Westchester Philharmonic Announces 2015-2016 Season

(White Plains, New York) — The Westchester Philharmonic’s 2015-16 season boasts the Philharmonic debuts of Dawn Upshaw, Sharon Robinson, Ashley Brown, Alon Goldstein, and rising star Kazem Abdullah. Led by Principal Conductors Jaime Laredo and Ted Sperling, Westchester County’s oldest and most prestigious symphony orchestra will present its 33rd season at its home, the 1300 seat Concert Hall at the Purchase Performing Arts Center.

Along with masterworks of Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Mozart, the orchestra will perform 20th century milestones of Gershwin, Shostakovich, Corigliano and Stravinsky, and 21st century masterpieces of the future by Oswaldo Golijov and Christopher Theofanidis, the latter in a New York area premier commissioned by the Westchester Philharmonic.

The season opens on Sunday, October 18, 2015 at 3 pm with Christopher Theofanidis’ Dreamtime Ancestors, a work co-commissioned by 48 regional orchestras throughout the country for sequential performances that will last through 2017. After its world premiere by the Plymouth (MA) Symphony in September, the Westchester Philharmonic will present the work, with Principal Conductor Jaime Laredo on the podium, in an exclusive tri-state area performance. Theofanidis’ work has been described as “unabashedly joyful” (Boston Globe), “rapturous” (Houston Chronicle), and “lyrical, exotic soulsearching” (New York Times).

The Phil then warmly welcomes cellist Sharon Robinson who, with husband Laredo, comprise two-thirds of the renowned Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, for Shostakovich’s emotion-charged Cello Concerto No. 1. Completing the season-opening concert will be Beethoven’s exhilarating Fourth Symphony. Hector Berlioz once described the second movement Adagio as composed not by any human, but an angel. The subscribers-only Kick-Off Party follows the concert.

On December 20, 2015 at 3 pm the Phil presents Winter Pops, which has been a sold-out seasonal favorite since its introduction eight years ago. Led by Principal Conductor Ted Sperling, the orchestra will be joined by singer Ashley Brown, who regularly headlines for the Boston Pops and has been described by critics as “golden throated” and having “perfect pitch.” Her memorable stylings of American songbook standards and holiday favorites will be interspersed with Sperling’s favorite classical highlights, including George Gershwin’s jazz-age masterpiece Rhapsody in Blue, performed by dazzling Juilliard prodigy pianist Joe Mohan. Audiences can keep the holiday fun going at our popular Pops AfterParty! Mingle with the stars while enjoying scrumptious hors d’oeuvres and a wine tasting with Aries Wines & Spirits. Early reservations are a must! Only $22 with a Pops ticket purchase.

Multiple-Grammy winner, McArthur “genius” and Mount Vernon resident Dawn Upshaw is sought out almost exclusively by today’s composers for her consummate artistry and astonishingly beautiful renderings of their work. On Sunday, February 7, 2016, Ms. Upshaw and the Phil will perform the hauntingly lyrical “Three Songs” by composer Osvaldo Golijov, set to texts by Sally Potter, Rosalía de Castro, and Emily Dickinson, and which opens with a traditional Yiddish lullaby. Also for this “Friends & Family” concert, which had a highly successful debut this year, Principal Conductor Ted Sperling will again offer concertgoers a “guided tour” to the works being performed, which will include Mozart’s iconic Overture to The Marriage of Figaro and a full orchestra arrangement of Mendelssohn’s beloved Octet. Kids 17 and under will be admitted free with an adult purchase, and young children will again be able to explore the world of music at the Phil’s pre-concert Instrument Petting Zoo.

Another successfully debuted format, now five years running, harks back to a conductor-less era when a soloist-leader would perform while simultaneously leading the orchestra. Not for the faint-of-heart, the Phil’s past versions featured Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Jeremy Denk. On April 17, 2016 at 3 pm, Principal Conductor and renowned violinist Jaime Laredo will lead and play Vivaldi’s scintillating Concerto Grosso in D Minor and Mozart’s sublime 3rd concerto. Then Laredo trades his bow for a baton, and the orchestra fast-forwards 200 years, to the rich sonic textures of John Corigliano’s Voyage and the percolating rhythms of Stravinsky’s homage to the Baroque, Pulcinella Suite.

Continuing its reputation as a launching pad for new, young talent (Joshua Bell, Midori, and Gil Shaham performed with the Phil as little-known teenagers), American conductor Kazem Abdullah and Israeli pianist Alon Goldstein will team up on June 19, 2016, for Brahms’ towering Piano Concerto No. 1. After serving as James Levine’s hand-picked assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, Abdullah has guest-conducted major orchestras across Europe and the Americas. Goldstein made his debut at age 18 with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic. The concert opens with Manuel de Falla’s exotic Ritual Fire Dance from El amor brujo, with its famous oboe solo, and continues with Mozart’s glorious final Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter.” Father’s Day celebrants will then enjoy another new Phil tradition: “Burgers, Beers & Brahms” a post-concert barbeque for the whole family.

Open Rehearsals

Free open rehearsals with the orchestra are scheduled for Sundays October 18, February 7, April 17 and June 19 at 11 am in The Concert Hall. Children and families welcome. Please visit www.westchesterphil.org for information before attending.

General Information and Tickets

All performances will take place in The Concert Hall at The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, New York. Five and four concert subscriptions range from $394-$89. Single tickets range from $98-$30. Student/child/group discounts are available. Winter Pops After-Party tickets are $22 each.

To purchase subscriptions and for additional information call the Westchester Philharmonic Box Office at (914) 682-3707 ext. 10 or visit www.westchesterphil.org for more information. Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Card accepted.

About the Westchester Philharmonic

Now in its 33rd season, the Westchester Philharmonic is the oldest, continuously running professional symphony orchestra and largest performing arts organization of any kind in Westchester County. The Philharmonic’s main stage concert series makes its home at the 1,300 seat Concert Hall at the Purchase Performing Arts Center, with outdoor concerts, chamber concerts, children’s programs, and special events throughout the area, attracting savvy music-lovers from Rockland, Bergen, Fairfield, and Putnam counties, New York City, and beyond.

In November 2013 the Philharmonic proudly announced the concurrent appointments of Jaime Laredo and Ted Sperling as the orchestra’s Principal Conductors, commencing with the current 2014-15 season.

Founded in 1983 as the New Orchestra of Westchester under the leadership of Music Director Paul Lustig Dunkel (who became Music Director Emeritus in 2008), the orchestra was later re-named the Westchester Philharmonic. Renowned artists who have performed with the Phil include Joshua Bell, Jeremy Denk, Branford Marsalis, Midori, Garrick Ohlsson, Itzhak Perlman, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Gil Shaham, Isaac Stern, and André Watts.

Among the many new works commissioned and premiered by the Westchester Philharmonic is Melinda Wagner’s Concerto for Flute, Strings and Percussion, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999. A new commission by Christopher Theofanidis is scheduled for debut during the 2015 – 2016 season.

The orchestra’s award-winning education program reaches thousands of elementary school students each year and culminates in a full orchestra concert. The Phil also partners with local organizations to present free and low-cost chamber concerts, as well as to provide subsidized seating at main stage concerts, welcoming hundreds of area residents each year who might not otherwise have an opportunity to attend.

The orchestra is comprised of the finest professional free-lance musicians from around the greater metropolitan area, who also perform regularly with the New York City Ballet, Orchestra St. Luke’s, Orpheus, Mostly Mozart, and for many Broadway shows. Members of the Phil hold faculty positions at Juilliard, Mannes, Manhattan School of Music, Purchase Conservatory, Vassar and Bard Colleges, and at local public schools.

This season is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. This season is also made possible, in part, by ArtsWestchester with funds from Westchester County Government.