Category: BPO in the News

The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra has struck a chord both artistically and financially with its supporters.

In its just-completed fiscal year, the orchestra saw attendance increase by more than 11.5 percent to a record 212,114 people attending at least one of its 129 performances. Financially, the BPO finished slightly in the black.

“It was a fantastic year for so many reasons,” said Dan Hart, executive director.

The orchestra finished its 2016-2017 fiscal year, which ended on Aug. 31, with $11.6 million in revenues and almost the same amount in expenses.

“We finished with a very slight surplus,” said Stephen Smith, chairman of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society board of trustees.

Including revenues, endowment, pledges and assets from its ongoing Crescendo fund raising campaign, the orchestra has approximately $40 million in assets and on its way to reaching a $50 million in total assets goal — roughly five times its annual budget.

“We’re well on our way,” said James Beardi, board of trustees treasurer. “We continue to manage our expenses well.”

Smith said the board’s goal continues to focus on growing the orchestra’s audience, “developing and growing artistically” and operate in a fiscally responsible manner.

The orchestra generated $4.3 million, which accounted for 37 percent of its $11.6 million total revenues. Earned revenue topped off at $4.4 million, or 38 percent, of the total revenue.

Government and public contributions accounted for $1.15 million, or 10 percent, of the orchestra’s revenues while endowment income was $1.75 million, or 15 percent of the total 2016-2017 revenues.

On the expense side, the largest was $7.2 million allocated for paying the orchestra, its guest artists and visiting conductors. That accounted for 62 percent of the orchestra’s $11.6 million in expenses.

Of its 129 performances, spread over a negotiated 38-week season with the musicians, 38 were traditional classics concerts, 26 were rock or Pops series shows, six were family concerts, 32 were education programs for school children from kindergarten to high schoolers and 12 each with summer or “tour” concerts.

The classics attracted 45,617 music lovers while the rock or Pops concerts drew 43,125 patrons.

Education shows attracted 51,573 students.

“Consider in 2004, we had just 14,000 students attend one of those shows, it demonstrates how we’ve grown with our outreach,” Hart said.

The summer shows attracted 55,335 including large crowds at a June 30 Canalside show and the July 28 “Enlighten” concert at the Hotel Henry.

“Taken together, it shows how we continue to evolve and play an important role in the community,” Hart said.

On June 3, 2017, we honored four musicians who were celebrating an anniversary with the orchestra.

Cellist Robbie Hausmann joined the BPO in 1982 under Julius Rudel. He is one of only a few musicians in the orchestra who are native Western New Yorkers. He studied at Juilliard and at Eastman, and serves as associate director of the Buffalo Chamber Music Society. He also has a strong interest in lesser-known Jewish composers, and has presented recitals in collaboration with pianist Alfred Frenning for 20 years.

Violinist Robert Prokes joined the BPO in 1982 under Julius Rudel. He attended Wichita State University and studied with legendary violin teacher Sally Thomas post-graduate. He grew up in a musical family, and replicated that as an adult: his wife Patricia teaches at City Honors and the Buffalo Montessori School, and his daughter Megan is also in the BPO violin section, while his other daughter Tea is Associate Concertmaster at Toledo Symphony and a first-call substitute for the BPO. He maintains a private chamber studio and gathers with friends to play chamber music regularly.

Violinist Alan Ross rounds out the “class of 1982,” having also joined under Julius Rudel. He attended the Cleveland Institute of Music,  the Philadelphia Music Academy and the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Prior to his tenure in Buffalo, he lived in Venezuela for three and a half years, and played in two different orchestras during that time.  He taught at Eastman and SUNY Fredonia, and now teaches out of his home. He spends a great deal of his free time with his two grown children and his two grandchildren, all of whom have settled in the area.

Violist Matthew Phillips joined the BPO in 1997 under Maximiano Valdes. Phillips also grew up in Western New York. He studied at Cleveland Institute of Music and The New England Conservatory, and was a finalist in the 1992 William Primrose International Viola Competition. He is married to Rachel Kregal, whom he met while they were both students playing in the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra. Phillips is an avid runner, and has qualified twice for the Boston Marathon. In 2007, he was the second place age group winner in the Buffalo News Runner of the Year race series.

When Klaus Heymann, founding chairman of Naxos, asked the Buffalo Philharmonic (BPO) to record the seven orchestral interludes from Wagner’s Ring cycle, he set in motion a series of events that resulted in an extraordinary and highly unusual concert programme.

JoAnn Falletta

The BPO and music director JoAnn Falletta always present an upcoming CD programme in concert form before producer Tim Handley makes the recording; in this way the Buffalo audience is given a first glimpse into the music that will become the orchestra’s next release. They await the arrival of the finished product with great anticipation, and feel that they have had a real part in experiencing the music that will document the next phase of the musicians’ relationship with Naxos.

Very often, Falletta spreads the repertoire throughout the season as a kind of a yearlong “voyage of discovery”, but in the case of Wagner’s orchestral selections she pursued a different approach: to present all of the Ring orchestral sections in one concert, in the order in which they appear in the operas, creating a two-hour symphonic odyssey of power and beauty. Many believe that Richard Wagner lavished his greatest genius on the purely orchestral sections in the operas, creating a world of magical orchestral sound that had never been conceived before. In Wagner’s hands, the orchestra glows with colour and imagination, extending and enhancing the story with astonishing musical poetry.

Falletta and the BPO believed that the music on its own could spin Wagner’s wonderful tale of Teutonic gods creating heaven and earth (only to destroy them through greed, jealousy and war), transporting the audience from the music of Das Rheingold, through Die Valkyrie and Siegfried, to the final scene of Götterdämmerung.

To ensure that the wonder and magic of this fairy tale was potently clear, however, narration was constructed to underscore the connections between the musical selections. Actor Doug Zscheigner spoke with eloquence, emotion and power as he wove the tale around the music. The final touch was a bold experiment in light and colour: a group of artists, designers and animators was engaged to create a moving “light show”, focused directly on the architectural design of Kleinhans Hall, “light-mapping” the stage with images of Wotan, Brünnhilde, Siegfried and other characters, all set in enchanted landscapes.

The result was a BPO presentation that astounded and thrilled the audiences, presenting the story and music of The Ring of the Niebelung in an unforgettable production. To maintain Wagner’s masterful music as the focal point, the stage was darkened in between the orchestral interludes, while Zscheigner and the light artists spun the magical tale. An indication of the magnificence of the visual enhancement can be seen in the selection of images reproduced here.

JoAnn Falletta and the BPO once again express thanks to Klaus Heymann for inspiring them to new levels of imagination and creativity in their joint ventures with Naxos.

Timpani roll, please. And better beat the snare drum, too.

The theme of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2017-2018 season, just announced, is America.

The Classics season kicks off on Sept. 16 with a rare appearance by German superstar violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, playing Tchaikovsky. But after that, the orchestra begins a two-week celebration of American masters. From then on it’s full speed ahead, as the BPO perform some of the best music of both the Old and New Worlds.

“What was in my mind was America – a tribute to our country, this year,” said JoAnn Falletta, the BPO’s music director.

She pointed out that 2018 marks the 100th birthday anniversary of Leonard Bernstein, a milestone that sparked the tribute.

“Every American musician has been inspired by him, by this extraordinarily gifted American who was known all over the world as a composer, pianist, conductor, teacher, lecturer — he was just amazing. So there is this thread of American classics, of American masters, throughout the season. We’re looking back on the greatest composers of the last 100 years, and honoring them.”

Bernstein played a unique part in the evolution of music in America.

“He was so generous to composers, so helpful to young composers to create an America that would survive,” she said. “He was so generous to composers. He and Aaron Copland were so helpful to young composers to create an America that would survive. We start to see a real American music that’s so distinct, like a shining light to our country, not able to be imitated anywhere in the world.”

Copland’s Symphony No. 3 is in the offing. So is “The Grand Canyon Suite” by Ferde Grofe, a lovely classic more famous in the ’50s than now. A Gershwin program spotlights the in-demand young pianist Conrad Tao. Another much-talked-about pianist, Charlie Albright, is also playing Gershwin.

Dennis Kim, the BPO’s concertmaster, is performing a violin concerto by Philip Glass. Grammy-winning electric bass player Victor Wooten, known for his association with Bela Fleck, will be joining the BPO to perform a concerto he wrote.

European classics also shine throughout the season, and provide an ongoing juxtaposition.

Former BPO Music Director Maximiano Valdes is conducting Tchaikovsky and Lalo. Roman Mekinulov, principal cellist, is performing Saint-Saens. Chopin’s bittersweet Second Piano Concerto; Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony; Brahms’ glorious Symphony No. 1; Schumann’s Piano Concerto; Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin”; Respighi’s thrilling “The Pines of Rome”; Richard Strauss’ capricious “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks” — they’re all on tap this season, as is Carl Orff’s ever-popular “Carmina Burana.” (See schedule below.)

But the American thread surfaces, again and again – sometimes in subtle ways.

Berlioz’s “Harold in Italy” will be performed by famed violist Roberto Diaz on an extremely rare Stradivarius viola once owned by Buffalo music patron Cameron Baird. Alex Jokipii, the BPO’s principal trumpet, is performing a concerto by a Finnish composer. Jokipii left Finland to come to America. The seasons ends with the beautiful “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” by Rachmaninoff, who sought refuge in America after fleeing the Bolsheviks in Russia.

Poignantly, a concert in April 2018 pairs Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony with a work by Peter Boyer that explores Ellis Island.

“I was thinking about people coming to America, becoming citizens, living here, and raising their families here,” Falletta said. “Buffalo is a shining example of that. Boyer’s Ellis Island piece is a dramatic piece with actors and visuals. We’re going to get the community involved.”

Principal Pops Conductor John Morris Russell, who will be beginning his third season with the BPO, shares her inspiration. The Pops concerts, too, shine with American identity.

“It’s about the diversity of the American musical expression,” Russell said. “What makes pops so special, people ask? Pops is about American musical experience clothed in orchestral colors. About the meeting of European tradition and American tradition. When you think  about the things America will always be known for, music is at No. 1. The reason the music is amazing is that we’ve opened the doors for all cultures to come here. It’s not a melting pot,” he emphasized. “It’s a mosaic.”

The season itself opens with a blast of American pop culture, with the orchestra accompanying excerpts from Disney’s “Fantasia.” In a new twist, Russell is also conducting a Halloween-themed Cirque de la Symphonie event.  Another twist is in store for “John Morris Russell’s Holiday Pops.” The extravaganza will feature “The Polar Express,” with the gorgeously illustrated book accompanied by the rich score from the movie.

Latin music gets the limelight when the BPO welcomes the Mambo Kings. The sound of Harlem in the 1920s comes alive in a tribute to Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway featuring Byron Stripling. A singer and tap dancer will help re-create the atmosphere of the Cotton Club.

And in what promises to be a boisterous event, April 2018 will bring “Buffalo Sings.” The Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus join the BPO and other choirs to celebrate, as the BPO puts it, the songs we all love to sing. The audience gets to sing along. Online auditions beforehand will help determine the “Buffalo Sings” champion, who will ultimately sing native son Harold Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow” with the orchestra.

Russell is conducting a good portion of the pops concerts, and is emotionally involved with all of them.

“You look at the totality of season, we’ve got jazz and blues and rock and Hollywood and animation, and this is all about the American musical experience,” Russell said. “And how we take the summation of the parts of individuals together are not as great as the summation. It’s what we’re always going to be known for around the world in terms of our ethos. Specifically, it’s strength through diversity. We’ve opened the doors to everyone.”

Seen side by side, the classics and pops seasons add up to what promises to be a grand adventure. Starting Sept. 16, when the BPO opens the doors for Anne-Sophie Mutter, the orchestra is going for excitement.

Mutter, who was a protégé of the legendary conductor Herbert von Karajan, is a jet setting figure known both for her adventurous musicianship and strapless gowns.

“She’s very glamorous,” Falletta said. “I don’t know if you’d say the first superstar violinist, but the epitome of the superstar violinist.” Falletta added that Mutter touched off a fashion of strapless gowns among violinists. “She wanted to feel the vibrations of the violin against her skin rather than against the dress. Once she started to wear a sheath, without shoulders, everyone imitated it.”

This will not be Mutter’s debut with the BPO. She was here once before, Falletta pointed out. Mutter played Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 in 1988 under the baton of Semyon Bychkov, who was then the orchestra’s music director.

Falletta said the BPO has been trying for years to arrange an encore performance

“It had to be right, at a time when she could manage to come here,” she said. “She was so excited about it, that we could make it work.”

Here is the schedule. For tickets or info on BPO events, call 885-5000 or visit bpo.org.

CLASSICS SEASON

8 p.m. Sept. 16: Anne-Sophie Mutter is the soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto for the BPO’s season-opening gala. Also, Brahms’ “Hungarian Dances” and Weiner’s Hungarian Folk Dance Suite.

10:30 a.m. Sept. 29, 2:30 p.m. Oct. 1: Pianist Charlie Albright joins the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus in Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” Also, Duke Ellington’s “New World A-Comin’,” John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” and Copland’s Symphony No. 3.

8 p.m. Oct. 7, 2:30 p.m. Oct. 8: Concertmaster Dennis Kim is featured in Philip Glass’ Violin Concerto No. 1. Also, Bernstein’s Three Dances from “On the Town,” and Grofe’s “Grand Canyon Suite.”

8 p.m. Oct. 21, 2:30 p.m. Oct. 22: Electric bass player Victor Wooten joins the BPO, the chorus and Stefan Sanders in Wooten’s “The Bass Whisperer: Concerto for Electric Bass.” Also, music from Prokofiev’s “Alexander Nevsky” and the Polovtsian Dances from Borodin’s “Prince Igor.”

8 p.m. Nov. 4, 2:30 p.m. Nov. 5: Pianist Konrad Skolarski joins the orchestra in Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2.  Also, Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 and Strauss’ Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks.”

10:30 a.m. Nov. 17, 8 p.m. Nov. 18: Maximiano Valdes, former BPO music director, leads the orchestra in Tchaikovsky’s “The Tempest”; Lalo’s Cello Concerto, Liadov’s “The Enchanted Lake,” and Debussy’s “La Mer.” Julian Schwartz is the cello soloist.

8 p.m. Dec. 2, 2:30 p.m. Dec. 3: Andre Raphael conducts Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin”; Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony; and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, with soloist Arnaud Sussmann.

10:30 a.m. Dec. 8, 8 p.m. Dec. 9: The Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus joins the BPO for “JoAnn’s Classical Christmas.”

10:30 a.m. Jan. 12, 8 p.m. Jan. 13, 2018: Roman Mekinulov, principal cellist, is soloist in Saint-Saens’ Cello Concerto No. 1. Also, “Iberia” from Debussy’s “Images,” and Ravel’s “Bolero.”

8 p.m. Jan. 27, 2:30 p.m. Jan. 28: Andrew Bisantz conducts a Mozart birthday celebration featuring vocal selections from his great operas.

8 p.m. Feb. 10, 2:30 p.m. Feb. 11: Violinist Elina Vahala is the soloist in Sibelius’ Violin Concerto. Also, Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade.”

8 p.m. March 10, 2:30 p.m. March 11, 2018: Pianist Conrad Tao performs Gershwin’s Concerto in F. Also, Barber’s Symphony No. 1, Aaron Jay Kernis’ “Musica Celestis,” and the Symphonic Dances from Bernstein’s “West Side Story.”

10:30 a.m. April 6, 8 p.m. April 7, 2018: Ward Store conducts Dvorak’s Violin Concerto, with Tessa Lark as soloist. Also, Schubert’s Symphony No. 4, “Tragic”; and Three Dances from Smetana’s “The Bartered Bride.”

8 p.m. April 21, 2:30 p.m. April 22, 2018: Lawrence Loh leads the BPO in Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony and Peter Boyer’s “Ellis Island.”

10:30 a.m. May 4, 8 p.m. May 5, 2018: Violist Roberto Diaz is soloist in a concert comprising Verdi’s Overture to “La Forza del Destino”; Berlioz’s “Harold in Italy”; Martucci’s “Notturno”; and Respighi’s “Roman Festivals.”

8 p.m. May 12, 2:30 p.m. May 13, 2018: Orff’s “Carmina Burana” and Kuusisto’s Trumpet Concerto, with Alex Jokipii, soloist.

8 p.m. June 2, 2:30 p.m. June 3, 2018: Pianist Benedetto Lupo is soloist in Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.” Also, Pizzetti’s Three Symphonic Preludes from Sophocles “Oedipus Rex”; and Respighi’s “The Fountains of Rome” and “The Pines of Rome.”

POPS SEASON

8 p.m. Sept. 23: John Morris Russell conducts “Disney  ‘Fantasia’: Live in Concert.”

8 p.m. Oct. 14: Stefan Sanders conducts Latin music featuring the Mambo Kings.

10:30 a.m. Oct. 27, 8 p.m. Oct. 28: Russell conducts Cirque de la Symphonie.

8 p.m. Nov. 11: Stefan Sanders conducts a tribute to Neil Diamond.

10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. Dec. 15; 8 p.m. Dec. 16; and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 17: John Morris Russell’s Holiday Pops.

8 p.m. Jan. 20, 2018: Byron Stripling, “A Night at the Cotton Club.” Stripling has worked with the Count Basie Orchestra and the bands of Dizzy Gillespie and Dave Brubeck.

8 p.m. Feb. 3: Stefan Sanders, resident conductor, conducts “Piano Panache,” a concert featuring piano man and singer Tony DeSare in music by Elton John, Billy Joel, John Lennon and others, in addition to Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”

10:30 a.m. Feb. 16; 8 p.m. Feb. 17: Sanders conducts a concert featuring the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

8 p.m. March 3, 2018: Russell conducts “A Night at the Oscars,” Oscar-winning music from the movies including “Ben-Hur”; “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”; and “Titanic”; as well as “Star Wars” films. Patrons are invited to walk the BPO’s Red Carpet and meet Russell at an Oscars party after the concert.

8 p.m. April 14, 2018: Russell conducts “Buffalo Sings!”

10:30 a.m. April 27, 8 p.m. April 28, 2018: Sanders conducts A.J. Swearingen and Jayne Kelli in a tribute to James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Jackson Browne, and other great 1970s singer/songwriters.

10:30 a.m. May 25, 8 p.m. May 26, 2018: Sanders conducts “Star-Spangled Spectacular.”

JOANN FALLETTA: MUSIC DIRECTOR OF THE BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA AND THE VIRGINIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND AT THE FOREFRONT OF WOMEN CONDUCTORS IN THE CHANGING WORLD OF CLASSICAL MUSIC – A REVIEWER’S INTERVIEW WITH PEOPLE IN THE ARTS

Read on jamesstrecker.com

JAMES STRECKER: If you were asked for 50 words for an encyclopedia to summarize what you do, what would you say?

JOANN FALLETTA: As a conductor, I am a catalyst who energizes and enables the superb team of the orchestra. I establish a landscape where excellence can flourish. I must find the perfect synthesis of leading 100 musicians and allowing them to be free at the same time.

JS: What important beliefs do you express in your work?

JF: In my work, I express my belief in the people around me- in their talent, their dedication, their excellence. I also celebrate and honor the extraordinary legacy of the music we play together- one of the greatest expressions of human creativity of all time.

JS: How have you changed since you began to do creative work?

JF: I am increasingly fascinated by the fluidity, the endless possibility in the pieces we play, and I am determined to let the result be informed by the unique personality of the orchestra. Each orchestra has a distinct character, sound, and way of making music, and allowing the musicians to imprint that uniqueness on each performance and recording is much more interesting to me than imposing a rigid interpretation.

JS: What are your biggest challenges as a creative person?

JF: My greatest challenge- in a large group like an orchestra- is finding a way to help every person feel intensely valued individually.

JS: Please describe at least one major turning point in your life.

JF: When I was appointed music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, I felt that it was a major turning point for me. I inherited an orchestra with both a glowing artistic legacy and a troubled financial situation. The responsibility I felt to the musicians and the community was enormous, and it helped me develop as both a musician and an artistic leader.

JS: What are the hardest things for an outsider to understand about what you do?

JF: The hardest thing for an outsider to understand about what I do is how the musicians and I communicate with each other. Many times people ask me questions like “are the musicians really able to watch you?” Or “after the week of rehearsals, does the orchestra still need the conductor to be on stage?” It would be astonishing for them if they could realize the intense wordless communication between conductor and musician- expressed through gesture, eye contact, body language, facial expression and baton technique.

JS: How and why did you begin to do creative work in the first place?

JF: I have felt like a musician since I was seven years old and began to play classical guitar. There was not really a conscious choice for me- at some point I simply realized that music was who I was.

JS: What haven’t you attempted as yet that you would like to do and please tell us why?

JF: I continue to try to introduce our listeners to music they might not know- either from the past or contemporary music. I like to “open a window for them”, to help them make discoveries that will interest and delight them. But I always incorporate these new journeys into programs of composers that they know and already love. So it is a process that continues….there are many new pieces that I look forward to performing for them!

JS: What are your most meaningful achievements?

JF: Being a music director and helping the community to know, to value, and to love the orchestra more each season.

JS: What advice would you give a young person who would like to do what you do?

JF: To be prepared for a journey of hard work, complete dedication, many disappointments, countless surprises, and ultimately a life spent in the midst of the greatest beauty imaginable. To paraphrase one of my heroes, Leonard Bernstein: “the musician gives away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another inevitably”. That has been the great privilege of my life.

JS: Of what value are critics?

JF: Critics are very valuable for the performing artist. They put our work in context. They can see the forest, while we are often concentrating on each tree and every leaf. They force us to step back and see and hear through the audience’s eyes and ears. I have learned a great deal from reviewers and critics who have taken the time to truly listen to us.

JS: What do you ask of your audience?

JF: The best audience is one who is open-minded, who is willing to let go and surrender themselves to the experience of listening, who does not worry about “knowing about the music” but is able to simply relax and “cross the bridge” to an island of tranquility in the midst of a very hectic life. I believe that each audience member feels very different- emotionally and physically- after sitting in the middle of music for two hours. Something changes inside each one of us- impossible to explain, but very real nonetheless. We often lose a sense of humanity in the everyday difficulties of life- and can find that humanity again, wordlessly, in a concert hall.

JS: What specifically would you change about what goes on in the world?

JF: Every child would be given the chance to hear and- most importantly- play music from the earliest possible age. Music and art education would be a priority in every level of education. I really believe that people who come to know and treasure music are the most open, most inclusive, compassionate human beings. The very ambiguity of music is part of its beauty- and an appreciation of that ambiguity can foster a true understanding of others, and an acceptance of difference.

JS: If you could relive one experience from your creative life, what would it be and why would you do so?

JF: I would like to go back to my seventh birthday and take my first guitar lesson with Mr. Cavadias again.

JS: Tell us what it feels like to be a figure in the media. What effect does this presence have on you?

JF: While I am really a shy person, I love the opportunity to talk about music. I want everyone to know that our music-making is for them, that the orchestra belongs to them. If I can open the door to the concert hall for them through a media presence, I am very happy.

JS: Please tell us about one or more projects that you have been working on, are preparing, or have recently completed. Why do they matter to you and why should they matter to us.

JF: Here is a list of projects I am particularly excited about:
-Tchaikovsky Festival in Buffalo
-Celebrating the 100th birthday of the school where I received my bachelor’s degree, the Mannes College of Music, in a concert at Lincoln Center
-Conducting debut in Finland
-Recordings of the music of Kodaly and of Wagner (orchestral music of The Ring) for Naxos
-Concert celebrating 150 years of friendship with Canada
-My first ever performance of the Berlioz Requiem with the Virginia Symphony
-Concerts with Itzhak Perlman
-Two world premieres written for us by Rob Deemer and Kenneth Fuchs
-Conducting debut with the Berlin Radio Orchestra