Philharmonic announces 2018-19 season

News release from the Fort Wayne Philharmonic:

Fort Wayne Philharmonic announces 2018-19 season
75th Anniversary Season Celebration Features World-Renowned Artists, Programs, and Specials

(February 22, 2018) — Andrew Constantine, Music Director of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and James W. Palermo, Managing Director, today announced the Orchestra’s 2018-19 75th Anniversary Season.
A wide variety of world-renowned artists and programs will be presented throughout the 2018-19 75th Anniversary Season, celebrating the beloved masterworks of the repertoire alongside new compositions commissioned by Constantine and the Philharmonic to mark this milestone anniversary.
2018-19 75th Anniversary Season Highlights:

• Opening Night on October 6, 2018 features the world-renowned opera star and darling of classical music, the incomparable Renée Fleming.
• Music Director Andrew Constantine leads all ten Paul Yergens and Virginia Yergens Rogers Masterworks Series concerts, with a wide range of repertoire by the following composers: Adams, Barber, Beethoven, Berlioz, Bizet, Britten, Butterworth, Chausson, Dukas, Dvořák, JanácÌŒek, Puckett, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Sibelius, Strauss, Stravinsky, Tower, and Vaughan Williams.
• The Philharmonic will perform two works by American composer Joel Puckett: the premiere of an overture for Opening Night (October 6, 2018), and the Indiana premiere of Short Stories – Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra (April 6, 2019.) Both were commissioned by Music Director Andrew Constantine.
• Constantine will lead the Philharmonic and Fort Wayne Ballet March 22-24, 2019 in performances of Sergei Prokofiev’s hauntingly beautiful ballet Cinderella, based on the classic folk tale.
• On February 2, 2019 Andrew Constantine leads the Philharmonic and guests in a concert version of the world’s most popular opera, George Bizet’s Carmen, with stunning projected visuals.
• Benjamin Britten’s monumental War Requiem will be performed nearly 100 years to the day after the armistice of WWI, on November 10, 2018.
• Beethoven’s 9th Symphony will be paired with John Adams’ On the Transmigration of Souls on March 16, 2019.
• Sweetwater Pops Series includes Walt Disney’s Fantasia (November 3, 2018), Holiday Pops (December 7, 8, 15, 2018), Wynonna (January 26, 2019), The Sounds of Simon and Garfunkel (February 16, 2019), Sandi Patty and the Indiana University Singing Hoosiers (March 30, 2019), and George Gershwin: Rhapsody and Rhythm (May 11, 2019.)
• On March 2, 2019 the Philharmonic will present Broadway and Hamilton star, the 2016 Tony Award® winner Leslie Odom. Jr., in Concert.
• Artists making debuts or appearing on the Masterworks Series include soprano Renée Fleming, pianist Lise de la Salle, violinist Andrew Wan, cellist Robert deMaine, pianist Stewart Goodyear, and violinist Paul Huang. Complete artist biographies are listed below.
• Complete Masterworks Series concert details are listed below.
• Recorded rebroadcasts of Saturday Masterworks subscription concerts continue on WBNI-FM on select Thursday evenings throughout the year.

Said Music Director Andrew Constantine: “It is an honour to be your music director during this momentous 75th Anniversary Season, one that brings with it palpable excitement about the orchestra and its role in this community. This season you will notice the brightest stars, beloved, tried and true masterworks, and some new projects, all presented with our loyal and growing audiences in mind. We hope you enjoy all we have in store for you.”
Said Managing Director James W. Palermo: “Fort Wayne is truly one of the greatest places to live in America and the Philharmonic is a big part of this community. This orchestra is positioning itself to engage every citizen through performances, programs, educational opportunities, and collaborations. We are redefining how a 21st Century orchestra can serve its community. Thank you for joining us to celebrate this milestone anniversary and for supporting this special cultural jewel known as the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.”
The Philharmonic’s 75th Anniversary Season opens with the Paul Yergens and Virginia Yergens Rogers Foundation Masterworks Series concert featuring one of the most beloved and celebrated singers in the world, soprano Renée Fleming. Captivating audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry, and compelling stage presence, Fleming will sing a wide-ranging program of operatic and popular songs. The concert will begin with a world premiere, an overture for the Philharmonic’s Anniversary Season, by American composer Joel Puckett.
Other highlights of the Paul Yergens and Virginia Yergens Rogers Foundation
Masterworks Series include:

• The stunning French pianist Lise de la Salle performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 on October 27, 2018.
• Benjamin Britten’s monumental War Requiem on November 10, 2018, with Andrew Constantine conducting, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and Chorus, Purdue University Fort Wayne Chorus (formerly known as IPFW), Fort Wayne Children’s Choir, and guest soloists. This concert will be performed nearly 100 years to the day after the armistice of World War I. Benjamin Britten’s powerful masterpiece juxtaposes the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass with contemporary texts illustrating the ravages of war.
• George Bizet’s opera Carmen, on February 2, 2019, under the direction of Andrew Constantine, with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and Chorus, members of the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir, and soloists. A femme fatale for the ages, Carmen’s allure is spellbinding as she seduces a hapless corporal and a dashing bullfighter before meeting her demise at the hands of a jealous ex-lover. Bizet’s bewitching melodies, including the “Habanera” and the “Toreador Song,” and stunning projected visuals make this semi-staged production an ideal introduction to the thrill of opera.
• Beethoven’s 9th: An Ode to Joy, on March 16, 2019. Andrew Constantine, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and Chorus, Fort Wayne Children’s Choir, and soloists perform a concert that includes Beethoven’s magnum opus, a work that has inspired audiences with its monumental scale, intensive technical demands, and the utopian idealism of its “Ode to Joy.” It is paired with American composer John Adams’ On the Transmigration of Souls, a musical commemoration of the victims of 9/11.

The Sweetwater Pops Series brings the very best in popular entertainment to Fort Wayne. Favorite artists, great film music, nostalgic tributes, and holiday traditions all find a place on this iconic series:

• Walt Disney’s Fantasia opens the Series on November 3, 2018. The animated film masterpiece is screened with the Philharmonic performing the score live on stage, including a compilation of scenes from the original 1940 version and Fantasia 2000, set to works like “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” “Pomp and Circumstance,” and music from “The Firebird.” Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts. © All rights reserved.
• Holiday Pops is back on December 7, 8 & 15, 2018 with the music, memories, and popular culture of Christmas. Audiences will revel in scenic splendor, exquisite dancing, special appearances by Santa and Mrs. Claus, the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir, a carol sing-along, and the “Hallelujah” Chorus.
• On January 26, 2019, Wynonna in Concert brings the five-time GRAMMY® winner, her commanding voice, and greatest hits to the stage with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.
• The Sounds of Simon and Garfunkel on February 16, 2019 features vocalists AJ Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle singing the 1960s folk rock duo’s harmonies, complete with lush acoustic orchestral arrangements of standards such as “Mrs. Robinson,” “Sounds of Silence,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
• Salute to America features Indiana’s own legendary vocalist Sandi Patty on March 30, 2019 with the Indiana University Singing Hoosiers in a musical tribute to the USA. Featured will be stunning symphonic arrangements of iconic American music for voice, chorus, and orchestra.
• George Gershwin: Rhapsody and Rhythm on May 11, 2019 is a multimedia extravaganza with choreography and historic film footage that celebrates the ingenious musical legacy of George and Ira Gershwin, including Rhapsody in Blue and the pair’s most popular songs, such as “I Got Rhythm” and “Summertime.”

The Ambassador Enterprises Chamber Orchestra Series offers personal, intimate, and engaging concerts for smaller orchestra that focus on a colorful array of classical masterpieces. Some of the most popular works and genres have been curated for this series. Experience the music against the backdrop of the stunning stained glass windows of the First Wayne Street United Methodist Church. In March, the Philharmonic joins Fort Wayne Ballet at Arts United Center for four thrilling performances of Prokofiev’s Cinderella.
The Ambassador Enterprises Chamber Orchestra Series includes:

• The Grand Viola on Saturday, November 17, 2018, featuring Andrew Constantine and Zoë Martin-Doike, viola. Curated by Music Director Andrew Constantine, English folk tunes, pastoral scenes, reminiscences of those loved and lost, and odes to music and dance will fill the evening and delight the senses.
  BRITTEN Suite on English Folk Tunes, Op. 90
  BRUCH Romanze for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 85
  PAGANINI Sonata per la Grand Viola
  STRAVINSKY Apollo
  PÄRT Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten
• Messiah by Candlelight on December 13 and 14, 2018 will feature Handel’s most recognizable and revered masterpiece, performed to the warm glow of candlelight in the most luminous of settings. The Philharmonic’s Messiah is now considered Fort Wayne’s most popular, sold-out holiday tradition.
• Beethoven’s 2nd Symphony is front and center on Saturday, February 9, 2019, in a concert conducted by Benjamin Rivera. Also programmed is the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, featuring the Freimann Quartet in the midst of the full string orchestra, performing poignant renditions of English Renaissance melodies.
  PISTON Serenata
  VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Five Mystical Songs
  VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
  BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2
• Cinderella is a collaboration with Fort Wayne Ballet, on March 22-24, 2019. Led by Music Director Andrew Constantine, Cinderella tells the tale of a beautiful young girl, her domineering stepmother, mean-spirited stepsisters, and a charming prince. Prokofiev’s hauntingly beautiful score, breathtaking sets, and enchanting costumes add exquisite charm to this timeless rags-to-riches story.
  PROKOFIEV Cinderella

The Brotherhood Mutual Freimann Series offers audiences great chamber music classics, up close and personal. This is highly intimate music making at its best. Wednesday evening performances are performed at the Parkview Physicians Group ArtsLab, the black box theatre located in the heart of the vibrant Downtown Arts Campus. Sunday performances occur at Rhinehart Music Center at Purdue University Fort Wayne (formerly known as IPFW.)

• Beethoven and Mendelssohn on October 17 and 21, 2018 features two of the greatest composers of the 19th century who converge on this program that opens with Beethoven’s homage to Mozart and concludes with his string quartet named for pairs of players whose arpeggios mimic the plucking of a harp.
  BEETHOVEN Variations on “La ci darem la mano” from Don Giovanni
  MENDELSSOHN Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello No. 2, Op. 66
  BEETHOVEN String Quartet No. 10, Op. 74, “Harp”
• Bartók’s String Quartet on January 16 and 20, 2019 highlights the great Hungarian composer’s first quartet, a musical love letter dedicated to a relationship that never was meant to be. The concert opens with Beethoven’s sparkling wind octet adaptation of great themes from his only opera.
  BEEThOVEN Excerpts from Fidelio
  SCHUMANN Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1, Op. 105
  BARTÓK String Quartet No. 1, Sz. 40
• And This is My Beloved on March 6 and 10, 2019 offers Borodin’s string quartet, which boasts one of the most enduringly romantic tunes ever written, immortalized in the 1953 musical Kismet. “And This Is My Beloved” was recorded by musical icons from Sarah Vaughan to Sammy Davis, Jr.
  GREIG Suite for Brass
  REICHA Wind Quintet Op. 91, No. 1 in C
  BORODIN String Quartet No. 2
• Shining River on May 8 and 12, 2019 is named for the work by Shafer Mahoney for flute and harp that opens this varied program curated by musicians of the Philharmonic. Bruckner’s lovely C minor string quartet wasn’t discovered until 55 years after his death and was first performed in 1951.
  MAHONEY Shining River
  WILSON Woofin’ the Cat Suite
  MILHAUD Les Rêves de Jacob Op. 294 (1949)
  BRUCKNER String Quartet in C minor, WAB 111

The STAR Family Series offers a variety of fun and educational experiences for audiences of all ages at the Rhinehart Music Center on the campus of Purdue University Fort Wayne (formerly IPFW.) These 60-minute performances are a great introduction to classical music for the entire family. Before each performance, audiences are welcome to enjoy free activities in the lobby of the Rhinehart Music Center, including concert-themed crafts and the Philharmonic Friends Instrument Playground.

At the Halloween Spooktacular on October 28, 2018 family-friendly ghosts and goblins converge in costume at the Philharmonic’s annual concert of seasonal favorites. The afternoon begins with activities for kids in the lobby and ends with cherished music from John Williams’ score to the movie Harry Potter.
Camille Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre
Grieg
 Lyric Suite: March of the Dwarfs
Offenbach Orpheus in the Underworld: Overture
Williams Harry Potter Excerpts

• Carnival of the Animals on February 24, 2019 is a musical menagerie of creatures of all shapes and sizes that teaches young audiences about the instruments of the orchestra. Tortoises, hens, elephants, and even kangaroos parade through two colorful and educational pieces for music lovers of all ages.
  Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals
  Poulenc L’Histoire de Babar, le petit éléphant (The Story of Babar, the little elephant)
• Sports in Music: Faster Higher Stronger! on Sunday, April 28, 2019 is for the athlete in all of us. The Philharmonic will warm up with NFL sports themes and music from the Olympics before hitting a home run with Casey at the Bat, a hysterical romp for orchestra and narrator.
  VARIOUS Music of the Olympics
  JOHN WILLIAMS Favorite selections
  SIBELIUS The Lonely Ski Trail, JS 77a
  VARIOUS Music of the NFL and familiar sports themes
  PROTO Casey at the Bat!

An Evening with Leslie Odom, Jr. and Other Special Events:
Broadway and Hamilton star, and winner of the 2016 Tony Award® for Best Actor in a Musical, Leslie Odom, Jr. makes his Fort Wayne debut on March 2, 2019 in a concert of old standards, Broadway showstoppers, and jazz hits, proving why his solo albums are topping the charts. Subscribers to any 2018-19 Season series gain priority access and best seat selection for An Evening with Leslie Odom, Jr. before they go on sale to the public. More Special Concerts will be announced at a later date.

 

Information About Subscriptions:
Subscriptions for all 2018-19 Season series are now on sale through the Box Office by calling 260.481.0777.
By becoming a Fort Wayne Philharmonic subscriber, patrons are entitled to special benefits and perks, including preferred seating, flexibility and savings, email reminders and notifications, insider news, and invitations to free special events and parties.
Tickets to individual concerts will go on sale sometime this summer. Call the Box Office at 260.481.0770 for more information.
Group Sales:
Group Sales are a great way to orchestrate a unique night at the Philharmonic. Group tickets are available for all standard season concerts including Masterworks, Pops, Chamber Orchestra, Family, and Freimann Series. Only groups receive special group pricing, priority seating, recognition at the beginning of the concert, and personalized assistance to help plan the evening. For pricing and additional information call Ed Stevens at 260.481.0766 or email estevens@fwphil.org.
Other Information:
The Philharmonic hosts a myriad of free and other community engagement events all season long, including Regional Holiday Pops and Patriotic Pops, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic/Conductors Guild International Conductor Workshop, Earshot New Music Readings, Youth Orchestra concerts, Live at Lunch performances around town, and Leading by Listening workshops. Check the website at fwphil.org or call 260.481.0777 for more information.
Special Services:
Wheelchair and disabled patron access is available at all Fort Wayne Philharmonic performances at the Embassy Theatre, the Rhinehart Music Center at Purdue University Fort Wayne (formerly IPFW), First Wayne Street United Methodist Church, and Arts United Center. Handicapped seating is not available in the balcony at the Embassy Theatre. Please inform the Philharmonic about accommodations needed for group members.
Box Office Hours And Policies:
The Fort Wayne Philharmonic Box Office
4901 Fuller Dr.
Fort Wayne, IN 46835
260.481.0777
Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturdays 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. (Masterworks or Pops concert days only)
The Philharmonic Box Office opens 45 minutes to one hour prior to performances at concert sites.
Tickets for regular season concerts may also be purchased at The Embassy Theatre Box Office during the hours of 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Log on to the Philharmonic website at fwphil.org for Concert and Box Office Policies and information about Student Rush Tickets and FREE tickets for kids.
Artistic Leadership:
Andrew Constantine, Music Director, Ione Breeden Auer Podium Endowment
Born in the northeast of England, Andrew Constantine began his musical studies on the cello and his conducting studies with John Carewe and Norman Del Mar in London and later with Leonard Bernstein at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Germany. A British Council scholarship took Constantine to the Leningrad State Conservatory in 1991 where he studied with the legendary pedagogue Ilya Musin. His Royal Festival Hall debut in 1992 with the London Philharmonic was met with unanimous critical acclaim and praise. Since then, Andrew Constantine has worked throughout the UK and Europe with many leading orchestras including The Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic and Danish Radio Orchestra. In 2004, Andrew Constantine was invited by the great Russian maestro Yuri Temirkanov to become Assistant Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Within a year he became Associate Conductor and has continued a fruitful relationship with the orchestra since that time. In 2007 he accepted the position of Music Director of the Reading Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania and in 2009 he was chosen as the Music Director of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. In North America, he has worked with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, Syracuse Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Chautauqua Festival Orchestra and Phoenix Symphony, among others. Constantine’s repertoire is incredibly broad and, while embracing the standard classics, spans symphonic works from Antheil and Bliss to Nielsen and Mahler, as well as contemporary works by emerging composers.
https://www.andrewconstantine.com/

 

Caleb Young, Assistant Conductor
Caleb Young joined the Fort Wayne Philharmonic as Assistant Conductor in the fall of 2016. He serves as cover conductor to all Masterworks and other selected programs and conducts various concerts throughout the season including pops, education, family, ballet, film and other specials. Young is dedicated to attracting younger audiences to the Philharmonic, pioneering the “Music and Mixology” series. Young has conducted the Oregon Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, and the Asheville Ballet. During the 2017-18 season, Young will debut with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. He has assisted and covered such organizations as the St. Louis Symphony, Van Cliburn Competition, Atlanta Opera, Portland Symphony and the National Music Festival. In 2016 Young was selected by members of the Vienna Philharmonic for the American Austrian Foundation’s (AAF) Ansbacher Conducting Fellowship Prize, which takes place during the prestigious Salzburg Festival. Young was also selected as a participant conductor in the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, where he performed and worked with Marin Alsop and James Ross. Young has also served as assistant conductor for the National Music Festival. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, Young started his musical training on piano at the age of three. He received his master’s degree in orchestral conducting from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with David Effron and Arthur Fagen. Other teachers include Demondrae Thurman and John Ratledge.
https://www.calebwyoung.com/

 

Benjamin Rivera, Chorus Director, Louise Bonter Podium Endowment
Benjamin Rivera has prepared and conducted choruses at all levels—from elementary school through adult, volunteer and professional—in repertoire from sacred polyphony and chant, choral/orchestral masterworks, and contemporary pieces to gospel, pop, and folk. He has served as Chorus Director and regular conductor of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic since 2013, and has appeared multiple times as guest Chorus Director of the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago and Guest Music Director of Chicago a cappella. Artistic director and conductor of Cantate Chicago since 2000, Rivera also serves as Music Director and Choirmaster of the Church of the Ascension and High Holidays Choir Director at Temple Sholom, both featuring fully professional ensembles. He takes on the position of Associate Conductor of GRAMMY®-winning Washington Chorus this fall. A member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus for over twenty seasons—including twelve as bass section leader—Rivera also sings professionally with the Grant Park Chorus. He sang for many years with Chicago a cappella and several other ensembles, appearing as a soloist on numerous programs, and singing on dozens of recordings.
Rivera has been on the faculty of several colleges and universities, directing choirs and teaching conducting, voice, diction, music theory, and history. In addition, he has adjudicated competitions (solo and ensemble), led master classes and in-school residencies, and has presented at the Iowa Choral Directors Association summer conference. Dr. Rivera is a member of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), Chorus America, and the College Music Society (CMS).
https://fwphil.org/about-the-phil/artistic-leadership/benjamin-rivera

 

The Paul Yergens and Virginia Yergens Rogers Foundation Masterworks Series
The Paul Yergens and Virginia Yergens Rogers Foundation Masterworks Series features thrilling symphonic music, world-renowned soloists, and the versatile artistry of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, under the baton of music director Andrew Constantine.
OPENING NIGHT WITH RENÉE FLEMING
Saturday, October 6 | 7:30 p.m. | Embassy Theatre
Andrew Constantine, Conductor
Renée Fleming, soprano
One of the world’s most celebrated singers, Renée Fleming captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice and consummate artistry. To open the Philharmonic’s 75th Anniversary Season, she will sing a wide-ranging program of operatic and popular songs. The concert will begin with the world premiere of an anniversary overture by American composer Joel Puckett, commissioned by Music Director Andrew Constantine especially for the occasion.
This concert is also part of The Robert, Carrie, and Bobbie Steck Family Foundation Great Performer Series.

 

THE RACH 2
Saturday, October 27, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Embassy Theatre
Andrew Constantine, conductor
Lise de la Salle, piano
Strauss Don Juan, Op. 20
Strauss Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59: Suite
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
The brilliant young French pianist Lise de la Salle will play Rachmaninoff’s most popular piano concerto, with its blizzard of notes and luxuriant string melodies. Two showpieces by Strauss display the Philharmonic’s stunning virtuosity.

 

BRITTEN’S WAR REQUIEM
Saturday, November 10, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Embassy Theatre
Andrew Constantine, conductor
Fort Wayne Philharmonic Chorus
Purdue University Fort Wayne Chorus (IPFW Chorus)
Fort Wayne Children’s Choir
Soprano, Tenor, and Baritone soloists
Britten War Requiem, Op. 66
This concert will be performed nearly 100 years to the day after the armistice of World War I. Benjamin Britten’s powerful masterpiece juxtaposes the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass with contemporary texts illustrating the ravages of war.

 

PETROUCHKA
Saturday, January 12, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Embassy Theatre
Andrew Constantine, conductor
Andrew Wan, violin
Dukas L’apprenti sorcier (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice)
Chausson Poème, Op.25
Ravel Tzigane, rapsodie de concert, for Violin & Orchestra
Stravinsky Petrouchka
Colorful French works fill the first half of this concert, including The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, a work popularized in Walt Disney’s 1940 classic film Fantasia. Petrouchka is Stravinsky’s brilliant ballet burlesque about the playful and very naughty clown audiences have loved for over a century.

 

BIZET’S CARMEN
Saturday, February 2, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Embassy Theatre
Andrew Constantine, conductor
Fort Wayne Philharmonic Chorus
Members of the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir
Soloists
Bizet Carmen
The world’s most popular opera. A femme fatale for the ages, Carmen’s allure is spellbinding as she seduces a hapless corporal and a dashing bullfighter before meeting her tragic demise at the hands of a jealous ex-lover. Bizet’s bewitching melodies, including the “Habanera” and the “Toreador Song,” and stunning projected visuals make this semi-staged production an ideal introduction to the thrill of opera.

 

BARBER AND VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
Saturday, February 23, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Rhinehart Music Center, IPFW
Andrew Constantine, conductor
Robert deMaine, cello
Butterworth The Banks of Green Willow
Barber Cello concerto, Op. 22
Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 5 in D Major
Barber’s Cello Concerto is a work of musical fireworks and aching lyricism. The concert concludes with Vaughan Williams’ most popular symphony, a pastoral romance that sings with emotional strength and spirituality.

 

BEETHOVEN’S 9th: AN ODE TO JOY
Saturday, March 16, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Embassy Theatre
Andrew Constantine, conductor
Fort Wayne Philharmonic Chorus
Fort Wayne Children’s Choir
Soloists
Adams On the Transmigration of Souls
Beethoven Symphony No.9 in D minor, Op. 125
Beethoven’s 9th has inspired audiences with its monumental scale, intensive technical demands, and the utopian idealism of its Ode to Joy. It is paired with American composer John Adams’ musical commemoration of the victims of 9/11, a work described as “a place where you can go and be alone with your thoughts and emotions.”

 

SIBELIUS 2
Saturday, April 6, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Rhinehart Music Center, IPFW
Andrew Constantine, conductor
Tower Made in America
Puckett Short Stories – Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra
Sibelius Symphony No.2, in D Major, Op. 43
Sibelius was Finland’s greatest composer and a national hero. His most famous symphony is full of soaring melodies and folk-like references. Joel Puckett’s Concerto, an infectious intertwining of eight short vignettes, receives its Indiana orchestral premiere at this concert.

 

THE FANTASTIC SYMPHONY
Saturday, April 27, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Embassy Theatre
Andrew Constantine, conductor
Stewart Goodyear, piano
Berlioz Roméo et Juliette: Queen Mab Scherzo
Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.16
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, Op.14
Berlioz’s psychedelic symphonic portrait tells the tale of an artist’s self-destructive passion for a beautiful woman. It is full of obsessions and dreams, ecstasy and despair. Grieg’s concerto was an instant success, a work of charm, teeming with vitality and perfect simplicity.

 

DVOŘÁK AND JANÁČEK
Saturday, May 18, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Embassy Theatre
Andrew Constantine, conductor
Paul Huang, violin
Dvořák Violin Concerto in A minor, Op.53, B.96
Dvořák Slavonic Dances
Janáček Sinfonietta
With its military bands, dazzling fanfares, and 13 additional brass players, Janáček’s Sinfonietta sounds as fresh today as it did at its premiere. Beginning the program are two seminal works by fellow countryman Antonín Dvořák, whose lively, folk-like sensibilities defined the language of late-19th-century Romantic music.

 

Renée Fleming, Soprano
One of the most beloved and celebrated singers of our time, soprano Renée Fleming captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry, and compelling stage presence. At a White House ceremony in 2013, President Obama awarded her the National Medal of Arts, America’s highest honor for an individual artist. Winner of the 2013 GRAMMY® Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo, she brought her voice to a vast new audience in 2014, as the first classical artist ever to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl. In 2018 Renée will make her Broadway musical debut in a major revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel.
A four-time GRAMMY® winner, Renée won the 2013 Best Classical Vocal Solo GRAMMY® Award for Poèmes (Decca, 2012), a collection of 20th-Century French music, including works composed especially for her by Henri Dutilleux. In spring 2017, Renée’s 2009 album Signatures was selected by the U.S. Library of Congress for the National Recording Registry, as an “aural treasure worthy of preservation as part of America’s patrimony.”
In 2016, Renée was appointed Artistic Advisor-at-Large for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Hall Corporation, among others. In 2010, she was named the first-ever Creative Consultant at Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she is also a member of the Board and a Vice President.
www.reneefleming.com

 

Lise de la Salle, Piano
Lise de la Salle has established a reputation as one of today’s most exciting young artists and as a musician of uncommon sensibility and maturity. Her playing inspired a Washington Post critic to write, “For much of the concert, the audience had to remember to breathe… the exhilaration didn’t let up for a second until her hands came off the keyboard.”
A native of France, Ms. de la Salle first came to international attention in 2005, at the age of 16, with a Bach/Liszt recording that Gramophone Magazine selected as “Recording of the Month.” Ms. de la Salle, who records for the Naïve label, was then similarly recognized in 2008 for her recording of the first concertos of Liszt, Prokofiev and Shostakovich – a remarkable feat for someone only 20 years old.
The 2017-2018 season will see the release of a Bach-focused disc on Naïve including the Italian Concerto, the Liszt Fantasy & Fugue on the Theme B.A.C.H. and the Bach/Busoni Chaconne.
Ms. de la Salle also takes pleasure in educational outreach and conducts master classes in many of the cities in which she performs.
Ms. de la Salle has won First Prize in many French piano competitions, including the Steinway, Sucy, Vulaines, and Radio-France Competitions. In 2003, she won the “Groupe Banque Populaire Natexis” Prize, for which she received a three-year scholarship.
https://lisedelasalle.com/about-me/

 

Andrew Wan, Violin
Andrew Wan is equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, and concertmaster. In August of 2008, he was named Concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO), making him one of the youngest leaders of a major symphony.
As soloist, he has appeared in the United States, China, New Zealand, Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Switzerland, and Canada in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Benaroya Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, Jordan Hall and Salle Gaveau with artists such as the Juilliard Quartet, the Sejong Soloists, Vadim Repin, Emanuel Ax, Gil Shaham, Marc-André Hamelin, Menaham Pressler, and Cho-Liang Lin.
Discography includes GRAMMY® and Juno award-nominated releases on the Onyx, Bridge, and Naxos labels with James Ehnes and the Seattle Chamber Music Society, the Metropolis Ensemble, and the Opus-award winning New Orford Quartet. He is currently Assistant Professor of Violin at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University.
Andrew Wan performs on a 1744 Michel’Angelo Bergonzi violin, and gratefully acknowledges its loan from the David Sela Collection.
https://www.osm.ca/en/andrew-wan/
Robert deMaine, Cello
Praised by the New York Times as “an artist who makes one hang on every note,” Robert deMaine is the Principal Cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A highly sought-after solo artist and chamber musician, he is a frequent guest artist at many of the world’s premier chamber music festivals, including those of Marlboro, Seattle, Great Lakes, Limoges, Heidelberg Schlossfest, Chamberfest Cleveland, Montreal, Seoul’s Ditto Festival, and most recently featured as a soloist at the 2016 Piatigorsky Cello Festival. His playing is noted for its “beautiful singing tone, lapidary technical precision, and a persuasive identification with the idiom of the music at hand.” As a soloist, he performs the great works of the repertoire both old and new from concertos by Haydn, Dvořák, Elgar and Penderecki, as well as more recent works by John Williams and Christopher Theofanidis. As a recitalist the great works for cello and piano as well as the suites of J.S. Bach remain staples of his repertoire, and as one critic noted, his playing was “magnificent” and that his “technical brilliance is surpassed only by the beauty of tones he produces.”
As soloist, he has collaborated with many of the world’s most distinguished conductors, and has performed nearly all the major cello concertos with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he served as principal cello for over a decade. A founding member of the Ehnes Quartet in 2010, he also performs in a piano trio with violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Natalie Zhu.
Robert deMaine has recorded for Naxos, Chandos, Onyx, CBC, DSO, Elysium, and Capstone and has been featured on the BBC, PBS, NPR’s Performance Today, the Canadian Broadcasting Company, France Musique, and RAI, among others. Robert deMaine performs on a cello made in 1684 by Antonio Stradivari, the “General Kyd, ex-Leo Stern.”
https://www.robertdemaine.com/

 

Stewart Goodyear, Piano
Proclaimed “a phenomenon” by the Los Angeles Times and “one of the best pianists of his generation” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Stewart Goodyear is an accomplished young pianist as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, recitalist and composer. Mr. Goodyear has performed with major orchestras of the world, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, and Academy of St Martin in the Fields, among others.
Mr. Goodyear began his training at The Royal Conservatory in Toronto, received his bachelor’s degree from Curtis Institute of Music, and completed his master’s at The Juilliard School. His vast discography includes recordings of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and Rachmaninov. Mr. Goodyear’s recording of his own transcription of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker (Complete Ballet)” was released in October 2015 and was chosen by the New York Times as one of the best classical music recordings of 2015. His recording of Ravel’s piano works was released last summer on the Orchid Classics label.
https://www.stewartgoodyearpiano.com/

 

Paul Huang, Violin
Recipient of the prestigious 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2017 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, forthcoming engagements for violinist Paul Huang include debuts with the Mariinsky Orchestra with Valery Gergiev (St. Petersburg’s White Nights Festival), Berliner Symphoniker with Lior Shambadal (Philharmonie Berlin debut), Detroit Symphony with Leonard Slatkin, Houston Symphony with Andres Orozco-Estrada, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s, among others.
His first solo CD, Intimate Inspiration, is a collection of favorite virtuoso and romantic encore pieces released on the CHIMEI label. In association with Camerata Pacifica, he recorded “Four Songs of Solitude” for solo violin on their album of John Harbison works. The album was released on the Harmonia Mundi label in fall 2014.
Born in Taiwan, Mr. Huang began violin lessons at the age of seven. He is a proud recipient of the inaugural Kovner Fellowship at The Juilliard School, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees under Hyo Kang and I-Hao Lee. He plays on the 1742 ex-Wieniawski Guarneri del Gesù on loan through the generous efforts of the Stradivari Society of Chicago.
https://www.paulhuangviolin.com/

 

Fort Wayne Philharmonic
Entering its 2018-19 75th Anniversary Season, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic’s mission is to inspire and foster a lifelong love of symphonic music through performance and education. Music Director Andrew Constantine leads the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. All programming is made possible by the support of community individuals, businesses, corporations and foundations. The Philharmonic is a member of the League of American Orchestras and a funded member of Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne, the Indiana Arts Commission, and National Endowment for the Arts. For additional information, call 260.481.0777 or log on to the website at fwphil.org.

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