Conductor Anthony Parnther Makes Debuts with San Antonio Philharmonic & St. Louis Symphony in March, Before Leading Chicago Debut of Gateways Festival Orchestra in April

(February 2024) — Known for his “charismatic, captivating conducting” (Los Angeles Times),
Anthony Parnther maintains a major North American presence over the months ahead. He
makes his San Antonio Philharmonic debut with a program of Mozart, Schumann and
Coleridge-Taylor (March 22 & 23); reprises his acclaimed interpretation of Price’s Third
Symphony with the Richmond Symphony (May 5); and, to cap the all-Black ensemble’s 30th
anniversary season, conducts the Gateways Festival Orchestra’s Chicago debut (April 19). As
“Hollywood’s go-to conductor for epic projects” (Billboard), Parnther balances this classical
lineup with live-to-film concert performances of hit movie scores with the symphony orchestras
of Vancouver (Feb 9 & 10), St. Louis (March 9 & 10), Nashville (March 16 & 17) and
Richmond (April 13), as well as the world premiere of National Geographic’s film concert
Secrets of the Whales (April 21–23). These engagements follow his recent debuts with the New
York Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony, in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s subscription
series, and at London’s BBC Proms. As the New York Times put it in its recent profile, Parnther is
“a conductor for the future” with “a flourishing career.”

San Antonio Philharmonic debut & return to Richmond Symphony
Dedicated to amplifying traditionally underrepresented voices, Parnther has long “used his
platforms and rising profile to champion Black composers” (New York Times). Last summer,
when he made his BBC Proms debut with a program that included Four Novelletten by Black
British Romantic composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Bachtrack found the performance “well
characterised by Parnther, including an especially fine Valse full of bittersweet moments.”
For his upcoming debut with Texas’s San Antonio Philharmonic, Parnther conducts
Coleridge-Taylor’s Ballade in A minor alongside Schumann’s Third Symphony, the “Rhenish,” and
Mozart’s 20th Piano Concerto, featuring pianist David Kaplan (March 22 & 23).

Another Black composer consistently championed by Parnther is Florence Price, whose Third
Symphony he featured last December in his Atlanta Symphony Orchestra subscription concert
debut. This prompted ArtsATL to marvel:

“Parnther’s interpretation was a revelation. … The music exploded with vitality and groove. … It
should be the benchmark for how this wonderful music goes.”

Following his April debut with the Richmond Symphony (see below), the conductor revisits
Price’s Third Symphony for his return to the Virginia ensemble, with a program that also includes
Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony (May 5).

Gateways Festival Orchestra’s Chicago debut
Parnther completes his symphonic lineup with a return to the Gateways Festival Orchestra,
whose members – all professional classical musicians of African descent – hail from leading
orchestras nationwide. Parnther led Gateways’ sold-out Carnegie Hall debut in 2022, and now, to
crown Gateways’ milestone 30th anniversary season, he helms the orchestra’s Chicago debut
at Orchestra Hall, home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. There, Parnther combines Elgar’s
iconic “Enigma” Variations with works by two African American composers with Chicago
connections: Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson and Margaret Bonds. Perkinson, who served as
Artistic Director of the Center for Black Music Research at the city’s Columbia College, is
represented by his concert overture Worship, and Chicago native Bonds by the Montgomery
Variations, a set of variations dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr., which depict Black resistance to
segregation in the Jim Crow South. Parnther’s Gateways program also features a special set by
eight-time Grammy-winning vocal sextet Take 6 (April 19).

Films in concert: Vancouver, St. Louis, Nashville & Richmond Symphonies
Recognized as “the quintessential L.A. musician of our day” (Los Angeles Times), Parnther has
helmed a host of blockbuster film scores, and is regularly invited to lead high-profile live-to-film
events. For his debuts with both the Vancouver Symphony (Feb 9 & 10) and Richmond
Symphony (April 13), he leads Black Panther: In Concert. The film boasts an Oscar- and
Grammy-winning score by Ludwig Göransson, who, as the New York Times reports, “views
Parnther as an invaluable collaborator.” These concerts bookend two performances of
Encanto: In Concert. Combining original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda with music by
Germaine Franco, the Disney animation’s chart-topping score is the vehicle for Parnther’s
debuts with both the St. Louis Symphony (March 9 & 10) and Nashville Symphony (March 16
& 17).

Finally, the conductor joins forces in Calgary, Alberta with narrator Jann Arden and a 40-piece
orchestra for National Geographic’s film concert Secrets of the Whales. Offering the world
premiere of a condensed version of the Emmy-winning Disney+ documentary series of the same
name, this live-to-picture performance will feature new orchestrations by composer Raphaelle
Thibaut (April 21–23).

Click here to download high-resolution photos.

www.anthonyparnther.com
www.facebook.com/parnther
www.youtube.com/channel/UCzo7Zb6oDxvfO43-zq3Y6pQ
www.instagram.com/anthony_parnther

Anthony Parnther: upcoming engagements
Feb 9 & 10
Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (debut)
Ludwig GÖRANSSON: Black Panther: In Concert

March 9 & 10
St. Louis, MO
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (debut)
Lin-Manuel MIRANDA / Germaine FRANCO: Encanto: In Concert

March 16 & 17
Nashville, TN
Nashville Symphony (debut)
Lin-Manuel MIRANDA / Germaine FRANCO: Encanto: In Concert

March 22 & 23
San Antonio, TX
San Antonio Philharmonic (debut)
COLERIDGE-TAYLOR: Ballade in A minor
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 20 (with David Kaplan, piano)
SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish”

April 13
Richmond, VA
Richmond Symphony (debut)
Ludwig GÖRANSSON: Black Panther: In Concert

April 19
Chicago, IL
Orchestra Hall
Gateways Festival Orchestra
ELGAR: Variations on an Original Theme (“Enigma”), Op. 36
BONDS: Montgomery Variations
PERKINSON: Worship: A Concert Overture
Selections TBA (with Take 6, guest artist)

April 21–23
Calgary, AB
Canada
Arts Commons Presents
National Geographic Film Concert
Raphaelle THIBAUT: Secrets of the Whales (world premiere; with Jann Arden, narrator)

May 5
Richmond, VA
Richmond Symphony
PRICE: Symphony No. 3
MOZART: Horn Concerto No. 4 (with Dominic Rotella, horn)
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 8

# # #

© 21C Media Group, February 2024

Contact:
Glenn Petry, 21C Media Group
[email protected]; (212) 625 2038
Emily Walsh, 21C Media Group
[email protected]
Noel Steier, 21C Media Group
[email protected]
Louise Barder, 21C Media Group (UK & Europe)
[email protected]