Tag: Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra

On December 16, 2023, the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra performed its annual holiday concert, “Winter Wonderland,” to a packed house at the Broome County Forum Theatre.

A glittering celebration of the season, Winter Wonderland featured Christmas hits both old and new by Tchaikovsky, Johann Strauss, John Williams, and young American composer Quinn Mason; carol singalongs led by soloists from Tri-Cities Opera; and a screening of the British animated classic “The Snowman” with live orchestral accompaniment.

There was something for everyone in the lively concert. Mason showed a distinctly American voice in his lyrical, atmospheric “Christmas Eve Festivities,” which is becoming a new classic. Local newscaster Jim Ehmke was the narrator for Bill Holcombe’s charming “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” a musical setting of the beloved poem by Clement C. Moore. The guest conductor for Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” was local businessman Jonny Norton, who had won the spot in a fundraising auction, and Norton clearly enjoyed himself heartily, along with the orchestra and audience. Young treble soloist Eva Dixon, a 13-year-old soprano from New York City, sang the haunting solo, “Walking in the Air,” in “The Snowman” with delicacy and aplomb. 

The orchestra played with uplifting energy and precision, led by the confident conducting of Maestro Daniel Hege, who managed to infuse even the most familiar carols with a spirit of wintry revelry. Maestro Hege engaged the audience with his trademark lighthearted banter, and the audience responded with exuberant singing, hand-clapping, and a standing ovation at the end. For the enthusiastic and festively-dressed concertgoers, including many children, “Winter Wonderland” was a truly magical experience, and a not-to-be-missed event of the holiday season in New York’s Southern Tier.

On Saturday, November 18, the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra continued its 2023-2024 Symphonic Series with “Faces of Joy,” an exhilarating program of music spanning two centuries. The evening began with a short piece for strings and celesta, “Five Faces of Joy,” by the living Chinese-American composer Wang Jie.

The composer calls her work a portrait of “five comic ways of smiling,” including “the smile of a dancing Godzilla,” and Maestro Daniel Hege and the ensemble brought out the wit and whimsy of Wang’s music, providing a fitting introduction to a concert whose theme was joy.

Also on the program was Sergei Prokofiev’s delightful Symphony No. 1, known as the “Classical” Symphony. Writing in 1917, the young Prokofiev sought to imitate the musical style of Mozart and Haydn, and this piece is full of delicacy, dynamic contrasts, and devilish speed. The principal woodwinds of the Philharmonic gave a collective star turn in the dizzying fourth movement.  

The highlight of the concert, though, was the second half of the program, with guest soloist Andrew Russo playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, the “Emperor.” Russo, Maestro Hege, and the orchestra seemed to become an organic whole, breathing together as Russo pushed the piano to the utmost extremes of emotional expression. Russo’s virtuosic playing and Hege’s sensitive conducting created a spellbinding atmosphere of joy, which the audience acknowledged by leaping to its feet with loud cheers at the conclusion.

As always, it was uplifting to see many children and teens in the concert hall. One young boy told this reviewer that he particularly loved Andrew Russo’s performance, saying, “He reminds me of Beethoven!” It was pure joy to hear Beethoven and his colleagues brought to life so skillfully by the Binghamton Philharmonic.

Don’t miss the next event from the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, Soprano Robin Johannsen & Pianist Tomoko Kanamaru on December 3. Both internationally acclaimed artists, the duo will perform a program of art songs by women composers from the nineteenth through the twenty-first centuries, including works by Clara Schumann, Florence Price, and Yui Kitamura.

Tickets are $25. For more information, contact the Binghamton Philharmonic Box Office at 607-723-3931 or visit www.binghamtonphilharmonic.org.

On Saturday, October 28, at the Broome County Forum Theatre, the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra kicked off its 2023-2024 Pops Series with “Phantom of the Philharmonic,” a lively performance of Halloween-themed music from stage, screen, and concert hall. Guest conductor Grant Cooper, resplendent in a Dracula cape, led the orchestra in such hair-raising classics as the theme from Halloween, the Psycho Suite, and “Night on Bald Mountain.”

The orchestra reveled in the repertoire, demonstrating their exceptional dynamic range and clearly having fun at the same time. Many in the audience – including lots of kids – were impressively costumed, and showed their appreciation for the expert playing and Maestro Cooper’s engaging dialogue with a standing ovation.

The Phiharmonic’s concertmaster Uli Speth took a star turn as the violin soloist in the haunting “Danse macabre” of Camille Saint-Saëns, and concert-goers were treated to a range of special effects, from multi-colored smoke to a cannon that released bat-shaped confetti at the climactic moment in Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King.”

Future Pops Series performances this season include the holiday concert Winter Wonderland, and Pops at the Forum, featuring the music of John Williams, Led Zeppelin, and more!

The Binghamton Philharmonic’s Symphonic Series continues on November 18 with Faces of Joy, featuring Philharmonic favorite Andrew Russo as the piano soloist in Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto. For more information, visit www.binghamtonphilharmonic.org.