February 23, 2015

RPO to play free concert in Churchville-Chili this Friday

Attention west-siders: the RPO is coming to you. This Friday, February 27, the RPO returns to

Churchville-Chili Performing Arts Center (C-C PAC) for a free community concert as part of the semiannual “Around the Town” concert series, sponsored by Xerox. Guest conductor Matthew Kraemer will lead a program of “Opera’s Greatest Hits,” featuring selections from Carmen, La bohème, The Barber of Seville, and more. This performance marks the second time that the RPO has played at C-C PAC, located on the Churchville-Chili Senior High School property. The orchestra played the inaugural concert in the nearly 1300-seat auditorium in the fall of 2013. 
The Churchville-Chili Performing Arts Center
Photo provided by Jeffrey Smith

“Our vision for C-C PAC is that it’s not just a great space for students to learn in, but it’s also an ideal location to bring in world-class performers like the RPO,” said Jeffrey Smith, Director of Fine Arts at Churchville-Chili Central School District. “It was designed for consistent sound throughout.”

While there will be no vocalists accompanying the orchestra, conductor Matthew Kraemer says the music carefully selected for this program stands for itself.

“These selections are really among the very best of recognizable opera excerpts,” he said. “Most of these melodies have been used in popular culture for decades. We hear the tunes from Carmen, Orpheus in the Underworld, and The Barber of Seville in cartoons, movies, and even as ringtones on cellphones.”
Matthew Kraemer


Kraemer is a past guest conductor on the RPO’s OrKIDStra concert series, most recently for The Snowman in December, 2014. Since 2012, he has served as music director for both the Butler County Symphony and the Erie Chamber Orchestra, both located in Pennsylvania. He also recently completed a five-year tenure as associate conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic.

“This concert is for anyone who wants to hear familiar and exciting music played by an exceptional orchestra,” said Kraemer, who notes the opera theme was chosen to coincide with the RPO’s concert performance of La Traviata on Saturday, February 28. “I can assure anyone thinking of attending that they will be in for a memorable evening of music. At only an hour in length, it is also the perfect way to introduce children to the Rochester Philharmonic.”

Since 1991, the RPO’s free Around the Town community concert series has brought classical music out of the concert hall and into schools, churches, rec centers, and other community spaces. With the goal of making the RPO more accessible to everyone, these semiannual concerts seek to engage audiences with a program of classical excerpts blended with familiar favorites.

If you go
What: Around the Town Concert: Opera’s Greatest Hits
When: Friday, Feb. 27, 7:30 PM
Where: Churchville-Chili Performing Arts Center
              5786 Buffalo Road, Churchville, N.Y.
$$: Free

For more information, visit rpo.org

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