US Tour | California: Isata Kanneh-Mason and Vasily Petrenko

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (London, U.K.) is uncompromising in its pursuit of excellence and inclusive in its appeal to music lovers of all stripes. Embracing a broad repertoire has allowed the orchestra to build a diverse live and online audience of more than 60 million people. In 2021, the orchestra welcomed Music Director Vasily Petrenko—and the chemistry between conductor and musicians has been palpable. As The Arts Desk puts it, "Petrenko's left hand was hypnotic to watch, shaping phrases, highly expressive and fluid. The players responded by giving it their all, thrillingly, elementally."

The program features a pair of monumental Russian masterworks, an ideal match for the maestro. Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason—the orchestra's 2022-23 artist-in-residence and recipient of the coveted Leonard Bernstein Award—joins the ensemble for Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto, a multi-themed piece filled with virtuosic melodic invention. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will close the evening with a performance of Rachmaninov's sumptuous Second Symphony.