Selections from
Swan Lake
BÉLA BARTÓK
Bluebeard's Castle, Op. 11
Pre-concert talk starts at 7:00 PM in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage with Ara Guzelimian, Provost and Dean, The Juilliard School.
Tickets: $43-$131
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Tuesday, May 9 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Music Director and Conductor
Sasha Cooke, Mezzo-Soprano
Radu Lupu, Piano
Leonard Bernstein Symphony No. 1, "Jeremiah"
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, K. 491
Robert Schumann Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61
Tickets: $43-$131
Sponsored by DeWitt Stern, a Risk Strategies Company
(Photo Credit: Carnegie Hall Facebook)
