Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Announces The BSO at the BBC Proms: A Gala Celebration

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Announces The BSO at the BBC Proms: A Gala Celebration
Maryland Public Television presents broadcast of the London concert on May 9

April 16, 2020 — The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) today announced the U.S. broadcast premiere of The BSO at the BBC Proms: A Gala Celebration, to be presented by Maryland Public Television (MPT) beginning at 6 pm on Saturday, May 9. The exclusive broadcast features BSO Music Director Marin Alsop leading the BSO in its debut performance at the BBC Proms in London’s Royal Albert Hall, which took place in August 2018, during the BSO’s tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Due to social distancing measures, the BSO’s Gala Celebration and Concert featuring Itzhak Perlman, scheduled for May 9 at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, cannot proceed. Instead, the BSO has partnered with MPT to broadcast the BSO’s performance from the BBC Proms. The two-hour concert broadcast will take place on Saturday, May 9 beginning at 6 pm on MPT’s main channel in high definition, as well as livestreamed on MPT digital platforms including mpt.org/livestream. For the full experience, including exclusive pre- and post-concert content and a link to MPT’s telecast stream, viewers can tune in via www.BSOmusic.org/GalaCelebration.

“We are grateful to Maryland Public Television for joining with the BSO to present this historic concert. In addition to expressing our appreciation to the BBC and the American Federation of Musicians for making this broadcast possible, we express our deep gratitude to the State of Maryland, which was instrumental in enabling the BSO to be a cultural ambassador of our great state. While we look forward to the moment when the Orchestra can return to the stage, we are thrilled to share this inspiring performance at a time when the power of music is needed more than ever,” said BSO President and CEO Peter Kjome.

“The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is among the crown jewels of Maryland and MPT is thrilled to partner with the BSO on a special concert broadcast that’s sure to raise the spirits of viewers across the state,” said MPT President & CEO Larry D. Unger. “The BSO’s Proms concert showcases the orchestra at one of the most significant annual events in British culture, and we’re grateful to the BBC for making it available to MPT for the benefit of our audience.” 

The program, conducted by Music Director Marin Alsop, features Leonard Bernstein’s Slava! A Political Overture and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. Also on the program is Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2, “Age of Anxiety,” with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Vice President of Development Allison Burr-Livingstone commented, “As the BSO’s primary fundraising event, the Gala generates critical unrestricted support for our annual season of great music education and great music making.  We would like to thank all of our Gala sponsors who have graciously transferred their sponsorship dollars to support this community Gala Celebration.”

Ticketholders for the BSO’s Gala Celebration and Concert featuring Itzhak Perlman will be contacted by the BSO Ticket Office.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 9, 2020 at 6 pm on Maryland Public Television

Marin Alsop, conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

BERNSTEIN Slava! A Political Overture
BERNSTEIN Symphony No. 2
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5

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About the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
For over a century, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been recognized as one of America’s leading orchestras and one of Maryland’s most significant cultural institutions. Under the direction of Music Director Marin Alsop, the orchestra is internationally renowned and locally admired for its innovation, performances, recordings and educational outreach initiatives including OrchKids.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performs annually for more than 275,000 people throughout the State of Maryland. Since 1982, the BSO has performed at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, and since 2005, with the opening of The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, the BSO became the nation’s first orchestra performing its full season of classical and pops concerts in two metropolitan areas. More information about the BSO can be found at BSOmusic.org.

About MPT
Launched in 1969 and headquartered in Owings Mills, MD, Maryland Public Television (MPT) is a nonprofit, state-licensed public television network and member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).  MPT’s six transmitters cover Maryland plus portions of contiguous states and the District of Columbia.  Frequent winner of regional Emmy® awards, MPT creates local, regional, and national television shows.  Beyond broadcast, MPT’s commitment to professional educators, parents, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered through year-round instructional events and the super-website Thinkport, which garners in excess of five million page views annually.  MPT’s community engagement connects viewers with local resources on significant health, arts, education, and public interest topics through year-round outreach events, viewer forums, program screenings, and phone bank call-in opportunities.  For more information visit mpt.org.