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To celebrate the New York Philharmonic's return to The McKnight Center, we’ve planned an unforgettable black tie gala event. More than 100 student, alumni, and community voices will join the musicians onstage for the grand finale of Beethoven’s ninth symphony. Considered to be his masterpiece, you’ll be swept up in the grandeur and triumph of “Ode to Joy.” All tickets to the Gala Concert include a celebratory reception held in the Marilynn and Carl Thoma Atrium as well as complimentary parking in the 4th Avenue Garage.

Featured Soloists
Lauren Snouffer, soprano
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Thomas Cooley, tenor
Peixin Chen, bass

The student chorus will be directed by Dr. Tony Thornton, Director of Choral Activities at Oklahoma State University's Greenwood School of Music.

PROGRAM

Frank Pachamama Meets an Ode*

Beethoven Symphony No. 9 (“Choral”)

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s residency finale is highlighted by Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Written just a few short years before his death, “Beethoven’s profound ode to brotherhood, salvation, and pure joy reminds us why we are here as an orchestra,” says Yannick, “and why we constantly try to make our world better by playing music.”
Philadelphia Orchestra Composer-in-Residence Gabriela Lena Frank draws inspiration from Beethoven and her Peruvian culture in Pachamama Meets an Ode, challenging us to look at gifts from the past with new and searching eyes.

The evening culminates with a brilliant fireworks display.

PERFORMERS

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
Angel Blue, soprano
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Russell Thomas, tenor
Ryan McKinny, bass-baritone
Albany Pro Musica, chorus

A musical retelling of the centuries-old story of the Pied Piper.

A minister seeking re-election promises the people he will rid their country of its rats, even though he knows they do no harm. A stranger, who has no face, offers to lead the rats away in exchange for money. A bargain is struck and the rats disappear, but when the minister is re-elected he reneges on the deal, saying the money has been better spent on "barbed wire and education", and the stranger leads the children away to the light "inside the little hill".

The highly anticipated world premiere with music by Gregory Spears, composer of the acclaimed 2016 commission Fellow Travelers, and a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning recent U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith. Set during the mortgage crisis of 2008, with flashbacks to 1966 as well as to the 19th Century, Castor and Patience tells the story of African American cousins who find themselves at odds over the fate of land owned by members of their family.

The highly anticipated world premiere with music by Gregory Spears, composer of the acclaimed 2016 commission Fellow Travelers, and a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning recent U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith. Set during the mortgage crisis of 2008, with flashbacks to 1966 as well as to the 19th Century, Castor and Patience tells the story of African American cousins who find themselves at odds over the fate of land owned by members of their family.

The highly anticipated world premiere with music by Gregory Spears, composer of the acclaimed 2016 commission Fellow Travelers, and a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning recent U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith. Set during the mortgage crisis of 2008, with flashbacks to 1966 as well as to the 19th Century, Castor and Patience tells the story of African American cousins who find themselves at odds over the fate of land owned by members of their family.

The highly anticipated world premiere with music by Gregory Spears, composer of the acclaimed 2016 commission Fellow Travelers, and a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning recent U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith. Set during the mortgage crisis of 2008, with flashbacks to 1966 as well as to the 19th Century, Castor and Patience tells the story of African American cousins who find themselves at odds over the fate of land owned by members of their family.

The highly anticipated world premiere with music by Gregory Spears, composer of the acclaimed 2016 commission Fellow Travelers, and a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning recent U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith. Set during the mortgage crisis of 2008, with flashbacks to 1966 as well as to the 19th Century, Castor and Patience tells the story of African American cousins who find themselves at odds over the fate of land owned by members of their family.

Johann Sebastian Bach
Aria: “Was die Seele kann ergötzen”
(“What can delight the soul”),
from Cantata BWV 30a
Jennifer Johnson Cano,
Tara Helen O’Connor, Daniel Phillips
Ripieno: Catherine Cho, Carmit Zori,
Todd Phillips, Marcy Rosen,
Ieva Jokubaviciute

Maurice Ravel
Chansons Madécasses
Jennifer Johnson Cano,
Tara Helen O’Connor, Marcy Rosen
Ieva Jokubaviciute

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quintet in C Major, K. 515
Carmit Zori, Catherine Cho,
Todd Phillips, Daniel Phillips, Peter Stumpf

Johann Sebastian Bach
Aria: “Ich habe genug”
(“I am content”), from Cantata BWV 82
Jennifer Johnson Cano, Peggy Pearson
Ripieno: Catherine Cho, Todd Phillips,
Daniel Phillips, Marcy Rosen,
Ieva Jokubaviciute

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Flute Quartet in D Major, K. 285
Tara Helen O’Connor, Daniel Phillips,
Todd Phillips, Peter Stumpf

Ernest Chausson
Chanson Perpétuelle, Opus 37
Jennifer Johnson Cano, Carmit Zori,
Todd Phillips, Daniel Phillips,
Peter Stumpf, Ieva Jokubaviciute

INTERMISSION

Johannes Brahms
String Quintet in G Major, Opus 111
Todd Phillips, Carmit Zori, Daniel Phillips,
Catherine Cho, Marcy Rosen

Johann Sebastian Bach
Aria: “Vergnügte Ruh’, beliebte Seelenlust”
from Cantata BWV 170
Jennifer Johnson Cano, Peggy Pearson
Ripieno: Catherine Cho, Todd Phillips,
Daniel Phillips, Marcy Rosen, Ieva Jokubaviciute

Joseph Haydn
Trio in G Major for Flute, Cello, and Piano,
Hob. XV:15
Tara Helen O’Connor, Marcy Rosen,
Ieva Jokubaviciute

INTERMISSION

Antonín Dvořák
String Sextet in A Major, Opus 48
Carmit Zori, Catherine Cho, Todd Phillips,
Daniel Phillips, Peter Stumpf, Marcy Rosen

The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Limmie Pulliam, tenor (Otello)
Tamara Wilson, soprano (Desdemona)
Christopher Maltman, baritone (Iago)
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano (Emilia)
Pene Pati, tenor (Cassio)
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
Cleveland Orchestra Children's Chorus

VERDI Otello (complete opera)
Acts I & II
Acts III & IV

The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Limmie Pulliam, tenor (Otello)
Tamara Wilson, soprano (Desdemona)
Christopher Maltman, baritone (Iago)
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano (Emilia)
Pene Pati, tenor (Cassio)
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
Cleveland Orchestra Children's Chorus

VERDI Otello (complete opera)
Acts I & II
Acts III & IV

The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Limmie Pulliam, tenor (Otello)
Tamara Wilson, soprano (Desdemona)
Christopher Maltman, baritone (Iago)
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano (Emilia)
Pene Pati, tenor (Cassio)
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
Cleveland Orchestra Children's Chorus

VERDI Otello (complete opera)
Acts I & II
Acts III & IV

Principal guest conductor Donald Runnicles is well known for his interpretations of the French catalogue, and it is always a joy to watch (and hear) him conduct Debussy and Duruflé. This weekend will be no different as he presents Debussy's first major orchestral work, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Then the ASO Chorus Women join the orchestra in Debussy's Nocturnes, a tone poem reflecting the sky, a festival, and the lure of the sea. After intermission, the full Chorus performs the incredibly moving Duruflé Requiem, one of the most beautiful versions of the Latin mass for the dead.

Unlike other requiems, Duruflé moved away from dramatic, opera-like moments and instead wrote a peaceful, quiet, reflective mass that focuses on images of Heaven, rather than Hell. With melodies derived from Gregorian chant, Duruflé's Requiem is as moving as it is contemplative.

Atlanta Symphony Hall will be implementing a mandatory vaccine policy for audiences. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours prior to performance, as well as matching photo ID, will be required upon arrival to Atlanta Symphony Hall. As of November 1, patrons under 12 will not be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. More details are available on our Health & Safety page.

Principal guest conductor Donald Runnicles is well known for his interpretations of the French catalogue, and it is always a joy to watch (and hear) him conduct Debussy and Duruflé. This weekend will be no different as he presents Debussy's first major orchestral work, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Then the ASO Chorus Women join the orchestra in Debussy's Nocturnes, a tone poem reflecting the sky, a festival, and the lure of the sea. After intermission, the full Chorus performs the incredibly moving Duruflé Requiem, one of the most beautiful versions of the Latin mass for the dead.

Unlike other requiems, Duruflé moved away from dramatic, opera-like moments and instead wrote a peaceful, quiet, reflective mass that focuses on images of Heaven, rather than Hell. With melodies derived from Gregorian chant, Duruflé's Requiem is as moving as it is contemplative.

Atlanta Symphony Hall will be implementing a mandatory vaccine policy for audiences. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours prior to performance, as well as matching photo ID, will be required upon arrival to Atlanta Symphony Hall. As of November 1, patrons under 12 will not be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. More details are available on our Health & Safety page.

Music
J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 1, BWV 1066
Vivaldi: Gloria, RV 589
C.P.E. Bach: Magnificat

Performed by
Jonathan Cohen, conductor
Amanda Forsythe, soprano
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Tyler Duncan, baritone
H+H Orchestra and Chorus

Music
J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 1, BWV 1066
Vivaldi: Gloria, RV 589
C.P.E. Bach: Magnificat

Performed by
Jonathan Cohen, conductor
Amanda Forsythe, soprano
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Tyler Duncan, baritone
H+H Orchestra and Chorus

Performance Details
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor 
Renée Fleming Soprano (Clarissa Vaughan)  
Jennifer Johnson Cano Mezzo-soprano (Virginia Woolf) 
Kelli O’Hara Soprano (Laura Brown)  
Brett Polegato Baritone (Richard Brown)  
Philadelphia Symphonic Choir
Joe Miller Director 

Puts The Hours (concert version—world premiere) 

The Hours, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Michael Cunningham and an award-winning film, chronicles a day in the life of three women from three different eras with interwoven stories connected to Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway. Though separated through time by nearly 80 years, Virginia Woolf, Laura Brown, and Clarissa Vaughan (a modern-day Mrs. Dalloway herself) struggle with the notion of living their lives for someone else. This spring, Yannick and the Orchestra, joined by a brilliant cast, bring this compelling story to life on the Verizon Hall stage.

Performance Details
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor 
Renée Fleming Soprano (Clarissa Vaughan)  
Jennifer Johnson Cano Mezzo-soprano (Virginia Woolf) 
Kelli O’Hara Soprano (Laura Brown)  
Brett Polegato Baritone (Richard Brown)  
Philadelphia Symphonic Choir
Joe Miller Director 

Puts The Hours (concert version—world premiere) 

The Hours, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Michael Cunningham and an award-winning film, chronicles a day in the life of three women from three different eras with interwoven stories connected to Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway. Though separated through time by nearly 80 years, Virginia Woolf, Laura Brown, and Clarissa Vaughan (a modern-day Mrs. Dalloway herself) struggle with the notion of living their lives for someone else. This spring, Yannick and the Orchestra, joined by a brilliant cast, bring this compelling story to life on the Verizon Hall stage.