Building Community Through Music
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra inspires with 2024-2025 Season
Whether an orchestral masterwork or family story time, when guests attend an Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra performance, Executive Director Karina Bharne hopes the musical experience will leave an indelible impact.
“We hope that you leave inspired and changed,” she says.
Bharne took the helm of the Orlando-based musical company in January, and she is passionate about the orchestra’s mission of building community through music.
“Listening to a performance live in a concert hall surrounded by friends and family is an exhilarating experience that can’t be replicated by watching a video on YouTube,” Bharne explains. “There is an electricity and a buzz you will leave with that we hope you carry with you.”
This year’s 2024-2025 Season—the orchestra’s 32nd—will not be short on electricity, as Music Director Eric Jacobsen has scheduled an exciting, varied program that welcomes a slate of talented guests to the stage, largely at Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
“The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra presents a variety of programs both on and off stage throughout the Central Florida community,” Bharne says. “Our performances are accessible for all ages and whether you are looking to relax to Beethoven, sit on the lawn at the Apopka Amphitheater, or watch the film Jurassic Park with a live orchestra, the Orlando Philharmonic has something for everyone!”
Kicking off the 2024-2025 Season
Opening night features the return of Grammy award-winning songwriter Aoife O’Donovan, a talented solo artist who is also the lead singer of bluegrass quintet Crooked Still and co-founder of female folk trio I’m with Her.
“We are thrilled to welcome Aoife back to Orlando. She has been touring since earlier this year,” Director of Artistic Operations Jamie Erpenbach says.
The two shows—7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13—will feature selections from O’Donovan’s new album, All My Friends, which was inspired by women’s suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt and the 19th amendment. This includes America, Come, a piece commissioned by the Orlando Philharmonic in 2020.
Bringing storybooks to life
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra will bring its Storytime Series back to the stage this coming season at The Plaza Live in the Milk District. This program—which includes Jack and the Beanstalk in September, Holiday Harmonies in December, Ferdinand the Bull in February, and Hansel and Gretel in April—is designed especially with children in mind.
“Children will leave wanting more,” Bharne says, adding the orchestra fulfills this desire by giving kids the opportunity to try out a variety of instruments after each show, “which can ignite their passion for music.”
Insight from a Bernstein
In November, author and narrator Jamie Bernstein will travel to Orlando for a week-long residency with the orchestra. Daughter of renowned conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, she will perform on Saturday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 10, interspersing the program with musical insights and her father’s own interpretations.
“Jamie is an extraordinary talent,” Bharne said. “We would encourage everyone to join us for one of the many events during the week to hear from Jamie about her profound understanding and emotional connection to the music.”
Swinging into the holidays
The orchestra’s traditional Home for the Holidays production returns with two shows on Saturday, Nov. 30. This year features trumpeter Byron Stripling, who is the Pittsburgh Symphony Principal Pops Conductor, and will showcase “holiday favorites with a holiday swing,” Erpenbach says.
A musical movie
In the spring, the Orlando Philharmonic sold out two shows for its inaugural film performance, Batman (1989) in Concert!, accompanying the movie with an exhilarating live musical score.
In February, the orchestra will do it again, but this time with a backdrop of prehistoric adventure and roaring dinosaurs. Jurassic Park hits the stage in Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for two shows on Saturday, Feb. 1.
“This iconic film set to a score by legendary film composer John Williams will be a crowd pleaser and a stunning experience,” Erpenbach says.
A season not to miss
This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2024-2025 Season, which annually puts on 130 performances and programs.
“The Orlando Philharmonic is a treasure in the Central Florida community. Not only do we perform on stage at the Dr. Phillips Center, but we are tirelessly working in our community to ensure there is music access for all,” Bharne says.
In light of state budget cuts at the end of June that are a huge hit to arts and culture groups across the state, supporting the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and similar organizations is needed now more than ever.
“Our musicians are performers and educators as well as residents of Central Florida. We are inspiring the next generation of music lovers—this year alone over 70,000—and teaching soft skills along the way,” Bharne says. “Our impact is second to none in the region.”
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra
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OrlandoPhil.org
