The Philadelphia Orchestra has canceled performances of Beethoven’s Fifth and Sixth Symphonies scheduled for March 12th, 14th and 15th as a safety measure due to the coronavirus outbreak. But there's good news: Thanks to the unique partnership between WRTI and the Orchestra, the music will still be heard by thousands of listeners throughout our region and the world.
Orchestra musicians will perform the works to an empty concert hall (with the exception of the media) on Thursday, March 12th and WRTI will record the concert and broadcast the performance on Friday, March 13th at 2:00 PM and Sunday, March 15th at 1:00 PM at 90.1 FM in Philadelphia and around the world on WRTI.org. Listen on Monday, March 16th at 7 PM on WRTI HD-2 and the classical stream at WRTI.org. Details here.
This extraordinary step of recording this performance, and getting it on-air so quickly, is a reflection of the commitment the Orchestra, all of its musicians, and WRTI have to serve you—our community.
Furthermore, it’s only possible because of the foundation built over many years of producing The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert program.
You can look forward to commentary by Gregg Whiteside serving as host and executive producer, and needless to say, a world-class performance conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and delivered by some of the finest musicians in the world.
It’s times like these when we’re reminded that, when we come together, we can all fulfill our mission and commitment to this music and each other. Thank you for being a part of our community and I hope you’ll join us for these special broadcasts. —WRTI General Manager Bill Johnson
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A message from WRTI's Gregg Whiteside, executive producer and host of The Philadelphia Orchestra In Concert broadcasts:
These are such uncertain and unsettling times. But having gone through them before, we know how important music is to us. The music remains alive, untouchable by all “the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to,” to quote Shakespeare.
Over 8,000 tickets were sold for this weekend’s Philadelphia Orchestra concerts, but Verizon Hall will be closed to every music lover who holds them. I know how disappointing this is, and coming at a time when we need the music more than ever. This is why we're so happy to be bringing you this concert, recorded live just for you, on Friday at 2:00 PM, Sunday, at the usual time of 1:00 PM, and on Monday night, March 16th at 7:00 PM on WRTI HD-2 and the classical stream at WRTI.org