Your RPO Kicks Off February With ROOTED IN ROCHESTER: A CELEBRATION OF BLACK COMPOSERS

Your Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) kicks off Black History Month with a very special Philharmonics Series concert conducted by Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik. Rooted in Rochester: A Celebration of Black Composers takes place on Thursday, February 9 at 7:30 PM and Saturday, February 11 at 8 PM in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. (Pre-concert talk will start one hour prior to curtain.)

Internationally acclaimed Rochester soprano Kearstin Piper Brown will join the RPO for this celebration of the rich history of Black Rochesterians. Rochester's Thomas Warfield, a high-profile artist, educator, and social activist, will serve as the concert's narrator. The program will feature works with direct ties to our city by Adolphus Hailstork (An American Fanfare), Nkeiru Okoye (Songs of Harriet Tubman), Duke Ellington (The River Suite), and the Rochester premiere of an RPO Co-commission by composer James Lee III called Freedom's Genuine Dawn. A highlight of the night will be William Grant Still's Afro-American Symphony, which was premiered in Rochester by the RPO in 1931.

"I'm excited to bring this compelling and wonderful music to the Philharmonic series," says Maestro Tyzik. "As I programmed this concert, I was surprised to find out that every piece on the program has a connection to Rochester and that made this concert even more meaningful to me. This is truly a musical celebration!"

On February 14 and 15 at 10:15 AM, the RPO will present its annual Primary Education Concerts for students in grades 1-3 in Kodak Hall. Guest conductor Kevin Fitzgerald will lead An Orchestral Celebration, featuring NBC's NFL Sunday Night Football Theme by John Williams, an Ode to Joy (from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony) Sing-Along, and everything in between. More than 4,000 students from six counties will attend. The 2023 Primary Concerts are supported by Tompkins Bank of Castile, the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council for the Arts, and the Mary S. Mulligan Charitable Trust.

Next, RPO Music Director Andreas Delfs takes his turn on the Pops Series Friday and Saturday, February 17 & 18 at 8 PM in Kodak Hall with Andreas on Broadway. This tribute to the magic of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II includes their collaborations with Lorenz Hart and Jerome Kern as well. The program features sixteen of the Great White Way's sweetest songs, including "Edelweiss" (The Sound of Music), "Younger Than Springtime" (South Pacific), "Shall We Dance" (The King and I), and - especially timely - "My Funny Valentine" (Babes in Arms). Joining the orchestra are three acclaimed Broadway vocalists: soprano Madison Claire Parks, tenor Bronson Norris Murphy, and mezzo soprano Sarah Uriarte Berry.

"Rodgers and Hammerstein's timeless classics have always been on my favorite list," explains Maestro Delfs, "and I look forward very much to sharing some of Broadway's most memorable music on one of the most romantic weekends of the year."

The short month of February is immediately followed by Mozart & More on Thursday, March 2 at 7:30 PM and Saturday, March 4 at 8 PM in Kodak Hall. (Pre-concert talk starts one hour prior to curtain.) Swiss conductor Mario Venzago returns to Rochester for an evening of Classical masterpieces. Renowned American pianist Jonathan Biss takes the stage for Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, a piece widely recognized as one of Mozart's concerto masterpieces. Two reconstructions bookend the concerto: Rossini's Overture to Il Viaggio a Reims was once lost to time and only recently reconstructed by scholars; and Schubert's Seventh Symphony existed only as a piano score during the composer's lifetime. Maestro Venzago will share a new, completed arrangement of Schubert's Symphony No. 7 by Richard Dünser with audiences.

Tickets for all Kodak Hall shows start at $24/$12 for children ages 3-17 and are available online anytime at rpo.org, by phone at 585-454-2100 (Monday-Friday,10 AM-5 PM), and in person at RPO Patron Services at 225 East Avenue (Monday -Friday, 10 AM-5 PM) and one hour prior to curtain at the Eastman Theatre Box Office (433 East Main St.).

COVID protocols have been updated: Vaccinations are no longer required to attend concerts and masking is currently optional in Kodak Hall. In an effort to accommodate those patrons who prefer to mask, the RPO is pleased to offer a masks-only section designated in a portion of the balcony.

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. Andreas Delfs was named music director in 2020 following notable RPO music directors Erich Leinsdorf, David Zinman, Mark Elder and Conductor Laureate Christopher Seaman. Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, now in his 29th 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.

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