Angélique Kidjo with The Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Friday • Aug 02, 2024 • 7:30pm
Following her 2023 Saratoga Jazz Festival debut, five-time GRAMMY® award winner and African music icon Angélique Kidjo joins The Philadelphia Orchestra in an all-new program featuring a mix of popular African songs and original works.
Performers
Miguel Harth-Bedoya | conductor
Angelique Kidjo | vocalist
Angélique Kidjo
Five-time GRAMMY® Award winner Angélique Kidjo is one of the greatest artists in international music today, a creative force with sixteen albums to her name. Time Magazine has called her “Africa’s premier diva”, and named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2021. The BBC has included her in its list of the continent’s 50 most iconic figures, and in 2011 The Guardian listed her as one of their Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World. Forbes Magazine has ranked Angelique as the first woman in their list of the Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa. She is the recent recipient of the prestigious 2015 Crystal Award given by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the 2016 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award, the 2018 German Sustainability Award, the 2023 Vilcek Prize in Music, and the 2023 Polar Music Prize.
As a performer, her striking voice, stage presence and fluency in multiple cultures and languages have won respect from her peers and expanded her following across national borders. Kidjo has cross-pollinated the West African traditions of her childhood in Benin with elements of American R&B, funk and jazz, as well as influences from Europe and Latin America.
Miguel Harth-Bedoya
Celebrating more than 30 years of professional conducting, Miguel Harth-Bedoya has recently concluded tenures as Chief Conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (7 seasons) and as Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (20 seasons), where he now holds the title of Music Director Laureate. With a deep commitment to passing on his experience to the next generation of musicians, he is currently the Mary Franks Thompson Director of Orchestral Studies at Baylor University, and Music Director of the Baylor Symphony Orchestra. He has also established The Conducting Institute to teach the fundamentals of conducting to students ages high school and up, of all levels, through an intensive summer program, workshops, courses, and seminars.
Harth-Bedoya conducts orchestras worldwide such as the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, City of Birmingham Orchestra, National Orchestra of Spain, New Zealand Symphony, Sydney Symphony, NHK Symphony, and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Equally at home in opera, Harth-Bedoya makes his Metropolitan Opera debut in 24/25 conducting Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar, and this season leads La bohème at the Fort Worth Opera. He has led traditional productions with The English National Opera, Canadian Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Bremen Opera, among others. He has also conducted world premiere performances of Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain, Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar at the Santa Fe Opera, and additional productions with the Cincinnati Opera and at the New Zealand Festival.
Harth-Bedoya has an impressive discography of over 25 recordings, including critically-acclaimed albums on Harmonia Mundi, Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, LAWO, Naxos, and MSR Classics.
He is the Artistic and Managing Director of Caminos del Inka, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the rich musical legacy of the Americas.
Born and raised in Peru, Harth-Bedoya received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and his Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, both under the guidance of Otto-Werner Mueller.
Our 2024 New York City Ballet & The Philadelphia Orchestra residencies are made possible with support from DeCrescente, Mackey Auto Group and Kids in Free sponsor, Fenimore Asset Management, as well as, additional supporting corporate sponsors & individual contributors.
“Kids in Free” Presented by Fenimore Asset Management
Did you know?! Children 12 and under are free on the lawn for Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival and all performances of New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra (excluding movie nights, and An Evening with John Legend, when they are 50% off).
Children 12 and under are also 50% off in amphitheater for Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival and all performances of New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra (excluding An Evening with John Legend).
No tickets are required for Kids in Free admission with an accompanying adult ticket holder – go directly to the gate! Made possible by Fenimore Asset Management.
SPAC Amphitheater
Our main stage has a 25,000 person capacity with sheltered seats for 5,200 people and a sloping lawn for an additional 20,000 people.
SPAC Amphitheater Ground Rules
Applicable for classical events including New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra. View Live Nation event ground rules here.
Permitted Items
- Food, beverages, and disposable utensils.
- Picnic blankets and breathable ground coverings.
- Umbrellas and chairs are permitted, but will be restricted by sizing for use on the main amphitheater lawn, as follows:
- Lawn chairs must not exceed 43” when collapsed.
- Lawn chairs on the center amphitheater lawn must not exceed 26″ in height when opened.
- Only personal-sized umbrellas will be permitted on the lawn.
- NO tents of any size will be permitted on the amphitheater lawn.
Items Not Permitted
- Plastic tarps
- Tents are prohibited from the Amphitheater lawn.
- Grills, cooking equipment, or any flame that uses a liquid, gas, or gel accelerant.
- Laser pointers
- Drones
- Professional audio or video recording equipment
- Cameras with detachable lenses
- Bikes, rollerblades, skateboards, scooters, etc.
- Pets (except ADA approved service animals)
- Illegal drugs or substances
- Weapons of any kind
Grounds:
- To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all SPAC visitors and staff, all containers and packages will be inspected. This includes coolers, baskets, tote bags, purses, diaper bags, strollers, and all other containers.Any item that is not permitted to come onto the SPAC grounds should be disposed of or returned to your vehicle.
- Smoking is permitted on the SPAC grounds in designated areas only.Please ensure that all cigarette butts are disposed of properly.
- Guests are welcome to bring blankets and umbrellas but please consider others around you- if your items are disruptive to others, you may be asked to remove them.
- In the event that guests are unable to sit through the entire performance, please note that there is a grassy area behind the Julie Bonacio Family Pavilion with access to a video screen which would allow guests to continue watching the performance.
House:
- Beverages are permitted in the amphitheater, but food is not.
- As a courtesy to the performers and the audience, latecomers won’t be seated until the earliest appropriate opportunity in the performance at the discretion of the House Staff.
- Please turn off or silence all mobile devices prior to the start of the program.Texting and making calls in the theater is not allowed. Should an emergency arise in which you must use a mobile device, we ask that you step outside of the theater to avoid disturbing other guests.
- Video, photography, audio, or cell phone recording during performances is prohibited.
- SPAC has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind, including but not limited to race, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender presentation, sexual orientation, age, ability, religion, and citizenship. Harassment includes but is not limited to stalking, verbal or physical intimidation, offensive verbal comments, physical assault and/or battery, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome physical attention. If you are made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe, please immediately report any concerns to SPAC staff or security personnel so appropriate action can be taken.
All SPAC ground rules are subject to change. By entering the SPAC grounds, guests agree to abide by the rules listed above. Management reserves the right to modify these rules or can request to see the contents of any belongings brought on property at their discretion. We appreciate your cooperation in maintaining the utmost levels of safety and convenience for our guests and staff.
Where to Stay
Whether you’re visiting from out of town, or want to stay the night nearby after an event, Saratoga Springs has a place waiting for you. As part of our commitment to the community, SPAC is proud to collaborate with preferred hotel partners to offer the best experience to our guests.
Group Sales
Experience SPAC together! From groups of friends and family to corporate outings, senior centers, summer camps, and arts schools, we can curate a special experience for your group of 10 or more. We offer discounts, flexible options and can work with your group leader to tailor your needs for a memorable day.
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