Building on the ongoing momentum of our fall concerts, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO) is thrilled to share the second portion of our 21-22 Concert Season, which runs from January through December. This second half of our 21-22 Season features full-orchestra performances at FirstOntario Concert Hall, concerts in the community and opportunities to view concerts online.
We begin by welcoming HPO Music Director Gemma New back to Hamilton to conduct Postcards from Buenos Aires featuring Concertmaster Stephen Sitarski as soloist on January 29. This concert features colourful and dramatic works by Piazzolla and Ginastera as well as the world premiere of Lithification written by 20-21 HPO Composer Fellow Arie Verheul van de Ven. Gemma is in Hamilton again on March 19 for Gemma Conducts Mendelssohn, featuring Canadian violinist Susanne Hou performing Mendelssohn’s virtuosic Violin Concerto.
“I am truly elated to be returning to Hamilton in the second portion of our season to conduct the HPO,” says Music Director Gemma New, “From classics through to jazz and contemporary works, there are so many fantastic musical gems to discover in these concerts!”
Canadian jazz singer Dee Daniels joins the orchestra on stage April 23 for Legends of Swing with guest conductor Karl Hirzer. Known for her impressive vocal range, Daniels has performed with jazz greats and orchestras around the world. On May 14 we celebrate the signs of spring in the air with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons featuring HPO Principal Second Violin Bethany Bergman as soloist and guest conductor
Patrick Dupré Quigley. We wrap our 21-22 Mainstage Season on June 24 with Mozart & Prokofiev conducted by Gemma New featuring Principal Clarinet Dominic Desautels in his debut as an HPO soloist on Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto.
Postcard from Buenos Aires. Gemma Conducts Mendelssohn and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons will also be available to view online via the HPO’s broadcast platform. These concerts may be viewed on concert night via livestream or any time on-demand in the following 14 days. All live ticket holders for the aforementioned concerts will receive access to online viewing options. Patrons will also have the option to purchase online viewing access only.
Subscription packages of three and five concerts are on sale to the general public beginning Thursday, November 4, 2021, at staginghpo.wpengine.com. A three-concert, online-only subscription is also available. Single tickets to these concerts will go on sale at a later date.
All concerts will be approximately one hour in length with no intermission. Ticketholders will receive notice of concert health and safety protocols, including providing proof for full vaccination and wearing a mask. Distance will be maintained between the seats of each household.
HPO Winter/Spring 2022 Concerts
Postcards from Buenos Aires
January 29 at 7:30pm
FirstOntario Concert Hall
Online broadcast available
Gemma New, Conductor
Stephen Sitarski, Violin
Gabriela Lena Frank: Elegía Andina
Piazzolla (arr. Desyatnikov): The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires
Arie Verheul van de Ven*: Lithification
Ginastera : Variaciones Concertantes
Concertmaster Stephen Sitarski performs the virtuosic solo of Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, offering a rhythmic, Argentinian flare in a reinterpretation of the work’s namesake. Gabriela Lena Frank’s Elegía Andina draws on sounds from the composer’s multicultural background, while 20-21 Composer Fellow Arie Verheul van de Ven’s Lithification finds inspiration in the geological history of the Niagara Escarpment. Ginastera’s Variaciones Concertantes lends drama and passion, highlighting the colours and expressive power of each section within our orchestra.
*20-21 HPO Composer Fellow
Gemma Conducts Mendelssohn
March 19 at 7:30pm
FirstOntario Concert Hall
Online broadcast available
Gemma New, Conductor
Susanne Hou, Violin
Jordan Pal: Visions
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
21-22 Composer Fellow: New Work
Bizet: Symphony in C
Music Director Gemma New leads the HPO in an evening of animated works. Canadian violinist Susanne Hou takes the stage to perform Mendelssohn’s virtuosic Violin Concerto. We hear a new work by our 21-22 Composer Fellow, composed following six months of mentorship with Gemma New and Composer-in-Residence Abigail Richardson-Schulte. Bizet’s effervescent Symphony in C draws the evening to a spirited close.
Legends of Swing
April 23 at 7:30pm
FirstOntario Concert Hall
Karl Hirzer, Conductor
Dee Daniels, Vocals
Having performed alongside jazz greats and orchestras around the world, Dee Daniels is a unique Canadian talent known for her impressive vocal range and soulful jazz stylings. Daniels joins the HPO with guest conductor Karl Hirzer for a fun and fabulous evening dedicated to the great ladies of swing: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee and Sarah Vaughan.
Selections include Fever, Sweet Georgia Brown, God Bless the Child, Summertime and more.
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
May 14 at 7:30pm
FirstOntario Concert Hall
Online broadcast available
Patrick Dupre Quigley, Conductor
Bethany Bergman, Violin
Stravinsky: Danses Concertantes
Juliet Palmer: fire break
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Principal Second Violin Bethany Bergman is soloist in The Four Seasons, a work that has resonated for centuries with its vivid depictions of nature. New Zealand-Canadian composer Juliet Palmer’s fire break draws on rich sounds inspired by the natural world, while Stravinsky’s Danses Concertantes brings together baroque style with the influences of big band, jazz, and Hollywood glamour.
Mozart & Prokofiev
June 24 at 7:30pm
FirstOntario Concert Hall
Gemma New, Conductor
Dominic Desautels, Clarinet
Alexina Louie: Music for a Celebration
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto
Matthias McIntire*: Yangon Connection
Prokofiev: Classical Symphony No. 1
Principal Clarinet Dominic Desautels makes his debut as an HPO soloist in Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, a quintessential work of the clarinet repertoire that showcases the lyricism and virtuosity of the instrument. Alexina Louie’s Music for a Celebration kicks off this concert on a high note, while 20-21 Composer Fellow Matthias McIntire’s Yangon Connection evokes sounds from the composer’s travels. The program closes with Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony, a lighthearted and eccentric work modeled on the style of Mozart and Haydn.
*20-21 Composer Fellow
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About the HPO: For over a century, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra has presented orchestral music and education programs with a mission to enrich the wellbeing of the greater Hamilton region. Music Director Gemma New and the professional musicians of the HPO present dynamic orchestral performances ranging from standard classical repertoire to popular music and world premieres by living composers. As one of Canada’s leading professional orchestras, the HPO has proudly contributed to the shaping of Hamilton’s cultural landscape and continues to uphold values of high calibre, inclusive and accessible orchestral music and education for all.
Media Contacts:
Megan Nourse
Marketing and Communications Manager
Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra
mnourse@hpo.org