The New York Philharmonic

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SLIDESHOW: Tour Finale in San Francisco

“There was no doubt that we were in for some bold, brawny music-making. And the orchestra didn’t disappoint.” So said the San Francisco Chronicle of Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic in San Francisco, wrapping up the whirlwind CALIFORNIA 2016 tour to great acclaim.

SLIDESHOW: California Playin'

Instruments: check. Music: check. Rad shades: check. Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic went west this week for the CALIFORNIA 2016 tour, which launched with performances in Costa Mesa and San Diego. 

Pierre Boulez in Pictures

The New York Philharmonic deeply mourns the passing of Pierre Boulez, our bold and innovative Music Director from 1971 to 1977 as well as a trailblazing composer and thinker.

The Philharmonic will dedicate its concerts taking place this week, January 7–9 and 12, featuring works by Sibelius, Richard Strauss, and Wagner and conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert, to Boulez.

We invite you to remember Mr. Boulez through music and through this slideshow of his time at the New York Philharmonic.

In Memoriam: Kurt Masur

The New York Philharmonic deeply mourns the loss of our inspiring and dedicated Music Director Emeritus Kurt Masur (Music Director, 1991–2002), who passed away on December 19, 2015.

Maestro Masur’s dedication to expressing humanism through music was most vivid in the wake of 9/11, when he led the Philharmonic in a moving performance of Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem, and musicians from the Orchestra gave free chamber concerts around Ground Zero. Masur’s Philharmonic tenure began earlier than expected, when he stepped in to conduct Mendelssohn’s Elijah following the sudden death of Leonard Bernstein. Over the next 11 seasons, Masur hired 42 Philharmonic musicians; led the Orchestra on 17 tours around the world, traveling to 75 cities in 30 countries, including the first-ever Philharmonic concerts in mainland China; and expanded the Philharmonic’s education programs.

Highlights of his tenure included profound performances of oratorios by Bach and Mendelssohn, his predecessors as Kappellmeister of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on the U.N.’s 50th anniversary and the turn of the millennium; overseeing the four-season American Classics initiative; introducing a longstanding collaboration with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center; symphonic cycles of Brahms and Beethoven; and the commissions and premieres of 43 works, including the Messages for the Millennium. Masur presided over the Orchestra’s return to the radio and the creation of its own recording label, principally to release performances preserved in the Archives, and he conducted 32 live concert recordings released on Teldec Classics. New Yorkers still experience Masur’s humanist mark through the popular Annual Free Memorial Day Concert, which he introduced. From his 1981 debut until his last appearance in 2012, Maestro Masur led the Philharmonic in 909 performances.

New York Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert said: “Kurt Masur’s years at the New York Philharmonic represent one of its golden eras, in which music-making was infused with commitment and devotion — with the belief in the power of music to bring humanity closer together. The ethical and moral dimensions that he brought to his conducting are still palpable in the musicians’ playing, and I, along with the Philharmonic’s audiences, have much to thank him for. I will always be grateful for the support he gave me starting long ago when I was a student. I will miss him deeply.”

The December 19, 2015, performance of Handel’s Messiah is dedicated to Kurt Masur, in honor of the late conductor and friend of the Philharmonic. 

Join us in remembering Kurt Masur through these images that chronicle his tenure with the New York Philharmonic.

PHOTOS: Inaugural Michigan Performance Residency

This weekend the New York Philharmonic went back to school — to teach, perform, and even take to the gridiron. The Orchestra trekked to Ann Arbor for the kick-off of its five-year partnership with the University Musical Society of the University of Michigan, in conjunction with the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, which will bring the Philharmonic to this buzzing college town for performance residencies and immersive education activities. It was homecoming weekend, so in addition to playing three concerts, Philharmonic musicians performed in The Big House, the largest stadium in the United States, with the Michigan Marching Band, chorus, and alumni, led by Music Director Alan Gilbert. Go Blue!

SLIDESHOW: 174th Season Opening Gala Concert

Last night not only marked the New York Philharmonic’s 174th season opening — it also unveiled David Geffen Hall, the new name of the Orchestra’s Lincoln Center home; marked the inaugural appearance of Frank Huang as Philharmonic Concertmaster; and celebrated a historic gift from Philharmonic Chairman Oscar S. Schafer and his wife, Didi. Oprah Winfrey, Steve Martin, Barbara Walters, Woody Allen, George Lucas, Patricia Clarkson, Diane Sawyer, and Alec Baldwin were among the friends and supporters who gathered for the unveiling ceremony plus the Opening Gala cocktail reception, glamorous dinner, and the concert itself — featuring Music Director Alan Gilbert leading the Orchestra in Beethoven and Grieg with pianist Lang Lang as soloist. The Empire State Building shone Philharmonic red in celebration of the new season. Relive the star-studded night!

PHOTOS: Shanghai Residency Concludes

That's a wrap. The New York Philharmonic has completed its first annual performance residency as part of the four-year Shanghai Orchestra Academy and Residency Partnership (presented by the Starr International Foundation). The eight days of concerts and coachings included the first-ever Young People’s Concert in China — in which the Orchestra’s ranks included Shanghai Orchestra Academy students, and which featured music by Very Young Composers of Shanghai and New York City, a Bernstein triptych, and the Chinese premiere of a work by Philharmonic Board Member Karen T. LeFrak with a dynamic video by NYC & Company. The residency and partnership is part of the New York Philharmonic Global Academy.

PHOTOS: Spring Gala Salutes Concerts in the Parks

Celebrating 50 Years of Concerts in the Parks — the New York Philharmonic’s Spring Gala — feted the beloved series with a lively concert of favorites, MLB Hall of Famer Joe Torre narrating Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, and projections of archival videos and photos. Guests arrived for the pre-concert reception on a fabulous "green" carpet, and the post-concert dinner honored Philharmonic Chairman Oscar Schafer and his wife, Didi, for their generosity and dedication in presenting the Concerts in the Parks since 2007.