Bank of America Charitable Foundation Donates $50,000 to Support New RPO Veterans Recording

Rochester, NY – Thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra under Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, will record a new CD; Honor: An American Salute, will recognize the service and sacrifice of generations of Armed Forces veterans. Building on the success of its recent Gershwin CD, the RPO is poised to move in an important new direction to honor veterans and service personnel and to celebrate America’s great heritage. 

“There is no greater symbol of the strength of our community than our veterans, who gave so much to ensure freedom for the rest of us,” said Joseph R. Rulison, market president, Bank of America Rochester.  “Bank of America is pleased to work with the RPO to make this recording possible, which will inspire people through a premier musical presentation.  We are proud to be a part of this important project.”

Acknowledging the importance of the RPO in the community, Jeff Tyzik generously has agreed that his conductor and producer fees will be donated directly to the local Veterans Outreach Center Inc. (VOC) on South Avenue.  In addition, the RPO will donate a portion of the sale of every CD to the VOC.

With a March 2008 recording date, the RPO plans to have the CD ready for release by Armed Forces Day on May 17, 2008. The recording will feature both new and traditional patriotic favorites with three works by Tyzik making their recording debuts:  Bravo! Colorado, dedicated to the memory of President Gerald Ford (a World War II Navy veteran), American Celebration and Pleasant Valley Suite, commissioned in 2003 by the Genesee Country Village & Museum to commemorate its 25th Anniversary.  The recording will be rounded out by the Star-Spangled Banner, Sousa’s uplifting Stars and Stripes Forever and Tyzik’s own arrangement of the Armed Forces Song Medley.  Honor: An American Salute will be self-produced by the RPO, as it has done successfully with three other recordings, most recently last season’s A Holiday Celebration. 

“All of us in the RPO family are deeply grateful to Bank of America for its vision and generosity which make possible this thrilling and meaningful recording project,” said RPO President & CEO Charles Owens.  “We are proud to have this opportunity to honor America’s service personnel and veterans.  This recording – our third in the past year and a half – supports our mission and our long-term goal of bringing the Rochester Philharmonic, and by extension, the city of Rochester, to the attention of a national audience.”

Tyzik couldn’t agree more.  “The ‘Honor’ recording will have a long-term and enduring impact on its listeners and within the recording industry,” he said.  “With the increased visibility and recognition of our great orchestra through the success of our latest Gershwin CD, I feel strongly that the timing is perfect for such an important recording project.” Tyzik’s involvement in benefit concerts for veterans goes back to the 1980s and 1990s, which ultimately raised more than $75,000 for the local Veterans Outreach Center Inc. 

For those interested in getting a recording “preview,” the program will be performed in a free concert by Tyzik and the RPO on its Around the Town series on Wednesday, January 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Pittsford Sutherland High School (55 Sutherland Street).  Around the Town concerts are sponsored by The Gannett Foundation, The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, RG&E and the Rochester Area Community Foundation.  

Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy
Building on a longstanding tradition of investing in the communities it serves, Bank of America is in its fourth year of achieving an unprecedented 10-year goal to donate $1.5 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the health and vitality of their neighborhoods.  The Bank of America Charitable Foundation will give more than $225 million in 2008, making the bank the most generous financial institution in the world and the second-largest donor of all U.S. corporations in cash contributions.  Bank of America approaches giving through a national strategy called "neighborhood excellence" under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities.  Through Team Bank of America, bank associate volunteers contributed more than 625,000 hours in 2007 to enhance the quality of life in their communities nationwide.  For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.