Focus Series

All concerts performed at The Plaza Live. Monday at 7 p.m.

The very first piece on our 2023-24 Focus Series—The Unanswered Question suggests that, while humankind has been looking for explanations of life’s most profound mysteries, more often than not, those answers have been elusive. But then there’s music. “Music, of all the arts, stands in a special region, unlit by any star but its own, and utterly without meaning except its own. Music … can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable” (-Leonard Bernstein). We hope that the music on this series—by just BEING its own magnificent self—will work this miracle while delighting your ears and filling you with joy.

Seeking Answers

October 16, 2023

Eric Jacobsen, conductor

The Westerlies

Riley Mulherkar, trumpet

Chloe Rowlands, trumpet

Andy Clausen, trombone

Willem de Koch, trombone

Ives • TheUnansweredQuestion

Conrad Tao • Westerlies Concerto (commissioned by and for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and The Westerlies; world premiere)

Traditional • “Saro” (arr. Sam Amidon/Nico Muhly; adapted by The Westerlies) Westerlies selections • arranged for orchestra

Dvořák • String Quartet No. 12, “American,” for brass quartet and orchestra (arr. Curtis Stewart)

The opening work on this program immerses us in Ives’ haunting mini-philosophy-lesson about the universe and man’s eternal search for meaning in it. Three groups of players (a string orchestra, a solo trumpet, and a group of flutes) make their arguments with the inevitable conclusion. The Westerlies, an “arty quartet … mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk” (- The New York Times) with a ferociously unique vision of brass—and yes, named for the prevailing west to east winds—blow in to play Conrad Tao’s Westerlies Concerto. And in a classy-brassy pivot, an ear-stretching take on Dvořák’s exuberant string quartet, especially arranged for the OPO and The Westerlies, is bound to please!

Latin Explorations By Magos

November 13, 2023

Piazzolla • Tangazo (Variations on Buenos Aires)

Gabriela Lena Frank • Leyendas (excerpts)

Magos Herrera • Selections

Mexican-born songstress Magos Herrera has a vibrant vibe that will dazzle you. The Latin Jazz Network raves: “You can now declare Magos Herrera to be one of the greatest contemporary interpreters of song.” Possessing one of the most expressive, spellbinding voices on today’s music scene, she is a force in the jazz world. Her eloquent vocal improvisations and bold style connect elements of contemporary jazz and Latin American melodies, blending genre and language boundaries. Personally, Magos is a champion of women’s causes, and on a recent recording she explored the question of finding communion in a time of isolation. Join guest conductor Geoffrey Robson and the OPO to experience this spellbinding night!

MUSIC FROM & FOR THE HEART

February 12, 2024

Georgia Mills, guest conductor

Colleen Blagov, flute

Lisa Nardi • InThisHeart(AnElegyforStrings)

Mozart • Flute Concerto No. 1

Stravinsky • Octet

Copland • Suite from AppalachianSpring

The ethereal In This Heart is your embarkation point for the works that encompass music from Lisa Nardi’s elegy for victims of violence to the Suite from Copland’s 1940s ballet about hope and dreaming and searching for the place that is just right (you’ll recognize the beloved “Simple Gifts,” based on a Shaker hymn). In between, Georgia Mills, one of our female conductors on the Focus Series, also leads Mozart’s graceful—and virtuosic—Flute Concerto with plenty of opportunities for OPO’s Principal Flute Colleen Blagov to display her abundant talents. Plus, Stravinsky’s spirited Octet for winds and brass.

Minor Matters

March 25, 2024

Chelsea Gallo, guest conductor

Washington Garcia, piano

Mendelssohn • The Hebrides, a.k.a. Fingal’sCave

Mozart • Piano Concerto No. 20

Bruckner • Overture

Schubert • Symphony No. 8, “Unfinished”

The works on this program may all be in the Minor mode, but they are not minor matters! OPO Principal Guest Conductor Chelsea Gallo leads the Philharmonic in captivating musical offerings. To wit, acclaimed Pianist Washington Garcia solos in Mozart’s Concerto, whose turbulent mood engages with dark beauty and intensity. Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony presents us with a possibly unanswerable question: if its two movements are so beautifully imagined and brilliantly executed, leading to the final satisfying measures, how can it be considered anything but gloriously “finished”? Opening the concert, Mendelssohn sets waves a-rollin’ in Fingal’s Cave, the eerie concert overture inspired by his visit to Scotland.

RIMMA PRESENTS MENDELSSOHN & TCHAIKOVSKY

May 20, 2024

Arvo Pärt • Fratres

Mendelssohn • Concerto for Violin & String Orchestra

Tchaikovsky • Souvenir de Florence, for String Orchestra

This concert has Rimma’s fingerprints—and fingers!—all over it! Not only did she curate it, she also leads the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and performs on all three works. First up is Arvo Pärt’s shimmering classical music “hit,” Fratres (Latin: Brethren), revealed through his tintinnabuli technique that immerses you in a meditative soundworld. Then it’s Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto—no, not THAT one. The wunderkind wrote another one at age 12! Across borders and decades, its manuscript was “rediscovered” and premiered by the legendary Yehudi Menuhin. And now you’re the first OPO audience to hear it. Finally, Rimma and the Philharmonic’s strings crown this evening with enriched memories of Tchaikovsky’s beloved sunny-blue-skies-Florence.