Press Release Brno, Czech Republic January 6th, 2023
Filharmonie Brno is setting off on an American tour. In February, they will play seven concerts in seven locations on the other side of the ocean, kicking off the tour in Carnegie Hall where they will perform the New York premiere of Symphony No. 12, “Lodger“, by Philip Glass. “Carnegie is the goal; it’s every orchestra‘s dream. The fact that we‘ll play the premiere of Glass‘ symphony in his city, and moreover with his personal participation, is an incredible honour for us,“ said Filharmonie Brno managing director Marie Kučerová.
The orchestra will be led on the tour by its Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Dennis Russell Davies. “I’m very happy that we’ll be taking Czech music across the ocean. We’ve prepared three compositions by Leoš Janáček, two compositions by Bohuslav Martinů and three symphonies by Antonín Dvořák. We’re combining them with contemporary American music: Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson and William Bolcom. Personally, I’m most looking forward to playing my long-time friend Philip’s “Lodger“ to him with my orchestra“, said Davies. World soloists will perform with the orchestra – for example five-time Grammy winner and world music star Angélique Kidjo and one of the most sought-after organists today, Christian Schmitt.
The orchestra already performed Glass‘ symphony with them twice in 2021 – a Czech premiere at the Prague Spring festival and half a year later at the opening of the Moravian Autumn festival. A joint concert in Leipzig’s Gewandhaus awaits them before the New York performance. “We were also the first orchestra in the world to record the work in which Glass composed a solo singing part specifically for Kidjo,“ added Kučerová.
In addition to Kidjo and Schmitt, the orchestra will also play with American composer, musician and performer Laurie Anderson, who will join Filharmonie Brno in Kansas. Her composition Amelia tells the story of Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly across the ocean, whose aircraft vanished without a trace nine years later. Interestingly, she was born a few kilometres from the place where the orchestra will perform. “In addition to the domestic scene, we for example also took Amelia to a festival in Linz, Austria and Bratislava, always with great success and always before a sold-out auditorium,“ said orchestra manager Pavel Šindelář.
The orchestra returns to the United States after fifty long years. In 1973 Filharmonie Brno was there on a month-long tour in 18 cities including Carnegie Hall, which was sold out twice.
More info you can find here: Filharmonie Brno on US Tour 2023 | Filharmonie Brno (filharmonie-brno.cz)
Complete program of the US Tour 2023
February 8th: New York, Carnegie Hall
Martinů: Thunderbolt P-47 , Janáček: Taras Bulba , Glass: Symphony no.12
February 10th: Ann Arbor, MI
Janáček: Sinfonietta, Bolcom: Humoresk, Janáček: Glagolitic Mass
February 13rd: Palm Desert, CA
Martinů: Sinfonietta “La Jolla”, Janáček: Taras Bulba , Dvořák: Symphony No. 6
February 14th: Santa Barbara, CA
Martinů: Sinfonietta “La Jolla” , Janáček: Taras Bulba , Dvořák: Symphony No. 6
February 15th: Northridge, CA
Martinů: Thunderbolt P-47 , Janáček: Taras Bulba , Dvořák: Symphony No. 8
February 18th: Kansas City, MO
Dvořák: Othello, Martinů: Thunderbolt P-47 , Laurie Anderson: Amelia
February 20th: Lubbock, TX
Martinů: Thunderbolt P-47 , Janáček: Sinfonietta , Dvořák: Symphony No. 8
Media contact: Kateřina Konečná, Head of PR and marketing Filharmonie Brno
+420 775 426 040 katerina.konecna@filharmonie-brno.cz