BEETHOVEN - Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor

BEETHOVEN - Symphony No.9, Op. 125 in D minor

Andrew Constantine, conductor
Jon Kimura Parker, piano
Fort Wayne Philharmonic Chorus, Benjamin Rivera, Director

Bethoven composed his fifth and final piano concerto, “The Emperor”, while feeling the effects of Napoleon’s war in Vienna. He wrote to his publisher that in order to save what little hearing he had left, he would go to his brother’s cellar and cover his ears with pillows. The heroic style and military symbolism which inspired “The Emperor” will be ably displayed by virtuoso piano soloist Jon Kimura Parker. Regarded by many critics and musicologists as one of the supreme masterpieces of all music, Beethoven’s final complete symphony, “The Ninth”, was the first such work to include a chorus and vocal soloists. By then, his deafness was so complete that after conducting the symphony’s premiere he couldn’t even hear the audience go wild, and had to be turned around to witness their standing ovation. This season’s grand finale also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Chorus. This concert is not one to be missed!

Andrew Constantine, Conductor

Experience this unique fan-favorite event! Bach in the Barn is an intimate listening experience in a timeless countryside setting surrounded by picturesque landscape. Candlelit tables and wine paired with desserts offer an unparalleled opportunity to experience the beauty of classical chamber music in a setting that feels both historic and refreshing.

Andrew Constantine, Conductor

Experience this unique fan-favorite event! Bach in the Barn is an intimate listening experience in a timeless countryside setting surrounded by picturesque landscape. Candlelit tables and wine paired with desserts offer an unparalleled opportunity to experience the beauty of classical chamber music in a setting that feels both historic and refreshing.

Andrew Constantine, Conductor

Experience this unique fan-favorite event! Bach in the Barn is an intimate listening experience in a timeless countryside setting surrounded by picturesque landscape. Candlelit tables and wine paired with desserts offer an unparalleled opportunity to experience the beauty of classical chamber music in a setting that feels both historic and refreshing.

TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”

Eric Silberger, Violin
Andrew Constantine, Conductor

SCHWANTNER - Percussion Concerto No. 1

ELGAR - Symphony No.2.

Andrew Constantine, conductor
Lisa Pegher – percussion

The final concert in our America 250 series begins with music of Joseph Schwantner. One of the leading American composers writing today, his Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra was commissioned for the 150th season of the New York Philharmonic and has become one of the most performed works of the past several decades. “The passionate pilgrimage of the soul” is how Sir Edward Elgar referred to his Symphony No. 2, the monumental work which concludes this evening.

LILI BOULANGER - D’un matin de printemps (Of a Spring Morning)

EDGAR MEYER - Violin Concerto

DEBUSSY - Rondes de printemps

RAVEL - Piano Trio (orchestrated Yan Pascal Tortelier)

Andrew Constantine, conductor
Eric Silberger, violin

The evening begins with Lili Boulanger, the first female to win the Prix de Rome Composition prize, followed by American Bassist, Composer, and 7-time Grammy Award-winner, Edgar Meyer, whose Violin Concerto features Eric Silberger on violin. Add Debussy, sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer and you already have quite the night! Follow it all up with Frenchman Maurice Ravel’s Piano Trio, expanded from its original three-instrument arrangement to a full orchestral work by fellow countryman Yan Pascal Tortelier. Ravel brought the innovative Trio to a hurried completion so he could enlist in the French Army at the onset of World War I. His inspiration was drawn from a wide variety of sources, from his Basque dance heritage to Malaysian poetry.

MOZART Symphony No. 29
MOZART Horn Concerto No. 3
HAYDN Symphony No. 101, “The Clock”

Megan Amos, French horn
Andrew Constantine, Conductor

BLOCH — Schelomo; Hebraic Rhapsody

DAUGHERTY — Metropolis Symphony

The third concert in our America 250 series opens with Ernest Bloch’s Schelomo: Hebraic Rhapsody. This biblically-inspired work will feature our own Principal Cello Andre Gaskins portraying the voice of King Solomon. A piece for all the people, the evening’s finale will be the Metropolis Symphony by Michael Daugherty, a five-movement work inspired by Superman comics.

PUCINNI Selections from La boheme, Le villi, Gianni Schicchi, Edgar, and Turandot
TCHAIKOVSKY Selections from Sleeping Beauty and Eugene Onegin
TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo & Juliet

Toni Marie Palmertree, Soprano
Charles Reid, Tenor
Andrew Constantine, Conductor

PETER BOYER — Ellis Island: The Dream of America

BERNSTEIN — Symphony No.2, (the Age of Anxiety)

Andrew Constantine, conductor
Joyce Yang, piano

The second celebration in our America 250 series begins with Peter Boyer’s ELLIS ISLAND: The Dream of America. This work was released in 2002 and tells the story of the immigrant experience of searching for new life in the New World. Leonard Bernstein’s non-traditional Symphony No. 2, The Age of Anxiety, inspired by Auden’s Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry, brings the evening to a jazzy close.

Andrew Constantine, conductor
Chloe Lowery, vocalist

The name is Bond – James Bond. Join us for the music from five decades of Bond films. Included are such iconic songwriters from Shirley Bassey to Paul McCartney and Carly Simon to Adele.

The Music of James Bond and More

JOAN TOWER — Tambor

GEORGE S. CLINTON — The Rose of Sonora
               Holly Mulcahy, violin

GROFÉ — Grand Canyon Suite

Andrew Constantine, conductor
Holly Mulcahy, violin

Join us for the first of five concerts programmed to celebrate America’s 250th birthday with music by American composers. Joan Tower highlights percussion instruments in Tambor, a one-movement work in which the entire orchestra takes on percussive characteristics. Next, George S. Clinton’s The Rose of Sonora is a violin concerto inspired by and simulating an old Western with movements acting as scenes. The piece was originally written for soloist Holly Mulcahy, who portrayed an outlaw in music helping to make the work more relatable for today’s audiences. Clinton’s experience as a film composer helps bring his music to life. Last, but surely not least, the finale of the evening is the familiar Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofe, a tribute to the incredible natural beauty of America.

Andrew Constantine, conductor
Morgan James, vocalist

The name is Bond – James Bond. Join us for the music from five decades of Bond films. Included are such iconic songwriters from Shirley Bassey to Paul McCartney and Carly Simon to Adele.

The Music of James Bond and More

Andrew Constantine, Conductor

Igor Yuzefovich, Violin

O’Malley – Obliviana
Prokofiev – Lieutenant Kije
Beethoven – Violin Concerto

Andrew Constantine, Conductor

Matthew Bengtson, Piano

Mendelssohn – Hebrides Overture
Mendelssohn – G minor Piano Concerto
Mozart – Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter”

PROGRAM

SIBELIUS
Concerto In D Minor For Violin & Orchestra, Op. 47

Allegro Moderato
Adagio Di Molto
Allegro; Ma Non Tanto

Paul Huang, Violin

INTERMISSION

SHOSTAKOVICH

Symphony No. 10 In E Minor, Op. 93

Moderato
Allegro
Allegretto
Andante - Allegro

Andrew Constantine, Conductor
Join the RSO in a thrilling performance of John Williams’ legendary music, promising an unforgettable way to ring in the New Year.