David Hayes Conducts Bernstein
David Hayes conductor
Sandy Cameron piano
Friday, November 22, 2024 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 24, 2024 2:30 pm
Music Director David Hayes conducts the music of three 20th-century geniuses influenced by New York. Leonard Bernstein began writing a violin concerto for Isaac Stern in 1953 and through the course of ensuing decades, it remained one of his fondest works. It is performed by violinist Sandy Cameron, a tour de force in 20th and 21st-century repertoire, hailed as “brilliant” by The Washington Post. Bartók’s Divertimento, written weeks before he was forced to leave fascist Europe for the life of an exile in New York City, is a musical contrast to Kernis’ Musica Celestis, inspired by the medieval conception of angels singing in heaven.
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia has curated an incredible lineup for our 60th Anniversary Season. Celebrating our past with favorite concertos while embracing the future with visionary new works and talented soloists is the perfect way to mark this milestone. With new Music Director David Hayes, the 2024-2025 Season will be filled with unforgettable musical experiences. Whether you enjoy the gravitas of Beethoven or the grandeur of Mozart, you can create a musical journey all your own this season.
Explore our season today and experience the music that inspires you.
More Upcoming Performances
Friday, January 17, 2025 7:30 pm
Sunday, January 19, 2025 2:30 pm
For a gateway into the world of the Baroque, the Brandenburg Concertos are quintessentially Bach. Conducted by Jeffrey Brillhart, this concert features two of these delightful “Brandenburgs” along with his celebrated cantata “Ich habe genug” sung by Soprano Kara Goodrich. Rebel’s Les Élémens movements depicting earth, air, fire, and water will conclude the program.
Friday, February 14, 2025 7:30 pm
Sunday, February 16, 2025 2:30 pm
Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major is a genuine masterpiece that vanished for over 200 years. First performed by COP (Concerto Soloists) in 1975, this performance will feature cellist Tommy Mesa, one of the most charismatic, innovative, and engaging performers of his generation. He will also perform the Philadelphia premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s “Divided”, a piece he premiered in 2022. David Hayes will conduct Haydn’s “Tempora mutantur”, the symphony named for the mysterious 16th-century proverb found on a set of authentic parts translated as “The times change, and we change with them.” It is befitting that Composer-in-Residence Evan Williams will premiere a new commission alongside these masterworks.
Our Mission
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The inception of the ensemble was motivated, in part, by the desire to provide performance opportunities for young professional musicians emerging from the Curtis Institute of Music and other regional training programs, as well as the intention to contribute meaningfully to the region’s cultural life. Over time, its mission and programming have broadened, inspired by a desire to help secure the future of classical repertoire by placing it in a broader context of contemporary works (including new commissions), other musical genres and traditions, and lesser-known pieces from the traditional repertoire which deserve modern audience attention. Creative collaborations with other major arts institutions, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Clef Club of Jazz, and the Annenberg Center, have been a key focus of those ambitions – all with the intention of enriching the musical experiences of Philadelphia audiences through original programming choices that stretch boundaries and invite fresh perspectives. In total, the organization has commissioned and premiered over seventy new works. It remains committed to showcasing emerging young performers of exceptional talent.
Ignat Solzhenitsyn, a concert pianist and conducting graduate from the Curtis Institute, was named Principal Conductor in 1998 and Music Director in 2004. As Conductor Laureate (since 2010), Maestro Solzhenitsyn has gone on to a distinguished international career as a concert pianist and conductor but remains closely associated with the Orchestra.
The current Music Director is Maestro David Hayes, a conductor known for his extensive repertoire spanning symphonic, oratorio/choral, and operatic genres, who holds significant roles in the music world. His passion for pushing boundaries and his dedication to showcasing diverse musical expressions have earned him recognition as a transformative force in the classical music scene, inspiring audiences and musicians alike.
Over the course of the ensemble’s rich and diverse history, the Chamber Orchestra has performed with a remarkable roster of world-renowned artists, including Luciano Pavarotti, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Mstislav Rostropovich, Isaac Stern, Rudolf Serkin, The Eroica Trio, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Steven Isserlis, Joseph Silverstein, and Catherine Michel, as well as virtuosos of contemporary music genres such as Julie Andrews, Bernadette Peters, Mark O’Connor, Elvis Costello, and Sylvia McNair.