Upcoming
"In the startled ear of night..."
In the tradition of the Philharmonic’s “Music’s Darkest Harvest” concerts of yore, we present a Halloween program that is all over the map, both geographically and stylistically. The concert is bookended by two French overtures: Louise Bertin’s Le Loup-garou, the first (and only?) opera ever written about a werewolf, and Jacques Offenbach’s ever-popular Orpheus in the Underworld, which climaxes in the rumbustious and once-scandalous can-can. America is represented by Bernard Herrmann’s personal favorite among his numerous film scores, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Edmond Dédé’s rollicking Méphisto Masqué, and Nicole Buetti, who will be on hand for the local premiere of her Odyssey Overture (inspired by, among other things, her fondness for Star Trek and Star Wars). The Philharmonic’s beloved concertmaster Luke Fitzpatrick will be heard in music of the Italian Baroque: Giuseppe Tartini’s “Devil’s Trill” Sonata, in a new version for violin and orchestra. Finally, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams with a rare performance of his overture to the comic opera about sorcery and necromancy, The Poisoned Kiss.
Our Commitment to Change
Like so many in our nation, the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra has come to an increased awareness of the devastating toll racism takes on both individuals and society at large. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Manuel Ellis, John T. Williams, and too many others reminds us that racism in this country is literally deadly. It is time for us to take new, more effective steps to address violence, victimization, and injustice.
So we say out loud and with all our strength: BLACK LIVES MATTER. We are committed to continuing the critical work of eliminating the effects of racism as experienced by peoples of color within our community. We stand with everyone working to fight for racial justice for all people in our nation.
We vow to do our part to repair the damage done by institutional racism and discrimination toward people of color and all marginalized communities in the realm of classical music. We will joyfully explore voices that have been suppressed by bias. You will see this in our upcoming season and future seasons: moving and powerful works by women, people of color, and others who have been unjustly ignored and silenced within classical music. We also vow to improve inclusivity within our orchestra, our leadership, and our audiences.
We invite you to join us on this journey of discovery and change as we work together to achieve a more just community and society.
News, Video, Articles, and More
A Ruth Gipps Premiere
Apr 24, 2021
One of the hallmarks of the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra is to perform pieces by composers that, for various reasons, never got the platform they deserved. Such is the case of Ruth Gipps. The Seattle Philharmonic performed the U.S. Premiere of her second symphony on March 31, 2018. The following excerpt is from the program notes […]
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"Serene Cheer and Warm Sunshine": Brahms' Second
Mar 1, 2021
The Philharmonic presents the third U.S. premiere of the season: Pyramid, a stirring tone poem by Sweden-based American composer Molly Kien (“a major new voice” — Fanfare Magazine). The winner of the Philharmonic’s 2019 Don Bushell Competition, the radiant soprano Allison Pohl, will be heard in a selection of lieder by Richard Strauss. Closing the […]
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Holst, The Planets, Voyager 2, and a few Informal Observations
May 25, 2015
We are past the mid-point of the rehearsal cycle for our upcoming season finale, the details being worked are getting smaller and more subtle, and we’re simply getting more and more excited to finally launch into this journey. The music we’ll be playing is tremendously exciting in itself—two pieces by Ralph Vaughan Williams and one […]
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I always leave the performances enlightened by new music I have never heard. It is a friendly, laid back environment and a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
- Drew Y.
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