We invited each of the DPAA’s three artistic directors to share some of their thoughts about the upcoming season:
Neal Gittleman, artistic director and conductor of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, is hoping audiences will reacquaint themselves with the thrill of live dancing, singing and live playing. “Going all the way back to Ancient Greece these great art forms were meant to be experienced by people sitting together, having a shared experience,” Gittleman says. “Listening on earbuds or watching on a screen is better than nothing but the real thing is to be there in-person, feeling the presence of the performers and being part of a crowd getting something which, at that very moment, no one anywhere else in the world is getting!”
The DPO Masterworks concerts will kick off with Respighi’s “Pines of Rome” and feature Dayton’s Brandon Patrick George, an internationally-acclaimed, Grammy-nominated classical flutist, That season also includes Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” inspired by The Arabian Nights; Berlioz’s Symphony fantastique and Tchaikovsky’s Third Symphony, nicknamed “Polish.” The orchestra will end its celebration of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven and three-season journey through his complete symphony cycle with his Second Symphony.
Gittleman is especially looking forward to performing Reena Esmail’s “My Sister’s Voice,” the centerpiece of DPO’s October Masterworks series concert. “It’s for operatic soprano, Hindustani soprano, and orchestra exploring the amazing intersections between Western and Hindustani classical music traditions,” explains Gittleman who calls it the most beautiful piece he’s heard in years. “I can’t wait for the audience to experience it. The beautiful way that composer Reena Esmail writes for the orchestra and weaves the singers’ voices into the music is nothing short of stunning.”
The DPO SuperPops Series will open with Havana Nights with singer Camille Zamora and Mambo Kings, include a salute to Stephen Sondheim in collaboration with Wright State University’s talented musical theater students and present “Swing is the Thing,” which pays tribute to the music of Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Bill Haley and the Comets and Jerry Lee Lewis. The Rockin’ Orchestra season includes the music of Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd and Paul Simon.
Gittleman says folks out there may not realize how much of a difference a live audience makes in the experience he and his musicians have on stage. “We feed off your presence and your energy and your enthusiasm. I like to think that I’m conducting better now that we have our audiences back. And I know the orchestra is playing better and with more oomph than in the streaming-only days when we were just playing for microphones and video cameras!”
Dayton Opera’s new artistic director Kathleen Clawson is delighted to announce a return to three fully-staged operas with exciting sets and costumes. The opera season will include two new productions, two operas that have never been seen in Dayton and a concert with some of opera’s rising young stars. “We will begin with Charlie Parker’s “Yardbird” which premiered in 2015 at Opera Philadelphia and then went on to be a hit in major opera companies around the United States,” Clawson says. The opera explores the mind, heart and personal purgatory of the jazz genius. Martin Bakari, a native of Yellow Springs, will be making his Dayton Opera debut in the lead role.
Clawson says the company will also be creating a brand-new production of “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” which she’s hoping will become a signature annual holiday event for all ages and the entire community. “And we’ll stage a concert in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Maria Callas, one of opera’s greatest divas. We’ll end our season with “Das Rheingold,” Wagner’s epic masterwork which has never before been presented in Dayton.”
Dayton Ballet’s artistic director Karen Russo Burke is proud to be celebrating the company’s 85th anniversary and the 95th anniversary of the Dayton Ballet School. “It is quite an accomplishment, especially that the Dayton Ballet was formed by two women during the depression years,” Burke notes. " We have come quite a long way and will continue to grow and flourish here in our Dayton community for years to come, thanks to Josephine and Hermene Schwarz. "
She’s excited about a brand new production of “Sleepy Hollow” in October featuring a new musical score by Austin Jaquith, her own new libretto and live musicians from the Dayton Philharmonic. The December holidays wouldn’t be complete without “The Nutcracker.” A mixed repertory performance will spotlight acclaimed choreographers from across the country and around the world. The ballet season closes in April with a family-friendly journey to Neverland and “Peter Pan,” choreographed by Septime Webre.
“I just want the audience to enjoy all the performances every time they come into the theater,” concludes Burke. " Our job is to transport them to a different time and place, to feel a multitude of emotions, and in the end, to go away having been uplifted and having a larger view of the world we live in.”
HOW TO GO
Subscribing to a series offers a sizable savings over single-ticket prices. Subscribers to DPAA series get the best seats and save up to 25% off base ticket prices. Discounts are available for Seniors, Students, Educators and Military. For more information, or to subscribe to any one of the DPAA 2022–2023 Season series, call Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or visit online at www.daytonperformingarts.org.
Current DPAA subscribers have received their renewal packages and will get first claim to their current subscription seats, but only until April 20, 2020, when all unsold seats will be released for subscription offers to the general public.
The DPAA 2022-2023 schedule
DAYTON BALLET
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (Oct. 28-30, 2022)
“The Nutcracker” (Dec. 9-18, 2022)
“85th Diamond Anniversary” (Feb. 10-12, 2023)
“Peter Pan” (April 21-23, 2023)
DAYTON OPERA
“Charlie Parker’s Yardbird” (Oct. 7 and 9, 2022)
“Hometown Holiday featuring Amahl and the Night Visitors” (Dec. 2-3, 2022)
“Maria Callas: A Centennial Celebration” (Feb. 5, 2023)
“Das Rheingold” (April 14 and 16, 2023)
DAYTON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Masterworks Series
“Pines of Rome and flautist Brandon Patrick George” (Sept. 16-17, 2022)
“Far Away Places: Scheherazade” (Oct. 21-22, 2022)
“Symphonie fantastique and violinist Vadim Gluzman” (Nov. 18-19, 2022)
“Tchaikovsky’s Polish Symphony” (Feb. 24-25, 2023)
“Perspectives: War and Peace” (March 10-11, 2023)
“Das Rheingold” (April 14 and 16, 2023)
“Beethoven’s Second Symphony” (May 19-20, 2023)
SuperPops Series
“Havana Nights” (Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2022)
“Hometown Holiday featuring Amahl and the Night Visitors” (Dec. 2-3, 2022)
“An Evening of Sondheim” featuring Wright State University’s Musical Theatre program (Jan. 20-21, 2023)
“Swing is the Thing” (March 31-April 1, 2023)
“Peter Pan” (April 21-23, 2023)
Rockin’ Orchestra Series
“Landslide - A Tribute to the Music of Fleetwood Mac” (Sept. 24, 2022)
“Windborne’s The Music of Pink Floyd” (Nov. 12, 2022)
“Rewind: Celebrating the Music of the ‘80s” (Feb. 4, 2023)
“The Paul Simon Songbook” (June 10, 2023)
Family Series
“PhilharMonster” (Oct. 23, 2022)
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (Oct. 30, 2022)
“The Nutcracker” (Dec. 11, 2022)
“The Mysterious Maestro with the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra” (March 12, 2023)
“Peter Pan” (April 23, 2023)
Special Events
“Handel’s Messiah” (Dec. 14, 2022)
“New Year’s Eve: Voyage à Paris” (Dec. 31, 2022)
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