Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2021 summer concert season brings live music to communities throughout Western New York
Summer highlights include a rocking collaboration with The Strictly Hip, a BPO Brass series in partnership with Olmsted Parks Conservancy, and musical celebrations of the patriotic spirit throughout the region
Weekly radio broadcasts on WNED Classical provide summer music from the comforts of home
BUFFALO, NY — Dedicated to providing beautiful music for the entire Western New York region and beyond, today the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra announces a varied and exciting summer season that will once again bring live music to communities throughout Western New York, and shine the spotlight on smaller ensembles of its musicians.
“We have really missed our audiences this past year,” said Patti DiLutis, BPO clarinetist. “We are just so thrilled to be able to present live music for the entire Western New York community once again. It has never been clearer to us that a performance is not the same without the energy of our live audience”
The BPO is committed to the safety of its patrons, musicians, staff, volunteers, and the community. The orchestra and its partners will continue to follow all local, state, and federal health and safety guidelines as it pertains to summer performance venues. The latest safety and attendance protocols will be posted at bpo.org. Patrons are encouraged to check back for regular updates
Your BPO kicks off the summer season in full Independence Day flare on Sun. July 4 at 8 p.m. with a return to the Ellicottville Summer Music Festival. BPO Assistant Conductor Jaman E. Dunn leads a spirited patriotic program on the slopes, followed by a magnificent fireworks display. Tickets available at ellicottvilleny.com.
The BPO and Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy present a new 6 in 6 Concert Series—6 concerts, 6 parks, 6 weeks—sponsored by Bank of America and Wegmans, featuring the outstanding BPO Brass. The series, which is free and open to the public, takes place Thursdays at 7 p.m., commencing on July 8 at Riverside Park, and traveling throughout Western New York to lush, green, and serene Olmsted Park settings at South Park (July 15), Front Park (July 22), Cazenovia Park (July 29), Martin Luther King, Jr. Park (Aug. 5), and Delaware Park (Aug. 12). Additional support for the Delaware Park concert is provided by Delaware District Council Member Joel Feroleto.
In the summer of 2017, the BPO and Canada’s iconic band, The Strictly Hip, rocked Canalside with more than 15,000 people in attendance. In 2019, they sold out Kleinhans Music Hall for a repeat performance. Now, with conductor Bradley Thachuk and producing team Twenty6 Productions, the forces join up once again for a one-night-only performance of The Music of The Tragically Hip Performed by The Strictly Hip with the BPO at Batavia Downs on Sun. July 18. Celebrate the legacy of the band that defined rock for a generation! Tickets on sale now at bataviaconcerts.com.
A trio of free concerts in the parks continue with red, white and blue pageantry as your BPO performs a patriotic program at the Clarence Town Park amphitheater on Wed. July 28, the Niawanda Park band shell on Sun. Aug. 1, and Bassett Park on Wed. Aug. 11, all with a start time of 7 p.m. Jaman E. Dunn conducts.
Your BPO returns to Old Fort Niagara, a summer mainstay, on Sun. Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. with an evening of bombastic favorites at the region’s oldest historic site. A grand fireworks display closes out the concert. Adult tickets are $25. Tickets for students of all ages (valid student I.D. required) and children over age 6 are available for $10. Children under age 6 attend free. A family-four pack—tickets for two adults and two children over age 6—is available for $60. Tickets available at bpo.org.
Those who are not quite ready to venture out for live performances can enjoy the BPO from the comfort of their living room, patio, or anywhere on the go by tuning in to weekly radio broadcasts presented in partnership with WNED Classical, each Tuesday at 7 p.m. beginning July 6. Maestro JoAnn Falletta presents the best of performances from the BPO archives and recording library, including Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons featuring BPO Concertmaster Nikki Chooi, J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, and more. The full broadcast schedule is available at bpo.org/broadcast.
The 2021 BPO Summer Schedule at a Glance
JULY:
Weekly Radio Broadcasts on WNED Classical
Tuesdays, July 6 – Sept. 7, 7pm
Tune in: wned.org/classical, 94.5 in Buffalo, 89.7 in Jamestown
Ellicottville Summer Music Festival
Sun. July 4, 8pm
Tickets: ellicottvilleny.com
6 in 6 Series: Riverside Park
Thurs. July 8, 7pm
FREE
6 in 6 Series: South Park
Thurs. July 15, 7pm
FREE
The Music of The Tragically Hip Performed by The Strictly Hip with the BPO
Sun. July 18, doors 5pm, concert 6pm (rain date Tues. July 20)
Tickets: bataviaconcerts.com
6 in 6 Series: Front Park
Thurs. July 22, 7pm
FREE
Clarence Town Park Amphitheater
Tues. July 28, 7pm
FREE
6 in 6 Series: Cazenovia Park
Thurs. July 29, 7pm
FREE
AUGUST:
Niawanda Park Band Shell
Sun. Aug. 1, 7pm
FREE
6 in 6 Series: Martin Luther King, Jr. Park
Thurs. Aug. 5, 7pm
FREE
Old Fort Niagara
Sun. Aug. 8, 7pm
Tickets: bpo.org
Bassett Park
Wed. Aug. 11, 7pm
FREE
6 in 6 Series: Delaware Park
Thurs. Aug. 12, 7pm
FREE
Additional support provided by Delaware District Council Member Joel Feroleto
ABOUT BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society, Inc. provides a resident, professional, major symphony orchestra of artistic excellence and integrity to enrich the quality of life in Western New York through the presentation of live symphonic music and other musical events which educate and entertain the broadest possible audiences within and beyond the Western New York region. Since 1940, the orchestra’s permanent home has been Kleinhans Music Hall, a National Historic Landmark designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen with an international reputation as one of the finest concert halls in the United States. Since its inception in 1935, the BPO has served as Buffalo’s cultural ambassador. JoAnn Falletta is the Music Director of the GRAMMY Award-winning orchestra, which presents more than 120 Classics, Pops, Rock, Kids and Youth concerts each year. For more information, visit bpo.org.
ABOUT JOANN FALLETTA
JoAnn Falletta is internationally celebrated as a vibrant ambassador for music, an inspiring artistic leader, and a champion of American symphonic music. Upon her appointment as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Falletta became the first woman to lead a major American ensemble. She has since been credited with bringing the Philharmonic to a new level of national and international prominence. The orchestra has become one of the leading recording orchestras for Naxos and returned twice to Carnegie Hall in 2004 and again in 2013. In 2018, the BPO made their first international tour in three decades, to perform at Warsaw’s prestigious Beethoven Easter Festival where Falletta made history as the first American woman to conduct an orchestra at the Festival. She and the BPO have been honored with numerous ASCAP awards, including the top award for Adventurous Programming. Other accomplishments include the establishment of the orchestra’s Beau Fleuve label, the founding of the JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition in partnership with WNED, and the national and international broadcast of concerts on NPR’s Performance Today, SymphonyCast, and the European Broadcasting Union. With a discography of 115 titles, JoAnn is a leading recording artist for Naxos. Her discs have won four GRAMMY Awards and received twelve nominations. Ms. Falletta is the artistic advisor to the Hawaii Symphony and has held the positions Principal Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony, Music Director of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Denver Chamber Orchestra and The Women’s Philharmonic. For more information, visit joannfalletta.com.
ABOUT JAMAN E. DUNN
Jaman E. Dunn is an African American orchestral conductor of classical and film music. He currently holds the positions of Assistant Conductor with the Buffalo Philharmonic, and Interim Music Director of the Buffalo Master Chorale. A native of Chicago, IL, he attended The Ohio State University for his undergraduate studies, earning a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance under the study of Dr. C. Andrew Blosser. During his time at Ohio State, Mr. Dunn founded and conducted the Buckeye Philharmonic Orchestra, which is the university’s only completely student-run orchestra. Mr. Dunn also earned his Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting, under the instruction of Maestro Bruce Hangen, at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. While at the Boston Conservatory, he led the Conductor’s Orchestra, assisted the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, and conducted the Boston Conservatory Orchestra in Copland’s Billy the Kid. Other conducting activities included forming an ad-hoc orchestra and performing three concerts, premiering pieces on student composer recitals, and conducting the Berklee Boston Conservatory Recording Orchestra. Vocally, Mr. Dunn has performed throughout the Midwest and Northeast in both oratorio and operatic repertoire, including works of Handel, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Verdi, and Orff, among others. In a professional capacity, he hopes to raise awareness for African-American performers in classical music at all levels and in all mediums.
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