(Newton, MA August 20) The 25th season of Newton’s New Philharmonia Orchestra, Francisco Noya, Music Director, will begin with a special gala concert and reception Saturday, September 21st at 7:00 PM at the historic First Baptist Church in Newton Centre. The New Phil’s Silver Anniversary Gala will honor the contributions of Massachusetts’ State Representative Kay Khan, a long time New Phil board member who has been a tremendous advocate for arts and culture across the Commonwealth. Tickets are $25 – $250 and may be purchased online at www.newphil.org.
The anniversary concert will feature themes that have come to define the New Phil in the 25 years since Ron Knudsen began as the organization’s first Music Director; nurturing young talent in Newton, delivering fun relatable performances, and building a strong connection to the community. Members of the Newton community will join the New Phil for the special Silver Anniversary Gala including 13-year old violinist Keila Wakao, who will join the orchestra for Camille Saint-Saëns’ spectacular Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. The concert will also feature internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Catie Curtis will perform several songs and Newton’s Mayor Ruthanne Fuller narrating Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, taken from Lincoln’s addresses. The Lincoln narration includes the famous text from the Gettysburg address; “of the people, by the people, for the people” – a phrase used in 1998 by the Boston Globe to describe the New Phil.
Featuring three Classics Programs, two Family Performances and a special Silver Salon Evening, the conductor’s podium for the anniversary season will be shared by Music Director Francisco Noya and Associate Conductor Jorge Soto.
New Philharmonia’s Classics I concert, From Gustav with Love, is set for November 23rd and 24th. A fabulous program, the evening will include Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy and will feature young dancers from the Newton campus of the famed Boston Ballet School. This program will conclude with one of the great works of Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 5.
On December 15th, New Phil will hold its annual holiday program Celebrations! The Boston Ballet School will join the New Phil to perform major excerpts from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.
On Saturday, February 1st the orchestra will present a special “Silver Salon Evening” featuring chamber ensembles from the orchestra in an intimate setting with culinary offerings to round off the evening.
On Sunday March 1st, the New Phil will host its second family concert of the season Meet the Orchestra & Mr. Tchaikovsky. This interactive program will introduce the audience to each section of the orchestra through narration, demonstrations of the instruments and performance of a variety of pieces by the great composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
On March 14th and 15th the orchestra’s Classics series continues with “St. Petersburg Virtuosos.” Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and his Symphony No. 4 bookend the program which will also feature Sergei Prokofiev’s spectacular Violin Concerto No. 1. The soloist for the concerto with be Boston Symphony violinist, Tatiana Dimitriades.
The season concludes May 16th and 17th with Music for All featuring a new work by composer Tom Vignieri to celebrate the New Phil’s 25th Anniversary. The program also includes Beethoven’s powerful Symphony No. 9 featuring soprano Rachele Schmiege, mezzo soprano Britt Brown, tenor Omar Najmi, baritone Ryne Cherry, and the Metropolitan Chorale led by Music Director Lisa Graham.
Tickets for the 25th Anniversary Season are available online at Newphil.org.
About the New Philharmonia Orchestra
The New Philharmonia Orchestra, founded in 1995, is a 75-member nonprofessional regional orchestra based in Newton. The orchestra’s mission to perform “music for all” has been advanced by presenting programs of diverse repertoires of classical music for the enjoyment of audiences of all ages and experiences. The orchestra also strives to provide its nonprofessional players the opportunity to achieve a high level of ensemble performance not otherwise available.
About Francisco Noya, Music Director
Francisco Noya was appointed music director of New Philharmonia in the spring of 2016, following the 20-year tenure of founding Music Director Ron Knudsen. Noya began his professional career in his native Venezuela as conductor of the Youth Orchestra of Valencia, one of the original ensembles of El Sistema. Today, Noya is a prominent figure in the Boston and New England music scene and has earned a reputation as a versatile interpreter of symphonic and operatic literature. In addition to his appointment at the New Philharmonia Orchestra, he also serves as resident conductor of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, the music director & conductor of the Boston Civic Symphony and is a respected member of the conducting faculty of the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
About Jorge Soto, Associate Conductor
Jorge Soto was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, He is a product of El Sistema, an innovative program that uses classical music as a vehicle for social change. He began his musical studies in Venezuela at the Vicente Emilio Sojo State Conservatory, and later studied violin at the Latin American Academy of Violin under Rhio Sanchez and José Francisco Del Castillo. In the United States, he has studied with Sophie Vilker, Janne Malmivaara, Peter Sulski, and Timothy Schwarz. In addition to his appointment at the New Philharmonia Orchestra, Mr. Soto is a founding member of the Simón Bolívar National Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. He has also performed with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas.
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