"RAGTIME: THE MUSICAL"

VICTORY THEATRE / OCTOBER 19 / 7 P.M.

OPENING POPS CONCERT OF THE 2024-2025 SEASON TO CELEBRATE

AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTION

While every performance season that the EPO treats its many longtime fans to is considered special, the 2024-2025 engagement comes with a little added gravitas; after all, how many orchestras turn 90 in a given year? You that read that right - the Evansville Philharmonic is celebrating nine decades of dynamic concerts featuring a seemingly endless list of the area's best musicians over time. (In case you were wondering, it's referred to as the "granite" anniversary - which makes sense as the EPO has been nothing if not rock solid in its quest to provide the tri-state with top-notch entertainment.) As we've come to expect, conductor Roger Kalia has a series of aces up his sleeve for the 2024-2025 season which kicked off on September 21 with violinist and oft-described "musical wizard" Anne Akiko Meyers joining the EPO for mesmerizing interpretations of pieces by Schubert, Schoenberg and Tchaikovsky.

This month sees Kalia and his orchestra gearing up for the opening Pops concert of the new season, a muchanticipated performance set to pop off, so to speak, on October 19 at the Victory Theatre. And everyone is in for a real treat, indeed, as the EPO looks to bring an award- winning musical to life on stage. Written by the acclaimed composer/lyricist team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens - and based on the 1975 novel of the same name by E.L. Doctorow - "Ragtime," filled with pageantry, emotion and hope, is "set in the volatile melting pot of turn-of-the-century New York [as] three distinctly American tales are woven together..." The musical premiered to a standing ovation at New York's Ford Center for the Performing Arts on January 18, 1998 and continues to dazzle to this day.

For this very special production, the EPO will be joined by some truly talented performers taking on iconic roles, including

Samantha Prindle (Mother), Landon Sholar (Tateh), Lisa Clark (Sarah), Ethan Hoover (Younger Brother), Kaitlyn Sage (Evelyn Nesbit) and Emily Durchholz (Emma Goldman), among others. Also, the Evansville Philharmonic Chorus, a welcome addition to any Philharmonic concert, is on board, set to lift their angelic voices high and take the evening to another level. It all makes for a must-see event on October 19 so get your tickets soon!

For tickets and more info, visit evansvillephilharmonic.org or call 812-4255050. The Victory is located at 600 Main St. in downtown Evansville.