Yale Philharmonia to Return to Carnegie Hall in January

On Monday, January 27, 2025, at 8:00 pm, the Yale Philharmonia will return to Carnegie Hall for the first time since 2012 and the first time ever under internationally renowned conductor Peter Oundjian. Oundjian leads the Philharmonia in a diversified program that the orchestra is especially excited to perform at Carnegie: Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto, featuring the renowned soloist and Yale School of Music faculty violinist Augustin Hadelich; the world premiere of a new Suite from Joan Tower's Concerto for Orchestra; and Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique. The Yale Philharmonia, one of the country's foremost music school ensembles, is based at the preeminent Yale School of Music, one of top post-graduate performing arts institutions in North America.

To purchase tickets, visit carnegiehall.org. Student and Senior discount tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th Street and 7th Avenue.

Peter Oundjian is a dynamic presence in the conducting world with an international career leading preeminent orchestras in many of the world's major musical centers. He is Music Director of the Colorado Symphony and the Colorado Music Festival. His 14-year tenure as Music Director of the Toronto Symphony (which ended in 2018) was transformational for the orchestra; he was also Music Director of the Scottish National Orchestra. Oundjian began his musical career as a solo violinist and first violinist of the Tokyo String Quartet.  He has been a visiting professor at Yale School of Music since 1981, and has served as Principal Conductor of the Yale Philharmonia since 2017.  For a complete biography, visit: KirshbaumAssociates.com/Peter Oundjian

“I am thrilled to bring this exceptional orchestra of young players to Carnegie Hall,” said Oundjian, “and equally thrilled to be joined by the extraordinary violinist Augustin Hadelich, with whom I have joyously shared the stage many times. I'm also delighted to present a new work by Joan Tower, who is a longtime friend and colleague – and a national treasure.”

 “The Yale School of Music is honored to have a longstanding relationship with Carnegie Hall, and being able to give our students the opportunity to play in one of the world's great halls is an incredible privilege. We are delighted to have two world renowned musicians --Peter Oundjian and Augustin Hadelich – leading and inspiring the orchestra as they present this very special concert,” said Dean of the Yale School of Music, José García-León.

“The stage of Carnegie Hall is no stranger to Yale's remarkable roster of alumni and students who have dedicated their lives to the arts. The Yale Philharmonia is emblematic of Yale's deep commitment to the arts as part of its overall mission of enriching the world through education, dialogue and practice, and we are proud to see the Yale Philharmonia returning to this matchless concert hall with an exceptionally thoughtful program,” added Yale University President Maurie McInnis.

The concert opens with Tower's world premiere, a new Suite based on her 1991 Concerto for Orchestra, which Oundjian conducted last summer at the Colorado Music Festival, with Tower in attendance. About the original Concerto, Tower wrote, “Although technically demanding, the virtuoso sections are an integral part of the music, resulting from accumulated energy, rather than being designed purely as display elements.” The new 11-minute Suite weaves together selected passages of the original 32-minute concerto to capture its energy and virtuoso elements in a shorter work, ideal for opening the concert on a high note.

Also in the first half is Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto, written just before World War II and given its premiere at Carnegie Hall in 1940.  “This is music of enormous power and depth,” said Oundjian, “ominous and dark, tragically foreshadowing what was to come. It is an honor to revisit one of the great concerto masterpieces of the 20th century with the incomparable Augustin Hadelich right here in the hall where it premiered nearly 85 years ago.”

Hadelich, one of the great violinists of our time, has performed to enthusiastic acclaim with all the major American orchestras as well as the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam and many other eminent ensembles. He is known for his phenomenal technique, insightful and persuasive interpretations and ravishing tone. Hadelich joined the Yale School of Music violin faculty in 2021 and says of his teaching career, “My role in teaching is not only to help with violin-centered technique and advice, but also to serve as a guide in the process of students finding what they want to say to the world as artists.”

After intermission, Oundjian leads the Yale Philharmonia in a grand orchestra show piece, Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, groundbreaking in its time for the composer's innovative use of the orchestra and what Berlioz called an “ideé fixe,” a recurring theme that runs through all five movements as the symphony tells the story of an artist's unrequited love and opium-fueled demise.

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