The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, (also known as the BPO) has recently announced their 2024/2025 season, which features new pieces, timeless classics, Pops and Rock programming, holiday favorites, and unparalleled performances, and season ticket subscriptions are now available. All single tickets will go on sale July 13!
Their unparalleled programming, and their commitment to bringing the most interesting, varied, and diverse programs to Buffalo audiences could not be more apparent in the 2024/2025 season. In fact, in an earlier interview, Julian Schwarz, exceptional cellist, spoke about the BPO programming on the WNY Sound Stage Podcast, and said, “At this time when a lot of programming is driven by what other people are doing…Orchestras look at each other and say, ‘Oh, what are they doing? What are they doing, and how do we measure up to them?’ It really takes a lot of courage for an orchestra or an artistic vision to be independent of those types of pressures… and we have an opportunity and I don’t want anyone to take that for granted you know because it’s really important.”
One fantastic way to take advantage of all that the BPO has to offer is to buy a season subscription. Subscribers get 15% off curated packages with 5 performances or 20% off packages with 7 or more concerts. They are also extended a 10% discount on extra tickets all season. Subscribers also enjoy exclusive perks like easy ticket exchanges, early ticket access, and special event invites.
Travis Estes, Vice President, Marketing & Communications adds,
This season marks 90 years as the cultural heartbeat of Western New York, celebrating our rich history and vibrant future. Subscribers enjoy exclusive benefits like discounts and early access, but more importantly, they become part of the BPO Family, embracing the arts’ invaluable role in our community. Our 90th Anniversary season revisits our inaugural concert and honors generations of great musicians as we look forward to many more years of musical excellence. With a variety of subscriptions and not a bad seat in the house, the pride of being a BPO subscriber is truly indescribable!
24-25 Classics Series Highlights
The Classics series begins on September 28 with a performance by one of the most revered virtuosos today: Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell.
This Opening Night program also includes the world premiere of a work by contemporary composer and frequent BPO collaborator, Daron Hagen. Titled City of Light, the piece was commissioned by JoAnn Falletta and the BPO, contributing another composition to the orchestral repertoire through a gift from West Herr’s Scott Bieler in honor of Falletta’s 25th anniversary with the BPO. The work is celebratory, illuminating Buffalo’s role in electrification at the turn of the 20th century.
The classics package also includes guaranteed access to incredible musical events including like Schubert Symphony No. 9, “The Great”, La Traviata and Dvořák Symphony No. 6.
On November 9-10, in honor of the orchestra’s 90th anniversary, Falletta has programmed the same pieces performed in the BPO’s debut concert on November 7, 1935, including works by Beethoven, Brahms, and Debussy. The Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, founded in 1937 as the Buffalo Schola Cantorum, will join the orchestra to further celebrate decades of stellar performances together and their joint legacy of classical music in Buffalo.
BPO Concertmaster Nikki Chooi will take center stage not only in JoAnn’s Classical Christmas for “Winter” from Vivaldi’s and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons (December 13-14), but also on April 11 & 13, 2025 for a violin concerto written by contemporary composer, Behzad Ranjbaran.
February 2025 holds a two-weekend festival celebrating the beloved compositions of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The Tchaikovsky Festival will be conducted by Falletta with renowned guest artists Sheng Cai (piano) and Marcin Zdunik (cello).
On March 29-30, Grand Island native and New York Philharmonic Chorus Director Malcolm Merriweather will conduct Sanctuary Road, for which he was Grammy-nominated, written by Buffalo-born composer Paul Moravec. Highlighting Buffalo’s role as a final stop of the Underground Railroad, this important work will be complemented by Margaret Bonds’ Montgomery Variations, one of Merriweather’s inspirations.
Back again is the wildly popular Rock Series. Many people don’t associate rock music with an orchestra, but attending one of these events would change that forever.
Enjoy the timeless melodies of the Beatles at the Classical Mystery Tour, and prepare to sing along to your favorite Fab Four tunes. If you’re a classic rock devotee or a ballad aficionado, Rock Hits & Power Ballads, will deliver an exhilarating lineup of anthems and power ballads. The BPO will rock you at The Music of Queen, and leave you feeling like a champion. Also in this series are Chicago Nights featuring Jason Scheff and Tina Symphonic: The Music of Tina Turner.
Mandy Gonzalez: Broadway Today starts the Pops Series, which brings the Broadway star of Hamilton, In the Heights, and Wicked to the Queen City. Symphonic Showdown: The Wild West in Concert, is a thrilling ride through the music that defined the Wild West in popular culture. The Pops series also includes Ryan Shaw: Masters of R&B and Patriotic Pops. And what Yuletide celebration would be complete without the return of Holiday Pops, an event that always sells out.
24-25 Pops/Rock/Film/Specials Highlights
Opening the season on September 21, Broadway singer Mandy Gonzalez – known for her roles in Hamilton, In the Heights, and Wicked – will perform a program of Broadway favorites, including a song Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote for her. The second annual Festival Encanto Hispano, a free celebration of Hispanic culture with local musicians and vendors, will take place earlier in the day at Kleinhans Music Hall in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Continuing another recent tradition, the orchestra’s second annual Gospel Symphony Celebration concert on October 18 will welcome Grammy Award-winning Gospel legend Dorinda Clark-Cole to perform with the Buffalo United Community Choir, a group of singers from over 52 local churches and organizations, and returning conductor Dr. Henry Panion, III.
The BPO’s holiday festivities begin with Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert on November 1, and Disney’s The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert on November 30. Western NY’s favorite holiday tradition of Holiday Pops returns December 19-22, along with a special holiday-themed performance on December 10 from Troupe Vertigo, known for their breathtaking blend of circus, dance, and theater.
In their annual series fusing rock music and orchestra, the 2024-25 BPO Rock Series, sponsored by the Yurtchuk Foundation, features powerful tribute acts performing The Music of Queen (November 15) and The Music of Tina Turner (March 7, 2025). In addition, Chicago frontman Jason Scheff will join the orchestra on January 31, 2025 for a night of hits from the legendary band.
In addition to these concerts, which can be purchased as part of a subscription, or individually, the BPO is also presenting A Gospel Symphony Celebration with Lady Tramaine Hawkins, BPO Little Kids, where little ones can be introduced to music and instruments, the perfect way to dance into the Holiday season, The JingleBell Jam, and much, much more.
And for those who’ve never attended Kleinhans Music Hall, and might be curious, please know you are welcome to attend.
JoAnn Falletta, music director, shared the experience of attending the BPO on the WNY Sound Stage Podcast, and said,
“It’s a physical experience…You know, people come into the concert to sit down at 7:30. Maybe a bit distracted, maybe a bit, you know, tired out from the day, or even struggling with some problems that they have. They sit there feeling one way, and somehow without their knowing it, and without any of us knowing exactly how it happens, they change. They become changed and when they leave… it’s as if all of that has been washed away. I mean that they’ve gone to a different place. We can’t really put it into words, but I think that’s why people come to concerts. Because you do go to sort of like ‘an island of sanity.’ [The music is] something that moves you in a way you never have to explain. You don’t even have to talk about it. And it’s a gift. It’s a gift to everyone. And I just wish that more people would come in and know that this is all for them, just for them, to sort of bring them to a kind of tranquil special place.”
For those interested in purchasing a subscription, or a single ticket to any of the events listed, please visit the BPO’s Website.
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