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Century to Century: Symphonic Celebration
NPR's Year 2000
Symphonic Celebration

New Year's Eve, 7pm ET to 2am ET

7:00 PM ET, New Year's Eve

NPR's "Symphony Central" commences the festivities, as hosts Martin Goldsmith and Suzanne Bona billboard the evenings great events.

7:30 PM ET (Live with the New York Philharmonic)

The evening will begin in New York, with a performance by the New York Philharmonic. Music Director Kurt Masur conducts the Philharmonic and special guest violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter in a program that will include the Violin Concerto in E by Bach, followed by Beethoven's 9th Symphony (beginning at 8:00 PM ET). New York's host will be John Schaefer, of NPR member station WNYC in New York, one of the most familiar voices to public-radio listeners in the city.

9:00 PM ET (The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)

After the conclusion of Beethoven's Ninth in New York, we will join a performance by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Conductor Robert Spano will lead a mostly American program - we know so far of the Bernstein: Candide Overture and the Candide Suite, plus Gershwin's "American in Paris."

10:30 PM ET (on to Philadelphia)

From Atlanta we join the Philadelphia Orchestra and Academy of Music. After a greeting from the mayor, the orchestra, under the baton of André Raphel Smith, will present an All-American program of works from Duke Ellington, Leroy Anderson, and Aaron Copland. Then, legendary Broadway star Barbara Cook takes to the stage for a medley culminating in a champagne toast and a roaring sing-along rendition of Auld Lang Syne at midnight.

12:00 MIDNIGHT ET (out to San Francisco)

We leave Philadelphia's grand party for conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony with guest artists Audra MacDonald, soprano, Frederica Von Stade, mezzo-soprano, the San Francisco Klezmer Experience and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

Have you checked out our Jazz Party?--another marathon of midnights with live music.

André Raphel Smith, conductor, Philadelphia Orchestra


Kurt Masur, Music Director, New York Philharmonic


Robert Spano, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra conductor


Audra MacDonald, soprano, featured with the San Francisco Symphony


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