Teddy Abrams and Louisville Orch Joined by Chris Thile for 2023-24 Season Opener (Sep 16) & Continuation of In Harmony Statewide Tour (Sep 14–23); Additional Programs to Include Appearances by JoAnn Falletta, Jeffrey Kahane & More

“A pioneering force in new music.”

— Billboard on the Louisville Orchestra

(August 2023) — Musical America 2022 Conductor of the Year Teddy Abrams – now in his tenth season as Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra (LO) – will hit the ground running with the orchestra and acclaimed mandolinist, singer and former Murray, Kentucky resident Chris Thile, who joins them for their 2023-24 season-opening night performance (Sep 16) and the continuation of the historic multi-season “In Harmony” statewide tour (Sep 14–23). Their program, both at home and on tour, titled “Our Kentucky Home,” features the Kentucky debut of Thile’s song cycle for singing mandolinist, ATTENTION!, co-commissioned by the LO; as well as Home by LO Creators Corps veteran Lisa Bielawa and Hazard resident, guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Branson. Favorite folk music-inspired works of Bartók and Copland, as well as Prokofiev’s “Classical” Symphony No. 1, round out the program. The LO fall season continues with the program “Lasting Legacies,” built around the theme of family ties and featuring three pre-existing works by members of the second generation of the Creators Corps family; Gabriel Kahane’s piano concerto Heirloom, performed by his father Jeffrey, for whom it was written; and John Adams’s Harmonielehre, which was partly inspired by a dream about his daughter (Oct 13–14). Abrams and the LO’s third program, “(Un)Silent Film,” features the world premiere of a new film score to the silent horror classic Nosferatu by composer Sebastian Chang, complemented by Bartók’s Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin (Oct 27–28). Another highlight among the LO’s fall presentations is “Bolero & Friends,” featuring a guest performance by Grammy-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta. She conducts LO principal clarinetist Andrea Levine in John Corigliano’s Clarinet Concerto, as well as music of Ravel, R. Strauss and Debussy (Nov 17–18).

With Abrams’s combination of talent, energy, vision, drive, and an extraordinary commitment to community engagement, he has succeeded during his decade as Music Director in reconnecting the orchestra with its remarkable history, integrating it into the fabric of Louisville life, and re-establishing it as the cornerstone of the city’s vibrant music scene. Reflecting on his tenure thus far, Abrams says:

“I am so proud of the remarkable work the orchestra is doing in so many ways, not just on the Whitney stage. This institution has led with creativity, to not just survive, but to thrive, doing things out of a sense of adventure. Programs like Music Without Borders and the Creators Corps make the LO one of the most dynamic musical institutions in the United States right now. It’s tough to be an arts organization and we have said let’s start with the big ideas, the creative ideas, the dramatic ideas. We believe that success, that vitality, that connection will follow – that music can bridge all the gaps and divisions we face.”

Chief Executive Graham Parker adds:

“Our concerts are always guaranteed to inspire, enrich and bring joy to your life, and celebrating Teddy’s tenth season will bring a special patina to every concert. The Louisville Orchestra, since its founding, has had a vital role in enriching the lives of every Louisvillian. In all our concerts we showcase our musicians’ brilliance and versatility, in programs designed for audiences of all ages, whether our family programming, Pops concerts, Hollywood film scores with live orchestra, or our signature Classic series with new discoveries and trusted masterpieces.”

Opening Night and “In Harmony” Statewide Tour

This season runs concurrently with the historic “In Harmony” statewide tour, which has both fall and spring segments scheduled in 2023-24. In the spirit of this musical outreach, the season features native Kentucky composers and performers in new and traditional works, starting with Murray, Kentucky’s own mandolin virtuoso, Chris Thile, “a genre-defying musical genius” (NPR). He joins Abrams and the orchestra for both the Classics Series opening concert at the Iroquois Park Amphitheater and the September leg of the “In Harmony” tour, the first stop of which is in Thile’s former town of Murray. Together they debut his new song cycle, ATTENTION! – subtitled “A narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra” – that tells, according to Thile, “the true story of the time I attempted to impress a Starbucks executive and accidentally met Carrie Fisher as a result. It’s a DOOZY!” Also on the program is Home by Creators Corps veteran Lisa Bielawa and Hazard resident, guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Branson, a popular favorite from last May’s tour; Copland’s “Hoe-Down” from the ballet Rodeo; Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances; and Prokofiev’s “Classical” Symphony No. 1. Mezzo-soprano Sara Adams is a featured performer, along with Thile and Branson performing their own works.

Other Fall Highlights

Continuing the innovative programming after the “In Harmony” tour, the LO presents “Lasting Legacies,” built around the theme of family ties, biological and otherwise. The program opens with three pre-existing works by members of the second generation of the Creators Corps family, followed by Gabriel Kahane’s piano concerto Heirloom, written for and performed by his father Jeffrey Kahane. The second half of the program comprises John Adams’s orchestral work Harmonielehre, which takes its name from Arnold Schoenberg’s 1911 harmony textbook and has been described by Adams as “a statement of belief in the power of tonality at a time when I was uncertain about its future.” The third movement, “Meister Eckhardt and Quackie,” was inspired by a dream Adams had about his daughter (briefly nicknamed “Quackie”), drifting along in the universe on the shoulder of the movement’s titular German theologian.

Abrams and the LO’s third program, “(Un)Silent Film,” centers on the world premiere of a new film score to the silent horror classic Nosferatu by composer Sebastian Chang, a longtime LO collaborator who was composer-in-residence from 2016-18. The Halloween-themed program is rounded out by Bartók’s Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin.

Also highlighting the LO’s fall presentations is “Bolero & Friends,” led by Grammy-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta, who was recently named one of the 50 great conductors of all time by Gramophone magazine. She leads the LO in John Corigliano’s Clarinet Concerto – featuring LO principal clarinetist Andrea Levine – on a program that also includes Ravel’s Bolero, R. Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, and Debussy’s Ibéria.

Previous Season Successes

These events follow a banner season in 2022-23. Major developments included the start of the “In Harmony” statewide tour, a two-year musical journey that began this past May and brings orchestra musicians to dozens of communities across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, made possible through a partnership with the Kentucky General Assembly in conjunction with the Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet. Last season the LO also inaugurated the “Creators Corps” initiative, a first-of-its-kind program that deeply integrates artists in the city of Louisville and with the orchestra, selecting three Creators each year to move to Louisville for the upcoming season and live in the Shelby Park neighborhood for at least 30 weeks. The Creators serve as LO staff members, receiving an annual salary, health insurance, housing, and custom-built studio workspaces. Throughout their residencies, the Creators compose new works to be performed by the orchestra, participate in educational and community engagement activities, and become active, engaged citizens of Louisville. In another of the season’s high points, Abrams led the orchestra in a performance with Yo-Yo Ma and bass-baritone Davóne Tines in Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave, featuring a site-specific composition by the conductor himself titled Mammoth. The event was profiled along with the orchestra in a feature article by Alex Ross in the New Yorker. As Ross described the experience:

“The venture into Mammoth Cave … is Abrams’s most ambitious undertaking to date. … I came away somewhat awed by the occasion, which showed a renewal of purpose at one of America’s most resilient orchestras. The best thing about “Mammoth” was its intimate connection to the memories of its audience: all around me, I heard people recalling childhood visits to Mammoth and family ties to the communities above ground. Having never visited the cave before, I felt like an outsider at a local rite, which is as it should be. At moments, the piece achieved an uncanny timelessness, as when Tines, holding a flickering lantern, intoned lines from [Wendell] Berry’s poem “To Know the Dark”: “The dark, too, blooms and sings / and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.” He then extinguished the light, and Ma played a few searching phrases that shivered with fear and promise.”

About the Louisville Orchestra

The Louisville Orchestra was created in 1937 and sprang up in a time of need, just after the Ohio River Great Flood and in the wake of the Great Depression. Robert Whitney was invited to conduct the newly established orchestra, then known as the Louisville Philharmonic, and arrived from Chicago that same year. With its formation, the goal was to create a new model for the American symphony orchestra, as it was conceived through an ambitious effort that emphasized innovation through the commissioning, performance, and recording of new works by contemporary composers. The Louisville Orchestra garnered international critical acclaim, became the first orchestra to establish a record label, and cemented a place in history for its contribution to contemporary classical music. In its first two decades, the Louisville Orchestra commissioned/recorded up to 52 new works annually and ultimately created 150 vinyl recordings (LPs) of more than 450 works. The Louisville Orchestra continues to be recognized as a cornerstone of the Louisville performing arts community. Music Director Teddy Abrams has helmed the Louisville Orchestra since 2014, and the Louisville Orchestra has returned to its origins of commissioning new music and recording, having released two albums under the prestigious Decca Gold label. A wide variety of immersive and innovative concert performances and educational programming continue to receive national attention. Recent press coverage includes articles and mentions in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and CBS Sunday Morning. Accolades include three invitations to perform at Carnegie Hall; the Leonard Bernstein Award for Excellence in Educational Programming; the League of American Orchestras 2019 Ford Musician Awards for Excellence in Community Service; and 19 American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) awards for adventurous programming in use of contemporary music.

High-resolution photos are available here.
www.louisvilleorchestra.org
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Louisville Orchestra 2023-24 season
Sep 14
Murray, KY
“IN HARMONY” TOUR
“OUR KENTUCKY HOME”
Murray State University, Lovett Auditorium
Teddy Abrams, conductor
Chris Thile, mandolin and vocals
Lindsey Branson, guitar and vocals
Sara Adams, mezzo-soprano
Chris THILE: ATTENTION! A narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra (Kentucky premiere)
COPLAND: “Hoe-Down” from Rodeo
Lisa BIELAWA/Lindsey BRANSON: Home
BARTÓK: Romanian Folk Dances
PROKOFIEV: Symphony No.1 in D, Op. 25, “Classical”

Sep 16
Louisville, KY
CLASSICS SERIES
“OUR KENTUCKY HOME”
Iroquois Park Amphitheater
Teddy Abrams, conductor
Chris Thile, mandolin and vocals
Lindsey Branson, guitar and vocals
Sara Adams, mezzo-soprano
Chris THILE: ATTENTION! A narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra
COPLAND: “Hoe-Down” from Rodeo
Lisa BIELAWA/Lindsey BRANSON: Home
BARTÓK: Romanian Folk Dances
PROKOFIEV: Symphony No.1 in D, Op. 25, “Classical”

Sep 19
Madisonville, KY
“IN HARMONY” TOUR
“OUR KENTUCKY HOME”
Glema Mahr Center for the Arts
Teddy Abrams, conductor
Chris Thile, mandolin and vocals
Lindsey Branson, guitar and vocals
Sara Adams, mezzo-soprano
Chris THILE: ATTENTION! A narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra
COPLAND: “Hoe-Down” from Rodeo
Lisa BIELAWA/Lindsey BRANSON: Home
BARTÓK: Romanian Folk Dances
PROKOFIEV: Symphony No.1 in D, Op. 25, “Classical”

Sep 23
Henderson, KY
“IN HARMONY” TOUR
“OUR KENTUCKY HOME”
Preston Arts Center
Teddy Abrams, conductor
Chris Thile, mandolin and vocals
Lindsey Branson, guitar and vocals
Sara Adams, mezzo-soprano
Chris THILE: ATTENTION! A narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra
COPLAND: “Hoe-Down” from Rodeo
Lisa BIELAWA/Lindsey BRANSON: Home
BARTÓK: Romanian Folk Dances
PROKOFIEV: Symphony No.1 in D, Op. 25, “Classical”

Oct 13
Louisville, KY
COFFEE SERIES
“LASTING LEGACIES”
Whitney Hall
Teddy Abrams, conductor
Jeffrey Kahane, piano
LOCC COMPOSERS: Three pre-existing works
Gabriel KAHANE: Heirloom (Jeffrey Kahane, piano)
John ADAMS: Harmonielehre, Part 1

Oct 13
New Albany, IN
NIGHTLITES AT THE OGLE
“LASTING LEGACIES”
The Ogle Center at Indiana University Southeast
Teddy Abrams, conductor
Jeffrey Kahane, piano
LOCC COMPOSERS: Three pre-existing works
Gabriel KAHANE: Heirloom (Jeffrey Kahane, piano)
John ADAMS: Harmonielehre

Oct 14
Louisville, KY
CLASSICS SERIES
“LASTING LEGACIES”
Whitney Hall
Teddy Abrams, conductor
Jeffrey Kahane, piano
LOCC COMPOSERS: Three pre-existing works
Gabriel KAHANE: Heirloom (Jeffrey Kahane, piano)
John ADAMS: Harmonielehre

Oct 27
Louisville, KY
COFFEE SERIES
“(UN)SILENT FILM: NOSFERATU & A SYMPHONY OF HORROR”
Whitney Hall
Teddy Abrams, conductor
Sebastian CHANG: Nosferatu (new score and world premiere with film)

Oct 28
Louisville, KY
CLASSICS SERIES
“(UN)SILENT FILM: NOSFERATU & A SYMPHONY OF HORROR”
Whitney Hall
Teddy Abrams, conductor
BARTÓK: Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin, Op. 19
Sebastian CHANG: Nosferatu (new score and world premiere with film)

Nov 17
Louisville, KY
COFFEE SERIES
“BOLERO & FRIENDS”
Whitney Hall
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Andrea Levine, clarinet
R. STRAUSS: Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28
John CORIGLIANO: Clarinet Concerto
DEBUSSY: Ibéria

Nov 17
New Albany, IN
NIGHTLITES AT THE OGLE
“BOLERO & FRIENDS”
The Ogle Center at Indiana University Southeast
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Andrea Levine, clarinet
R. STRAUSS: Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28
John CORIGLIANO: Clarinet Concerto
DEBUSSY: Ibéria
RAVEL: Bolero

Nov 18
Louisville, KY
CLASSICS SERIES
“BOLERO & FRIENDS”
Whitney Hall
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Andrea Levine, clarinet
R. STRAUSS: Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28
John CORIGLIANO: Clarinet Concerto
DEBUSSY: Ibéria
RAVEL: Bolero

Dec 1
New Albany, IN
NIGHTLITES AT THE OGLE
“HANDEL’S MESSIAH”
The Ogle Center at Indiana University Southeast
Kent Hatteberg, conductor
Louisville Chamber Choir

Jan 13
Louisville, KY
CLASSICS SERIES
“TOGETHER IN SONG”
Whitney Hall
Teddy Abrams, conductor
St. Stephen Temple Choir
Program to include new and old Gospel Arrangements by ANDRÉ WILSON and others:
TRADITIONAL: Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
Kevin JAMES: Worthy of All of the Praise
TRADITIONAL: God is Worthy
Jason CLAYBORN: You’re All I Need
TRADITIONAL: Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around
Richard SMALLWOOD: Anthem of Praise
Christopher J. WATKINS: This Praise
TRADITIONAL: Done Made My Vow

Feb 27
Corbin, KY
“IN HARMONY” TOUR
Michael Cleveland, fiddle
Flamekeeper

March 2
Paducah, KY
“IN HARMONY” TOUR
Michael Cleveland, fiddle
Flamekeeper

March 5
Bowling Green, KY
“IN HARMONY” TOUR
Michael Cleveland, fiddle
Flamekeeper

March 8
Danville, KY
“IN HARMONY” TOUR
Michael Cleveland, fiddle
Flamekeeper

March 9
Fort Knox, KY
“IN HARMONY” TOUR
Michael Cleveland, fiddle
Flamekeeper

March 22
New Albany, IN
NIGHTLITES AT THE OGLE
“MOZART REQUIEM”
The Ogle Center at Indiana University Southeast
Eric Whitacre, conductor
Kent Hatteberg, choir director
Louisville Chamber Choir
Eric WHITACRE: Lux Aurumque
Eric WHITACRE: The River Cam
Eric WHITACRE: Selections from The Secret Veil
MOZART: Requiem in D minor, K. 626

March 23
Louisville, KY
CLASSICS SERIES
“MOZART REQUIEM”
Whitney Hall
Eric Whitacre, conductor
Kent Hatteberg, choir director
Louisville Chamber Choir
Eric WHITACRE: Lux Aurumque
Eric WHITACRE: The River Cam
Eric WHITACRE: Selections from The Secret Veil
MOZART: Requiem in D minor, K. 626

April 26
Louisville, KY
COFFEE SERIES
“MAHLER 6”
Whitney Hall
Teddy Abrams, conductor
MAHLER: Symphony No. 6 in A minor, “Tragic”

April 27
Louisville, KY
CLASSICS SERIES
“MAHLER 6”
Whitney Hall
Teddy Abrams, conductor
MAHLER: Symphony No. 6 in A minor, “Tragic”

May 10
Louisville, KY
COFFEE SERIES
“CREATORS FEST”
Whitney Hall
Teddy Abrams, conductor
Three world premieres from Creators Corps members

May 11
Louisville, KY
CLASSICS SERIES
“CREATORS FEST”
Whitney Hall
Teddy Abrams, conductor
Three world premieres from Creators Corps members

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