Gershwin’s An American in Paris

Experience works by American composers with The Philadelphia Orchestra, led by rising star New Zealand conductor Gemma New, making her SPAC debut.

The program opens with Montgomery’s Strum for string orchestra, a folk-inspired and layered piece that speaks to the versatility of modern classical music.

GRAMMY Award-winning pianist Michelle Cann also makes her SPAC debut with two works: Ravel’s lush, jazz-influenced Piano Concerto in G major and Florence Price’s once-lost Piano Concerto in One Movement. Cann is known as a leading performer of the previously unpublished work by Price, a prolific composer and the first African American woman to have a piece performed by a major orchestra. Closing out the program is Gershwin’s atmospheric An American in Paris, another jazz-inspired piece beloved by concertgoers.

Ticketing and parking

• All e-tickets for The Philadelphia Orchestra will be sent one week prior to the performance date. Please contact the Box Office with any questions at 518-584-9330.
• Web & phone ticket purchases will incur a $7 service fee; no fees are applied for in-person ticket purchases at the Box Office.
• Premier parking is available as an optional upgrade for $20 (limited spaces) and provides access to the Route 50 entry gate. General admission parking is free.

Permitted items

• Food, beverages, and disposable utensils (compostable, plastic, reusable, etc.)
• Blankets and breathable ground coverings
• Umbrellas (personal-sized only permitted on the amphitheater lawn)
• Lawn chairs (must not exceed 43" in height when opened; chairs on the center amphitheater lawn must not exceed 26" when opened)
• Tents are not permitted on the Amphitheater lawn or immediately in front of the Charles R. Wood Discovery Stage

Items not permitted

• Metal utensils
• Plastic tarps
• Lawn chairs over 43" in height when opened
• Tents on the Amphitheater lawn or immediately in front of the Charles R. Wood Discovery Stage
• 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

Ground rules

• Security procedure: all bags will be inspected and all persons will be searched via metal detectors. Bags include but are not limited to coolers, baskets, tote bags, purses, diaper bags, strollers, and other containers. Any item not permitted should be disposed of or returned to your vehicle.
• Smoking is permitted on the SPAC grounds in designated areas only. Please dispose of cigarette butts properly.
• Guests may bring items such as blankets and umbrellas but should consider others; disruptive items may be asked to be removed.
• Reentry is permitted for SPAC-produced events; obtain a reentry wristband from staff at the gates prior to exiting the venue.
• SPAC has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind. If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, immediately report concerns to SPAC staff or security personnel.

Amphitheater house rules for classical performances

• "House" refers to seating inside the amphitheater and these rules apply to SPAC-produced events.
• Beverages are permitted in the amphitheater, but food is not.
• As a courtesy to performers and the audience, guests arriving after the performance begins will not be seated until an appropriate opportunity at the discretion of House Staff.
• Please turn off or silence all mobile devices prior to the start of the program. If an emergency requires phone use, step outside the theater to avoid disturbing others.
• Video, photography, audio, or cell phone recording during performances is prohibited.

Artists

Gemma New (ONZM) is Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. She received the 2021 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award and was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2024.

Highlights of New’s 2025/2026 season include debuts with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, SWR Sinfonieorchester, and a production with Houston Grand Opera leading Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. She returns to lead the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, BBC Scottish Symphony, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. In her fourth season as Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, New conducts fall 2025 performances in Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland, featuring the world premiere of an NZSO commission by Tabea Squire and collaborations with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and saxophonist Jess Gillam. Other NZSO highlights include performances of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 and Mahler’s Sixth Symphony.

2023/2024 marked New’s ninth and final season as Music Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. She has served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Resident Conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Associate Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony. A former Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Conducting Fellow at Tanglewood Music Center, New received Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Awards in 2017, 2019, and 2020, before the 2021 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.

Lauded as “exquisite” by The Philadelphia Inquirer and “a pianist of sterling artistry” by Gramophone, GRAMMY Award–winning pianist Michelle Cann is one of the most sought-after artists of her generation. Recent engagements include appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, and Orquestra Sinfônica Municipal de São Paulo.

Highlights of Cann’s 2025–26 season include appearances with the Colorado Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and Ireland’s National Symphony Orchestra. She performs the world premiere of a new piano concerto by Valerie Coleman with the National Symphony Orchestra. Her recital appearances include Stanford Live, Music Toronto, Chamber Music Detroit, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Spivey Hall, and a recital tour in China.

Recognized as a leading interpreter of the piano music of Florence Price, Cann performed the New York City premiere of Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement with The Dream Unfinished Orchestra in 2016. Her recording of the concerto with the New York Youth Symphony won a GRAMMY Award in 2023 for Best Orchestral Performance. She won a GRAMMY Award in 2025 for Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price, recorded with soprano Karen Slack. Her debut solo album Revival, featuring music by Price and Margaret Bonds, was released in 2023.

Cann holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and an Artist’s Diploma from Curtis Institute of Music. She joined the Curtis piano faculty in 2020 as the inaugural Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies and is on the piano faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.