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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO[1]) is an American orchestra based in the city of Rochester, New York. Its primary concert venue is the Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music.
| Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) | |
|---|---|
| Orchestra | |
official logo | |
| Founded | 1922 |
| Location | Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Concert hall | Eastman Theatre |
| Music director | Andreas Delfs |
| Website | www |
George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Company, founded the orchestra in 1922, with Eugene Goossens and Albert Coates as the first principal conductors of the orchestra, in a joint appointment.[2] Other past music directors of the orchestra included Erich Leinsdorf, who made several recordings with the orchestra that increased its profile.[3] From 1939 through 1964, the Rochester Philharmonic, usually supplemented by faculty members of the Eastman School, often recorded under the names Eastman-Rochester Orchestra under the direction of Howard Hanson and Eastman-Rochester Pops under Frederick Fennell.
From 1990 through 2008, the RPO had its summer residency at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, in Vail, Colorado.
In September 2010, the RPO named Arild Remmereit as its 11th music director, effective September 2011. In November 2012, the RPO board voted to terminate Remmereit's contract two years early,[4] Remmereit stood down as music director after the 2012–2013 season. September 1, 2014 Ward Stare became the music director. He stepped down from the position at the close of the 2020–2021 season.[5]
In 1994, Andreas Delfs first guest-conducted the orchestra. In January 2021, the orchestra named Delfs its next music director.[6][7]
The RPO sponsors the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (RPYO), founded in 1970 and composed of Rochester-area student musicians in the eighth through twelfth grades. Under the direction of James Mick, the RPYO performs three concerts annually, including one side by side with the RPO. Members of the RPO serve as mentors for the Youth Orchestra. In 2000, the orchestra named Michael Butterman its principal conductor for education and outreach, the first position of its kind in the country.
Jeff Tyzik has served as the orchestra's principal pops conductor since 1994. RPO concerts are rebroadcast on WXXI 91.5 FM.
The RPO has recorded under at least three different names: Eastman Rochester Orchestra, Rochester Pops Orchestra, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Recordings have featured many prominent American composers, including George Gershwin, Samuel Barber, Morton Gould, and Howard Hanson). The orchestra's first recordings were from the late 1930s and early 1940s, conducted by Hanson and José Iturbi. Among these is a 1939 recording of William Grant Still's Afro-American Symphony, conducted by Hanson. The RPO presented the world premiere of this work in 1931.
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 You may hear the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by José Iturbi performing Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op.95 (From the New World) Op. 95 by Antonin Dvorak in 1941 Here on archive.org |
| External audio | |
|---|---|
| You may hear the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra with Erich Leinsdorf performing: Mozart's Symphony No 41 in C Major, (K. 551) "Jupiter" Mozart's Symphony No.35 in D Major (K. 385) "Hoffner" in 1957 Here on archive.org |
The RPO was one of the first American orchestras to use radio to help increase its outreach and education. The RPO first began national radio broadcasts, on the NBC Blue Network, in 1929. In 1939, 1941, and 1944, the orchestra won First Place at the Exhibition of Educational Programs for its elementary school programming.
In 1959, the Ford Foundation invited the RPO to participate in a program to promote new American composers and their works. The RPO has received the ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming four times, in 1982, 2005, 2006, and 2012, in recognition of its commitment to music written in the previous 25 years. In 2002, the RPO was awarded the New York State Governor's Arts Award for excellence and community service. The Rochester Arts and Cultural Council's Artist Award has been given to both Jeff Tyzik (2002) and Christopher Seaman (2003).[citation needed]
The Concert Companion radio broadcast with Christopher Seaman on WXXI 91.5 FM won both the Gabriel Award and the Silver Reel Award in 2002. In 2007, the RPO's web site received two of the Rochester Business Journal's "Best of the Web" awards; and that same year, the RPO's annual report received an award from the Rochester chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.[citation needed] In 2013, the RPO again was awarded the Rochester Business Journal's "Best of the Web" Award for Nonprofit (Cultural).[10]
In 2012, the RPO received the first-ever Amy Award for Excellence in Orchestral Programming from Women's Philharmonic Advocacy.
In 2018, the RPO and harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, conducted by Ward Stare, recorded the world premiere recording of Jennifer Higdon's Harp Concerto. This recording received a Grammy Award in 2020 for Best Contemporary Classical Composition and was nominated for Best Classical Instrumental Solo in the same year.
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