Kravis Concert Series Changes Announced

Pianist Olga Kern, who will be performing with National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine on November 19, 2019. (Photo Credit: Chris Lee)

(PRESS RELEASE)_(West Palm Beach, FL – May 29, 2019)  The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is announcing several changes to the 2019/2020 Regional Arts MUSIC “At Eight” and MUSIC “At Two” Classical Concert Series, featuring an incredible roster of world-class orchestras and performing artists, including six internationally acclaimed piano soloists in one season: Emanuel Ax, Khatia Buniatishvili, David Fray, Olga Kern, Polina Osetinskaya, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. This popular series is sponsored by Leonard and Sophie Davis.

Two international orchestras, with confirmed dates in the upcoming Regional Arts series, have cancelled their entire U.S. tours for the 2019-2020 season. This includes the National Philharmonic of Russia, scheduled for Tuesday, November 19 at 8 pm. As its replacement, Regional Arts presents the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, the major, century-old orchestra from Kiev, in a new program, but keeping the same date and time.

The other tour cancellation is RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, set for Sunday, March 22 at 8 pm. The same date and time will now feature the New World Symphony in a different program that will include an audience favorite: Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.

National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine brings back a Kravis Center favorite: Olga Kern, the Russian-born piano phenom, in the passionate Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto. With its 100-year history and recent Grammy nominations, the orchestra proudly introduces the Symphony in C Major by composer Maxsym Berezovsky, revered as the “Ukrainian Mozart.” In the atmospheric “Winter Daydreams” (Symphony No. 1), Tchaikovsky contrasts scenes of frozen landscapes with the warmth of Russian folksongs.

The New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy, was co-founded 31 years ago by Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas. The dynamic orchestra of 87 is renowned for its recordings, programming, and exceptional performances. An all-orchestral program on Regional Arts, featuring Scheherazade, will be led by conductor Joshua Gersen, who recently served as Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic.

In the upcoming 2019/2020 season, there will be eight MUSIC “At Eight” concerts and four MUSIC “At Two” concerts in the series. All Regional Arts Series concerts will be held in the Kravis Center’s Alexander W. Dreyfoos Concert Hall.

All of the concerts will feature a Beyond the Stage talk by Sharon McDaniel at 6:45 pm for MUSIC “At Eight” concerts and 12:45 p.m. for MUSIC “At Two.” The Regional Arts Programming Associate and a long-time classical music journalist, McDaniel will provide background information about the concert and discuss elements of interest to all audience members, from music novices to experts. Nancy and Jay Parker sponsor the Beyond the Stage pre-performance talks.

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