Philly Orchestra to kick off new season at Marian Anderson Hall

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Orchestra will kick off its new season Thursday at the recently renamed Marian Anderson Hall .

Opening night will feature compositions from artists who are part of The Marian Anderson Artistic Initiative, which showcases composers and artists who share Anderson’s passion for diversity, equity and access in the performing arts.

Philadelphia Orchestra President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky says the first work to be performed as part of the initiative is the world premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Orchestral Suite from his opera, “Fire Shut Up in My Bones.”

While Blanchard’s piece will take the stage opening night, more performances are planned throughout the next year.

On Jan. 16 is William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 2 and Margaret Bonds’s “The Montgomery Variations,” and in March, the world premiere of Gabriela Lena Frank’s “Picaflor.”

“We need to make changes now so that generations from now, nobody's thinking, oh my goodness, look at this piece by Margaret Bonds that's been sitting there all these years and not getting the chance to be heard,” Tarnopolsky said.

For more details on the initiative and other upcoming performances, go to philorch.ensembleartsphilly.org .