On the heels of symphonic debuts with the San Antonio Philharmonic and Richmond Symphony this spring, as well as the world premiere performance of National Geographic’s film concert Secrets of the Whales in Calgary, Alberta, conductor Anthony Parnther makes debuts this August with the Chicago Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and Cleveland Orchestra. This June he will return to the Music Academy of the West to conduct Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.
Other summer highlights include two programs at Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival and returns to the Philadelphia Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony. As the New York Times put it in its recent profile, Parnther is “a conductor for the future” with “a flourishing career.”Finally, with his own San Bernardino Symphony – where he’s in his fifth season as Music Director – Parnther conducts a Fourth of July celebration titled “America the Beautiful” that includes music from scores for The Wiz, The Wizard of Oz, and Wicked on July 6.
Dedicated to amplifying traditionally underrepresented voices, Parnther has long “used his platforms and rising profile to champion Black composers” (New York Times). He has consistently been an advocate for the music of Florence Price, and recently made his Atlanta Symphony Orchestra subscription concert debut conducting her Third Symphony, in addition to conducting it in recent months with the Richmond Symphony. This summer, he performs the same piece once again as he returns to the Music Academy of the West, on a program with Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Joan Huang’s Tujia Dance (June 29). After the Atlanta performance, ArtsATL declared:
“From the very opening measures, Parnther’s interpretation was a revelation. … [He] put the African American idioms in the foreground, and the music exploded with vitality and groove. … There was so much flair in his rhythms, and the ASO delivered the music with so much personality – Price’s personality – that when the movement came to an end, the audience laughed with happiness and almost broke into applause. … For conductors learning the piece, it should be the benchmark for how this wonderful music goes.”
Known as “Hollywood’s go-to conductor for epic projects” (Billboard), Parnther leads the Chicago Symphony at Ravinia as they celebrate the 15th anniversary of Disney and Pixar’s blockbuster Up, performing Michael Giacchino’s Academy Award-winning score alongside a screening of the film. Up has a special resonance for Parnther as he made his studio debut playing bassoon on the film’s original soundtrack recording. He also returns to the Philadelphia Orchestra this summer, conducting “Batman in Concert” to celebrate that film’s 35th anniversary. At the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago he conducts “Star Wars and More: The Music of John Williams” for two performances.