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Temperatures have warmed up, and so has the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, for its annual month of outdoor concerts.
The concerts, some ticketed and several free, fill the month of July, at locations ranging from Ontario Beach Park to the Adirondacks, and Bristol Mountain to Temple B’rith Kodesh. A full schedule is available at the RPO website.
Conductor Matthew Kraemer,who has been an RPO guest conductor for the last 25 years, leads off the summer concerts with “Red, White, and Boom!” on July 2 at CMAC. This patriotic-themed program (with popular RPO vocalist Kelly Levesque, and topped off with fireworks, of course) is a longstanding favorite, and will mark the orchestra’s first return to CMAC since 2021.
The orchestra has a long history at CMAC. The center was in fact created as a summer home for the RPO, opening in 1983 as Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center and hosting many classical-music concerts.
“When I arrived here,” says James Barry, RPO vice president of artistic planning and operations, “I heard that many people had very fond memories of those RPO summer concerts in the Finger Lakes.”
In the ensuing decades, the RPO’s appearances have been fewer, but the ties have remained firm.
“We’ve always had a very strong relationship with the RPO,” says Sarah Axelrod, CMAC senior vice president of public affairs. “The ‘Red, White, and Boom!’ concert is part of our mission: an affordable, family event for the entire community.”
Axelrod adds that RPO musicians also show up during the summer pop music lineup, as orchestral backup for performers like Ben Folds and Sarah McLaughlin.
After a $13.5 million renovation to the venue in 2005-2006, a good chunk of the community can attend the July 2 concert: CMAC can seat 5,000 in its extended shell and 10,000 on the lawn.
Kraemer and the orchestra will bring more red, white, and boom to a concert, also with fireworks, on July 5 after the Red Wings game at Innovative Field. The conductor estimates that this annual visit is among the RPO’s largest concerts, averaging audiences of 10,000 people.
The rest of the orchestral concerts will be in the hands of Jherrard Hardeman. As the RPO’s assistant conductor, Hardeman’s assignments also include conducting the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, as well as Tiny Tots, OrKIDstra, and “Around the Town” concerts.
His seven summer 2025 assignments include the orchestra’s annual jaunt to Ontario Beach Park and an “Under the Stars” concert at Parcel 5. This is Hardeman’s second year on the job, and he has happy memories of his first RPO summer.
“It was a wonderful experience,” he says. “One of the things I like most is meeting audience members during intermission, talking with them and hearing their stories. We also invite them to come see us in the fall or winter at Kodak Hall or in an ‘Around the Town’ concert.”
Earlier this year, Hardeman led the RPYO in Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11. Nothing as massive as that hour-long work occurs on this summer’s RPO programs, but, he says, he prepares them with care.
“We play a lot of popular pieces year to year,” he says, citing an “Armed Forces Salute” and a symphonic arrangement of ‘Shenandoah’ as fan favorites, along with movie themes, short classical works, and, inevitably, Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
“But we try to find new things too,” says Hardeman, “and make connections between the pieces in the repertoire. Often, the program is a collaboration between us and the venue.”
For example, upcoming concerts at Ontario Beach and near the canal in Brockport called for music with a “water” theme—including themes from “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Jaws.” (This is also a warm-up, for the RPO’s performance of “‘Jaws’ in Concert” this fall.)
Hardeman adds that he likes to make connections between the pieces he chooses, whatever their styles. (For example, did you know that John Williams stole his iconic two-note “Jaws” theme from Dvořák’s “New World Symphony”?) He sums up the programming process: “It all has to be music that sounds great outdoors.”
The RPO’s July presentations include four free Tuesday evening concerts in its City of Rochester Parks Series featuring chamber ensembles with orchestra musicians. Barry explains that these summer concerts, whether large or small, are a very important part of the RPO’s mission.
“They bring the orchestra, its members, and live music to people and communities that may not be able to experience them otherwise,” he notes. “With the Parks Series, we have concerts that are walking distance from certain areas of the city, and that allow people to be up close and personal and really connect with the musicians.”
At the end of July, Kraemer will lead the orchestra to the Adirondack Park in its farthest-afield summer concert, in Arrowhead Park, Inlet. It’s several counties to the east, but the RPO has fans wherever it performs, says the conductor. “People adore this orchestra, and expect to see it each summer.”
Count Kraemer among those admirers. “The RPO can easily switch gears, from classical to marches to a Broadway show chart,” he says. “I don’t know any other orchestra as versatile.”
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s Summer 2025 begins Wednesday, June 2 at 8 p.m. with “Red, White, and Boom!” at Canandaigua Music and Arts Center. Information on all RPO summer concerts is available at rpo. org
The City of Rochester Parks Series, featuring free concerts by RPO chamber ensembles, begins Tuesday, July 8 at 6:30 p.m. with the RPO Jazz Trio performing at Barrington Park (Park Avenue and Barrington Street).
David Raymond is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer.
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