The Philadelphia Orchestra Kicks Off 2010-11 Cultural Season

Chief Conductor Charles Dutoit and The Philadelphia Orchestra, who are celebrating 30 magnificent years of musical collaboration together in 2010, kick off Philadelphia's cultural season with the Opening Concert and Gala of the Orchestra's 111th season on Thursday, September 23, 2010, at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Maestro Dutoit, who will be recognized during the evening for his three decades of inspired music-making with the Orchestra, begins his third season as chief conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra with a program that places a jewel of the violin repertoire against a backdrop of dazzling orchestral showpieces. Renowned violinist and multiple Grammy Award-winner Joshua Bell joins Maestro Dutoit and the Fabulous Philadelphians as soloist.

The concert begins at 7:00 PM and is performed without intermission. Gala tickets, which are on sale now, are available by calling 215.893.1956. Concert-only tickets will be available beginning August 2 by calling 215.893.1999 or visiting www.philorch.org.

Mr. Bell, who was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People magazine, is soloist in Lalo's Symphonie espagnole, a work originally composed for the great virtuoso Pablo Sarasate-a singular piece that is emblematic of the ongoing French enchantment with "things Spanish." The program opens with Berlioz's dashing Le Corsaire Overture, in recognition of Mr. Dutoit's multi-year focus on the composer's works, and concludes with Respighi's 1924 symphonic masterwork, The Pines of Rome.

The Opening Gala begins with a private cocktail reception at 5:30 PM for benefactors in Perelman Theater. At 6:00 PM all who are attending the Opening Concert are invited to a champagne reception in the Kimmel Center's Commonwealth Plaza. Following the concert, gala attendees will be served dinner in the Kimmel Center. Catered by Restaurant Associates, the dinner includes Diamond Benefactors ($15,000 per table of 10), Platinum Benefactors ($10,000 per table of 10), Gold Patrons ($5,000 per table of 10), Benefactors ($1,000 per person), and Patrons ($500 per person).

All gala events surrounding the concert are organized by The Philadelphia Orchestra's Volunteer Committees under the direction of Volunteer Committees President Sally S. Bullard. Hilarie L. Morgan and Nancy V. Ronning are chairmen for the Opening Gala 2010. Lexus is the automotive underwriter of the 2010 Opening Night Gala.

This year marks the 24th season for which The Philadelphia Orchestra's Volunteer Committees have presented the Opening festivities. The Volunteer Committees were formed in 1904, four years after the Orchestra's first concerts. The Women's Committee, as it was originally called, was the first permanent organization of its kind in the world, and has since come to serve as a model for similar groups in the United States and abroad. The current Volunteer Committees include nine committees: Central, Chestnut Hill, Chestnut Hill Musical Cocktails, Main Line and Delaware, Main Line Associates, New Jersey, Old York Road, Rittenhouse Square, and West Philadelphia. Through their endeavors over the past century, thousands of members of the Volunteer Committees have given countless hours and their innumerable talents in service to The Philadelphia Orchestra and the people of the greater Philadelphia region.

Violinist Joshua Bell came to national attention at age 14 when he made his Philadelphia Orchestra debut, followed by his Carnegie Hall debut, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and a recording contract.

Highlights of Mr. Bell's 2009-10 season included performances at the Hollywood Bowl, Verbier, Tuscan Sun, Mostly Mozart, Salzburg, Tanglewood, Menuhin, Gstaad, and Enescu festivals and a return to the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall. Western hemisphere engagements included appearances with the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, and the National Symphony. Mr. Bell performed at the Huberman Festival with the Czestochowa Philharmonic and returns to Moscow to perform with the Russian National Orchestra. He also undertook a European and U.S. recital tour, which included appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York, Disney Hall in Los Angeles, and the Wigmore Hall in London; a performance for the World Economic Forum; and dates in Paris, Budapest, Madrid, Athens, Zurich, and Istanbul, as well as a tour to Asia with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

An exclusive Sony Classical artist known for his breadth of repertoire, Mr. Bell has created a richly varied catalogue of recordings. Recent releases include the soundtracks for Angels & Demons and Defianc;, Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, The Red Violin Concerto by John Corigliano, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic; and The Essential Joshua Bell, Voice of the Violin, and Romance of the Violin, which Billboard named the 2004 Classical CD of the Year, and Bell the Classical Artist of the Year. He also performed on the Oscar-winning soundtrack of The Red Violin. He has received the 2008 Academy of Achievement Award, the Mercury Music Prize, Germany's Echo Klassik, and the Gramophone Award.

Mr. Bell grew up on a farm in Bloomington, Indiana. As a child, he was an avid computer game player and a competitive athlete. He received his first violin at age four and by 12 he had begun studying with Josef Gingold. In 1989 he received an Artist Diploma from Indiana University. Inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in 2005, Mr. Bell currently serves on the Artist Committee of the Kennedy Center Honors. He plays the 1713 "Gibson ex-Huberman" Stradivarius violin.

Chief conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as artistic director and principal conductor of the Royal Philharmonic and music director of the Verbier Festival Orchestra, Charles Dutoit regularly collaborates with the world's leading orchestras. Since his debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1980, he has been invited each season to conduct all the major orchestras of the United States, including those of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. He has also performed regularly with all the great orchestras of Europe, including the Berlin Philharmonic and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw Orchestra, as well as the Israel Philharmonic and the major orchestras of Japan, South America, and Australia. Mr. Dutoit has recorded extensively for Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Philips, CBS, Erato, and other labels with American, European, and Japanese orchestras. His more than 170 recordings, half of them with the Montreal Symphony, have garnered more than 40 awards and distinctions.

Since 1990 Mr. Dutoit has been artistic director and principal conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra's summer festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center; he concludes his tenure in 2010. Between 1990 and 1999, he also directed the Orchestra's summer series at the Mann Center, and led them in a series of distinctive recordings. From 1991 to 2001, he was music director of the Orchestre National de France. In 1996 he was appointed principal conductor, and in 1998 music director, of the NHK Symphony in Tokyo. For 25 years (1977 to 2002), Mr. Dutoit was artistic director of the Montreal Symphony.

When still in his early 20s, Mr. Dutoit was invited by Herbert von Karajan to lead the Vienna State Opera. Mr. Dutoit has since conducted regularly at Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Deutsche Oper in Berlin. He also led productions at the Los Angeles Music Center Opera and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.

Mr. Dutoit holds honorary doctorates from McGill University, the University of Montréal, and Université Laval. In 1982 he was named Musician of the Year by the Canadian Music Council; in 1988 the same organization awarded him the Canadian Music Council Medal. In 1991 Mr. Dutoit was made an Honorary Citizen of the City of Philadelphia. In 1994 the Canadian Conference of the Arts awarded him their Diploma of Honour. In 1995 the government of Québec named him Grand Officier de l'Ordre National du Québec, and in 1996 the government of France made him Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He has also been invested as an Honorary Officer of the Order of Canada, the country's highest award of merit. Mr. Dutoit was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, and his musical training took him to Geneva, Siena, Venice, and Tanglewood, where he worked with Charles Munch.

A globetrotter motivated by his passion for history and archaeology, political science, art, and architecture, Mr. Dutoit has traveled and visited all the nations of the world. He maintains residences in Switzerland, Paris, Montreal, Buenos Aires, and Tokyo.

The Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra is among the world's leading orchestras. Renowned for its artistic excellence since its founding in 1900, the Orchestra has excited audiences with thousands of concerts in Philadelphia and around the world.

Artistic Leadership

With only seven music directors throughout more than a century of unswerving orchestral distinction, the artistic heritage of The Philadelphia Orchestra is attributed to extraordinary musicianship under the leadership and innovation of Fritz Scheel (1900-07), Carl Pohlig (1907-12), Leopold Stokowski (1912-41), Eugene Ormandy (1936-80), Riccardo Muti (1980-92), Wolfgang Sawallisch (1993-2003), and Christoph Eschenbach (2003-08).

After 30 years of a celebrated association with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit continues the tradition as Chief Conductor. With the 2012-13 season, the Orchestra honors Mr. Dutoit by bestowing upon him the title Conductor Laureate. July 2010 marks the 30th anniversary of his debut with the Orchestra and since those first appearances, Mr. Dutoit has led hundreds of concerts in Philadelphia, at Carnegie Hall, and on tour, as Artistic Director of the Orchestra's summer concerts at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestra's summer residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and now as Chief Conductor. His role as Conductor Laureate extends this strong and steadfast relationship.

In June 2010 Yannick Nézet-Séguin was named the next Music Director of The Philadelphia Orchestra, immediately joining the Orchestra's leadership team as Music Director Designate. Mr. Nézet-Séguin's leadership era as Music Director begins with the 2012-13 season. In addition to concerts led by Mr. Dutoit and Mr. Nézet-Séguin, audiences will be treated to the artistry of acclaimed guest conductors from around the world throughout the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons.

Philadelphia is Home

The Philadelphia Orchestra annually touches the lives of more than one million music lovers worldwide, through concerts, presentations, and recordings. The Orchestra enjoys residence during the winter season (September-May) at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it takes stage at both the 2,500-seat Verizon Hall as well as in the 650-seat Perelman Theater for chamber music concerts. Its summer schedule includes an outdoor season at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts as well as free Neighborhood Concerts throughout Greater Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Orchestra Association continues to own the Academy of Music, as it has since 1957, where it performed for 101 seasons. It returns to the historically-certified theater every January for the highly-anticipated Academy Anniversary Concert and Ball. The Philadelphia Orchestra can also be found year-round throughout Greater Philadelphia with its many educational outreach and community partnership programs.

Performances throughout the U.S.

Beyond Philadelphia the Orchestra presents a series of concerts each year at New York's Carnegie Hall and a three-week residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Upstate New York. The ensemble also performs numerous concerts each year at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and regularly appears at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Firsts and Foremost

The Philadelphia Orchestra has an unparalleled legacy of firsts. Signature to its reputation are world or American premieres of such important works as Mahler's Symphony No. 8 ("Symphony of a Thousand"), Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, Schoenberg's Gurrelieder, Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, and Barber's Violin Concerto.

The Philadelphia Orchestra's tour history is characterized by landmark events. In 1936 the Orchestra became the first American orchestra to undertake a transcontinental tour; in 1949 it toured Great Britain as the first American orchestra to cross the Atlantic after World War II; in 1973 it became the first American orchestra to perform in the People's Republic of China; and in 1999 it became the first American symphony orchestra to visit Vietnam. On its 2010 Tour of Asia, the Orchestra was received with great enthusiasm in China, Japan, and Korea, marking another important milestone in its storied history of ambassadorship through powerfully uniting music.

Reaching Audiences through Ever-Evolving Media

The Orchestra also boasts an extraordinary record of media firsts. It was the first symphonic orchestra to make electrical recordings (in 1925), the first to perform its own commercially sponsored radio broadcast (in 1929), the first to perform on the soundtrack of a feature film (Paramount's The Big Broadcast of 1937), the first to appear on a national television broadcast (in 1948), and the first major orchestra to give a live cybercast of a concert on the internet (in 1997). The Orchestra also became the first major orchestra to multi-cast a concert to large-screen venues through the Internet2 network.

The Philadelphia Orchestra announced a collaboration with SpectiCast in June 2009 that enables the broadcast of select Orchestra concerts to private theaters and auditoriums, including senior living communities and colleges and universities. In January 2010 the Orchestra formed a new distribution partnership with IODA, through which live recordings are now made available on popular digital music services such as iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, eMusic, and HDtracks, among others.

Currently the Orchestra and Drexel University's Music and Entertainment Technology Laboratory are working together to develop a new iPhone application that transmits real-time musical commentary to concert hall audiences during live performances.

Trusting the Future

In the 2009-10 season the Orchestra Association took significant steps toward financial sustainability with the creation of a Bridge Fund to enable the organization to continue building upon its rich legacy and its pursuit of artistic excellence. To date an extraordinary $8 million has been pledged by Board members. In addition to this Fund, the musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra have recently agreed to generous contract modifications totaling more than $8 million over 2 and 1/4 years.

Another highlight of the Orchestra's recent past was the conclusion of a $125 million endowment campaign, A Sound, A City, A Civilization. Commitments to the campaign included a lead gift of $50 million from the Annenberg Foundation, along with other major gifts from friends throughout the community.

For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org.

OPENING GALA

September 23 at 7:00 PM - Thursday evening - Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

The Philadelphia Orchestra

Charles Dutoit Conductor

Joshua Bell Violin

Berlioz Le Corsaire Overture

Lalo Symphonie espagnole, for violin and orchestra

Respighi The Pines of Rome

The concert is performed without intermission.

For gala information and tickets, please call 215.893.1956.

Concert-only tickets (available August 2): $25-$140, 215.893.1999 or www.philorch.org.

Lexus is the automotive underwriter of the 2010 Opening Night Gala.

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