Guest pianist joins New Philharmonic for season opener
New Philharmonic begins its 2022-23 concert season Sept. 24-25 with acclaimed Filipino American pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion joining the orchestra to perform Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor.
The Steinway piano artist, hailed by The Washington Post for his "poised and imaginative playing," joins New Philharmonic for Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.
It will be paired with selections from Sergei Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet Suite," Op. 64, brimming with lyrical melodies that capture the romance and tragedy of Shakespeare's classic tale.
Asuncion played his orchestral debut at age 18 with the Manila Chamber Orchestra, and his New York recital debut in Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall in 1999.
He received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in 2007 from the University of Maryland at College Park under the tutelage of Rita Sloan. His recordings include the complete sonatas of Beethoven with cellist Tobias Werner, sonatas by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff with cellist Joseph Johnson, the Rachmaninoff sonata with the cellist Evan Drachman, and the Chopin and Grieg sonatas, also with cellist Evan Drachman.
He is featured in the award winning recording "Songs My Father Taught Me" with Lynn Harrell, produced by Louise Frank and WFMT Chicago.
Asuncion is also the founder and artistic and board director of FilAm Music Foundation, an Evanston-based nonprofit foundation that is dedicated to promoting Filipino classical musicians through scholarship and performance.
The concerts, led by music director and conductor Kirk Muspratt, will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, in the Belushi Performance Hall in the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn.
A free MAC Chat, offering audiences with a greater understanding and appreciation of the accompanying program, will precede the concerts one hour before each performance.
Tickets are $53 or $51 for ages 60 or older; online fees apply. A limited number of $10 tickets are available for students with a valid ID. For more information, visit atthemac.org or call (630) 942-4000. The box office is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. and one hour prior to performances.
The professional orchestra in residence at the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage will continue its season with "Halloween Spooktakular - Haunting Classics" Oct. 22-23, a sequel to last season's Halloween-themed concert, and three New Year's Eve concerts Dec. 31.
The new year brings "Korngold's Hollywood Concerto," featuring award-winning 16-year-old violinist Esme Kim Arias, on Jan. 21-22, 2023.
"Broadway In Concert," an evening of musical theater works, completes the season April 15-16.
"The world continues to change, but music continues to be the universal connection between people, communities and our past, present and future," said Muspratt.
"With that in mind, we've put together a season that will introduce our audiences to some exciting new talent, as well as new versions of some of our most popular theme concerts."
Subscriptions are now on sale. In addition to the subscription series concerts, New Philharmonic once again will perform Tchaikovsky's score live for Salt Creek Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker" Dec. 17-18.