Music Director Andrew Constantine and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic today announced the orchestra’s 2019-2020 Season, which includes Masterworks, Pops, Chamber, Freimann and Family series along with other special events.

Programmed to attract both audiences locally and throughout the region, the season promises to offer everyone enjoyable and entertaining experiences.

“My colleagues and I could not be happier about the sense of community we are forging around the orchestra and that our relationship with loyal audiences continues to deepen and grow,” said Constantine.

2019-2020 Season Highlights:

  • Special 75th Birthday Bash concert on October 18, 2019 will feature a program repeating the first Fort Wayne Philharmonic concert of October 18, 1944. Projected visuals and historical highlights will be included.

The Paul Yergens and Virginia Yergens Rogers Foundation Masterworks Series features thrilling symphonic music, world-renowned soloists, and the versatile artistry of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, under the baton of music director Andrew Constantine.

  • Award winning composer and Fort Wayne native Patrick O’Malley’s “Rest and Restless” will be performed on November 2, 2019.
  • Violins of Hope on November 23, 2019 – Sixteen violins that survived the Holocaust will be played during a performance of works by three composers banned by the Nazis. Violins of Hope tells stories of defiance, resilience, and legacy in the face of oppression and persecution.
  • World-renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman appears as part of the Robert, Carrie, and Bobbie Steck Family Foundation Great Performers Series, and will be joined by cellist Amanda Forsythe on February 1, 2020 in works by Bruch and Brahms.

The Sweetwater Pops Series brings the very best in popular entertainment to Fort Wayne. Favorite artists, great film music, nostalgic tributes, and holiday traditions all find a place on this iconic series.

  • Rudy in Concert on October 12, 2019 offers the timeless story of the underdog who never gave up on his dreams, screened live as Jerry Goldsmith’s iconic score will be performed live by the Philharmonic.
  • Pianist Valentina Lisitsa returns to Fort Wayne for the Pops Series January 25, 2020 for a performance of lush, romantic Piano Themes from Cinema’s Golden Age.
  • Special collaboration performance of A Cole Porter Celebration between The Fort Wayne Philharmonic and Civic Theatre on March 28 & 29, 2020.

The Ambassador Enterprises Chamber Orchestra Series offers personal, intimate, and engaging concerts for smaller orchestra that focus on a colorful array of classical masterpieces

  • Back by popular demand, Messiah by Candlelight returns for two performances on Dec 19 & 20, 2019.
  • The Philharmonic and the Fort Wayne Ballet join forces to spring to life Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, on March 20, 21 & 22, 2020.

The Brotherhood Mutual Freimann Series offers audiences great chamber music classics, up close and personal. This is highly intimate music making at its best. Wednesday evening performances are performed at the Parkview Physicians Group ArtsLab, the black box theatre located in the heart of the vibrant Downtown Arts Campus. Sunday performances occur at Rhinehart Music Center at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

  • All performances feature the Freimann Quartet, comprised of the principal players from the violin, viola and cello sections, along with other prominent musicians from the Fort Wayne Philharmonic

The STAR Family Series offers a variety of fun and educational experiences for audiences of all ages at the Rhinehart Music Center on the campus of Purdue University Fort Wayne. These 60-minute performances are a great introduction to classical music for the entire family. Before each performance, audiences are welcome to enjoy free activities in the lobby of the Rhinehart Music Center, including concert-themed crafts and the Philharmonic Friends Instrument Playground.

  • Family Series concerts will feature music from beloved favorites ET, Peter Pan, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and more.

Other Information:
The Philharmonic hosts a myriad of free and other community engagement events all season long, including Regional Holiday Pops and Patriotic Pops, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic/Conductors Guild International Conductor Workshop, Youth Orchestra concerts, Live at Lunch, numerous small ensemble performances throughout the region as well as educational initiatives such as the Youth Orchestras and Club Orchestra. Check the website at fwphil.org or call 260.481.0777 for more information.

Artistic Leadership:

Andrew Constantine, Music Director, Ione Breeden Auer Podium Endowment

Born in the northeast of England, Andrew Constantine began his musical studies on the cello and his conducting studies with John Carewe and Norman Del Mar in London and later with Leonard Bernstein at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Germany. A British Council scholarship took Constantine to the Leningrad State Conservatory in 1991 where he studied with the legendary pedagogue Ilya Musin. His Royal Festival Hall debut in 1992 with the London Philharmonic was met with unanimous critical acclaim and praise. Since then, Andrew Constantine has worked throughout the UK and Europe with many leading orchestras including The Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic and Danish Radio Orchestra. In 2004, Andrew Constantine was invited by the great Russian maestro Yuri Temirkanov soon becoming Associate Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In 2007 he accepted the position of Music Director of the Reading Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania and in 2009 he was chosen as the Music Director of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.

Caleb Young, Associate Conductor

Caleb Young joined the Fort Wayne Philharmonic as Assistant Conductor in the fall of 2016. He serves as cover conductor to all Masterworks and other selected programs and conducts various concerts throughout the season including pops, education, family, ballet, film and other specials. Young is dedicated to attracting younger audiences to the Philharmonic, pioneering the “Music and Mixology” series. Young has conducted the Oregon Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, and the Asheville Ballet. In 2016 Young was selected by members of the Vienna Philharmonic for the American Austrian Foundation’s (AAF) Ansbacher Conducting Fellowship Prize, which takes place during the prestigious Salzburg Festival. Young was also selected as a participant conductor in the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, where he performed and worked with Marin Alsop and James Ross. Young received his master’s degree in orchestral conducting from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with David Effron and Arthur Fagen.

Benjamin Rivera, Chorus Director, Louise Bonter Podium Endowment

Benjamin Rivera has prepared and conducted choruses at all levels—from elementary school through adult, volunteer and professional—in repertoire from sacred polyphony and chant, choral/orchestral masterworks, and contemporary pieces to gospel, pop, and folk. He has served as Chorus Director and regular conductor of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic since 2013 and has appeared multiple times as guest Chorus Director of the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago and Guest Music Director of Chicago a cappella. Artistic director and conductor of Cantate. A member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus for over twenty seasons—including twelve as bass section leader—Rivera also sings professionally with the Grant Park Chorus. He sang for many years with Chicago a cappella and several other ensembles, appearing as a soloist on numerous programs, and singing on dozens of recordings.

2019-2020 Season Program Schedule

Tchaikovsky Spectacular - October 5, 2019

Rudy in Concert with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic - October 12, 2019

Halloween Spooktacular - October 20, 2019

Duruflé’s Requiem - October 26, 2019

Beethoven’s 5th - November 2, 2019  

Music from the Marriage of Figaro - November 6 & 10, 2019

Violins of Hope - November 23, 2019

Holiday Pops - December 13, 14, & 21, 2019                             

Messiah by Candlelight - December 19 & 20, 2019

Peer Gynt and Polovtsian Dances - January 11, 2020

Flying with E.T. and Peter Pan - January 19, 2020

Brahms Clarinet Quintet - January 22 & 26, 2020

Piano Themes from Cinema’s Golden Age - January 25, 2020

Pinchas Zukerman Plays Brahms - February 1, 2020

Winner Conducts Mozart - February 8, 2020

Purdue Varsity Glee Club Sings Broadway - February 15, 2020

Ravel’s Boléro - February 22, 2020

Freimann Quartet Plays Beethoven - March 4 & 8, 2020

Carmina Burana - March 14, 2020     

A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Fort Wayne Ballet - March 20, 21 & 22, 2020

Cole Porter Celebration - March 28 & 29, 2020

Mozart and Two Pianos - April 4, 2020

Pirates of the Sea - April 5, 2020       

Beethoven’s Violin - April 25, 2020

Bliss - April 29 & May 3, 2020

ABBA: The Concert - May 2, 2020

Constantine Conducts Shostakovich - May 16, 2020