WORKS SERIES POPS SERIES Stories Of Valor Superhero Soundtrack To Brahms With Love Home For The Holidays Symphony of Sound Time For Three SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2018 3 PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2019 3 PM SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2019 3 PM SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 7:30 PM SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2018 7:30 PM SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2019 7:30 PM BY PHONE IN PERSON ONLINE Call our friendly Patron Services team: Visit our Box Office: Mon-Fri 10am-4pm fresnophil.org 559.261.0600
The Power of Music During the past year as Music Director of the Fresno Philharmonic, so many people have shared remarkable stories with me about their lives and the history of the Central Valley. This provides the inspiration for our 2018-2019 Season, which demonstrates music s immeasurable power to tell a story. We re excited to present a season that reflects our community and gives audiences their own unique platform to experience the dynamic blending of classical masterpieces of the past with those of the present. Intensely powerful and meaningful musical statements will amplify tales of beauty, valor, travel, love, and nature through works by Mussorgsky, Britten, Rimsky Korsakov, Strauss, Brahms, and Beethoven. Some of today s most evocative musical voices will complement the revered masters of the past, including pieces by John Corigliano, Missy Mazzoli, Zhao Jiping, and Fresno s own Benjamin Boone. We will also perform the world premiere of a new work by Dinuk Wijeratne co-commissioned by the Fresno Philharmonic. An amazing roster of guest artists will join us, including pianists Jon Nakamatsu, Joyce Yang, and Zhang Zou; singers Celena Shafer, Vale Rideout, and Christópheren Nomura; violinist Sirena Huang, and the acclaimed pipa virtuoso Wu Man. The Fresno Philharmonic s Pops Series will provide musical fun for all ages with Superhero Soundtrack, Home for the Holidays, and the Fresno debut of the amazing group Time for Three. Come and explore the Power of Music with the Fresno Philharmonic! Rei Hotoda Music Director and Conductor
Explore the Music Whether you re a classical music aficionado or attending the symphony for the first time, there are many ways to learn about the music and artists you ll experience this season. Inside the Music Get an inside look at each Masterworks program as Fresno State composer, professor and musician Dr. Benjamin Boone offers a lively and interactive presentation one hour before the concert. Free to all ticket holders. Stay Tuned Join us in the lower lobby following each Masterworks concert for light refreshments and a fun, behind the scenes talk-back session led by Music Director Rei Hotoda with guest artists and members of the Fresno Philharmonic. Free to all ticket holders. Meet the Artist Luncheons Join us for our popular meet-and-greet luncheons as Music Director Rei Hotoda and special guests give an in-depth preview of select Fresno Philharmonic concert programs. This season s luncheons are on the go at different locations in collaboration with some of our favorite Fresno organizations. Visit fresnophil.org for a schedule of Meet the Artist events this season. Fresno Philharmonic in the Schools More than 11,500 elementary students visit the Fresno Philharmonic each year. For more information, visit fresnophil.org The Link Up program is a partnership between local schools and the Fresno Philharmonic. The curriculum materials are generously provided for our students, who work on the songs throughout the school year with their music teachers. This year-long instruction culminates in an amazing performance along with the Fresno Philharmonic at the Saroyan Theatre in Fresno. Jennifer Determan-Lewis Coordinator of Visual and Performing Arts Sanger Unified School District
POPS SERIES Superhero Soundtrack SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 7:30 PM STUART CHAFETZ, conductor Chafetz kept the concert rolling with his happy, enthusiastic banter. San Antonio Express-News Holy Fresno, Batman! Conductor Stuart Chafetz returns to the Fresno Philharmonic as we bring you some of the most memorable themes of all time from films like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Supergirl, The Avengers, and X-Men: The Last Stand. Dust off your cape and come dressed as your favorite superhero (or villain) for a concert experience that will take you up, up, and away!
DANIEL R. MARTIN MASTERWORKS SERIES Grand Promenade SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2018 3 PM Pictures at an Exhibition A musical walking tour, this concert begins with John Corigliano s witty Promenade Overture and concludes with Mussorgsky s evocative journey through a museum, Pictures at an Exhibition. In between, we welcome Jon Nakamatsu to perform Tchaikovsky s grandly virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 1. JON NAKAMATSU, piano John Corigliano Promenade Overture Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 Mussorgsky/Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition Nakamatsu evinced brilliant musicianship. His tone and articulation sparkled and shimmered, while his use of dynamics and energy brought out the lifeblood of each and every phrase. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
DANIEL R. MARTIN MASTERWORKS SERIES Stories Of Valor SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2018 3 PM War Requiem Commemorate Veterans Day and the 100th CELENA SHAFER, soprano VALE RIDEOUT, tenor CHRISTÓPHEREN NOMURA, baritone FRESNO MASTER CHORALE ANNA HAMRE, director ALTA SIERRA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL CHAMBER CHOIR GAIL BARBOUR, director anniversary of the end of World War I with a performance of Benjamin Britten s searing and dramatic War Requiem. Weaving together texts from the Latin mass for the dead and poems by British soldier Wilfred Owen, who died in the trenches of World War I, this 20th century masterpiece movingly depicts the experience of war from the soldier s perspective. Britten War Requiem than half a century later, the words More and music have lost none of their power. Marin Alsop
POPS SERIES Home for the Holidays SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2018 7:30 PM The most wonderful time of the year! Celebrate the holiday season with the Fresno Philharmonic, the Fresno Master Chorale, and special guests under the baton of guest conductor Scott Dunn (Associate Conductor, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra). An evening of time honored seasonal favorites the whole family will love. SCOTT DUNN, conductor FRESNO MASTER CHORALE ANNA HAMRE, director I cannot praise Mr. Dunn s conducting too highly I expect to hear more in the future about this fine performer. The East Hampton Star
DANIEL R. MARTIN MASTERWORKS SERIES Tales of the Silk Road SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2019 3 PM WU MAN, pipa Missy Mazzoli River Rouge Transfiguration Zhao Jiping Pipa Concerto No. 2 Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade Arabian Nights For centuries the trade routes of the Silk Road transmitted goods and culture between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe in one of the earliest examples of globalization. We explore East-West cultural exchange and influence in Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov s Scheherazade and Zhao Jiping s Pipa Concerto No. 2, featuring the extraordinary Wu Man. Missy Mazzoli s musical love letter to Detroit, River Rouge Transfiguration, brings the theme of this concert home to the U.S. as we grapple with globalization s cycles of change and rebirth. Jiping s concerto feels as if it could accompany an epic. His melodies linger in your mind Against this lush backdrop, Wu Man could always be heard, the notes as crisp as crystals. The Buffalo News
DANIEL R. MARTIN MASTERWORKS SERIES To Brahms with Love SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2019 3 PM William Saroyan Theatre Strauss, Mozart, and Brahms Coming shortly after Valentine s Day, this concert opens with Strauss tone poem depicting the legendary lover Don Juan, a work requiring incredible orchestral virtuosity. Joyce Yang returns to the Fresno Philharmonic performing one of Brahms favorite Mozart piano concertos. Rei Hotoda then leads the orchestra in a performance of Brahms radiant Symphony No. 2. JOYCE YANG, piano R. Strauss Don Juan Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 (K. 491) Brahms Symphony No. 2 Her attention to detail and clarity is as impressive as her agility, balance, and velocity Washington Post
DANIEL R. MARTIN MASTERWORKS SERIES Nature Speaks SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2019 7:30 PM Pastoral Symphony The poetry of Philip Levine serves as the basis SIRENA HUANG, violin Benjamin Boone Waterless Music Barber Violin Concerto Beethoven Symphony No. 6 (Pastorale) for Fresno composer Benjamin Boone s Waterless Music, a meditation on the Central Valley s most critical natural resource. It is paired with Beethoven s brilliant evocation of nature in his Symphony No. 6. Acclaimed violinist Sirena Huang makes her Fresno debut in American composer Samuel Barber s lyrical Violin Concerto. Huang dug a strong, penetrating tone out of her fiddle and her cadenza featured a number of original ideas absolutely secure technically and full of delight. The Washington Post
DANIEL R. MARTIN MASTERWORKS SERIES Symphony of Sound SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2019 3 PM A World Premiere Rei Hotoda and the Fresno Philharmonic explore a universe of diverse sounds, including the world premiere of a new work by composer Dinuk Wijeratne (co-commissioned by the Fresno Philharmonic and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada). The incomparable pianist Zhang Zhou performs Rachmaninoff s beloved Piano Concerto No. 2 and the concert concludes with Prokofiev s thrilling Symphony No. 5, which the composer described as a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit. ZHANG ZOU, piano Dinuk Wijeratne World Premiere Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 Prokofiev Symphony No. 5 A powerful, passionate and compelling representation of pure artistry. Los Angeles Times
POPS SERIES Time for Three SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2019 7:30 PM TIME FOR THREE NICHOLAS KENDALL, violin CHARLES YANG, violin RANAAN MEYER, double bass Classically Trained Garage Band Time for Three defies traditional genre classification with infectious energy, virtuosity, and showmanship. This American trio performs everything from classical to bluegrass, folk, jazz, and mash-ups of The Beatles, Kanye West, Katy Perry, and more. When Meyer described the group as a classically trained garage band, he wasn t kidding Sunday s set was marked by tight-knit ensemble playing and individual bursts of technical brilliance. SFGate