“The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra will come home to a restored Orpheum Theater on Sept 17, launching an ambitious 2015-2016 season that’s not just a treat for music lovers,” writes Chris Waddington in Friday’s (2/20) Times-Picayune (New Orleans). “It is also a milestone for New Orleans, and a signal to the nation that our post-Katrina renaissance continues. Floodwaters drove the LPO from this hall in August 2005.… For 10 years, the flood-damaged Orpheum has moldered.… This is the place where New Orleans almost lost its orchestra—and this is the place where the LPO, a player-owned group, can finally celebrate its long rebuilding effort. That’s why the LPO will launch the season with Gustav Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ symphony on Sept. 17, filling the Orpheum’s compact stage with 67 salaried musicians, a score of regional freelancers, astounding vocal soloists, and a full chorus. Carlos Miguel Prieto will lead them.… As the orchestra rebuilt artistically, it also put its finances in order. In November, for example, the group announced a successful $2 million fund raising effort, which allowed it to clear lingering debts and establish a cash reserve. But the Orpheum promises even more.” The article includes a listing of the orchestra’s full Orpheum season.
Posted February 23, 2015
Pictured: Members of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in the newly restored Orpheum Theater. Photo by Zack Smith
