The National Philharmonic is kicking off their 2023-2024 season with a party called Soirée: Swing into the Season, taking place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at the Mansion at Strathmore, the 19th century mansion located a few hundred yards from The Music Center at Strathmore.
The evening will feature performances by violinist/NatPhil Concertmaster Laura Colgate; NatPhil frequent collaborators pianist Brian Ganz, soprano Danielle Talamantes, and pianist/composer Henry Dehlinger; and students from NatPhil’s Youth Mentorship Program. As part of the program, NatPhil will also honor Founder/CEO Emeritus of Strathmore Eliot Pfanstiehl and longtime NatPhill supporter Carl Tretter.
The National Philharmonic will be presenting two concerts at The Music Center at Strathmore in October and November to open its 2023–2024 Season. On October 14, Music Director Piotr Gajewski leads works by George Gershwin, Florence Price, and Ludwig van Beethoven; pianist Michelle Cann makes her National Philharmonic debut as soloist in both Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement. Cann is a champion of Price’s work, having premiered the Piano Concerto in both New York and Philadelphia. She received the 2022 Medal of Excellence from the Sphinx Organization.
In November, National Philharmonic partners with fellow local institution The Washington Chorus (TWC) for a program led by TWC Artistic Director Eugene Rogers. The concert features the Washington-area premiere of James Lee III’s Breaths of Universal Longings—first premiered in May 2023—as well as Antonio Estévez’s Cantata Criolla; tenor Scott Piper and baritone Juantomás Martínez Yépez join as soloists for the Estévez work.
October and November 2023 Full Concert Schedule:
Saturday, October 14, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore
Gershwin, Price & BeethovenPiotr Gajewski, conductor
Michelle Cann, piano
NatPhil’s 2023-2024 Season begins with a trio of enchanting works conducted by Maestro Piotr Gajewski, transporting listeners from the height of the Jazz Age to a pastoral countryside. Sensational pianist Michelle Cann opens the concert with Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin’s iconic fusion of classical and jazz styles, followed by the rich melodies and rhythms of Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement, which beautifully blends classical and African American musical traditions.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6—the “Pastoral Symphony”—celebrates the beauty of the natural world in five movements that usher audiences through the countryside, painting vivid imagery of a babbling brook, a crashing thunderstorm, and the people that coexist with nature.
Program:
George Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue
Florence Price, Piano Concerto in One Movement
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)
Sunday, November 5, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore
Universal Longings | Anhelos UniversalesEugene Rogers, conductor
In partnership with The Washington Chorus
Scott Piper, tenor
Juantomás Martínez Yépez, baritone
National Philharmonic and The Washington Chorus join forces for a concert of universal proportions conducted by TWC Artistic Director Eugene Rogers, including the Washington-area premiere of composer James Lee III’s Breaths of Universal Longings. “He’s a composer who has what it takes,” says the Baltimore Sun, and his works have been commissioned, premiered, and performed by prominent symphonies throughout the country.
Venezuelan composer Antonio Estévez’s Cantata Criolla retells the legend of Faust’s deal with the Devil, set to text from the mythic poem Florentino y El Diablo by Alberto Avelo Torrealbas. As Florentino battles for his soul in a singing contest against El Diablo, his story evolves through the rich textures of Estévez’s music. Spoiler alert: our hero prevails.
Program:
James Lee III, Breaths of Universal Longings
Antonio Estévez, Cantata Criolla
Ticket Information
Tickets ($19–$99) are available online at nationalphilharmonic.org. Kids 17 and under can attend National Philharmonic performances for free through the All Kids. All Free. All the Time. initiative.
