The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra is proud to announce the 16-17 Mainstage Season. From Brahms to the Beatles, featuring HPO musicians as soloists along with internationally recognized talent, the 16-17 Season is designed to feature the full range of orchestral repertoire from the 1700s until today. Concertgoers can experience refreshing repertoire not recently heard on the FirstOntario Concert Hall (formerly Hamilton Place) stage along with beloved and recognizable greats for the whole family.
Music Director Gemma New offers audiences the fire of Spanish-inspired music and great classics by composers such as Bizet, de Falla and Mendelssohn, while also immersing them in the sound worlds of Korngold, Strauss, Stravinsky and Bartok.
Explore the music of today with contemporary Canadian composers Glenn Buhr and Marjan Mozetich, while HPO musicians take their hand in choosing pieces they want Hamilton audiences to hear with superb works by Haydn, Strauss and Kevin Lau.
Canadian soloists including violinist Lara St. John and pianist Stewart Goodyear grace the stage this season, along with guest conductors Lucas Waldin and Tim Hankewich. The season also features great local talent including conductor Darcy Hepner and the Hamilton Children’s Choir.
The popular and family-friendly Home for the Holidays concert brings in nostalgic and popular music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, while our city’s military personnel and families are honoured in A Night of Swing, the HPO’s annual Remembrance themed concert.
In addition to these mainstage performances, the HPO returns to the McIntyre Performing Arts Centre at Mohawk College for two Marz Homes Family Concerts, with support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
15-16 MAINSTAGE CONCERTS
September 17, 2016
Opening Night: Goodyear & Brahms
FirstOntario Concert Hall (formerly Hamilton Place), 7:30pm
GEMMA NEW Conductor
STEWART GOODYEAR Piano
Weber: Euryanthe Overture, Schumann: Symphony No. 4, Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1
In the tradition of not-to-be-missed Opening Night concerts, phenomenal Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear returns to FirstOntario Concert Hall (formerly Hamilton Place) for a performance of Brahms’ intense Piano Concerto No. 1 under the baton of Music Director Gemma New.
October 15, 2016
Spanish Fire
FirstOntario Concert Hall (formerly Hamilton Place), 7:30pm
GEMMA NEW Conductor
LESLIE NEWMAN Flute
JEFFREY MCFADDEN, Guitar
LAUREN SEGAL Mezzo-soprano
Bizet: Excerpts from Carmen, Rodrigo: Concierto d’Aranjuez, Marquez: Danzon No. 3, de Falla: El Amor Brujo
Let us whisk you away to Spain in this concert of fiery melodies by Bizet, Rodrigo, Marquez and de Falla. Amazing soloists, including our own Principal Flute Leslie Newman, take the stage in this captivating evening of Spanish flair.
November 12, 2016
A Night of Swing
FirstOntario Concert Hall (formerly Hamilton Place), 7:30pm
LUCAS WALDIN Conductor
MICHAEL VANHEVEL Vocals
HPO goes swing in this nostalgic concert of wartime hits from the ’30s and ’40s. Enjoy this evening of remembrance as we honour our community’s military personnel and families.
December 17, 2016
Home for the Holidays
FirstOntario Concert Hall (formerly Hamilton Place), 7:30pm
This Hamilton family tradition brings you an evening of great holiday music to kick off the season. This year, enjoy the holiday classics you know and love, alongside Vince Guaraldi’s famous jazz-inflected tunes from the definitive holiday treat A Charlie Brown Christmas based on the Peanuts comic strip. Perfect for the entire family!
January 21, 2017
Brilliant Beethoven
FirstOntario Concert Hall (formerly Hamilton Place), 7:30pm
TIM HANKEWICH Conductor
HINRICH ALPERS Piano
Haydn: Symphony No. 16, Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2, Mozart: Marriage of Figaro Overture, Beethoven: Symphony No. 1
Experience the musical landscape that inspired Beethoven’s hugely influential artistic output. Haydn’s Symphony No. 16, a programming suggestion by our very own HPO musicians, sets the tone for future works of his students Mozart and Beethoven. Hear how Beethoven’s early works propelled the musical style at the time in new ways. This concert culminates our Beethoven Festival of Beethoven-themed events throughout the community.
February 11, 2017
Made in Hamilton: The Beatles Experience
FirstOntario Concert Hall (formerly Hamilton Place), 7:30pm
DARCY HEPNER Conductor
It’s a Beatles extravaganza in this fun and fab night out! Enjoy your favourite Beatles tunes, sung by Hamilton greats and performed by your HPO. Each song highlights the strengths of your city’s professional orchestra, while capturing the spirit of the Beatles’ great classics.
March 11, 2017
Sibelius Seven
FirstOntario Concert Hall (formerly Hamilton Place), 7:30pm
GEMMA NEW Conductor
Part: Cantus in Memoriam of Benjamin Britten, Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste, Lau: Voices of Time, A Portrait of Lake Moraine, Sibelius: Symphony No. 7
Featuring Bartok’s atmospheric Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste and Part’s beautiful Cantus, this moving concert experience takes audiences on an emotional journey of solace, suspense, reflection and spirituality. The unique sound world of Sibelius’s Seventh Symphony closes this performance, led by Music Director Gemma New.
April 8, 2017
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
FirstOntario Concert Hall (formerly Hamilton Place), 7:30pm
GEMMA NEW Conductor
HAMILTON CHILDREN’S CHOIR Guest Artist
ERICA GOODMAN Harp
ANGELA SCHWARZKOPF Harp
Beethoven: Creatures of Prometheus Overture, Mozetich: The Passion of Angels, Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Mendelssohn’s music and Shakespeare’s famous play come together in this theatrical concert experience. Local actors tell the story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as your HPO performs the well-known piece in a program of theatre-inspired works, including Beethoven’s Overture from Creatures of Prometheus and Mozetich’s stunning work for two solo harps.
May 6, 2017
Stravinsky & Lara St. John
FirstOntario Concert Hall (formerly Hamilton Place), 7:30pm
GEMMA NEW Conductor
LARA ST. JOHN Violin
Strauss: Don Juan, Korngold: Violin Concerto, Buhr: Akasha (Sky), Stravinksy: Petrouchka
The worlds of film and fantasy collide as internationally renowned Lara St. John performs Korngold’s Hollywood-inspired Violin Concerto. The rich sounds o Stravinsky’s ballet music come alive in Petrouchka, weaving the tale of the playful Russian puppet, while Strauss’s Don Juan offers the lush colours of the orchestra in this season closing concert.
15-16 FAMILY CONCERTS
October 30, 2016
McIntyre Performing Arts Centre, 2pm
Bring the family for this spooky concert of Halloween-y favourites. Give your costumes an early debut and join HPO musicians and staff as we dress up and compete for best costume. Enjoy this one-hour concert that includes fun and family-friendly music like Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre and Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
February 18, 2017
McIntyre Performing Arts Centre
Activities 11am – 1:30pm, Concert begins 2pm
It’s a full day of symphony-themed fun at the Marz Homes Family Concert Experience! Purchase a full-day pass and come early to participate in music-themed activities, then head into the theatre for a one-hour family-friendly concert featuring great orchestral music that introduces families to the music of history’s greatest classical composers.
Ticket Information
Subscriptions to the 16-17 Mainstage Season can be purchased in 9-, 7-, 5- or 3-concert packages. Subscribers can also add Family Concert tickets to their subscription packages ahead of the general public. Subscribers can save up to 18% off single ticket prices, and packages start at as little as $64 (plus HST) for a 3-concert package. Subscriptions can be purchased by calling 905.526.7756.
Single tickets for the 16-17 Season go on sale July 1 and will be available online at staginghpo.wpengine.com, by calling 905.526.7756 or in person at the HPO Box Office in FirstOntario Concert Hall (formerly Hamilton Place) at 10 MacNab Street South.
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Media Contact:
Diana Weir, Director, Communications and Development | Tel: 905.526.1677 x230 | Email: dweir@hpo.org
The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1884 as The Hamilton Orchestral Society and grew to become one of Canada’s major professional orchestras. Today, the HPO is a leader in Hamilton’s robust arts community where it provides professional orchestral services and music education programs to address the needs of the community. The HPO continues to commission and premiere works and is one of the artistic jewels of the Hamilton area. The combined musical talents of its artists continue to enrich the community and enhance the quality of life for its residents.