Philadelphia Sinfonia Returns from Argentina:
a Critical and Cultural Success

“Enthusiasm… and musical excellence”, exuded the music critic for Dario Uno, the largest newspaper in Mendoza, Argentina.

“The care given by the conductor in each phrase and in the execution of all aspects of the music brought about an expressive performance…. The talent of these musicians was rewarded in the euphoric response of the audience.” Dario Uno, June 26, 2009.

Fifty triumphant young musicians and their conductor, Gary White, returned July 3rd from the 2009 Philadelphia Sinfonia concert tour to Argentina. Moving by bus from Mendoza in the west to Buenos Aires in the east, the award-winning regional youth orchestra performed in beautiful, historic concert halls in Mendoza, Cordoba, Rosario and Buenos Aires.

The Argentine audiences packed the sold-out concert halls, called for multiple encores, and music critics and reporters from newspapers and from TV and radio stations stormed the conductor backstage following every performance.

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Commended in Argentina reviews for superior technical ability and evocative musicality, Philadelphia Sinfonia engaged its audience from the opening notes of Mozart’s Overture to The Abduction from the Seraglio, and sealed its connection to Argentina by closing each performance with the subtle and exquisite Melodia en Menor by Argentine Astor Piazzolla (the response to this piece was palpable) and a piece of Americana: selections from Bernstein’s West Side Story. 

Collaborations and cultural exchange in Buenos Aires added to the depth of Philadelphia Sinfonia’s mission and experience in Argentina. The orchestra shared a June 30th side-by-side performance with the young musicians from the Felix Bernasconi Institute’s music school, located in an underserved area of Buenos Aires, which evolved into an evening of eager conversation, instant friendship and email exchange between the musicians of each country. The following night, in its final tour performance, the Sinfonia strings were led by Maestro Lito Valle, conductor of the professional Banda Sinfonica of Buenos Aires, in Piazzolla’s Melodia en Menor. The orchestra and audience were both clearly moved by this unusual performance.

More quotations from La Prensa, Buenos  Aires

". . .[In] the Bankelsangerlieder  [for Brass Choir], nine soloists played the technical passages of 16th notes with delicate beauty, while a Telemann suite for strings [Don Quixote] was played with solid attacks, musical conviction and a good transition of dynamics . . .”

"Selections from 'West Side Story' were the high point of the evening:  with enjoyable swing and cadence, exquisite work by the percussion section, and a lovely, refined reading of the melodies that was never excessive, these selections were executed with grace by a maestro/conductor who always displayed clarity and malleable control over his young charges."

Philadelphia Sinfonia performs a local concert series each year and tours internationally every two years. In 2007 Philadelphia Sinfonia was selected by The Philadelphia Orchestra as its Side-by-Side Program partner and in 2008 was named Commended Winner in the 2008 Mark of Excellence “National Orchestra Honors Competition”.