ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y., Sept. 19, 2012 — Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Daniel Hege will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30, in the second concert of the Friends of Good Music season at St. Bonaventure University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.
This will be the orchestra’s first return to the Friends of Good Music series in 20 years. In keeping with the season’s “Celebrate New York!” theme, RPO will perform two works by New York composers: Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” and “Rounds for String Orchestra” by Rochester-born David Diamond. After intermission, Hege will conduct Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2.
Founded by George Eastman in 1922, Rochester Philharmonic enter its 90th year committed to “enriching and inspiring our community through the art of music,” and to maintaining its “high standard of artistic excellence, unique tradition of musical versatility, and deep commitment to education and community engagement.”
The RPO received the New York State Governor’s Arts Award for excellence and community service in 2002. On three occasions, in 2005, 2006 and 2012, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the American Symphony Orchestra League honored the RPO with an ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, recognizing the orchestra’s commitment to music written in the last 25 years.
Most recently, the RPO was honored by Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy with the first-ever Amy Award for Excellence in Orchestral programming for Music Director Arild Remmereit’s commitment to featuring works by women composers.
Today, the RPO presents nearly 200 concerts per year, serving an estimated 250,000 people through ticketed events, education and community engagement activities, and concerts in schools and community centers. As one of the great American orchestras, the RPO aspires to be “an institution driven by a culture of confidence, adventure, excellence, and success; the premier cultural organization in the region and the hub of cultural life year round; and recognized nationally for artistic and organizational excellence, creativity, and innovation.”
Conductor Hege is a familiar presence at The Quick Center through his several appearances with the former Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, which he served as music director for 11 years. In June 2009, he was appointed music director of the Wichita Symphony, beginning his tenure with that orchestra in September 2010.
Hege has guest conducted the Houston, Detroit, Seattle, Indianapolis, Oregon, Colorado, San Diego, Columbus and Phoenix symphonies; the Rochester, Buffalo and Calgary philharmonics; and at the Grand Teton and Aspen music festivals. International engagements include leading the Singapore Symphony and the St. Petersburg Symphony at the Winter Nights Festival.
This performance is supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts.
Subscription tickets for the entire season are still available. A basic subscription, which includes one ticket to six concerts, is $99 ($81 for senior citizens). Extended subscription options include a seventh concert for a total of $109 ($89 for senior citizens) and an eighth concert for a total of $119 ($97 for senior citizens).
Single concert tickets are $20 at full price, $16 for St. Bonaventure staff and senior citizens, and $5 for students.
For tickets and information, call The Quick Center box office at (716) 375-2494.
For each Friends of Good Music performance, The Quick Center will open its galleries one hour before the performance and keep them open throughout the intermission. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Museum admission is free and open to the public year round. For more information, visit www.sbu.edu/quickcenter.
______________
About the University: St. Bonaventure is in the top 15 percent of institutions in U.S.News & World Report’s 2010 ranking of Northern universities that offer master’s degrees. It has a history of accomplishment and service that extends back 150 years. At the heart of St. Bonaventure University is the Franciscan affirmation of the dignity and worth of the entire created order. Fundamental to this vision is an awareness that it is within relationships and community that individuals discover and develop their potential.