Fresh from opening his first season as music director of the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert takes the orchestra on a five-country Asian tour this month (Oct. 8–24; nyphil.org).
What’s special about the tour? First up is Japan, with one of the world’s most vibrant music scenes; audiences are knowledgeable and expect a lot. And I feel a connection—my mother’s Japanese.
Any travel must-haves? A special bag for music scores; iPod; rehearsal clothes; and my Amazon Kindle loaded with the New York Times, Murakami short stories, and the works of Shakespeare.
How do you like New York? I was born and raised here; now my family can experience the city—for them it will all be new.
Before embarking on its Asian tour, conductor Alan Gilbert leads the New York Philharmonic in works by Beethoven, Ives, and Magnus Lindberg, on October 1, 3 at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City.
New York Philharmonic tour dates:
October 8-10: Tokyo, Japan
October 12-13: Seoul, Korea
October 16-17: Hanoi, Vietnam
October 19-20: Singapore
October 23-24: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
