Palm Beach Symphony Opens Golden Anniversary Season With Guest Artist Yefim Bronfman and a World Premiere by Bright Sheng 

Palm Beach Symphony, led by Music Director Gerard Schwarz at the podium, opens its Golden Anniversary Season with piano virtuoso Yefim Bronfman and a program featuring a world premiere commissioned for the occasion in the Dreyfoos Concert Hall at the Kravis Center on Sunday, November 19 at 3 p.m.

“One of the great pianists before the public today and a dear friend, Yefim Bronfman, will perform  Johannes Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2,” said Maestro Schwarz. “He and I have known each other for 50 years, and I'm always amazed at what a great artist he is. Being able to collaborate with him to open this anniversary season is extremely meaningful for us.”

Another highlight will be the world premiere of a new composition by Bright Sheng, Triumph of Humanity, commissioned for the Palm Beach Symphony by Professor and Mrs. Paul du Quenoy, with support from The Common Sense Society and the Palm Beach Freedom Institute.  

“Bright Sheng is one of the most gifted composers alive today,” Maestro Schwarz said. “To preface this world premiere, we will perform his arrangement, entitled BLACK SWAN which is inspired by one of the most beautiful works for piano one has ever heard, Brahms' Intermezzo Op. 118 No. 2. Although, I think his arrangement is even more exquisite. 

The Symphony also gives a fitting start to the anniversary season with the opulent splendor evoking Vienna's Golden Age found in Richard Strauss' Suite from Der Rosenkavalier. As is tradition, the first concert of the season will begin with The Star Spangled Banner, guest conducted by Professor Paul du Quenoy who received the honor as part of an auction prize offered at the Symphony's annual gala last season.

One of today's most acclaimed and admired pianists, Yefim Bronfman stands among a handful of artists regularly sought by festivals, orchestras, conductors and recital series. His commanding technique, power and exceptional lyrical gifts are consistently acknowledged by the press and audiences alike. His performances this season include the opening week of the Chicago Symphony followed by return visits to New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh, Houston, Philadelphia, New World, Pacific, Madison, New Jersey, Toronto and Montreal symphonies. In Europe he will tour with Rotterdam Philharmonic and can also be heard with Berlin Philharmonic, Bayerischer Rundfunk (Munich), Bamberg, Dresden Staatskapelle, Maggio Fiorentino and Zurich Opera orchestras. Reviewing a performance, The Washington Post reported, “His energy emanates from his fingers and swirls out of the piano with such perfection that every note grabs the ear with an expressive, singing quality. When his hands swept the full length of the keyboard in arpeggios and scales, Bronfman made it all look effortless.”

Internationally recognized for his moving performances, innovative programming and extensive catalogue of recordings, American conductor Gerard Schwarz serves as Music Director of the All-Star Orchestra, Eastern Music Festival, Palm Beach Symphony, and Mozart Orchestra of New York, and is Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival. Schwarz is the Distinguished Professor of Music; Conducting and Orchestral Studies of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and Music Director of the Frost Symphony Orchestra. In his over five decades as a respected classical musician and conductor, Schwarz has received hundreds of honors and accolades including nine Emmy Awards, 14 GRAMMY nominations, eight ASCAP Awards, and the Ditson Conductor's Award. He was the first American named Conductor of the Year by Musical America and has received numerous honorary doctorates. The City of Seattle named the street alongside the Benaroya Hall “Gerard Schwarz Place” in his honor. Learn more at gerardschwarz.com.

Proclaimed by the MacArthur Foundation as “an innovative composer who merges diverse musical customs in works that transcend conventional aesthetic boundaries,” Bright Sheng is respected as one of the foremost composers of our time. Sheng's music has been widely commissioned and performed by many of the world's most prestigious institutions including, among others: in North America by the San Francisco Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, New York City Opera, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic; in Europe by the Orchestra de Paris, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg Radio Symphony, National Symphony of Russia, Warsaw Symphony, Copenhagen Philharmonic, National Symphony of Spain and Orchestra of National Opera of Greece; and in Asia by New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Sidney Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and China National Symphony.

The season continues with Akiko Suwanai, violin (Dec. 13); Pinchas Zukerman, violin (Jan. 15); Vladimir Feltsman, piano  (Feb. 5); Emanuel Ax, piano (March 6); and Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano (April 25). 

Tickets are $25-$95 and may be purchased at  PalmBeachSymphony.org; by phone at (561) 281-0145; and in person at the Palm Beach Symphony Box Office weekdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at 400 Hibiscus Street, Suite 100, West Palm Beach.  The Kravis Center is 701 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL  33401.

Proud sponsors of Palm Beach Symphony include Cindy Anderson and Jerome Canty, Max and Christine Ansbacher, Mrs. James N. Bay, Alan Benaroya, Arthur & Mara Benjamin Foundation, JoAnne Berkow, Kathy Lee Bickham and John Bickham, Leslie Rogers Blum, Jeffrey and Tina Bolton, James R. Borynack and Adolfo Zaralegui / FINDLAY Galleries, Braman Motorcars, Thomas and Carol Bruce, CIBC Private Wealth, Amy and John Collins, The Colony Hotel, CORPGOV, Suzanne Mott Dansby, The David Minkin Foundation, The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, Willard H. Dow and Kelly Winter, Dr. Richard and Diane Farber, Bill and Kem Frick/The Frick Foundation, Inc., Gerry Gibian and Marjorie Yashar, Morgan Glazar/Tom James Company, Paul and Sandra Goldner, Douglas and Jo Gressette, Irwin and Janet Gusman, Thomas E. Harvey & Cathleen P. Black Foundation, Doris Hastings Foundation, Carol S. and Joseph Andrew Hays, John Herrick, Addison Hines Charitable Trust, George Hines, HSS Florida, IPO Edge, IYC, Charles and Ann Johnson/The C and A Johnson Family Foundation, Barbara and William Karatz Fund/William Karatz and Joan G. Smith, Elaine Kay, Leonard and Norma Klorfine Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Gary and Linda Lachman/The Lachman Family Foundation, Patricia Lambrecht, Tova Leidesdorf, Lugano Diamonds, The Honorable Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, The McNulty Charitable Foundation, David Moscow, NetJets, Palm Beach Design Masters, Patrick and Milly Park/Park Foundation, Nancy and Ellis J. Parker, III, PNC Private Bank, Lois Pope, Provident Jewelry, Ari Rifkin/The Len-Ari Foundation, Dr. Martha Rodriguez, Karen Rogers, Ronald Rosenfeld, David Schafer, Seth Sprague Foundation, Robin B. Smith, Kimberly V. Strauss, Dodie and Manley Thaler and the Thaler/Howell Foundation, Jerome and Carol Trautschold, Sieglinde Wikstrom/The Wikstrom Foundation, and The Ann Eden Woodward Foundation/James and Judy Woods. Programs are also sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

Palm Beach Symphony is South Florida's premier orchestra known for its diverse repertoire and commitment to community. Founded in 1974, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization adheres to a mission of engaging, educating, and entertaining the greater community of the Palm Beaches through live performances of inspiring orchestral music under the direction of its Music Director Gerard Schwarz. The orchestra is celebrated for delivering spirited performances by first-rate musicians and distinguished guest artists. Recognized by The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County with a 2020 Muse Award for Outstanding Community Engagement, Palm Beach Symphony continues to expand its education and community outreach programs with children's concerts, student coaching sessions and master classes, instrument donations and free public concerts. For more information, visit www.palmbeachsymphony.org.

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