Single Tickets for RPO's 2008-09 Season Go On Sale Tuesday, September 2 at 10 a.m.

Rochester, NY – Single tickets for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2008-09 Season go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, September 2 at 10 a.m. in-person at the RPO Box Office (108 East Avenue), by phone at (585) 454-2100 and online at www.rpo.org. This special season celebrates the 15th anniversary of Jeff Tyzik as Principal Pops Conductor, and is the last RPO concert season prior to the full theatre renovation in 2009-10 debuting Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre.

Both the RPO Philharmonics and WPOP Series weekends open in October with a bang.  High-voltage pianist André Watts performs Beethoven’s exquisite “Emperor” Concerto on Friday (not the usual Thursday) and Saturday nights, October 10 and 11 at 8 p.m. under the baton of Music Director Christopher Seaman, with Shostakovich’s Festive Overture and Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony. 

Two weeks later, Friday and Saturday nights, October 24 and 25 at 8 p.m., Celebrate Tyzik! goes all-out for Jeff’s 15th anniversary.  On Friday evening only, a pre-concert Gibbs Street Red Carpet Spectacular will feature musicians, supporters and community leaders. Both evenings’ concerts feature Tyzik’s inimitable music-making, with stellar guest performances by vocalist – and daughter – Jami Tyzik and trumpeter Allen Vizzutti alongside the RPO.  Free to all ticketholders, the Stars and Streetlights post-concert tent party tops off both concert nights in style.  Single tickets for the Celebrate Tyzik! range from $25-65.  Special $250 tickets for Friday night only include a pre-concert gourmet dinner, special reserved concert seating and a donation to the RPO.

Continuing the RPO’s tradition of diverse programming for all musical tastes, concert choices this season run from the sounds of Nashville with the great Wynonna Judd and Don Potter to the sounds of New Orleans; from the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet to the violin virtuosity of Leila Josefowicz; from “Cirque” to Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, and from the music of Billy Joel to Leonard Bernstein.  Dotted throughout the season will be concerts by Russian composers as part of a Russian mini-festival, tying in to the Memorial Art Gallery’s upcoming exhibition, “Tradition in Transition: Russian Icons in the Age of the Romanovs.” The RPO will continue to offer these types of additional community collaborations, helping to create the complete RPO experience.

In addition to the Philharmonics and WPOP Series, tickets also will be available for Casual Sunday Matinee, orKIDStra, and Symphony 101 concerts (both Friday and Sundays at Hochstein this year), the popular holiday Nutcracker with the Rochester City Ballet, orKIDStra Holiday and Handel’s Messiah with the Rochester Oratorio Society.  A complete season schedule is available online. Through the generous sponsorship of PAETEC Communications, Inc., the RPO will offer students $9 tickets to classical Philharmonics concerts for purchase during the week of the concert.  Students who also are FACEBOOK Fans of the RPO will receive occasional blasts for deeper discounts; to sign up, visit www.rpo.org/facebook.

Prices for series and special concerts are as follows; certain events may be higher, and all prices are subject to change:
• Most Philharmonics concerts: $20-56
• Most WPOP concerts: $20-58
• Symphony 101 concerts: $22, general admission
• Casual Sunday Matinee concerts: $15, general admission
• orKIDStra concerts: $15 adults, $10 children, general admission
• The Nutcracker concerts: $24-60
• Handel’s Messiah: $20-56

Senior citizens (62+), students (with valid ID) and children are entitled to an advance 20% discount for regularly scheduled RPO Philharmonics and WPOP Series concerts at the Eastman Theatre.  Half-price “rush” tickets are available to senior citizens, students and children on the day of these concerts at the RPO Box Office, at Wegmans and at the concert site beginning 60 minutes prior to the performances. 

Celebrating its 86th season in 2008-09, the RPO inspires and enriches the community through the art of music.  The Orchestra is passionately dedicated to outstanding musical performance at the highest artistic levels, and has a unique tradition of musical versatility, commitment to music education in the broadest sense, and a deep and enduring engagement with the community.  The RPO has been honored with the New York State Governor’s Arts Award and two ASCAP awards for adventurous programming.  RPO performances are made possible in part by grants from Monroe County; City of Rochester; National Endowment for the Arts; and New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency.