New York Philharmonic Announces Updated Fall 2020 Activities

The New York Philharmonic has announced an updated slate of activities for the Fall of 2020, to replace the previously announced cancelled live performances through January 5, 2021. These activities will mark the emergence of live performances with New York Philharmonic musicians since the COVID-19 pandemic began in the Winter of 2020. The Fall initiatives will comprise a mix of live, socially distanced performances throughout New York City incorporating music written by diverse and underrepresented composers; an audio experience crafted to accompany strolls through Central Park; and newly recorded chamber ensemble broadcasts and archival presentations for broadcast on social media and as part of NY Phil Plays On.

"At last the New York Philharmonic can start to emerge from our musical quarantine," said President and CEO Deborah Borda. "Beginning this weekend, the Philharmonic launches NY Phil Bandwagon, a unique initiative to bring live music back to New York City, engaging new audiences in all five boroughs. Through the Bandwagon project, Ellen Reid's SOUNDWALK, and our various digital initiatives, we are providing new points of access to classical music as well as beginning a dialogue with communities across the city. The Philharmonic is poised to be on the cutting edge of what is possible in both live and digital performance as we work our way back to the stage."

Music Director Jaap van Zweden said: "I continue to follow the wonderful and creative work of our Philharmonic musicians, reminding me daily of just how much I miss making music with them. Hopefully, soon it will be possible to re-unite, and I cannot wait for that day!"

NY Phil Bandwagon

The Philharmonic makes its first official return to live, public performances with NY Phil Bandwagon. New Yorkers in all five boroughs will catch sight of NY Phil Bandwagon, a customized pick-up truck that will serve as a stage for "pull-up" community performances. Small ensembles of the Orchestra's musicians will perform on street corners, plazas, and sidewalks, playing varied programs across the city in a new, experimental concert format.

Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo collaborates with the New York Philharmonic as the Producer for this project, launching Bandwagon on an eight-week run starting Friday, August 28, with performances by three Philharmonic string players. Each week will offer multiple performances on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. To observe governmental health and safety protocols, masks will be made available to attendees and specific times and locations of Bandwagon "pull-up" performances will not be announced in advance to limit the size of crowds.

Producer Anthony Roth Costanzo said: "I am excited to be partnering with the New York Philharmonic to start a dialogue with the city in a new way. From Concerts in the Parks, to Young People's Concerts, to Phil the Hall, the Orchestra has a legacy of finding ways to connect, and this project will build on that legacy and forge new pathways. The moment we are in gives us an opportunity to be unusually nimble, and to allow the Bandwagon to shift and grow in response to both our successes and our failures. We can't wait to explore partnerships with communities and artists throughout the city and discover the harmonies that can emerge."

Programming and artists for NY Phil Bandwagon, including several surprise special guests, will be announced at each respective performance. The series' repertoire will include new pieces commissioned by the Philharmonic specifically for this initiative, including Loop by Carlos Simon, 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence Awardee, and new works by Anthony Barfield and Viet Cuong, in addition to a participant from the New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers Program. Each performance will be enhanced with lighting design by Brandon Stirling Baker.

A partner in this project includes the League of Women Voters of the City of New York, which will send volunteers to select performances to encourage listeners and passers-by to register to vote and complete the 2020 Census.

World Premiere of Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK

Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK - a GPS-enabled work of public art that uses music to illuminate the natural environment - will be premiered on September 10, 2020 in New York City's Central Park. Conceived by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid and co-commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Mann Center for the Performing Arts in association with The Fairmount Park Conservancy, and Britt Festival Orchestra, Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK is an immersive audio experience tailor-made for Central Park, free to the public, and created with social distancing guidelines in mind.

After downloading the free app and putting on their headphones, participants can explore the park's entire 840 acres - triggering Ellen Reid's soundscape, musical cells which she carefully crafted to harmonize with the park's landscape and attractions. The experience is guided by the listener: the path you choose dictates the music you hear, and no two visits will be exactly the same. The installation will remain accessible while in the park for the remainder of 2020 and beyond.

Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK features a newly written score, performed by New York Philharmonic musicians, the Young People's Chorus of New York City: Francisco J. Núñez, Founder / Artistic Director, Poole and the Gang, and the SOUNDWALK Ensemble, as well as special musical "Easter eggs" hidden around the park for participants to discover, including the World Premiere recording of Reid's When the World As You've Known It Doesn't Exist (commissioned by the Philharmonic and performed in February 2020 as part of Project 19).

Composer and Sound Designer Ellen Reid said: "These are unprecedented times; we are all experiencing the anxieties of living in an uncertain world. We miss our communities, and we miss the very thing that makes our cities special: the people. I hope SOUNDWALK will inspire us and make us feel connected to something larger than ourselves. It is meant to serve as artistic nourishment - a place to recharge, reconnect, and re-energize."

Continuation of Project 19

Bernstein's New York

Holidays with the NY Phil

The Fall of 2020 will continue with digital initiatives that honor the Philharmonic's past, look to the future, and bring communities together in a virtual world. These projects will feature newly recorded performances by small, socially distanced ensembles of Philharmonic musicians. For these performances, the Philharmonic will partner with the Kaufman Music Center, Manhattan School of Music, and more to be announced.

Continuation of Project 19:

In October the Philharmonic will present the continuation of Project 19, the multiyear commissioning project honoring the centennial of the 19th Amendment. It will present newly recorded performances as well as previously unaired video broadcasts from the launch of Project 19, in February 2020. The Philharmonic's Project 19 partnerships with Catalyst, League of Women Voters of the City of New York, the Academy of American Poets, American Composers Forum, and I Care If You Listen will continue through online panels and discussions; details to be announced.

Bernstein's New York:

In November the Philharmonic will honor composer and former Music Director Leonard Bernstein, in anticipation of the release of the 2020 film adaptation of West Side Story, for which the Philharmonic recorded the soundtrack. Programming will include broadcasts of newly recorded material, archival broadcasts and remastered video from the New York Philharmonic Archives, a walking tour of Bernstein's New York in partnership with Google Arts & Culture, and more to be announced.

Holidays with the NY Phil:

In December the Philharmonic will host Holidays with the NY Phil, presenting a variety of broadcasts featuring newly recorded performances by Philharmonic musicians, including the annual Holiday Brass Concert, and more to be announced.

Additional details on Fall 2020 programming will be announced at a later date. All programs subject to change.