On May 20, 2023, at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House, guest conductor Andre Raphel led the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Orchestra through a marvelous, exciting program, beginning with Dvorak’s “Carnival Overture”, Op. 92.

We were privileged to hear cellist Leland Ko,  the 2021 HVP String Competition Winner, playing Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme”, Op. 33. He was so vibrant, energetic and musical that the audience seemed to feel every bowed note, every nuance, every emotion! 

Gustav Holst’s “The Planets”, Op. 32, was the final magnificent orchestral and visual performance of the evening, with projected images by Filmmaker/Astronomer Jose Francisco Salgado, PhD and the Cappella Festival Women’s Choir softly ending the piece.

We were given the stars, the planets, a chorus, guest artists and orchestra on one stage, in one night at the Bardavon!  One can’t top this!

Repeating what I wrote last year, this Orchestra began with four men and an idea, 90 years ago. It is a Hudson Valley treasure with histories that include the end of WW 11, Eleanor Roosevelt, Pete Seeger and human rights involvement. Please support its continuance! hvpmusicians.org.