Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Philadelphia Orchestra conducts online gala
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s HearNOW: An At-Home Gala features appearances by Wynton Marsalis, Steve Martin and more.
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra will connect with audiences at home and around the world through HearNOW: An At-Home Gala on Saturday, June 6, at 8 p.m.
Hosted by Nézet-Séguin, the hourlong event will feature performances by the Philadelphia Orchestra, individual members of the orchestra and an all-star lineup of guest artists including Wynton Marsalis, Steve Martin, Nicola Benedetti and Lang Lang.
The event will also include a world premiere commission by composer Valerie Coleman. Through a mix of live and pre-recorded elements, the virtual gala will showcase the orchestra’s exceptional artistry, deep civic purpose and enduring relevance.
HearNOW will be simulcast for free on www.philorch.org and www.facebook.com/philorch, and will remain available for viewing through June 8.
“The Philadelphia Orchestra brings joy and hope to audiences, reflecting and responding to the world around us in ways that only music can,” said Nézet-Séguin. “We look forward to spending a truly memorable evening with our dear friends around the world. It will be a beautiful and uplifting journey.”
“Even while social distancing, the orchestra is finding new ways to innovate, remain artistically vibrant, provide educational programming and be a resource for our communities,” said president and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky.
“Although we cannot be with our audiences and collaborators in person right now, we can still connect with one another, powerfully, through music. This virtual gala is a beacon to the future when we can be together again.”
The event will include newly commissioned orchestral work by Coleman, whose “Umoja” was enthusiastically received at its premiere by Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra on Sept. 19, 2019. Coleman’s new work, “Seven O’clock Shout,” honors frontline workers and is inspired by the public cheers and applause they receive every evening.
Beginning with a solo trumpet salute, the piece turns from a ballad to a celebration. Written specifically for musicians performing and recording while social distancing, “Seven O’clock Shout” is a moving response to this moment in time.
Highlighting the orchestra’s enduring relationships with beloved artists from a variety of genres, HearNOW will welcome special guests and frequent collaborators. Piano virtuoso Lang Lang; internationally renowned jazz musician, composer, and educator Wynton Marsalis; and Grammy Award-winning violinist and education advocate Nicola
Benedetti will each perform from their homes.
Grammy-winning musician and actor Steve Martin, special guest at the 2018 Academy of Music Anniversary Concert, will also appear in a unique collaboration with musicians of the orchestra. In addition, Concertmaster David Kim will perform live for the virtual audience.
HearNOW also will celebrate the Philadelphia Orchestra’s ongoing commitment to music education through a performance by violist Beatrice Chen, 2019 Junior Division winner of the Orchestra’s Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition, which is dedicated to fostering and recognizing extraordinary young talent in the Greater Philadelphia region.
The evening will conclude with a newly recorded performance of Rachmaninoff’s “Vocalise.” The specially produced short film will serve as a visual expression of the orchestra’s legacy and its bond with the City of Philadelphia.