Violinist Hilary Hahn, first came to Philadelphia as a 10 year old girl to study at the Curtis Institute of Music. She made her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age 13 when she won the prestigious Greenfield Competition and she's been doing solo performances with the ensemble ever since.
Jeremy Rothman, VP of Artistic Planning, The Philadelphia Orchestra said, "So she has a very close connection to Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Orchestra as this incredible prodigy who's now got an incredibly mature, internationally career."
She is now 33 and her bold sound and virtuosic style have brought her international fame.
"Hillary is just an incredible musician who can do almost anything on the violin. So she exudes this incredible musicality and sound and charisma from the stage," said Rothman.
This is her first time performing with the orchestra's new maestro, Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She'll be playing the Violin Concerto by Korngold, a Viennese composer best known for his Hollywood film scores in the 30s and 40s.
"The concerto is extremely virtuosic. It's very lyrical, incredibly lush sound for the orchestra, great orchestration," added Rothman.
The concert program also includes Mahler's, First Symphony, a staple of the symphonic repertoire and the love scene from a rarely heard opera by Richard Strauss.
"The title roughly translates to a lack of fire, fire famine, but you also hear Strauss' incredible use of the orchestra, his wonderful melodic sense," said Rothman.
The concert series is set for May 3rd through the 5th in the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall. For tickets and concert times, go to the The Philadelphia Orchestra.
