Festivals Presented

East Meets West Festival– “Cultural Traditions and the Art of Storytelling,” featuring Jennifer Frautschi, violin and Lu-Han Li, pipa.

Program:
Tan Dun: Symphonic Poem on Three Notes,
Beethoven: Violin Concerto,
Rimsky Korsakov: Scheherazade

A French Festival– Inspired by Art, History and Theatre

Spring Festival of English Music – Celebrating the Britten centennial season. Featuring works by Britten, Delius and Elgar.

Festival on “Nature and Folk Music” with Mark O’Connor, violin. Concert program featuring O’Connor’s American Seasons and Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 (Pastorale).

Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration: “Lincoln and the Civil War;” Gregg Baker, baritone.
Concert program featuring Copland’s Old American Songs, Lincoln Portrait and
Dvorak: Symphony No. 9.

Beethoven Festival-Featuring an All-Beethoven Program, lectures, and community wide events.

Percussion Festival– Featuring Joseph Schwantner’s Percussion Concerto.  Colin Currie, percussion

Tango Festival- “The History of Tango.” Featuring works by Piazzolla and Ravel. Marcelo Nissinman, bandoneon

Viennese Festival: Featuring waltzes and polkas by Johann Strauss, Jr. and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. Dancers with orchestra on Strauss waltzes and polkas.

Russian Festival:  All-Russian program featuring Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky with the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh.

Festival of African-American Music with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Featuring Hannibal Lokumbe’s African Portraits with the Morgan State University Choir.

World Premieres and Commissioning Projects

The Philadelphia Orchestra

Uri Caine: The Passion of Octavius Catto

The Philadelphia Orchestra; World Premiere, André Raphel, conductor, Philadelphia Community Choir, Barbara Walker, vocalist

Hannibal Lokumbe, One Heart Beating, World Premiere, André Raphel, conductor Janice Chandler-Eteme, soprano; Choral Arts Society

Jonathan Holland: It’s About Time, World Premiere, André Raphel, conductor

Shih-Hui Chen: Moments for Orchestra, World Premiere, André Raphel, conductor

Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, André Raphel, Music Director

Kenneth Fuchs: Piano Concerto (Spiritualist)

Jeffrey Biegel, piano; Co-commission with Springfield Symphony

Avner Dorman: Prayer for the Innocents (string orchestra version)

World Premiere, André Raphel, conductor

Kenneth Fuchs: Forever Free (for Orchestra)

World Premiere, André Raphel, conductor

Richard Danielpour: Come Up From The Fields Father, Co-commission with Manhattan School of Music and Vermont Symphony. World Premiere, André Raphel, conductor. Randall Scarlatta, baritone; Elisa Kohanski, cello

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Shadows, Global Co-commission Jeffrey Biegel, piano   

Jennifer Higdon: Concerto 4-3, Co-commission with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony.

Richard Danielpour: Triptych from Margaret Garner, World Premiere André Raphel, conductor, Tracie Luck, mezzo-soprano,

Richard Danielpour: Adagietto, World Premiere, André Raphel, conductor