The evening will begin at the Alliance française with a presentation "The Orchestra, from its Parisian
origins to Philadelphia"
by Carolyn Ellman (professional cellist and cello teacher) and Awena Guitton (intern at the Alliance française and amateur cellist).
The presentation will be provided with
finger food and refreshments.
Afterwards, the evening will continue at Verizon Hall to attend a concert by the Philadelphia Orchestra, one of America's most prestigious orchestras.
*** WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ***
Date: Thursday, December 8
Time: 6:00pm – 9:30pm
Location: Alliance française de Philadelphie + Verizon Hall
Language: English - French
Fee: $85 per person
*** Program of the event ***
6:00 pm : Presentation "The Orchestra, from its Parisian origins to Philadelphia" by Carolyn Ellman and Awena Guitton
7:30 pm : Philadelphia Orchestra concert at Verizon Hall
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*** Presentation aperçu ***
The presentation will explore the origins of the symphony by examining the influences from French history that led to developments in Paris which have culminated in the modern concert hall experience. Surprising connections will be discovered between events from centuries ago and the current moment. After briefly demonstrating a few themes from the concert by playing them on the cello and having a short discussion of the conductor’s role in managing the various instruments and their interactions, there will be time for finger food and refreshments.
*** Who are Carolyn Ellman and Awena Guitton? ***
Carolyn Ellman is a professional cellist with a wide variety of musical experience in chamber music, symphony and theatre locally as well as in France and Switzerland. She teaches at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia and has recently retired from the Delaware Symphony. Her husband Norman Ellman is a longtime instructor at the Alliance Française.
Awena Guitton is a student at Sciences Po Rennes in France, she is currently interning at the Alliance française de
Philadelphie. She is also an amateur cellist.
*** Concert program ***
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Conductor
Sheku Kanneh-Mason Cello
Pretty Yende Soprano
Xi Wang Ensō (world premiere—Philadelphia Orchestra commission)
Haydn Cello Concerto in D major
Mahler Symphony No. 4
Inspired by a child’s idea of heaven, Gustav Mahler composed “The Heavenly Life,” which became the foundation of his
celestial Fourth Symphony. Soprano Pretty Yende’s tremendous talent soars in one of Mahler’s best-loved works. Xi Wang’s
Ensō, named for a sacred Buddhist symbol meaning the Circle of Enlightenment, considers the flow and togetherness
of nature and people.