Philharmonia Baroque’s Annual Gala will Feature a World Premiere Performance

The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale (PBO) has scheduled its Annual Winter Gala for next month. This year the occasion will celebrate PBO’s latest initiative, New Music for Old Instruments. As part of this initiative, Gala festivities will include the world-premiere performance of “Rose,” a newly commissioned piece by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Caroline Shaw. The piece was written for soprano Dominique Labelle, who will be honored for her extraordinary artistic contributions throughout her career, which includes 24 performances with PBO since 1994.

The New Music for Old Instruments initiative will then continue into the following season. The concert to be performed this coming October will present the United States premiere of “The Judas Passion.” Sally Beamish composed this piece on a commission that PBO shared with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in London.

Gala festivities will begin with a cocktail party and silent auction. PBO Music Director Nicholas McGegan will then lead Labelle and members of the Orchestra in the performance of “Rose.” Following the performance, McGegan will present Labelle with her achievement award, after which an elegant sit-down dinner will be served. The evening will also include a student musician performance, and the dinner will be followed by a festive afterparty featuring a premium Scotch tasting.

This year’s Gala will be held on Friday, March 10, with cocktails beginning at 6:30 p.m. The venue will be the St. Regis San Francisco, located at 125 3rd Street, adjacent to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and across the street from Yerba Buena Gardens. A Web page on the PBO Web site has been created with registration information. Basic admission is the $550 Patron rate with a VIP Guarantor rate of $800. There is also a special $200 for those under the age of forty. It is also possible to register a table with seating for ten at both the Patron level ($5500) and the Guarantor level ($8000). Those who wish further information or to register by phone may call Andrea Sáenz at 415-252-1288, extension 300.