Featured Archives - BPO

The Kleinhans reflecting pool: an architectural treasure

poherron — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 18:51:40 +0000

Written by Connor Schloop, BPO operations coordinator

It is hard to imagine Kleinhans Music Hall without the reflecting pool wrapping around the exterior of the Mary Seaton Room. It is such an important and recognizable staple of Buffalo’s architecture that completes the work of art that is Kleinhans. I moved to Buffalo in 2014 and began working for Kleinhans in the summer of 2016. To me, it seemed like the pool had always been there, exactly the way it is today. Come to find out, the pool has seen several evolutions in its near 80-year history.

The construction of Kleinhans was completed in 1940, very shortly before its grand opening on October 12. At the time, the reflecting pool was about three feet deep, making it a magnet for recreation. Neighborhood kids would often swim in the pool during the warmer months and use it as an ice rink in the winter. (It was also used as a convenient outlet to discharge garbage or unwanted furniture.) In 1941, shortly after Kleinhans opened, a two and a half year old boy fell into the 3-foot deep pool and died shortly after the incident. This terrible accident coupled with the burden of maintaining the pool from vandals led the City of Buffalo to pour 800 cubic yards of gravel into it, reducing the depth to only one foot.

Photo showing an empty reflecting pool at its originally intended depth during construction.

Unfortunately, the gravel still did not resolve its problems. Insurance records detail rocks being thrown through the large windows of the Mary Seaton room, the rocks presumably coming from the gravel-filled pool. The gravel also made cleaning the pool much more difficult. In 1946, the pool was resurfaced, maintaining the depth of one foot.

Fun Fact: 14^th Street used connect directly to Wadsworth Street in Allentown. It cut straight through the reflecting pool’s current location.

The reflecting pool being used for winter recreation.

Many people see the reflecting pool as a beautiful accent to the building. It was as important to Finnish-American father and son architect duo Eliel and Eero Saarinen’s design of Kleinhans as the building itself. The exterior curve of the pool connects with the exterior lobby doors on either side of Kleinhans. When viewed from above, the pool completes the overall shape of the building’s exterior, completing the Saarinen’s design as seen below:

An early drawing of Kleinhans from directly above. The reflecting pool is at the bottom, surrounding the smaller curve of the Mary Seaton Room.

Eliel Saarinen wrote about his design, published in a 1945 commemorative ‘Kleinhans Music Hall’ booklet:

The Pool

It seems to be a rather frequent question, why a pool has been designed in connection with the Kleinhans Music Hall.

Well, doesn’t water have a rather commonly felt attraction? Really, there is something enigmatic in this attraction, for all people, young and old, and animals alike, like to linger near water and to look into its waving and reflecting mirror. There is life underneath this mirror, life that seems strange to our eyes when looking down there and from there discerning other eyes looking at us- wondering. And there is reflection on this mirror, reflection of life that surrounds us, there is glimmer and glitter of our own life, there is sparking of color and sunlight. Hence we are eager to erect our house near water, near lakes, rivers and brooks. Hence we like to decorate our gardens with pools and sprinkling fountains.

Lighting for the pool and exterior of the Mary Seaton room was much different than we see today. Stanley McCandless, lighting consultant for Kleinhans, created lights that stood along the exterior of the pool and beamed light across the water onto the exterior of the Mary Seaton Room. Stanley described that the purpose of these lights was “to take advantage of the interesting shape and the movement in the water. The projectors provide carefully shaped beams of light with delicately tinted filter to enhance the night time appearance of the shape and texture of the building.” ‘Surprise pink’ and ‘midnight blue’ colored filters were chosen, supposedly because of their effectiveness in producing other colors in combination with each other while revealing the curves and texture of the building. Unfortunately, the structure that housed the lights was not an elegant design, as seen in the photo below from a newspaper clipping expressing the public’s distain for these lights, describing the structures as ‘chicken coops.’

In 1956, the decision was made to completely fill in the reflecting pool, turning it into a lawn. The absence of the pool significantly changed the entire appearance of the music hall. Ted Lownie, the lead restoration architect for Kleinhans with the firm Hamilton Houston Lownie, said:

“Whoever made the decision to convert the space to a lawn ignored the pool’s important place in Eliel Saarinen’s grand 1940 design. It completed the great ellipse that this building is. It not only finished the entire composition but made the transition between the actual building and the natural lawn.”

Some local residents may remember what Kleinhans looked like without the pool. I find it is almost impossible to imagine. What would Kleinhans be without it? Photos of the music hall during this time are rare and hard to come by, maybe for good reason. Below are the only two pieces of documentation that I could find.

In 2001, the pool was redesigned and recreated as part of a larger $12 million dollar restoration project to Kleinhans Music Hall. This is the reflecting pool we all know and love today. The largest difference between this redesigned pool and the original pool from 1940 is, again, the depth. The current pool is even more shallow, at a total depth of 3 inches with a concave floor that gives the appearance of a much greater depth. The water, which is drained in the fall and filled in the spring to avoid freezing and cracking of the foundation, is also dyed black to make the pool appear even deeper, and increases the reflectivity of the building.

The reflecting pool drained for the winter showing the 3-inch depth.

The other noticeable design change from the original pool is the exterior lighting on the façade of the Mary Seaton Room. Instead of the ‘chicken coop’ design, lights were installed within the base of the walkway between the pool and the Mary Seaton Room walls. These lights beam up onto the building, which then are reflected into the pool revealing a stunning sight. Some time after they were first installed, the lights fell into disrepair leaving the majestic hall and its reflecting pool in darkness. However, in March of this year, the lights were once again restored, providing a nightly picture of elegance that can now be experienced from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The walkway lights along the Mary Seaton Room exterior.

Exterior shots of the Mary Seaton Room at night.

The reflecting pool at Kleinhans is a magnificent feature of the building’s exterior design. It is often used as a photo backdrop for the many high school and college graduations that Kleinhans hosts every year, as well as a hotspot for wedding party photos. In the spring, summer, and fall months, people from the neighborhood are always picnicking, gathering, and relaxing by the pool’s edge. It serves as an important feature for the architectural beauty and integrity of the building, but also as a place of refuge for the community.

My favorite feature of the pool? It’s amazingly photogenic! I feel so lucky that this place is my work environment, and I never take it for granted. Through the years, in beautiful and quiet moments, I’ve been lucky enough to snap some great photos. I think the best time of day to take photographs is early in the morning, usually before 10 a.m. in the summer months when the sun is directly hitting the east face of the building (the curved Mary Seaton Room exterior). I used to work for the graduation ceremonies at Kleinhans for a few years, and had to arrive by 6 a.m. most days to prep the building and grounds. The following are some great shots of the pool between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. in May-June:

My favorite location from which to take photos photos is usually in the absolute center of the pool. When standing on the outer perimeter sidewalk, stand directly in front of the center door and take a few steps back. This works great for panoramic and standard photos. Another location I really like is to stand at the flat base of the pool, by the stairs on either side and put my phone (yes, all photos here are from my iPhone!) on the sidewalk just at the edge of the pool. Pan it up to the building and take a photo like this:

The position of the sun is a huge factor when taking photos of the pool. It amazes me how different the pool and building can look at different times of day. Here’s an image taken in the mid-evening hours. The sun shines on the north side of the Mary Seaton Room:

I’d like to give a ‘shout out’ to the wildlife that visits the reflecting pool regularly. Every spring and throughout the summer, ducks flock to Kleinhans and are often seen sleeping at the edge or wading in the pool in pairs or small groups. In the fall of 2017 when the pool was almost completely drained for the winter, a school of large goldfish were found in the remaining puddles. A miraculous accident of nature? …Probably not.

My hope is that everyone who visits Kleinhans understand just how important the reflecting pool is. If it wasn’t for the restoration efforts by Ted Lownie and others, we might not have this remarkable and beautiful piece of architectural treasure today.

Special thanks to Lauren Becker and Christopher N. Brown for their incredible assistance with collecting historical information for this piece.

Photo Credit: All photos in this blog were taken by the author, Connor Schloop.

Guitar Week: Buffalo on the World Stage

khanaka — Fri, 29 May 2020 20:33:04 +0000

Click to follow Guitar Week on the BPO Facebook page

Take an internationally-acclaimed, professional symphony orchestra, a GRAMMY-winning conductor, pull in eight guitar virtuosos from around the globe, and you have the world’s first concerto competition for classical guitarists with accompaniment by a full symphony orchestra, right here in Western New York. Named in honor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s music director, the JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition was launched in 2004 by PBS member station Buffalo Toronto Public Media and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. The Falletta Competition was established to help identify and encourage talented young classical guitarists on their musical journeys. Every two years, it brings international guitarists to Buffalo for one week to publicly perform in competition for cash prizes, national and international broadcast exposure, and a return engagement with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. In its first eight editions, nearly 200 competitors from 45 countries have entered the competition, and Buffalo has hosted 68 semifinalists and 40 internationally acclaimed judges from 33 countries.

Join us throughout the week to celebrate this lauded competition as we share exclusive interviews, photos, and performance footage from past competitors, as well as fun facts and interesting pieces surrounding the history of the competition. Read on for a brief introduction to the competition, and get ready to enjoy international talent from the comfort of your own home!

As the anticipated ninth installment of the competition, 2020 would have been especially sweet, as Falletta recently celebrated her 20^th anniversary as music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic. JoAnn was just seven years old when she began studying classical guitar. This competition is a true homage to Falletta’s love of the instrument and classical music. Michael Andriaccio, competition artistic co-director says, “There’s no other conductor in the world who has the sensitivity for guitar that [Falletta] does.” Artistic Directors Joanne Castellani and Michael Andriaccio are one of the foremost guitar duos in the world, and judge competitions around the globe. They recognize the Falletta competition as one of the pre-eminent international guitar festivals and a model for other competitions worldwide. Part of what sets this competition apart from other classical guitar competitions is the concerto aspect. Competitors have the opportunity to perform with a full, world-class orchestra in front of a few thousand patrons, rather than in front of a few dozen or so attendees. It is also one of the most visible performance competitions, thanks to the partnered efforts of Buffalo Toronto Public Media, which provides local and national broadcasts of the performances on public radio in addition to worldwide streaming audio on the web.

In 2008, the Falletta Competition introduced Guitar Days, a program in which competitors experience the opportunity to perform at various venues and functions within the WNY community. This unique element of the competition helps to raise awareness of classical music and international talent; but more importantly, it serves as a way to enhance the visibility of the cultural arts in Western New York, and has had a profound impact on audience members, as well as competitors. Participating guitarists have performed at senior-living facilities, hospitals, schools, libraries, and other public entities throughout the region. These more intimate, solo performances foster personal connections between WNY residents and the international musicians they welcome to Buffalo.

Patrons have the ability to follow their favorite guitarist throughout the competition week and watch them perform in front of a live studio audience during the semifinals, hosted at Buffalo Toronto Public media studios in downtown Buffalo. The Finals performance, which takes place at the historic Kleinhans Music Hall, home of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, is a brilliant culmination of the week’s festivities. Votes are cast by attendees for “Audience Favorite,” and the musicians can even voice their opinion through the “Musicians Choice Award.”

Are you ready to follow along at home? Although this year’s competition was unable to take place, we look forward to returning, better than ever, in 2022! Track your favorite performer and join us in celebrating Buffalo’s connection to incredible international talent.

#PlayOnWNY videos help students select and study a musical instrument

poherron — Fri, 22 May 2020 20:48:22 +0000

After the abrupt halt to this year’s concert season, as well as many of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s educational outreach efforts, the BPO, through the members of its Education Committee, asked the music educators in the area what their greatest needs were during this unusual time of remote learning and social distancing. While the challenges and needs of the teachers and students are many, the most important needs identified centered around how to recruit the next generation of students into their school’s band or orchestra programs. In response, our BPO musicians led the way and have recorded a short demo of each instrument in the band and orchestra to help with instrumental recruiting programs. They all followed a similar format with an 8-measure rendition of “Ode to Joy”, a short personal commentary and a short characteristic excerpt.

The video links have since been distributed to all of the schools in Western New York and there is a possibility that, as more video content is created and as production value increases, these resources could be shared with other orchestras and schools on a national level, furthering the already impressive reach of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Click here to see the amazing end results.

Our music educators have been expressing their appreciation through heartwarming messages:

“Congratulations on an excellent product. This is making quite the wave in our instrumental education community. Another example of the BPO’s tireless efforts to support music education for the good of our students and music programs in WNY.” – Grand Island teacher

“This is absolutely AMAZING! These are so well done. I plan to put the videos in action for recruitment in Alden by adding all videos into our padlet platform and a link will be sent out to all the 3rd grade parents June 1^st.” – Alden teacher

“The recruitment videos are incredible! I already sent the link for the playlist out to my colleagues and everyone is breathing a sigh of relief that we don’t have to slave over creating our own since we will most likely be online in the fall. I’m really amazed and grateful for all of the outreach the BPO is doing during this time.” – Kenmore-Tonawanda

Grow the BPO with the annual Friends of the BPO plant (and more!) sale

poherron — Tue, 19 May 2020 02:41:26 +0000

Happy Memorial Day! It is now officially time to plant your garden, wash your car, and of course, treat yourself to a scoop (or two) at Anderson’s! And lucky you, the Friends of the BPO are here to help you out. The Friends of the BPO, a volunteer group that organizes fundraising events and initiatives that directly support the BPO, has opened for business with their annual plant sale, along with special deals for Anderson’s and Delta Sonic to keep both your car and your belly happy!

Friends of the BPO Plant Sale

With a $10 donation, you will receive a $10 coupon redeemable for garden flowers, vegetables, or hanging baskets at these fine nurseries:

Lovocat’s Greenhouse & Nursery
8441 County Rd, East Amherst

Northtown Garden Center
2121 Sheridan Dr, Tonawanda

Mischler’s Florist & Greenhouses
118 S Forest Rd, Williamsville

Seneca Greenhouse
2250 Transit Rd, West Seneca

With each plant sale coupon, you will also receive a stub that enters you into the raffle for the Mischler’s basket raffle on June 15. You can also purchase basket raffle tickets without a plant purchase — $1 each or 6 for $5.

Anderson’s Coupon Book

How ’bout dinner and dessert? For your $4 donation, you will receive a booklet with $88 in coupons from Anderson’s, your hometown favorite for frozen custard and more!

Delta Sonic Coupons

Make your car shine like the top of the Gold Dome with these special deals from Delta Sonic! Purchase a 10-minute interior cleaning or a Super Kiss car wash for just $12 each. Or, now through June 25, purchase a $5 certificate, good toward any car wash, detail service or oil change, for just $2 each, or 5 for $5, while supplies last!

To obtain any of these terrific deals in support of your BPO, please send a check made out to “Friends of the BPO” along with a note requesting the items you wish to receive, mailed to:

Friends of the BPO
11520 Howe Rd
Akron, NY 14001

Questions? Contact Carl Klingenschmitt at 716-759-6428, or e-mail cklingenschmitt@rochester.rr.com.

Re-introducing the BPO blog!

poherron — Thu, 14 May 2020 13:26:22 +0000

We’re baaaaack! Our blog was sent to its room for awhile because it wasn’t behaving (formatting issues…), but we’re back, better than ever! Be sure to check the blog frequently for BPO and orchestra industry news, spotlights on our guest artists, musicians, staff, board and volunteers, behind-the-scenes glimpses, photos and videos, games, puzzles, and trivia, and more! We promise to keep the content newsworthy, fun, interesting, and exciting — never a dull moment!

So, what’s the BPO up to anyway?

Suddenly and without much notice at all, the carpet was pulled out from under us this spring. We haven’t been able to convene for rehearsals or concerts since mid-March. We remain committed to the health and safety of our musicians and our audience, and we continue to follow government guidelines until we can re-open again. The BPO administrative staff now works from home, and our musicians are at home as well, keeping their skills sharp by practicing like crazy and producing fun audio projects for all of us to enjoy. We all keep in touch constantly via Zoom calls, and have swiftly become our own media company, working on loads of audio and video content, including our weekly broadcasts of archived live concert recordings each Tuesday evening on WNED Classical, and even a fun coloring book for all ages, all gifts for you, our cherished patrons. We continue to brainstorm and create, so be on the lookout for some exciting new surprises coming your way soon!

So, what’s next? The board, staff, and musicians continue to work together to plan for every scenario. If we’re able to re-open tomorrow, we’ve got a plan for that. Or, if it’s some time before we can come back together to create beautiful music, that’s a total bummer, but we’ve got several plans in the works for that scenario as well. It takes teams of people to put together these performances, no matter the ensemble or audience size — our beloved musicians, our guest artists and their management teams, the music publishers, our librarians who prepare the thousands of pieces of music we play, the concert production team that makes all the moving parts work together, the marketing team that keeps you well informed, the sales and box office teams that provide white glove service for all of our patrons, the development team that ensures our healthy and successful future, the education team that is busy building the audiences of tomorrow, the finance team that makes sure the numbers all work… It truly takes a village, and we’re all working hard so that we’re ready to come back in whatever way, shape or form as soon as we possibly can.

No matter what the future holds, there are two things we can promise: 1.) we will continue to make beautiful music for you, and 2.) your health and safety is our #1 priority. Thank you for standing by us through thick and thin, Western New York!

New Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra recording features works custom-made for the Nickel City

Kate Mockler — Thu, 06 Dec 2018 21:47:29 +0000

BUFFALO, NY — The follow-up to 2015’s ultra-popular “Built For Buffalo” recording is here.

“Built For Buffalo 2” is now available through the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra box office and website. Released on the BPO’s house label, Beau Fleuve, and recorded over four years, it features the world premiere recordings of three pieces commissioned for BPO musicians.

Reflecting on the music, all of which she conducted, BPO Music Director JoAnn Falletta said “The works are a fascinating reflection of the individual personalities of the soloists — composed to mirror their characters and their very special musicianship. The CD features the musicians as stars as they step to the front of the stage.”

Jaakko Kuusisto’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra was composed for BPO Principal Trumpet Alex Jokipii and commissioned by the Marquette Symphony Orchestra in honor of Finland’s centennial celebration. Finnish-American philanthropists John and Pauline Kiltinen funded the project. Jokipii spent a year studying at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and became acquainted with fellow student Kuusisto there. The two men reconnected in 2015 when Kuusisto came to the BPO for the American premiere of his violin concerto, and the idea for the trumpet concerto was born. In May 2018, Jokipii and the BPO gave the Buffalo premiere of the piece.

Kuusisto is a renowned composer, arranger, conductor and violinist. He has composed more than 40 works, including two operas and served as concertmaster of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra from 1998 to 2012. Jokipii has been the BPO’s Principal Trumpet since 1998 and is on the performance faculty at the State University of New York at Fredonia. He has performed as soloist with the BPO, and has also served as guest principal trumpet with the New York Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic and other distinguished orchestras.

Robert Deemer’s “Vox Humana” for English horn, Soprano and Orchestra was first performed at Canisius College in 2016. Deemer is head of composition in the school of music at the State University of New York at Fredonia. He wrote “Vox Humana” in response to the international refugee crisis. The title is a reference to an obsolete instrument related to the English horn, to the inclusion of a soprano, and to the voice of humanity.

Anna Mattix is the featured BPO soloist on the piece. Since 2007, she has served as the orchestra’s oboe/English hornist. Prior to her tenure at the BPO, she was principal oboe with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and English horn with the Owensboro Philharmonic. Her 2014 performance of Jean Sibelius’ “The Swan of Tuonela” was also recorded for the BPO’s Beau Fleuve label. Brooklyn-based Canadian soprano Danielle Buonaiuto also performs on the piece. Buonaiuto specializes in art song and new music. She has received grants from New Music USA, Peabody Conservatory, and has held fellowships at the Lucerne Festival, Bang on a Can at Mass MOCA, and Avaloch Farm Music Institute.

Caroline Mallonee’s “Whistler Waves” for Cello and Orchestra was first heard at Canisius College. BPO Associate Principal Cellist Feng Hew is the soloist on this piece, which was inspired by the eponymous waves: audible frequencies produced in the atmosphere after a bolt of lightning. Each movement of the piece corresponds to a type of whistler wave. Mallonee is based in Buffalo, and holds a Ph.D from Duke University, a master’s degree from Yale School of Music, and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. Her work has been performed throughout the world. Hew has been the BPO’s Associate Principal Cellist since 1999. A native of Taiwan, she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the New England Conservancy of Music on a full scholarship. She has performed in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Canada, and she worked extensively with Emmanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma at the Irving Gilmore International Music Festival.

The disc is available through the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra at bpo.org or at the Kleinhans Music Hall box office.

Announcing the 2018-19 Kurt Weill Festival

Kate Mockler — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 17:23:56 +0000

Announcing the
2018-19 Kurt Weill Festival
A collaboration of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and
the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences’ Collaboratory

Buffalo, NY — The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences’ Collaboratory are pleased to announce the Kurt Weill Festival, a major creative partnership and one of the firsts of its kind between the two institutions from October 2018 to May 2019.

Kurt Weill was one of the most influential composers of the last century. Born in Germany in 1900, he rose to prominence as a composer of opera. Nazi Germany turned Weill into a refugee and then an immigrant. Before his immigration to America, he focused largely on art song and German classical traditions; once in America, he scrupulously studied the American popular song, and used his classical training to create a genre all its own, eventually becoming a famous Broadway composer and writing one of the 20th century’s most popular songs, “Mack The Knife.” Many of the themes of Weill’s work continue to resonate today: the immigrant experience, interracial conflict, greed, corruption, and exploitation of the poor.

Through cabaret performances, art exhibits, talks, humanities symposia, masterclasses, and chamber and orchestral concerts, Weill’s musical legacy will come alive in an accessible and exciting way. Events will be held at Kleinhans Music Hall, and on the UB campus and have been created with assistance from the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music.

UB and the BPO have had a long and substantial history of collaboration, dating to the early 20th century and the near-simultaneous founding of the BPO and the music department at UB. The BPO is a regular performer on the school’s June in Buffalo new music festival and worked with UB in 2012 to host Russian dissident poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Yevtushenko worked with students, hosted a screening of a film he directed, and read his famous poem “Babi Yar” at a BPO performance.

“The University at Buffalo is proud to enter into this new, ambitious collaboration with the BPO,” said Robin Schulze, Dean of UB’s College of Arts and Sciences. “At UB, we have a staunch commitment to meaningful community involvement. This project will enhance the experience of UB students and BPO patrons, and will offer substantial scope to our faculty and to BPO musicians. We’re pleased to be a part of this.”

For the BPO, the program is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities through a grant for the Music Unwound orchestral consortium created by the Joseph Horowitz. The goal of Music Unwound is to find new audiences for classical music through exploration of its broader context.

For tickets to events, visit bpo.org or ubcfa.org, or call (716) 885-5000 or (716) 645-2787. Updated information will be available at bpo.org/weill. The schedule of events is as follows:

Kurt Weill Festival
Thu Oct. 11, 7:30 PM; UB Center for the Arts Mainstage Theater (Table Seating on Stage)
“Change the World, It Needs It” A Weill, Blitzstein, Brecht Cabaret
Lisa Vroman, soprano and William Sharp, baritone with pianist Shane Schag
Join these star performers on stage for an intimate and provocatively timely multi-media evening posing the questions “What is art for?” “Can it change the world?” Created by Kim Kowalke and Joe Horowitz; visual track by Peter Bogdanoff; Tickets: $25 Genral Admission; $15 students

Tue Oct 30, 7:30 PM, Kleinhans Music Hall (stage seating)
Weill and Blitzstein: String Quartets
A BPO string quartet takes on two seminal early pre-war works:
Kurt Weill’s String Quartet No.1, Op. 8 and Marc Blitzstein’s “Italian” String Quartet.
Andrea Cone and Amy Licata, violin; Janz Castelo, viola; Eva Herer, cello
Ticket cost: $25 general admission, $10 students

Thu Jan 17, 7:30 PM, Kleinhans Music Hall
Kurt Weill On Broadway
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Adam Turner, conductor; Lisa Vroman, soprano; Hudson Shad, vocal group
This multi-media program explores Weill’s dramatic saga of immigration – from Hilter’s Germany to Broadway, where his smash hits were Lady in the Dark and One Touch of Venus. Part One begins with Mack the Knife (condemned by the Nazis) and his Paris sensation The Seven Deadly Sins. Part Two is a sparkling and witty Broadway medley including September Song, and Weill himself singing That’s Him. Post-concert audience talk-back with Joe Horowitz. Tickets: $49 reserved; $25 general admission; $10 students

Thu Mar 28, 7:30 PM Baird Recital Hall
Degenerate Music: Weill, Eisler and Schoenberg
Tiffany Du Mouchelle, soprano; Jonathan Golove, cello; Eric Huebner, piano; and special guest Kathrein Allenberg, violin. Weill, Cello Sonata and Seven Pieces from The Threepenny Opera (arr. Frankel); Eisler, Duo Op. 7 and 14 Ways of Describing Rain, Op.70; and Cabaret songs of Weill and Schoenberg.
Ticket cost: $17-$22; seniors/students: $12-$17

Thu May 2, 7:30 pm; Fri May 3, 7:30 pm, Sat May 4, 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm, Sun May 5, 2:00 pm
Drama Theatre, UB Center for the Arts
THE THREEPENNY OPERA
Book and Lyrics by Bertolt Brecht, Music by Kurt Weill, Adaptation by Simon Stephens
Produced by the UB Department of Theatre and Dance
A milestone of 20th century music theatre, THE THREEPENNY OPERA reaches its 90th anniversary in 2018. This gripping, macabre masterpiece, a criticism of capitalism and middle-class morality set in a world of corrupt money and unpunished evil, is one of the most produced works of music theatre worldwide. Weill’s celebrated score parodies operatic conventions and embraces the musical styles of jazz, period dance music, and cabaret. The work’s opening number, “The Ballad of Mack the Knife,” became one of the most popular songs of the 20th century. This newly-conceived and designed full production with orchestra will be directed and music directed by Nathan R. Matthews.
TICKETS: $20 General Public $10 Student/Senior Admission

Other Weill Festival Events

Wed, Oct. 10, 4 PM
Vocal Master Class
Lisa Vroman, soprano and William Sharp, baritone
UB Baird Recital Hall, Free

Mon Nov 19
Free Student Cabaret
UB Department of Music and Dance
UB CFA Atrium

Wed Jan 16
Weill Lecture: Joe Horowitz
Buffalo Erie County Library

Fri Mar 8
Humanities to the Rescue
An Evening with Molly Crabapple
UB Humanities Institute

Mon April 8
UB North Campus, 120 Clemens Hall, 9 AM-5 PM
“Sounds: Avant-Garde, Modernism and Fascism”
UB Humanities Institute One-Day Symposium
The intersection between aesthetic experimentation, critical theory, and political upheaval that is historically associated with the first decades of the twentieth century has undeniable echoes in today’s world. The symposium organized by the Humanities Institute Modernisms Research Workshop will explore music and sound, performance and spectatorship, in a variety of different geographical and national contexts and across several fields of intellectual endeavor: literature, visual arts, theater and stage design, film, and music.
Invited Speakers: Kim Kowalke – President, Kurt Weill Foundation for Music; Jacques Lezra, Professor – UC Riverside; Peter Szendy, Professor – Brown University; UB Participants: James Currie – Music; Damien Keane – English; Fernanda Negrete – Romance Languages and Literatures; William Solomon – English;Robin Schulze, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Organizers: Laura Chiesa – Romance Languages and Literatures, and Damien Keane – English

Feb 2-May 12
Photographic Recall: Italian Modernist and Fascist Architecture in Contemporary German Photography
Just as Weill and Brecht set out to redefine opera, the photographers of this exhibition explorecritical visual languages to question the assumptions anbout the cultural and political ideologies of the 1920s through 1940s. Just like Weill and Brecht’s works, these images “dramatize, they “perform” through compositional and formal choices, the claims of an authoritarian regime and their repercussions today. The resulting photographic works are examples of art as a critical medium.
UB Anderson Gallery, Free Admission

Listening Post: Wagner

Kate Mockler — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 18:52:47 +0000

Review by Jeff Simon, Buffalo News, April 6, 2018

Wagner, Orchestral Music from “Der Ring des Nibelungen” performed by Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta (Naxos). If you take an historical overview of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra you have to conclude that no BPO conductor has achieved anything close on record with the orchestra to the recording presence that Falletta has. Foss’ avant-garde influence on the BPO was profound on the orchestra and the city, but the recordings he produced weren’t. Michael Tilson Thomas’ decision to use the BPO to record the complete music of Carl Ruggles was the BPO’s most consequential recorded moment, along with its recording of Terry Rley’s “In C.” But you could argue that the BPO’s records for Naxos have been the fulfillment of the orchestra conducted years ago by Steinberg and Krips. It’s Naxos’ marvelous insistence on using the BPO for “big” works with a “big” orchestral sound are making every new disc a potential wonderment. They aren’t all on the level of the BPO’s version of Gliere’s “Ilya Murometz” Symphony no. 3 (probably the orchestra’s most arresting performance on record), but this is a work of immense musical substance performed by the orchestra with the sonic size and authenticity one could hope for. The significance can’t be overstated. Wagner’s “Ring” cycle requires, from listeners, an investment of time and dedication hard to come by in the digital age. To hear so much of its wonderful music, this one disc Falletta anthology of Wagner’s “Ring” sans voices presents a near-perfect distillation for novices of the genius of a composer who was a historical horror in countless ways (racial, personal) but, undeniably one of the most sublime who ever lived along with it. ★ ★ ★ ★

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra announces its 2018-2019 season

Kate Mockler — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 17:11:16 +0000

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra announces its 2018-2019 season and your connection to the world’s music

BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates the vast array of music that makes up our world in the upcoming season. The 2018-19 season is filled with major works, superstars, drama, multimedia and masterpieces old and new that will resonate throughout Kleinhans Music Hall.

M&T Bank Classics Series strikes balance between cutting-edge and traditional

JoAnn Falletta has artfully programmed a classics season that features beloved works, new voices, and works of a truly global character. The season opens on Saturday, Sept. 15 with operatic superstar baritone Thomas Hampson in a program that also includes Beethoven’s iconic Ninth Symphony, featuring the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus. Hampson is a Metropolitan Opera Guild “Met Mastersinger” and has a distinguished international career that includes more than 80 operatic roles performed in the world’s foremost opera houses. His award-winning discography comprises more than 170 recordings. The BPO’s annual gala takes place that evening, with pre-concert dinner and cocktails, premium concert seating, and a post-concert dessert reception. Proceeds from the gala benefit the BPO’s award-winning educational programs, which serve more than 50,000 students every season.

The next two Classics concerts highlight both European masterworks and New York-based composers. On Sept. 29 and 30, George Tsontakis’ May the River be Unbroken complements Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. On Oct. 12 and 13, Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto and Buffalo native Robert Paterson’s Dark Mountains are featured with Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3. JoAnn Falletta, a native New Yorker herself, leads both concerts.

On Oct. 27 and 28, the BPO celebrates the centennial of Poland’s independence, the country’s rich musical heritage, and the warm relationship between Poland and Buffalo, exemplified by the BPO’s Poland Tour. Piotr Sulkowski,General and Artistic Director of the Warmia and Masuria Philharmonics, guest-conducts a program featuring Paderewski’s Piano Concerto performed by Polish pianist Lukasz Krupinski, Nowowiejski’s Praetorian March from Quo Vadis, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3, “Polish.”

Joan Tower is one of today’s most celebrated female composers. Her work has been commissioned by leading soloists like Evelyn Glennie and Carol Wincenc, and by major orchestras such as the Saint Louis Symphony and Florida Orchestra. She will be in attendance on Nov. 16 and 17 for the performance of two of her best-known works: Tambor and Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman. The striking program includes Mussorgsky’s beloved Pictures at an Exhibition, and a Concerto for Rock Band, Violin and String Orchestra performed by former R.E.M bassist Mike Mills and violinist Robert McDuffie.

On Feb. 2 and 3, 2019, conductor Ken Lam leads the BPO in a Chinese New Year celebration. Xu Ke is the world’s foremost erhu virtuoso, and will perform the Butterfly Lovers Concerto by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang. Also on the program is the popular Train Tocatta by contemporary Chinese composer Liu Yuan, and Stravinsky’s Song of a Nightingale.

Violinist Sarah Chang has been in the international spotlight since she was eight. The former child prodigy has matured into one of the most respected violinists of our time. She will return the BPO for the first time in more than a decade on March 2 and 3, 2019 to perform Brahms’ Violin Concerto. The rest of the program continues the orchestra’s exploration of the works of Florent Schmitt. A popular French composer during the early 20th century, Schmitt won the Prix de Rome, but his works faded from the repertoire over time. In 2015, the BPO released a disc of his works on the Naxos label, and his Musique sur l’Eau and La Tragedie of Salome will be performed on this concert and recorded for a follow-up disc for Naxos.

One of the major highlights of the season comes on April 13 and 14. Throughout his life, composer Richard Danielpour has wished to write a Passion that depicts the timeless story of the death of Jesus Christ in a manner that speaks to modern people. Using both English and Hebrew texts, Danielpour’s The Passion of Yeshua will receive its East Coast premiere and first full-scale performance. Soprano Hila Plitmann, who recorded with the BPO on their Grammy-winning Mr. Tambourine Man album, will be the guest soloist. JoAnn Falletta will conduct, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus will lend their voices to this powerful work, commissioned by the BPO.

The season concludes on June 1 and 2 with Carmen in Concert. One of the most popular operas of all time, its music has become woven into the fabric of popular culture, frequently used in commercials, films, television shows and cartoons. Its accessible, action-packed storyline has made it a perennial favorite at opera houses around the world. A stellar cast will join the BPO and Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus in a semi-staged production of highlights from this opera.

There is much more in store for the Classics season, including a guest appearance by eminent conductor Hans Graf; a celebration of Mozart’s birthday featuring BPO musicians performing his Sinfonia Concertante; Holst’s The Planets; Copland’s Clarinet Concerto performed by New York Philharmonic Principal Clarinet Anthony McGill and conducted by Leon Botstein; Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 on a program that includes Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 performed by Sara Buechner; and the United States premiere of Sheridan Seyfried’s Violin Concerto performed by Concertmaster Dennis Kim on a program that includes Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony.

“I can’t tell you how proud we are to be bringing this season to our Western New York audience,” Falletta said. “When we develop a season, we try to balance classical masterworks with the bold new works that are being written in our own time. Today’s audiences love Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Holst’s The Planets, but these works are available for us to enjoy today because audiences took a chance on them in the past. Buffalo has always embraced new works, and we can’t wait to share these gems with you in the coming season.”

Click here to view the entire Classics season.

Kristin Chenoweth headlines the Pops Series

Principal Pops Conductor John Morris Russell has created a series filled with variety from Broadway to over the rainbow and a galaxy far, far away. He conducts six of the concerts on the series, this year including the season kickoff, Happy Birthday Gershwin on Sept. 22. This program celebrates the 120th birthday of this quintessentially American composer, who brought jazz from the clubs into the concert hall and penned such classics as Rhapsody in Blue and Porgy and Bess.

The performance of Emmy and Tony award winner Kristin Chenoweth on April 6, 2019 is the highlight of the Pops Series. Chenoweth is possibly best-known as the original Glinda in Wicked, but she also appeared in Pushing Daisies, The West Wing, Disney’s Descendants, and more. In 2009, she wrote a candid, comedic chronicle of her life so far, A Little Bit Wicked, which debuted on the New York Times Hardcover Non-Fiction Bestseller list.

Russell will be back on Oct. 6 to conduct Melinda Doolittle. Doolittle rose to prominence on American Idol, when Simon Cowell called her his “personal favorite.” Since then, Doolittle has performed everywhere from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Carnegie Hall. She makes her BPO debut singing the ‘American Soulbook,’ with classic and modern soul super hits.

Russell will also conduct a special Thanksgiving weekend presentation of “Superheroes!” This concert will start an hour earlier than usual, at 7 p.m. Nov. 24, and will feature scores from the Marvel Universe of films, as well as the iconic music associated with Batman, Superman, Spiderman and more. He will also, of course, be on the Holiday Pops podium as Mr. Christmas, with the panoply of Christmas delights the Western New York audience has come to cherish. In response to extraordinary demand, there will be an additional morning performance of this concert on Thursday. Dec. 13 at 10:30 a.m, replacing the Friday night performance offered in previous years.

On Feb. 9, The Hot Sardines make their BPO debut under the baton of John Morris Russell. Bandleader Evan Palazzo and lead singer Elizabeth Bougerol met in 2007 after they both answered a Craigslist ad about a jazz jam session above a Manhattan noodle shop. The pair bonded over their love for Fats Waller and founded The Hot Sardines to make old jazz new again. They channel New York speakeasies, Parisian cabarets and New Orleans jazz halls, and their self-titled debut album was named one of the best jazz albums of the year by iTunes. Russell closes the Pops season on May 24 and 25 with the traditional Memorial Day salute to American veterans and American ideals.

The rest of the series is a romp through some of the best music from the stage, screen and AM radio. “Hello Broadway!” on Oct. 19 and 20 celebrates the work of Jerry Herman, composer of Hello, Dolly!, La Cage aux Folles, and Mame, among other Broadway smash hits. November 2 and 3 will see the world premiere of Ann Hampton Callaway’s “The Linda Ronstadt Songbook.” Michael Cavanaugh will return on Feb. 23 with the music of Billy Joel, Elton John and more. On March 15 and 16, “The World of Oz” pays tribute to the L. Frank Baum classic as told on Broadway in “The Wiz” and “Wicked,” by Hollywood in “The Wizard of Oz,” and on the radio in songs like “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” The BPO also takes the “May the Fourth Be With You” celebration from social media to the Kleinhans stage with a Star Wars concert on that date, featuring the Academy Award winning iconic music spanning the franchise’s four decades.

“We have so much spectacular music to share with Buffalo next season,” said John Morris Russell. “We put the ‘pop!’ in ‘popular’ orchestral music everyone loves. I can’t wait to revel in the exceptional artistry of the BPO, our amazing guest artists, and the flat-out fun we all have together at Kleinhans Music Hall!”

Click here to view the entire Pops Season.

The BPO goes to Florida

The BPO has visited Florida several times in the past decade, performing for sold-out crowds in some of the state’s cultural hotspots and reconnecting with the many supporters and friends who have left Buffalo for warmer climes. From March 30 to April 4, 2019, the orchestra will again pay a visit to the Sunshine State, with engagements in St. Augustine, Dayton Beach, West Palm Beach, Sarasota, and Vero Beach. Buffalo favorite Fabio Bidini will be the featured soloist on the 2019 Florida Friends tour, performing Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 on a program that includes Borodin’s Overture to Prince Igor and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. The program will be performed at Kleinhans on March 23 and 24.

Subscribe now for best seats to these concerts

As always, a subscription to the BPO is your best value. Patrons who subscribe save substantially on handling fees, lock in their seats early, and get the first chance to add other concerts to their package before the general public. With Western New York’s most flexible ticket exchange policy, your tickets can change when your schedule does. Single tickets will go on sale for all events on August 11.

This year, subscribers who renew by March 19 will be able to keep the same price as the previous year. Prices will increase after March 19. Subscription packages range from as few as five concerts, to full seasons of Pops or Classics. To subscribe, call (716) 885-5000 or visit bpo.org today.

About the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

As Buffalo’s cultural ambassador, the Grammy Award-winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under the leadership of music director JoAnn Falletta presents more than 100 concerts each year. Since 1940, the orchestra’s home has been Kleinhans Music Hall, a National Historic Landmark with a reputation as one of the finest concert halls in the United States. During the tenure of JoAnn Falletta, the BPO has rekindled its history of radio broadcasts and recordings, including the release of 43 new recordings on the Naxos and Beau Fleuve labels. For more information about the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, visit www.bpo.org.

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Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra announces “Buffalo Sings Champion” contest

Kate Mockler — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 22:19:20 +0000

BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is looking for Buffalo’s top vocal talent.

The winner will perform “Over the Rainbow,” written by Buffalo native Harold Arlen, with the BPO at the “Buffalo Sings” concert on Saturday, April 14. Principal Pops Conductor John Morris Russell will lead the concert, which will feature some of the region’s top vocal ensembles.

The contest is open to anyone who is 14 or older and resides within a 60-mile radius of Buffalo. To enter, contestants must submit a video of themselves performing the song using the MIDI accompaniment available at bpo.org, along with an application. Applications must be received by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, Jan. 31. Up to twenty finalists will be selected on Feb. 19 to face off in the live finals held in Kleinhans’ Mary Seaton Room on Thursday, March 1 at 7 p.m. The Buffalo Sings champion will be selected that night. That event will be free and open to the public. All information is available at https://bpo.org/be-the-buffalo-sings-champion/.

Judges for the finals include Adam Luebke, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus music director; Mary Kate O’Connell, founder and artistic director of the musical theater company O’Connell and Company; Drea D’Nur, Buffalo-based recording artist and creator and star of the critically-acclaimed show “The Spirit of Nina”; and BPO Principal Pops Conductor John Morris Russell.

The “Buffalo Sings” concert is part of the KeyBank Pops Series, and is a tribute to the power and beauty of the human voice, as well as a way of recognizing the musicality within every person. There will be a chance for the audience members to raise their own voices at the end of the concert. To purchase tickets to this unique interactive concert experience, call (716) 885-5000 or visit bpo.org.

About the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

As Buffalo’s cultural ambassador, the Grammy Award-winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under the leadership of music director JoAnn Falletta presents more than 100 concerts each year. Since 1940, the orchestra’s home has been Kleinhans Music Hall, a National Historic Landmark with a reputation as one of the finest concert halls in the United States. During the tenure of JoAnn Falletta, the BPO has rekindled its history of radio broadcasts and recordings, including the release of 40 new recordings on the Naxos and Beau Fleuve labels. For more information about the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, visit www.bpo.org.

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