David Bernard and Park Avenue Chamber Symphony Announce 2021/22 Season

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony and their Music Director David Bernard have announced their 2021-22 season. The ensemble are riding high after some excellent reviews for their recent recording, 'The Late Dvořák Symphonies' (Recursive Classics). In their review of that album, BBC Music Magazine wrote of the orchestra's "tremendous sheen" and added, "Bernard and his Park Avenue musicians prove why they've won many fans in Manhattan and beyond. The oh-so familiar Ninth stands proud, but I've played their lyrical Eighth on loop."

With the impact of the pandemic hopefully behind them, and their next album 'Sounds Of America' to come out shortly (on September 10th), this announcement of the new season sees the orchestra set to perform Mozart, Brahms, Elgar, Verdi, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky and Mahler. Concerts will be in-person again, but will also see the return of the much-praised InsideOut Concerts series - at which audience members sit amongst the orchestra for a high-definition, 'surround-sound' event. Additionally, the series will incorporate the highly successful InsideOut Digital interactive video streaming elements that won the orchestra new paying audience members from as far afield as Europe and Russia during the last year.

For Music Director David Bernard, innovations like InsideOut Concerts are needed now more than ever. "During the pandemic audiences became accustomed to streamed concert events, which has brought some benefits," says Bernard, "It has been wonderful to be discovered by audiences around the world, and it was a lifeline for many ensembles. But at the same time, people have got out of the habit of going out to a concert hall, and we ignore that fact at our peril.

"To reverse this trend and get them out of the house, it is vital that we amplify what is uniquely thrilling about the live experience. That's why we felt it so important to bring back InsideOut Concerts as soon as possible - because, as one noted music critic wrote on Facebook after attending one of our InsideOut events, hearing a great piece of music when you're physically right in the center of that music, is 'amazeballs'! Not only that, this kind of proactive, high-definition experience is essential for the audience development work that orchestras will need to return and thrive, much less survive."

The PACS season concerts, which also includes the orchestra's first visit to Long Island to play at the Adelphi Performing Arts Center, are as follows:

November 20th, 2021, afternoon (2pm) - 'Venerable Variations'

Venue: The DiMenna Center for Classical Music

Mozart Concert Rondo in D for Piano and Orchestra, K. 382--Maxim Lando, Piano Soloist

Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a

Elgar Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 ("Enigma")

An InsideOut Concerts event, 'The Family Experience', designed for families with children under the age of 13, and including extended excerpts from the above works. Followed by an Instrument Zoo provided by the Lucy Moses School.

November 20th, 2021, evening (5pm) - 'Venerable Variations'

Venue: The DiMenna Center for Classical Music

Mozart Concert Rondo in D for Piano and Orchestra, K. 382--Maxim Lando, Piano Soloist

Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a

Elgar Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 ("Enigma")

An InsideOut Concerts event, 'The Full Experience', designed for adults and including the full program of complete works, a reception with refreshments and opportunities to meet the musicians and conductor.

March 6th, 2022 - 'Ravishing Romantics'

PACS tour to the Adelphi Performing Arts Center, Long Island

Verdi Overture to La Forza del Destino

Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No 2

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4

Piano soloist: Spencer Myer

May 14th, afternoon (2pm) - 'Mahler's Triumph'

Venue: The DiMenna Center for Classical Music

Mahler, Symphony No. 5

An InsideOut Concerts event, 'The Family Experience', designed for families with children under the age of 13, and including extended excerpts from the above works. Followed by an Instrument Zoo provided by the Lucy Moses School.

May 14th, 2021, evening (5pm) - 'Mahler's Triumph'

Venue: The DiMenna Center for Classical Music

Mahler, Symphony No. 5

An InsideOut Concerts event, 'The Full Experience', designed for adults and including the full program of complete works, a reception with refreshments and opportunities to meet the musicians and conductor.

Booking details can be found on the PACS website.

Their forthcoming release 'Sounds Of America' features three of the 'Mount Rushmore' of iconic American composers (Barber, Copland, Bernstein). Listening/purchase options (Apple Music, Spotify et al) are updated here: https://orcd.co/pacssoundsofamerica