The 2020 Giving Guide is a unique blend of independently owned and operated businesses in a variety of industries, such as retail, food, dining, arts, non-profit, and more, all designed to encourage WNY residents to #shoplocal. Sponsored by Visit Buffalo Niagara and Erie County, the 2020 guide includes 25 locally-owned and operated businesses throughout the region. Click here to view the 2020 Giving Guide.
Music Matters. We experience it in most facets of our lives, whether it’s in the car as we drive, while we a watch TV show or movie, or just want something to play in the background as we work. Whether we realize it or not, music, and by extension orchestras, play a huge role in our lives. They perform accompanying music in theatre, movies, and at special events. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra has contributed immensely to that role in Buffalo.
Founded in 1935, the BPO has been an integral part of Buffalo for close to a century. It moved to its permanent home at Kleinhans Music Hall in 1940. During the Great Depression, the orchestra was initially supported by funds from the Works Progress Administration and the Emergency Relief Bureau. Over the decades, the orchestra has matured in stature under outstanding music directors including William Steinberg, Josef Krips, Lukas Foss, Michael Tilson Thomas, Julius Rudel, Semyon Bychkov, Maximiano Valdes, and now JoAnn Falletta. Many distinguished guest performers have graced the orchestra’s stage, including Sergei Rachmaninoff, Isaac Stern, Aaron Copland, Van Cliburn, Yo-Yo Ma, and Renée Fleming. The Buffalo Philharmonic has issued more than 50 recordings in its history. It has toured abroad twice; a six-city European tour in 1988, and a four-city tour of Poland in 2018.
The BPO continues to work with various organizations through its community education and outreach programs. Through the BPO’s longstanding and growing partnership with the Buffalo Public Schools, the number of urban students participating in the Buffalo Philharmonic’s education programs has increased from 6,000 students to over 19,000 students annually. All of the district’s 1st – 6th graders attend a BPO youth concert each fall. In addition, the students at Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts perform in a side-by-side concert with the orchestra. The diverse population of students on the West Side of Buffalo participate in the West Side Connection each year as well. West Side Connection was awarded the 2015 Yale Distinguished Music Partnership Award for its work with refugee and immigrant students in the Buffalo Public Schools.
With musical offerings for every taste, a longstanding commitment to diversity, a legacy for recording, tours both domestic and abroad, and programs serving tens of thousands of students each year, your BPO is a community treasure. Despite Covid-19 having caused most organizations to postpone or cancel their seasons, the BPO has found a way to continue providing western New Yorkers with much-needed live music video-streamed through its BPO On Demand series. Upcoming concerts include Mozart and Tchaikovsky, Havana Nights, Charlie Parker; Easy to Love!, and so much more, including four free video gifts-to-the-community performances coming each week from December 29 through January 19.
Compose your own multi-concert ticket package with your favorite BPOnDemand programs – 10 concerts for $89, 5 concerts for $46, or 3 concerts for $33. BPO On Demand tickets are the perfect gift for that music lover in your life.
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 14201
716-885-5000
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Tickets
FREE CONCERT SERIES | BPO Out of the Box
BPO Out of the Box is a traveling music video series that showcases the talent of our musicians, recognizes the power of music, and celebrates the resilient spirit of the City of Good Neighbors. Details at Website | Facebook | Instagram.
- December 29, 2020 | Bask in the setting sun on the evening of the summer solstice at Graycliff Conservancy
- January 5, 2021 | Honor Buffalo’s historic past and celebrate its rebirth at Buffalo River and Grain Elevators
- January 12, 2021 | Experience the restoration and marvel at the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin Martin House
- January 18, 2021 | Fall in love all over again with the magnificent power of Niagara Falls
Broadcast at 7:00 PM, these free videos can be streamed as often as you wish for an additional 30 days following each week’s performance. Sign up to receive information and announcement about upcoming events.
Sponsored by Hodgson Russ LLP | Buffalo Common Council Member Mitch Nowakowski, Fillmore District | Buffalo Common Council Member Joel Feroleto, Delaware District | Niagara Falls State Park | Media Sponsor, Buffalo Rising
VISIT BUFFALO NIAGARA
This season we challenge WNY to shop and dine local, and help preserve all the businesses that make Erie County and WNY a unique and diverse place to live. While shopping, feel free to snap a photo of the shop, location, products, or yourself and use the tags, #shop716challenge | #dine716challenge
The Erie County Business Task Force recently launched the Shop716 card, an electronic gift card which can be used at any participating store or restaurant. To purchase an egift card and to check out participating locations, visit their website.