By Deborah Martin
The first time that conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane heard Roomful of Teeth play live, he was so taken with the Grammy-winning vocal ensemble that he did something a bit indiscreet.
After the performance, Kahane pulled aside the group’s co-artistic director and shared that he had been named the very first music director for the San Antonio Philharmonic — news that had not yet been made public. He asked if the group would be willing to collaborate with the orchestra.
That is when he learned that the guy he was talking to, co-artistic director Cameron Beauchamp, is from San Antonio. And he was on board with the idea.
And so Roomful of Teeth will be the first artistic partner for “Bach: Reflections and Reverberations,” a new initiative the philharmonic will launch next season. It is designed as a deep dive into Bach’s extensive choral works, including pieces that aren’t often performed.
The new music director shared the story at the news conference announcing his gig with the philharmonic.
Kahane, a Los Angeles native who has had a long and distinguished career playing and conducting around the world, is a big get for the orchestra. It is midway through its second season, though its roots run deep. The philharmonic sprang from the ashes of the San Antonio Symphony, which folded in 2022.
Kahane started coming here to work with the San Antonio Symphony in the early 1990s. He often played with and conducted the symphony, and he stayed in touch with the musicians after it shut down. He conducted the opening concert of the philharmonic’s current season; that’s when discussions started about the possibility of him joining the orchestra.
“We knew from the symphony days that Kahane was a great artist,” said Brian Petkovich, president of the board and acting principal bassoon. “We were excited to know that he was willing to come and conduct. And then conversations just grew from there. Basically, the opportunity was there, and it was just exciting to see that we were able to make that happen.
“He’s an incredible artist, incredible musician, incredible human being, and it’s just exciting news for the entire community.”
Kahane, Petkovich and Executive Director Roberto Trevino were able to hash out the details of the new post relatively swiftly.
“We were very much of like mind,” said Kahane. “They asked if I would like to be the music director, and I didn’t have to think very long about it, because I felt such a strong bond with the musicians and such a deep belief in what they have done, which I think is really quite heroic and remarkable in terms of resurrecting the orchestra out of a very difficult situation.”
The philharmonic will be the fourth orchestra Kahane has served as music director, following hitches with the Colorado Symphony in Denver, and the Santa Rosa Symphony and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in California.
He has a three-year commitment with the philharmonic beginning with the 2024-25 season. He intends to program works drawn from the traditional classical repertoire, as well as new works by a diverse range of composers. Next season will include pieces by such contemporary composers as Gabriela Ortiz, Jeff Scott, Peter Shin and Sarah Kirkland Snider.
First Baptist Church of San Antonio will remain the philharmonic’s home base, but it also will be performing some larger works a few blocks away at the Majestic Theatre. That includes a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the San Antonio Mastersingers.
The San Antonio Philharmonic’s ambitious third season will be its first under the direction of Kahane, who also will conduct most of the concerts.
Kahane has mapped out a series of concerts that includes two performances in November marking the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony; a January performance dedicated to the music of Selena; and the April debut of “Bach: Reflections and Reverberations,” a multi-year initiative dedicated to the composer’s work and his influence.
The season kicks off in September.
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“I think that we will eventually be able to bring the orchestra to a very, very high level, not just artistically but also in terms of its profile nationally and even internationally,” Kahane said. “My goal is nothing less than to see the San Antonio Philharmonic become a major force in American music.”
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