The NY Philharmonic has announced its 2019-20 season!

Music Director Jaap van Zweden will lead the orchestra through the 2019-20 season, showcasing the works of contemporary and classic composers. In addition to resonating with its audience at home, the NY Phil will go on tour and connect with audiences in Europe and Asia.

Series highlights will include: Project 19, a celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment with commissioned works by female composers; Hotspots festival, which will shine a light on three hotspots of classical music – Berlin, Reykjavík, and New York; Mahler’s New York; Films in Concert; Nightcap, intimate performances at the Kaplan Penthouse; Concerts in the Parks; Music of Conscience, “music created in response to historical events, political unrest, and societal turmoil;” Sound ON, performances of contemporary chamber music; Philharmonic Ensembles at Merkin; and Holidays with the Philharmonic. We will focus primarily on vocal performances in our announcement.

The season kicks off with Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915” featuring Tony Award-winning Broadway sensation Kelli O’Hara, along with the world premiere of the Philharmonic’s first ever commission of a work by composer Philip Glass and selections from Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

Performance Dates: September 18 – 21, 2019

In collaboration with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the NY Philharmonic will present the U.S. stage premiere of Bengt Gomér’s production of Schoenberg’s “Erwartung,” featuring mezzo-soprano Katarina Karnéus, alongside Bartók’s “Bluebeard’s Castle,” featuring soprano Nina Stemme as Judith and baritone Johannes Martin Kränzle as Duke Bluebeard. Gomér’s fully staged production “incorporates video, lighting, and shadow actors to integrate the two operas into a complete narrative united by an exploration of the subconscious.” These performances will be complemented by a Sound ON concert hosted and curated by Nadia Sirota at The Appel Room on Oct. 1, 2019.

Performance Dates: September 26 – 28, 2019

As part of Project 19, the Philharmonic will partner with The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s MetLiveArts performance series and The Juilliard School on the co-presentation of a new, sitespecific production of Virgil Thomson’s “The Mother of Us All.” This opera, the music of which hasn’t been performed by the Philharmonic since 1959, is based on the life of Susan B. Anthony.

Performance Dates: TBA

Renowned soprano Renée Fleming will perform songs by Icelandic singer / songwriter Björk, as orchestrated by Hans Ek: “Virus,” “Joga,” “All Is Full of Love,” and “Undo.” The first three songs were recorded for her 2017 Decca album, “Distant Light.” The program will also include the world premiere of a new Philharmonic-commissioned work by Ellen Reid, and Brucker’s Symphony No. 4.

Performance Dates: Feb. 20 – 22, 2020

Mahler Grooves, part of Mahler’s New York, will be a low-cost, one-night-only concert featuring Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 and “Songs of a Wayfarer” with baritone Roderick Williams.

Performance Date: April 17, 2020

Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection,” also part of the Mahler’s New York series, will feature soprano Joélle Harvey, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, and the Concert Chorale of New York.

According to the press release, “the New York Philharmonic performed Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and two days after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, in a televised concert led by Leonard Bernstein.”

Performance Dates: April 23 – 25, 2020

The hotspots festival will open with the world premiere of a work by Berlin-based composer Olga Neuwirth, featuring mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.

The performance will be directed by Dianne Berkun Menaker, and John Adams will conduct. Neuwirth will also curate a new-music program as part of Nightcap series. Her new work is part of the Philharmonic’s Project 19 initiative.

Performance Dates: May 28 – June 2, 2020