Under the final season of the artistic leadership of Music Director Gemma New the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra is presenting nine live, full orchestra concerts on the mainstage at FirstOntario Concert Hall, as well as concerts and musical events in the community and in classrooms across the Hamilton region.
The season will begin with Gemma New conducting Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony, Schumann’s Piano Concerto with Canadian soloist Tony Siqi Yun, and a world premiere from Hamilton native and the HPO’s first composer fellow (2018/19), Liam Ritz. In October, James Kahane conducts the orchestra in an exploration of musical friendships with our own Principal Oboe, Aleh Remezau is soloist in Vaughan Williams Oboe Concerto. Jacob Joyce conducts in November when we will hear Dvořák and Sibelius’ Violin Concerto with another Canadian soloist Kerson Leong. We celebrate the holidays in December with Abigail Richardson-Schulte’s The Hockey Sweater along with other festive favourites performed with the Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Hamilton Children’s Choir and guest conductor Kalena Bovell. We look forward to premieres from HPO composer fellows Kathryn Knowles and Paul Kawabe in the fall of 2023.
The new year will see a rock symphony tribute to iconic Freddie Mercury and The Music of Queen with your HPO! February features HPO soloist, Principal Horn Jessie Brooks, performing Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 1 with Caleb Young conducting. For our Composer Festival in March, HPO celebrates North American composers with a concert of Barber, Copland, and Canadian composer Elizabeth Raum’s Violin Concerto performed by her daughter Erika Raum, with French Canadian conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni on the podium. Mateusz Moleda conducts in April when Calgary’s piano prodigy Kevin Chen appears for Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concert No. 3. The Mainstage Season will come to a close with Gemma New conducting Beethoven’s ninth symphony featuring over 120 singers and soloists Carla Huhtanen, Lauren Segal, Lawrence Wiliford and Alexander Dobson.
Off-the-mainstage, HPO will continue its collaboration with the Bach Elgar Choir back for two December concerts of Handel’s Messiah. Gemma New will conduct Intimate & Immersive on May 1, a concert of contemporary works by living composers elevated by multimedia installations by a local artist.
Leave a comment