Beethoven's Fifth
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Wednesday • Aug 20, 2025 • 7:30pm
With perhaps the four most famous notes in classical music, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony has captured the attention of concertgoers for more than 200 years. It is a wide-ranging work that journeys from wonderful intensity to euphoric triumph, showcasing the composer’s brilliance.
One of classical music’s biggest rising stars, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason makes his SPAC debut performing Camille Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1. Kanneh-Mason was propelled into the spotlight after he performed at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle in 2018, an event watched by nearly two billion people worldwide. Since then, he has maintained an active performance calendar, appearing with many of the world’s leading orchestras including multiple engagements with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Most recently, he made his Carnegie Hall debut with his sister Isata, who made her SPAC and Philadelphia Orchestra debut in 2023.
The program opens with SPAC premiere of English composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s beautiful and lyrical work Ballade in A minor.
Program
| Coleridge-Taylor | Ballade in A minor* |
| Saint-Saëns | Cello Concerto No. 1 |
| Beethoven | Symphony No. 5 |
*Indicates SPAC premiere
Performers
Naomi Woo* | conductor
Sheku Kanneh-Mason* | cello
*Indicates SPAC debut
Canadian conductor and pianist Naomi Woo is a widely sought-after symphonic and operatic conductor and educator. Assistant conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, where her duties include assisting Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin as well as other guest conductors and leading the Orchestra in select concerts, she is also music director of NYO Canada and artistic partner of the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montreal.
In the 2024–25 season, Ms. Woo made debuts with The Philadelphia Orchestra, London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, the Edmonton Symphony, the Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra, and the Royal Conservatory Orchestra in Toronto. Return engagements include the Toronto Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic, the Vancouver Symphony, and the Orchestre Métropolitain.
Ms. Woo’s previous season engagements include the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic, the Ann Arbor Symphony, Orchestra NOW (New York), the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and Regina Symphony, and her debut at LSO St. Luke’s in London with the ensemble Tangram Sound. She was assistant conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony from 2019 to 2023 and appeared with that orchestra on multiple occasions. On the opera stage, she has conducted the Canadian premiere of Du Yun’s Pulitzer Prize–winning Angel’s Bone in Vancouver and the world premiere of Ellis Ludwig-Leone’s The Night Falls in New York City. In 2022 she assisted in the world premiere of Oliver Leith’s Last Days at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and return to assist Thomas Adès with the same work for its United States premiere with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Ms. Woo holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, where she was a Gates Cambridge Scholar. She also studied mathematics, philosophy, and music at Yale College, the Yale School of Music, and the University of Montreal.
Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s mission is to make music accessible to all, whether that’s performing for children in a school hall, at an underground club, or in the world’s leading concert venues. Highlights of the 24/25 season include the Konzerthaus Berlin as Artist in Residence, Lucerne Festival 2024 as Artiste Étoile, Czech Philharmonic in Prague and on tour with both Jakub Hrůša and Semyon Bychkov, Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra with Paavo Järvi, WDR Symphony Cologne with Cristian Măcelaru, Orchestre National de Lyon with Leonard Slatkin, Sinfonia of London with John Wilson on tour in the UK, SWR Symphony Stuttgart with Christoph Eschenbach, Camerata Salzburg on tour, Pittsburgh Symphony with Manfred Honeck, New World Symphony with Stéphane Denève, Philadelphia Orchestra with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and City of Birmingham Symphony with Kazuki Yamada.
With his pianist sister, Isata, he makes his duo recital debut in recital debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium in a programme featuring a newly commissioned piece by Natalie Klouda. The pair also appear on tour in Bordeaux, Rome, Cincinnati, Toronto, Philadelphia, Dublin, Munich, Berlin, Antwerp, Haarlem, the Rheingau Festival, and at London’s Wigmore Hall. Sheku also appears with duo partners guitarist Plinio Fernandes, and jazz pianist Harry Baker.
Since his debut in 2017, Sheku has performed every summer at the BBC Proms, including as soloist at the 2023 Last Night of the Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop. In 2024, his family-friendly Proms appearances with the Fantasia Orchestra were designed to introduce orchestral classical music to a new generation of music lovers. Sheku also returns to Antigua, where he has family connections, as an ambassador for the Antigua and Barbuda Youth Symphony Orchestra.
A Decca Classics recording artist, Sheku appears on the May 2024 recording of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto alongside Nicola Benedetti, Benjamin Grosvenor, and the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali. His 2022 album, Song, showcases his innately lyrical playing in a wide and varied range of arrangements and collaborations. Sheku’s 2020 album Elgar reached No. 8 in the overall Official UK Album Chart, making him the first ever cellist to reach the UK Top 10. Sheet music collections of his performance repertoire along with his own arrangements and compositions are published by Faber.
Sheku is a graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Music where he studied with Hannah Roberts and in May 2022 was appointed as the Academy’s first Menuhin Visiting Professor of Performance Mentoring. In 2024 he accepted the role as patron of UK Music Masters and remains an ambassador for both Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Future Talent. Sheku was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List. After winning the BBC Young Musician competition in 2016, Sheku’s performance at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle in 2018 was watched by two billion people worldwide. He plays a Matteo Goffriller cello from 1700 which is on indefinite loan to him.
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 (compostable, plastic, reusable, etc).
- 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
- Metal utensils
- 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.
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.