N E W S R E L E A S E
CONTACT:
Katherine Blodgett
Vice President, Public Relations and
Communications
phone: 215.893.1939
e-mail: [email protected]
Kate Johnston
Assistant Director, Public Relations
phone: 215.893.3136
e-mail: [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: September 14, 2010
Renée Fleming and Paul Simon
to perform with The Philadelphia Orchestra
at the Academy of Music 154th Anniversary Concert
January 29, 2011
Lester Holt, weekend anchor for NBC’s Today and Nightly News, is host
Concert-only tickets on sale September 16
(Philadelphia, September 14, 2010) – The Philadelphia Orchestra today announced that Renée Fleming
and Paul Simon will appear as its special guests for the Academy of Music 154th Anniversary Concert on
Saturday, January 29, 2011. Ms. Fleming, one of the world’s leading opera stars, will join the Orchestra for a
program including a selection of beloved arias; Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Mr. Simon will
perform some of his best-known works with the Orchestra; and the Fabulous Philadelphians and their sound
will be showcased in familiar classical treasures, all as part of an evening of memorable music and exciting
surprises. New orchestrations of Mr. Simon’s classic songs are being specifically created for his first
performance with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Lester Holt, weekend anchor for NBC’s Today and Nightly
News, serves as host for the evening.
Additional guest artist and program information for the concert will be announced at a later date. The
Anniversary Concert is produced by Wayne Baruch and Charles F. Gayton, who have produced the Academy
Anniversary concerts since 2007.
Concert-only tickets, priced at $185 and located in the Amphitheatre level, go on sale on September 16.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 215.893.1999 or by visiting www.philorch.org/academyofmusic.
Immediately following the concert, gala guests will make their way north on Philadelphia’s iconic Broad Street
to the Hyatt at the Bellevue, where an exquisite gala champagne supper and ball will await. Elegant ladies and
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Renée Fleming and Paul Simon to perform with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Academy of Music with 154th Anniversary Concert
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debonair gentleman will fill the many reception rooms of the historic building, from the stylish Fountain
Court to the sophisticated Grand Ballroom to the rooftop grandeur of XIX. Several electrifying dance
orchestras and bands, performing music ranging in style from classic American songbook to R&B funk, will
keep the attendees dancing throughout the evening.
The gala is being chaired by Sandra G. Marshall and Charles P. Pizzi. Invitations will be mailed in late
September. For additional information on this event, please call the Academy of Music Restoration Fund
Office at 215.893.1978
History of the Academy of Music and the Anniversary Concert and Ball
The Academy of Music 154th Anniversary Concert and Ball benefits the Academy of Music Restoration Fund
and The Philadelphia Orchestra. A National Historic Landmark, the Academy of Music was home to The
Philadelphia Orchestra for more than a century, from the ensemble’s founding in 1900 to the opening of The
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in 2001. The first Anniversary Concert and Ball, which took place on
January 26, 1957, showcased a star-studded line-up in which Eugene Ormandy shared his podium with
Danny Kaye. The historic evening’s guest performers included classical artists Marian Anderson, Hilde
Gueden, Arthur Rubinstein, and Isaac Stern, and popular singer Dinah Shore.
Since 1957, numerous luminaries of the musical world have performed with The Philadelphia Orchestra as
part of Academy of Music Anniversary concerts. Notable guest artists include sopranos Audra McDonald,
Jessye Norman, and Kiri Te Kanawa; mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne; violinists Anne-Sophie Mutter, Itzhak
Perlman, and Isaac Stern; cellist Yo-Yo Ma; pianists Evgeny Kissin and Lang Lang; as well as popular artists
such as Rod Stewart, James Taylor, Billy Joel, and Sting.
About the Artists
During his distinguished career Paul Simon has been the recipient of many honors and awards, including 12
Grammy awards, three of which (“Bridge Over Troubled Water”, “Still Crazy After All These Years” and
“Graceland”) were albums of the year. In 2003 he was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his
work as half of the duo Simon and Garfunkel. He is an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and is in the
Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame both as a member of Simon and Garfunkel and as a solo artist. His song “Mrs.
Robinson” from the motion picture The Graduate was named in the top ten of The American Film Institute’s
100 Years 100 Songs. He was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2003 and was named as one of
Time magazine’s “100 People Who Shape Our World” in 2006.
Of Mr. Simon’s many concert appearances he is most fond of the two concerts in Central Park in New York
(with his partner and childhood friend Art Garfunkel in 1981 and as a solo artist in 1991) and the series of
shows he did at the invitation of Nelson Mandela in South Africa: the first American artist to perform in
post-apartheid South Africa.
Mr. Simon’s philanthropic work includes the co-founding of the Children’s Health Fund with Dr. Irwin
Redlener. The CHF donates and staffs mobile medical vans that bring health care to poor and indigent
children in urban and rural locations around the United States. In the 20 years since its inception it has
provided over 1,200,000 doctor/patient visits. In the wake of Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina it was the
primary health care source for those communities decimated by the storms. Mr. Simon has also raised
millions of dollars for worthy causes as varied as AMFAR, the Nature Conservancy, the Fund for Imprisoned
Children in South Africa, and Autism Speaks. In 1989 the United Negro College Fund honored him with its
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Renée Fleming and Paul Simon to perform with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Academy of Music with 154th Anniversary Concert
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Frederick D. Patterson Award. The Philadelphia Orchestra is grateful to Mr. Simon for his support of the
Orchestra in this unique collaboration.
On May 23, 2007, Mr. Simon was the recipient of the first annual Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for
Popular Song. Named in honor of the legendary George and Ira Gershwin, this newly created award
recognizes the profound and positive effect of popular music on the world’s culture, and will be given
annually to a composer or performer whose lifetime contributions exemplify the standard of excellence
associated with the Gershwins.
One of the most beloved and celebrated musical ambassadors of our time, soprano Renée Fleming
captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry, and compelling stage presence. Known
as “the people’s diva,” she continues to grace the world’s greatest opera stages and concert halls, now
extending her reach to include other musical forms and media. Over the past few seasons, Ms. Fleming has
been hosting a wide variety of television and radio broadcasts, including the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD
series for movie theaters and television, and Live from Lincoln Center on PBS.
As a musical statesman, Ms. Fleming has been sought-after on numerous distinguished occasions, from the
2006 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to performances in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games. On January
18, 2009, she was featured on the televised “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln
Memorial” concert for President Obama. An additional distinction was bestowed in 2008, when breaking a
precedent, she became the first woman in the 125-year history of the Metropolitan Opera to solo headline an
Opening Night Gala.
Ms. Fleming’s 2010-11 season at the Metropolitan Opera includes performances of Rossini’s Armida and
Strauss’s Capriccio. Her 2010-11 concert season begins with the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s Last Night of the
Proms performance in September, followed by appearances with the Pittsburgh Symphony conducted by
Manfred Honeck, the National Symphony under Christoph Eschenbach, and the Saint Louis Symphony with
David Robertson. In October, Ms. Fleming travels to Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium with the
Munich Philharmonic and conductor Christian Thielemann, and in November, she embarks on a
Scandinavian tour. Further concert highlights include performances in Chicago, Toronto, Dresden, and
Berlin. A dedicated and masterful recitalist, Ms. Fleming appears in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Kansas City,
Missouri, and in January, 2011, she embarks on a recital tour to Quebec, Washington, D.C., New York’s
Carnegie Hall, Ann Arbor, Montreal, and San Juan.
A three-time Grammy winner, Ms. Fleming won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal
Performance for Verismo (Decca/September 2009), a CD featuring a collection of rarely heard Italian arias. In
June 2010, Decca and Mercury records released the CD Dark Hope, which features Ms. Fleming performing
songs by artists such as Leonard Cohen, Peter Gabriel, Arcade Fire, and Death Cab for Cutie, among others.
Lester Holt is the weekend anchor for the flagship broadcast NBC Nightly News, and is also the co-anchor of
the weekend edition of Today. In addition, he serves as fill-in anchor and correspondent for NBC Nightly News
with Brian Williams and the weekday Today program. He also contributes to MSNBC, NBC’s 24-hour cable
news network.
Mr. Holt has reported from many of the world’s hot spots. In 2006 he reported from the front lines in
Lebanon on the war between Israel and Hezbollah. The same year, he reported from London on the terror
threat to U.S. bound-airliners from the UK. In 2005 he was on the ground for Hurricane Katrina covering
events both in Louisiana and Mississippi; later that fall, he also covered Hurricane Rita in Texas.
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Renée Fleming and Paul Simon to perform with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Academy of Music with 154th Anniversary Concert
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Before becoming co-anchor of Weekend Today, Mr. Holt anchored Lester Holt Live, a daily news show on
MSNBC on which he covered breaking news and provided news updates and analysis. He has also served as
the lead anchor for daytime news and breaking news coverage on MSNBC. He has served as a primary
anchor for MSNBC’s coverage of the biggest news events of the last several years, including the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan, and he was the lead daytime anchor for MSNBC’s coverage of the 2000 presidential
campaign. Mr. Holt also served as anchor of Countdown: Iraq, a nightly news telecast concentrating on the Iraq
war, from October 2002 through March 2003.
Mr. Holt, an award-winning broadcast journalist, came to MSNBC from WBBM-TV in Chicago, where he
spent 14 years. His duties at WBBM-TV included anchoring the evening news. He not only worked at the
anchor desk in Chicago, but he also reported extensively from trouble spots around the world, including Iraq,
Northern Ireland, Somalia, El Salvador and Haiti. He has contributed to the CBS News broadcast 48 Hours,
earning a 1990 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism award for his work on “48 Hours: No Place Like Home.”
Previously, Mr. Holt worked as a reporter at WCBS-TV in New York City from 1981 to 1982. In 1982 he
transferred to sister station KCBS-TV in Los Angeles as a reporter and weekend anchor and returned to
WCBS-TV a year later as a reporter and weekend anchor. He majored in government at California State
University in Sacramento. He resides in New York City with his wife and family.
The Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is among the world’s leading orchestras. Renowned for its artistic excellence since
its founding in 1900, the Orchestra has excited audiences with thousands of concerts in Philadelphia and
around the world.
With only seven music directors throughout more than a century of unswerving orchestral distinction, the
artistic heritage of The Philadelphia Orchestra is attributed to extraordinary musicianship under the leadership
and innovation of Fritz Scheel (1900-07), Carl Pohlig (1907-12), Leopold Stokowski (1912-41), Eugene
Ormandy (1936-80), Riccardo Muti (1980-92), Wolfgang Sawallisch (1993-2003), and Christoph Eschenbach
(2003-08). After 30 years of a celebrated association with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit
continues the tradition as chief conductor.
Since Mr. Dutoit’s debut with the Orchestra in July 1980 he has led hundreds of concerts in Philadelphia, at
Carnegie Hall, and on tour, as artistic director of the Orchestra’s summer concerts at the Mann Center, artistic
director and principal conductor of the Orchestra’s summer residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts
Center, and now as chief conductor. With the 2012-13 season, the Orchestra honors Mr. Dutoit by bestowing
upon him the title conductor laureate.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin assumed the title of music director designate in June 2010, immediately joining the
Orchestra’s leadership team. He takes up the baton as The Philadelphia Orchestra’s next music director in
2012.
The Philadelphia Orchestra annually touches the lives of more than one million music lovers worldwide,
through concerts, presentations, and recordings. Each year the Orchestra presents a subscription season at
the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, education and community partnership programs, and annual
appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center; it also regularly tours throughout the world. Its
summer schedule includes performances at the Mann Center, free Neighborhood Concerts throughout
Greater Philadelphia, and residencies at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and the Saratoga Performing
Arts Center. For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org.
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Renée Fleming and Paul Simon to perform with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Academy of Music with 154th Anniversary Concert
ACADEMY OF MUSIC 154TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT
January 29 at 7:30 p.m. – Saturday evening – Academy of Music
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Renée Fleming Soprano
Paul Simon Special Guest
Lester Holt Host
This concert will be performed without an intermission.
Concert-only tickets, on sale beginning September 16, are available in the Academy of Music’s Amphitheatre: $185 ($153.50 taxdeductible per seat) 215.893.1999 or www.philorch.org/academyofmusic.
For gala information, please call the Academy of Music Restoration Fund Office at 215.893.1978.
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