Philadelphia Orchestra & Charles Dutoit Set 2011 European Festivals Tour

Following a summer filled with North American appearances, The Philadelphia Orchestra begins its highly anticipated 2011 European Festivals Tour on August 25. Under the leadership of Chief Conductor Charles Dutoit, who recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of his first concert with the Orchestra, they will visit 11 cities in seven countries, including performances in Lucerne, Edinburgh, Dresden, Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Essen, London, and Paris. The Orchestra also makes debut appearances in Grafenegg, Austria, and Dublin, Ireland, during the three-week tour, which concludes September 9.

"It is always a thrill to lead the incredible Philadelphia Orchestra and I am excited to share the splendid artistry of its musicians with audiences throughout Europe," said Maestro Dutoit. "Our concerts will feature works long associated with the Orchestra, such as Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, and Ravel's La Valse, and showcase two exceptional artists, violinist Janine Jansen and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, who join us during the tour as guest soloists. I look forward to bringing to our audiences the joy and passion of our music-making."

"The Philadelphia Orchestra is proud to continue its tradition of representing the City of Philadelphia, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the United States as a cultural ambassador on our 2011 European Festivals Tour," said Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore. "Touring allows us to share the power of the live concert experience with music-lovers throughout Europe, and we look forward to greeting our many Philadelphia Orchestra supporters during our three-week travels. We are deeply appreciative to The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as all our other sponsors, whose support makes this tour possible."

Tour Repertoire and Artists

On the 2011 European Festivals Tour, The Philadelphia Orchestra performs a wide array of repertoire, including Sibelius's Finlandia, Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, Ravel's La Valse and Mother Goose Suite, excerpts from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, and Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, as well as Stravinsky's Song of the Nightingale and Wolfgang Rihm's Verwandlung 3.

Featured soloists for the tour are violinist Janine Jansen and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Ms. Jansen appears as soloist in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto over five performances (Grafenegg, Dublin, Edinburgh, Essen, and London). Mr. Thibaudet joins the Orchestra for four performances of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 2 (Grafenegg, Lucerne, Berlin, and Cologne) and three performances of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G (Dresden, Frankfurt, and Paris).

For a full biography of Chief Conductor Charles Dutoit, please visit the Orchestra's online pressroom at http://www.philorch.org/pdfs/2011-12/Bio-Dutoit%202011%20Feb.pdf

For biographical information about the tour soloists please visit the following websites:
Janine Jansen-http://www.janinejansen.com/biography.htm
Jean-Yves Thibaudet-http://www.imgartists.com/?page=artist&id=880

Tour Itinerary 

Austria

Thursday, August 25 - Grafenegg, Wolkenturm, Grafenegg Castle
Friday, August 26 - Grafenegg, Wolkenturm, Grafenegg Castle

Switzerland

Saturday, August 27 - Lucerne, Kultur-und Kongresszentrum

Ireland

Monday, August 29 - Dublin, National Concert Hall

Scotland
Tuesday, August 30 - Edinburgh, Usher Hall
Wednesday, August 31 - Edinburgh, Usher Hall

Germany
Friday, September 2 - Dresden, Kulturpalast
Saturday, September 3 - Berlin, Philharmonie
Sunday, September 4 - Frankfurt, Alte Oper
Tuesday, September 6 - Cologne, Philharmonie
Wednesday, September 7 - Essen, Philharmonie

England
Thursday, September 8 - London, Royal Albert Hall

France
Friday, September 9 - Paris, Salle Pleyel

Tour History

The Philadelphia Orchestra's tour history is as long and legendary as the Orchestra itself. Just four days after their inaugural concert on November 16, 1900, the musicians were already on the road, traveling to the neighboring city of Reading. The Orchestra first performed outside of the United States in 1936, led by Music Director Leopold Stokowski. The transcontinental tour-which included a concert in Toronto, Canada-was the first of its kind by any American orchestra.

The first overseas tour was in 1949. The Orchestra and Music Director Eugene Ormandy traveled to Great Britain by boat, giving 28 concerts in 27 days. Since that time, the Orchestra has criss-crossed the globe on a regular basis, becoming one of the most-traveled American symphonic ensembles.

The Orchestra last visited Europe in 2009, when the musicians and former Music Director Christoph Eschenbach visited nine cities in five countries, making first visits to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Luxembourg, and Budapest. The three-week tour also included performances in Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid, Valencia, and Vienna. The 2011 European Festivals Tour marks the Orchestra's 17th visit to Europe.

Sponsors

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the Presenting Sponsor of The Philadelphia Orchestra's 2011 European Festivals Tour.

Special thanks to Lisa Kabnick, Vice Chair, Financial Industry Group, ReEd Smith LLP, with offices in Philadelphia, London, Munich, and Paris, and John McFadden, partner at McFadden, Pilkington & Ward, with offices in Philadelphia.

Additional support is provided by US Airways.

The Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra is among the world's leading orchestras. Renowned for its artistic excellence since its founding in 1900, the Orchestra has excited audiences with thousands of concerts in Philadelphia and around the world.

With only seven music directors throughout more than a century of unswerving orchestral distinction, the artistic heritage of The Philadelphia Orchestra is attributed to extraordinary musicianship under the leadership and innovation of Fritz Scheel (1900-07), Carl Pohlig (1907-12), Leopold Stokowski (1912-41), Eugene Ormandy (1936-80), Riccardo Muti (1980-92), Wolfgang Sawallisch (1993-2003), and Christoph Eschenbach (2003-08). After 30 years of a celebrated association with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit continues the tradition as chief conductor.

Since Mr. Dutoit's debut with the Orchestra in July 1980 he has led hundreds of concerts in Philadelphia, at Carnegie Hall, and on tour, as artistic director of the Orchestra's summer concerts at the Mann Center, artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestra's summer residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and now as chief conductor. With the 2012-13 season, the Orchestra honors Mr. Dutoit by bestowing upon him the title conductor laureate. Yannick Nézet-Séguin assumed the title of music director designate in June 2010, immediately joining the Orchestra's leadership team. He takes up the baton as The Philadelphia Orchestra's next music director in 2012.

The Philadelphia Orchestra annually touches the lives of countless music lovers worldwide, through concerts, presentations, and recordings. Each year the Orchestra presents a subscription season at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, education and community partnership programs, and annual appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center; it also regularly tours throughout the world. Its summer schedule includes performances at the Mann Center, free Neighborhood Concerts throughout Greater Philadelphia, and residencies at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org.

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