“For the Philadelphia Orchestra’s first concert before a live audience since the pandemic shutdown 14 months ago, the orchestra and Mann Center will present a free concert for first responders and other frontline workers,” writes Peter Dobrin in Monday’s (4/19) Philadelphia Inquirer. “The orchestra’s May 15 concert at the Mann, to be led by music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, will be open to hospital and health-care staff, emergency responders, teachers, grocery store workers, postal employees, and others…. The Fairmount Park venue, which has comfortably hosted a classical crowd of nearly 11,000, will only be able to accommodate about 1,200 listeners for this event, with no lawn seating or picnics. The concert, entitled ‘Hail to the Heroes: A Concert of Gratitude,’ will be aired at a later date on 6ABC. ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ with vocalist Laurin Talese opens the program, which also includes pianist Michelle Cann in Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement; the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7; and Seven O’Clock Shout by Valerie Coleman, written as a tribute to frontline workers and premiered last year. The orchestra … is planning to host live audiences at concerts in Fairmount Park this summer.”
Change font size
