The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s summer season will take the musicians to several of Western New York’s best public spaces and performing venues.
The BPO will perform 12 times, including several free outdoor concerts and the return of Summer Nights@Kleinhans.
• The summer season kicks off with the BPO’s return to Bidwell Park in the Elmwood Village on June 25 and Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora on June 27, each beginning at 7 p.m. These free, outdoor concerts will be conducted by Matthew Kraemer, and will feature a mix of Americana.
• At 7 p.m. June 29, the orchestra will perform at Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown. Kraemer conducts this concert of classical favorites, including works by Rossini, Copland, Dvorak and Beethoven, concluding with the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky. The concert is free for children younger than 6; $10 for students and $20 general admission. A family four-pack is available for $49. All tickets will be available through the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra box office at 885-5000 or www.bpo.org. Tickets include admission to the park.
• The BPO’s second season of Summer Nights@Kleinhans will kick off at 7 p.m. July 6 with “Tchaikovsky Spectacular,” conducted by Kraemer. Audiences are invited to pack a picnic supper or sample the wares of the Buffalo food trucks and enjoy the grounds of the concert hall and its historic neighborhood setting.
Summer Nights@Kleinhans will continue at 7 p.m. July 19 with “A Tribute to Dave Brubeck.” The jazz composer and pianist, credited with introducing jazz to the Baby Boom generation, was 91 when he died last year. The BPO will pay tribute to his legacy with a performance featuring the Brubeck Brothers Quartet, formed by his sons.
JoAnn Falletta will take the podium for the final Summer Nights@Kleinhans concert, at 7 p.m. July 26. España features Spanish-inflected music by Chabrier, Falla and Rimsky-Korsakov. Special guest artist Celil Refik Kaya, who won the 2012 JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition, returns to the scene of his triumph with this concert.
Tickets for Summer Nights@Kleinhans range from $19 to $49 and can be obtained by calling (716) 885-5000 or visiting www.bpo.org.
• The BPO and the Buffalo Bisons continue their Independence Eve tradition on July 3, when the Bisons play the Rochester Red Wings at Coca-Cola Field starting at 6:05. After the game, the BPO will take the field, joined by the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and led by Paul Ferington, for a program of patriotic favorites followed by a fireworks display. Tickets are available at www.bisons.com.
• Over a two-day period, the BPO will share its best with Western New York through a series of free performances at Canalside. The afternoon of July 13 offers audiences a chance to see what orchestra members do when they’re not rehearsing for a concert. Chamber groups, jazz quartets and percussion ensembles featuring BPO members are all on the schedule.
At 7 p.m. that day, the orchestra will perform a Broadway-themed concert with soloists Gary Mauer and Elizabeth Southard. The Broadway veterans, husband and wife, and have played opposite one another in major touring productions of “Showboat” and “Phantom of the Opera,” as well as many symphonic engagements.
On July 14, the BPO will hold an afternoon of instrument demonstrations, workshops and a superhero-themed concert, with music from “X-Men,” “The Incredibles,” “Spiderman,” “Batman” and more.
• The M&T Bank Plaza summer noontime concert series is celebrating its 44th year, and the Buffalo Philharmonic will once again perform. Ferington will lead the orchestra on July 16 in this free outdoor concert.
• Artpark is celebrating a milestone year, and for its 40th anniversary, the BPO will perform with a host of special guests at 8 p.m. July 25, recreating the park’s 1973 opening concert. Buffalo native turned Broadway star Michele Ragusa will sing selections from “Phantom of the Opera,” “Music Man” and “My Fair Lady.” Eminent pianist Norman Krieger, once the winner of the BPO’s Young Artists Competition Prize, will perform Chopin’s Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante. Dancers from the Festival Ballet of Providence and Neglia Ballet Artists will join the BPO onstage, dancing to selections from ballets by Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. All tickets for the concert will be available at www.artpark.net.
For further information about the summer concerts, visit www.bpo.org or call 885-5000.
The BPO will perform 12 times, including several free outdoor concerts and the return of Summer Nights@Kleinhans.
• The summer season kicks off with the BPO’s return to Bidwell Park in the Elmwood Village on June 25 and Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora on June 27, each beginning at 7 p.m. These free, outdoor concerts will be conducted by Matthew Kraemer, and will feature a mix of Americana.
• At 7 p.m. June 29, the orchestra will perform at Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown. Kraemer conducts this concert of classical favorites, including works by Rossini, Copland, Dvorak and Beethoven, concluding with the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky. The concert is free for children younger than 6; $10 for students and $20 general admission. A family four-pack is available for $49. All tickets will be available through the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra box office at 885-5000 or www.bpo.org. Tickets include admission to the park.
• The BPO’s second season of Summer Nights@Kleinhans will kick off at 7 p.m. July 6 with “Tchaikovsky Spectacular,” conducted by Kraemer. Audiences are invited to pack a picnic supper or sample the wares of the Buffalo food trucks and enjoy the grounds of the concert hall and its historic neighborhood setting.
Summer Nights@Kleinhans will continue at 7 p.m. July 19 with “A Tribute to Dave Brubeck.” The jazz composer and pianist, credited with introducing jazz to the Baby Boom generation, was 91 when he died last year. The BPO will pay tribute to his legacy with a performance featuring the Brubeck Brothers Quartet, formed by his sons.
JoAnn Falletta will take the podium for the final Summer Nights@Kleinhans concert, at 7 p.m. July 26. España features Spanish-inflected music by Chabrier, Falla and Rimsky-Korsakov. Special guest artist Celil Refik Kaya, who won the 2012 JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition, returns to the scene of his triumph with this concert.
Tickets for Summer Nights@Kleinhans range from $19 to $49 and can be obtained by calling (716) 885-5000 or visiting www.bpo.org.
• The BPO and the Buffalo Bisons continue their Independence Eve tradition on July 3, when the Bisons play the Rochester Red Wings at Coca-Cola Field starting at 6:05. After the game, the BPO will take the field, joined by the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and led by Paul Ferington, for a program of patriotic favorites followed by a fireworks display. Tickets are available at www.bisons.com.
• Over a two-day period, the BPO will share its best with Western New York through a series of free performances at Canalside. The afternoon of July 13 offers audiences a chance to see what orchestra members do when they’re not rehearsing for a concert. Chamber groups, jazz quartets and percussion ensembles featuring BPO members are all on the schedule.
At 7 p.m. that day, the orchestra will perform a Broadway-themed concert with soloists Gary Mauer and Elizabeth Southard. The Broadway veterans, husband and wife, and have played opposite one another in major touring productions of “Showboat” and “Phantom of the Opera,” as well as many symphonic engagements.
On July 14, the BPO will hold an afternoon of instrument demonstrations, workshops and a superhero-themed concert, with music from “X-Men,” “The Incredibles,” “Spiderman,” “Batman” and more.
• The M&T Bank Plaza summer noontime concert series is celebrating its 44th year, and the Buffalo Philharmonic will once again perform. Ferington will lead the orchestra on July 16 in this free outdoor concert.
• Artpark is celebrating a milestone year, and for its 40th anniversary, the BPO will perform with a host of special guests at 8 p.m. July 25, recreating the park’s 1973 opening concert. Buffalo native turned Broadway star Michele Ragusa will sing selections from “Phantom of the Opera,” “Music Man” and “My Fair Lady.” Eminent pianist Norman Krieger, once the winner of the BPO’s Young Artists Competition Prize, will perform Chopin’s Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brilliante. Dancers from the Festival Ballet of Providence and Neglia Ballet Artists will join the BPO onstage, dancing to selections from ballets by Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. All tickets for the concert will be available at www.artpark.net.
For further information about the summer concerts, visit www.bpo.org or call 885-5000.