OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION

2024–25 SEASON  

MUSIC AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN AND THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA 

SEPTEMBER 26, 2024 

Featuring host Terry Gross, violinist María Dueñas, and the world premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Orchestral Suite from Fire Shut Up in My Bones  

(Philadelphia, September 16, 2024)—Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra will launch the 2024–25 season in Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, September 26, 2024, at 7:00 PM. The evening will mark the first Opening Night Celebration and the first full season to take place in the newly renamed hall, dedicated in June in honor of the legendary Black contralto, civil rights icon, and Philadelphian.  

Terry Gross will host the Opening Night Concert. She is the host and an executive producer of Fresh Air with Terry Gross & Tonya Mosley, which is produced at WHYY in Philadelphia and broadcast on public radio stations around the country, and a passionate music lover and fan of the Orchestra. The concert will feature violinist María Dueñas performing Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1. The Orchestra will also give the world premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Orchestral Suite from Fire Shut Up in My Bones, co-commissioned by Yannick and The Philadelphia Orchestra. The history-making and GRAMMY-winning opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones was the first by a Black composer to be performed at the Metropolitan Opera, led by Yannick in 2021. The concert will conclude with Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet. Tickets are available at 215.893.1999 or www.philorch.org. 

“The Opening Night Concert sets the stage for a season of renewal and rediscovery, as we revisit the beloved masterpieces that we know and love. We also continue our exploration of works by composers who have been historically overlooked and those whose unique voices remind us that art knows no boundaries,” said Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who is entering his 13th season with the Orchestra. “I know the audience will be blown away by the passion and talent of María Dueñas, one of classical music’s brightest young stars. To also present the world premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Orchestral Suite from Fire Shut Up in My Bones is a truly full-circle moment. After the opera made history when I conducted it at the Met, we look forward to marking another milestone in the history of this groundbreaking work, here in Marian Anderson Hall. I can think of no better way to begin the first full season in our newly rededicated hall, as Marian Anderson’s legacy guides and inspires us every day.”

Donors who contribute at benefactor levels to support Opening Night will enjoy a pre-concert reception beginning at 5:30 PM in the Tier 2 Lounge at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Following the 7:00 PM concert, benefactors will enjoy a gala dinner in the Kimmel Center’s Commonwealth Plaza featuring the culinary expertise of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts’s new food and beverage provider, Rhubarb Hospitality Collection by Oak View Group (RHC). For those interested in purchasing a benefactor package for Opening Night, more information is available here.   

The musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin are graciously donating their services for the Opening Night Concert. This year’s Opening Night Celebration is organized under the direction of Opening Night Celebration Co-Chairs Lauren Gilchrist, Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts Board member; Marvin Moon, Philadelphia Orchestra violist; and Diane Larzelere, Volunteer Committee member; as well as the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts Board of Trustees and dedicated members of the Volunteer Committees.  

This year marks the 38th season for which The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Volunteer Committees have presented the Opening Night festivities. The Volunteer Committees for The Philadelphia Orchestra were formed in 1904 and served as the first permanent organization of its kind in the United States. Since its formation, the Volunteer Committees have come to serve as a model for similar groups in the United States and abroad. The current Volunteer Committees for The Philadelphia Orchestra include Central, Main Line, New Jersey, Rittenhouse Square, and Starlight Circle. Through their endeavors over the past century, thousands of members of the Volunteer Committees have given countless hours and innumerable talents in service to The Philadelphia Orchestra and the people of the greater Philadelphia region. 

Opening Night  

September 26 at 7:00 PM—Thursday evening—Marian Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts  

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor  

Terry Gross Host  

María Dueñas Violin  

Blanchard Orchestral Suite from Fire Shut Up in My Bones—World Premiere—Co-Commissioned by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra 

Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1  

Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet  

Tchaikovsky wrote Romeo and Juliet when he was lost in love; small wonder, then, that Shakespeare’s tale of star-crossed lovers inspired new heights of genius for this passion-driven composer. This extraordinary flight of emotion is the finale of a thrilling program that includes the world premiere of Terence Blanchard’s stunning Orchestral Suite from his powerful opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones. Bruch’s melodic, rapturous First Violin Concerto is a showcase for the fastest rising international star of the violin, María Dueñas, whose “fearless attack and nimble-fingered technique” deliver “an assured, deeply felt performance, full of character and strong on musical storytelling” (The Guardian). 

For tickets, call 215.893.1999 or visit www.philorch.org.  

The Philadelphia Orchestra would like to extend sincere gratitude to the 2024 Opening Night Celebration Benefactors. 

Lead Benefactor 

The Central Volunteer Committee 

Ralph and Beth Johnston Muller 

Diamond Benefactor 

Comcast NBCUniversal  

Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer and Joseph Neubauer  

The Main Line Volunteer Committee 

John H. McFadden and Lisa D. Kabnick  

Leslie Miller and Richard Worley  

Mari and Peter Shaw 

Platinum Benefactor 

Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr. 

Sarah Miller Coulson 

Carole Haas Gravagno 

Julia A. Haller, M.D., and John D. Gottsch, M.D. 

Highmark Blue Shield 

The Malmud-Kravitz Foundation 

The New Jersey Volunteer Committee 

Parx Casino 

The Rittenhouse Square Volunteer Committee 

Adele K. Schaeffer 

Stradley Ronon Stevens and Young, LLP 

Michael D. Zisman 

Gold Benefactor 

Ballard Spahr LLP 

N. Judith Broudy 

Constance and Michael Cone 

Rob and Patty Delany 

Tobey and Mark Dichter 

Freedom Mortgage Corporation 

Lauren Gilchrist 

Eric and Lenora Hume 

Osagie and Losenge Imasogie 

Stephen Kastenberg and Robin Ireland 

Neal Krouse and Karl Fong 

Dr. Peter Langmuir and Dr. Colette Desrochers 

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Larzelere  

Joe Manko and Francyn Sacks  

Joseph Manko, Jr., and Jennifer Porges 

Offit Kurman, Attorneys at Law: Matthew D’Annunzio, Esq., and C. Lawrence Holmes, Esq. 

Caroline B. Rogers 

Lyn M. Ross 

Dianne and Jeffrey Rotwitt 

Mark and Robin Rubenstein 

Molly Shepard and Peter Dean 

Leonard and Barbara Sylk 

Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Townsend 

Charles and Suzanne Valutas 

Tom and Pat Vernon 

WHYY-TV 12 | WHYY-FM 90.9 

Joy Wilf and Bennett Keiser 

Principal Benefactor 

Dr. Susan C. Aldridge 

Sandra Blumberg Beatty and George Beatty 

Harris T. Bock, Esq., and Denise D. Hodgson 

Sibby Brasler 

Sara A. Cerato 

Kristine Christensen 

Hope Cohen 

Peggy Cooke 

Nancy and Kenneth Davis 

Henry and Kathy Donner 

Barbara Eberlein and Jerry Wind 

Anne C. Ewers 

Rebecca and Mark J. Foley 

Nancy Galloway 

Robert Heim and Eileen Kennedy 

Marybeth Henry 

Marie and Jeffrey Kenkelen 

Dr. Richard M. Klein 

Susanna Lachs and Dean Adler 

Drs. Gary and Deborah Ledley 

Liddy Lindsay 

Elizabeth and Edwin Mahoney 

Sandy and David Marshall 

Cathy Moss and Mitchell Harris 

Prof. Ilan Peleg and Dr. Marta Rozans 

Bob, Kate, and Emily Rauscher 

Louise H. Reed 

Mr. Jason Schupbach 

Dianne L. Semingson  

Lee Shlifer 

Judith Sills Swartz and Randy Swartz 

Dr. Norman L. Sykes and Mrs. Gabriella Sykes 

Jack and Ramona Vosbikian 

Dr. R.J. Wallner 

Dr. Richard Weisenberg and Faye Senneca 

Dr. Dilys V. Winegrad 

Richard and Diane Woosnam 

World Affairs Council of Philadelphia 

Bonnie Young 

Anonymous 

Volunteer Benefactor 

Charlotte H. Biddle  

Lois Boyce 

Carol Melman Brown  

Betsy and Jim Crowell  

Colleen DeMorat  

Virginia and John Dowd 

Bob Gelsher  

Kate Hall  

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Heidler  

Eric and Frances Herr  

Dr. Adrienne Jacoby  

Wilma Katz 

Marlena Robinson Kleit  

Bernice J. Koplin and Guy A. Veroli  

Kelsey Larzelere  

Rochelle Magarick  

Dr. Daniel JS McArdle 

Arlene and David Morgan 

Richelle and Kameron Rabenou  

Josephine and Thomas Rees  

William and Kathleen Stone 

Lisa Yakulis 

Donor 

Linda De Marco 

Noël Butcher Hanley 

Hannah L. Henderson 

Keith A. Layton 

The Hon. and Mrs. Stephen Levin  

Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Rauch, Jr. 

Gene Weymouth 

Barclay Whitaker 

As of September 13, 2024