Fall 2019 Education Events Announced at the New York Philharmonic

The New York Philharmonic announces its fall 2019 education activities, including the beginning of the 97th season of Young People's Concerts, interactive performances introducing children ages 6-12 to the orchestra; ninth season of Insights at the Atrium, free events at Lincoln Center's David Rubenstein Atrium tied to the season's themes, programming, and artists; and New York Philharmonic Teaching Artists performing a free concert for individuals with dementia and their caregivers as part of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts's Lincoln Center Moments.

Details about future New York Philharmonic education activities - including the expansion of New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers to Brooklyn; Very Young People's Concerts, expanding to Queens and the Bronx; Philharmonic musicians training pre-college student musicians in the Harmony Program, All-City High School Orchestra and Concert Band, and UpBeat NYC; and the season's remaining Young People's Concerts and Insights at the Atrium events - will be announced at a later date.

Young People's Concerts

Francesco Lecce-Chong will make his New York Philharmonic debut conducting the season's first Young People's Concert (YPC), Orchestral Music in America, on November 9, 2019, hosted by Michael Thurber and directed by Kevin Del Aguila. The concert will demonstrate how composers depict particular moments and places in America: Bernstein and 1944 New York City; Gabriela Lena Frank and 17th-century Spanish-American colonies; Ives and Redding, Connecticut, in 1778; Copland and Big Bend Tunnel in 1870; Jennifer Higdon and Grand Teton National Park in 1929; Mason Bates and Silicon Valley, 1970s-present; Jessie Montgomery and New York's Lower East Side in the 1980s and 90s; and 12-year-old New York Philharmonic Very Young Composer Michael Rodriguez and Cape Canaveral / the moon, 1969.

Music Director Jaap van Zweden will conduct the season's second YPC - his first - titled A Composer's Toolkit, on December 7, 2019, hosted by Justin Jay Hines and directed by Marcus Stevens. The concert will explore the musical tools composers use through performances of a World Premiere by 12-year-old New York Philharmonic Very Young Composer Paloma Alonso, selections from Beethoven's Symphony No. 2, and other works to be announced.

All YPCs are preceded by YPC Overtures, at which children can meet Philharmonic musicians, try out orchestral instruments, and hear works newly written by composers their own age through the New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers Program.

Insights at the Atrium

The season's first Insights at the Atrium event, "Staging Tales of Darkness," will take place September 24, 2019. Bengt Gomér - director / set and lighting designer of the staged production of Schoenberg's Erwartung and Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle- and soprano Nina Stemme - who plays Judith in Bluebeard's Castle - will go behind-the-scenes to discuss the making of this new production in conversation with New York Philharmonic Vice President, Artistic Planning, Isaac Thompson.

The second Insights at the Atrium event, "Yearning for a Distant Sound: Šu, for Sheng and Orchestra," will take place on October 16, 2019. Sheng player Wu Wei and composer Unsuk Chin will discuss Ms. Chin's Šu, which the New York Philharmonic performs with Mr. Wu later that week, in conversation with New York Philharmonic Vice President, Artistic Planning, Isaac Thompson.

Lincoln Center Moments

Kaleidoscope, an ensemble of New York Philharmonic Teaching Artists, will present a free performance-based program specially designed for individuals with dementia and their caregivers on November 18, 2019, at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse as part of Lincoln Center Moments. The program will explore how composers are inspired by the places and traditions to which they belong through Dvořák's String Quartet in F major, American, and Gabriela Lena Frank's Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout. The performance will be followed by a one-hour discussion, movement, and art-making workshop for participants to reflect upon their experience.

Single tickets to Young People's Concerts start at $16; all tickets include admission to YPC Overtures. (Ticket prices subject to change.) Tickets may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Tickets may also be purchased at the David Geffen Hall Box Office.

Insights at the Atrium events are free and open to the public. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Subscribers, Friends at the Affiliate level and above, and Patrons may secure guaranteed admission by emailing AdultEd@nyphil.org. Space is limited.

Lincoln Center Moments is free, but registration is required at lincolncenter.org/moments.

Photo Credit: Chris Lee