Boston Philharmonic 2023-24 Season Celebrating 45 Years

The Boston Philharmonic, which includes both the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO) celebrates its 45th year from October 20, 2023, through May 3, 2024, at Boston’s Symphony Hall. The 2023-24 season includes four BPO concerts and three BPYO concerts, showcasing the incredible talents of the members of both ensembles and featuring carefully curated programs, staying true to the orchestra's tradition of presenting universally acclaimed symphonic masterpieces. This landmark season not only showcases the organization’s commitment to excellence, but also celebrates the 85th birthday of Benjamin Zander, the organization’s esteemed founder and conductor. Known for his passion, artistry, and transformative interpretations, Zander will continue to inspire audiences with his legendary "Guide to the Music" talks prior to each BPO concert. Zander's insightful guidance will provide a deeper understanding of the works, allowing patrons to experience the music in a whole new light. Building upon its tradition of nurturing emerging soloists, this season will welcome back several extraordinary young artists who made their Boston debuts with one of the orchestra's ensembles. Of note is Ukrainian pianist Anna Federova, who has been completely dedicated to organizing benefit concerts for the victims of the war. Together with several friends and well-known musicians, she raised well over 500,000 euros for humanitarian aid organizations in March and April 2022 alone. The four Boston Philharmonic Orchestra concerts include: 1. Friday, October 20, 2023, 8 PM: The 45th season kicks off with an exhilarating performance featuring Rossini's familiar William Tell Overture, followed by Elgar's Violin Concerto, featuring Israeli-born violinist and conductor Guy Braunstein—the former concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker—and concluding with Beethoven's ebullient Symphony No. 7. 2. Friday, November 17, 8 PM: Opens with Britten’s “Passacaglia” from Peter Grimes and Bartok's Piano Concerto No. 3, featuring Israel-born pianist and conductor Benjamin Hochman, who made his professional piano debut at age 24 at Carnegie Hall with the Israel Philharmonic conducted by Pinchas Zukerman, and concludes with Shostakovich's damning but triumphant Symphony No. 10. 3. Saturday, February 24, 2024, 8 PM: Opens with Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess) followed by Berg's Violin Concerto, featuring the return of Dutch-born violinist Liza Ferschtman—the daughter of Russian musicians—and concludes with Mahler's Symphony No. 1, one of Zander’s favorites. 4. Friday, April 26, 2024, 8 PM: Opens with Mozart's C Minor Piano Concerto, featuring the return of Italian pianist Alessandro Deljavan—winner of the Raymond E. Buck Discretionary Award at the Van Cliburn Competition in 2013 and the youngest winner ever, at the tender age of nine, of the Concours musical de France—and in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Bruckner's birth, his monumental Symphony No. 9. The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra concerts include: 1. Sunday, November 5, 2023, 3 PM – Opens with Wagner’s magnificent Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Overture, followed by Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber, and concludes with Brahms's romantic Symphony No. 1. 2. Sunday, March 3, 2024, 3 PM – Opens with Britten’s “Four Seas Interludes” from Peter Grimes, followed by Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, featuring the return of Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova, Ives’s Three Places in New England (appropriately partially about Boston), and with Ravel’s lush, colorful Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2. 3. Friday, May 3, 2024, 8 PM – The final concert of the 2023-24 season includes Schumann's Cello Concerto, featuring the return of Boston-bred Zlatomir Fung—the first American in four decades and youngest musician ever to win First Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for cello—and concludes with Mahler's Symphony No. 5, an extraordinary journey of emotions. For more info visit https://www.bostonphil.org