RI Philharmonic premiers tonight – dedicates season to Bramwell Tovey

RI PHILHARMONIC LAUNCH SEASON OPENING PERFORMANCE WITH NEW GEN CELLIST AND COMPOSER 

Season 78 Dedicated to Principal Conductor and Artistic Director Bramwell Tovey 

While the great composers like Tchaikovsky and Beethoven may still dominate programming in classical circles, a generation of new young composers and classical musicians are challenging its traditional boundaries. They are bringing classical music to other aspiring young musicians, dedicating performances to new audiences and exposing an art form to a world of cultures that has no borders. 

The Rhode Island Philharmonic welcomes cellist Sterling Elliott and composer Quinn Mason for the seventy-ninth season premiere. The concert led by interim Principal Conductor Tania Miller will include Sterling Elliot performing Elgar’s Aching Cello Concerto, m music by the 26-year old composer Quinn Mason, and Richard Strauss’ awe inspiring “Also sprach Zarathrustra,” the show piece heard in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001:Space Odyssey. 

Acclaimed for his stellar stage presence and joyous musicianship, cellist Sterling Elliott is a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and winner of the 2019 (senior division) National Sphinx Competition. Already in his young career, he has appeared with such major orchestras as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony, and the Dallas Symphony. 

His first appearance with the RI Philharmonic Orchestra in October is among appearances slated for the 2022-2023 season with the Colorado Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, and Ft. Worth Symphony. While in Providence, Sterling will also lead a Master Class in partnership with Brown University’s School of Music. This unique opportunity to perform and discuss musical training was coordinated with Lois Finkel, Assistant Principal Second Violin in the RI Philharmonic Orchestra and Director of Chamber Music at Brown. (More: https://rinewstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Sterling-Elliott-Bio13.pdf)

Composer Quinn Mason will be visiting to present his “A Joyous Trilogy” as it makes its R.I. Philharmonic Orchestra debut. Mr. Mason has been called “One of the most sought after composers in the country” by Texas Monthly. His orchestral music has received performances by many orchestras in the US, including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. During his visit, Mr. Quinn will lead the Rhode Island Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra and Wind Ensembles in rehearsals of his two compositions “Faster” and “Toast of the Town” each which will be performed by the ensembles later in the season. 

Tania Miller joins the RI Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School as Interim Principal Conductor for the 2022-2023 Season. Miller, who was asked to step into the role in July, will lead three concerts in the season and assume off stage duties as well. Previously, Ms. Miller was Music Director of Canada’s Victoria Symphony for 14 seasons. Over the years she has distinguished herself as a visionary leader and innovator with a growing international reputation as a highly effective communicator and advocate for the arts.  More: (https://rinewstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Tania-Miller-Bio-9-976.pdf).

Tickets for the concert are available at the RI Philharmonic Box Office (401.248.700) or at tickets.riphil.org/offer where you will save on tickets to the RI Philharmonic Orchestra. Purchase tickets to any two concerts and save 20%. Purchase tickets to three or more and save 25%. Visit tickets.riphil.org/offer for details. 

The 2022-2023 season premiere is Saturday, October 15 at 7p.m. An open rehearsal featuring conductor Tania Miller and cellist Sterling Elliot took place on Friday. The Veteran’ Memorial Auditorium is at 1 Avenue of the Arts in downtown Providence. The newly refurbished “VETS” is home to the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra. 

The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School is committed to engaging people of Southern New England as lifelong music listeners, teachers, learners, creators and performers. We are the only professional orchestra in the country to officially designate music education and performance as equal priorities. 

The Opening night and entire 22-23 Classical Series is sponsored by the “Taco/The White Family Foundation”.