Michigan Philharmonic's 73rd Season Opening Night Concert

The 20th NANiversary Season

Friday, October 5, 2018, 8:00 pm, Our Lady of Good Counsel Church

Nan Washburn knows what it’s like to break the mold. As an orchestral conductor she has lived in a “man’s world” where the idea of a female conductor was hardly even feasible a decade or two ago. However, this upcoming 18-19 season the Michigan Philharmonic will be celebrating Nan Washburn’s 20th season with the orchestra. The Michigan Phil is performing at its highest level in 20 years, and much of the credit belongs to this “small-in-stature” conductor - who is mighty in musical prowess.

Nan will demonstrate that programming and conducting prowess with a huge Opening Night Concert featuring the Michigan Philharmonic on Friday, October 5, 2018 at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church.

The concert features violinist, Danielle Belen who, as part of the violin faculty at The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance in Ann Arbor as well as The Colburn School in Los Angeles, is already making a name for herself as a seasoned pedagogue with a strong studio of young artists. Her students have won major prizes in national and international competitions. As winner of the 2008 Sphinx Competition, Ms. Belen has appeared as a soloist with major symphonies across the U.S., including the Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Nashville and San Francisco Symphonies, the Boston Pops, and the Florida and Cleveland Orchestras. For Opening Night of the Michigan Philharmonic, Ms Belen will perform Samuel Barber’s stunning Violin Concerto. This beautiful work has become one of the most performed of all 20th century violin concertos.
In addition to breaking the mold as a Conductor, Nan Washburn also brought a new sense of programming with her when she came to Plymouth in 1999. She was an early proponent of contemporary repertoire - another place where classical music lagged the rest of the musical world- as old audiences notoriously disliked new music. But Washburn set out to change that attitude and did it in a big way – bringing in composers from all over the world and introducing them, and their music, to the little town of Plymouth, putting the Michigan Philharmonic on the national map for innovative programming.

For the Opening Night concert the orchestra will feature the work of Wael Binali, a young Qatari-born composer known for his unique style. Binali composed the film scores for such movies as The Runaway Jury, The Shipping News, and An Unfinished Life, as well as the music for the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Asian Games. The piece featured in this performance, Earth was written for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2012, and is a big and lush score carrying the listener through Earth’s transformations from “Plunder, Wound, Renewal and Hope.” The concert concludes with Paul Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis, a colorful orchestra showpiece that features big percussion and brass leading to the final movement which is considered one of the most stirring marches in all orchestral repertoire.

Embarking on her 20th season as Music Director and Conductor of the Michigan Philharmonic Nan is driving the classical music scene in SE Michigan with programming that celebrates innovation and diversity while focusing on education for people of all ages. This upcoming 18-19 season, entitled “The NANiversary”, celebrates the programming which has put the Michigan Philharmonic on the map. From this extraordinary opening concert to the season conclusion- Phil-Palooza 2 and a myriad of fun and interesting programming in between - including Halloween and Holiday Pops, a chamber concert featuring an unusual piece based on Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven, a Trombone Concerto, and Swing – the Michigan Phil has something for everyone!

In other words, really cool classical music is right in your own town! For information on all these concerts please call us at 734 451-2112 of visit: www.michigaphil.org

Celebrating its 73rd season, the Michigan Philharmonic – (or “Michigan Phil”) – is one of the most innovative and dynamic professional orchestras in Southeast Michigan. Nan Washburn, Music Director & Conductor since 1999, has won 19 ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music from the League of American Orchestras. In 2016 the Michigan Philharmonic received First Place in the American Prize for the Performance of American Music. The orchestra performs in an ever-expanding roster of Michigan communities; including Plymouth, Canton, Northville, Livonia, Brighton, Downtown Detroit, and many others. The Michigan Phil is committed to reaching out to a broad and diverse array of audiences and providing enjoyable cultural and social experiences, while encouraging anyone who loves live music events to “Spend the night with Michigan Phil.”

For tickets and more information, please visit www.michiganphil.org or call (734) 451-2112.