Daily News

Springfield Symphony Orchestra Performs at Patriots Season Opener

FOXBOROUGH — The Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO), led by Music Director and Conductor Kevin Rhodes, took part in last night’s pregame show at Gillette Stadium before the NFL season-opening game between the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rhodes and 50 members of the orchestra first provided the musical backdrop to the Patriots’ traditional tunnel run onto the field for the start of the game, with “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. Next, the SSO switched gears and musical genres to perform a two-minute segment from DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win,” with hip-hop artist T-Pain.

“It is exciting beyond words, and an honor beyond description, for the SSO to have experienced the largest audience in the history of the orchestra by a factor of, well … a lot,” Rhodes said. “This is truly for all of us, a performance to remember, and I would like to extend my personal gratitude to the staff, management, and musicians of the SSO for all the incredible coordination and organization it took to pull off such a performance on short notice. We are deeply moved to be able to be ambassadors of the city of Springfield in this way.”

Added SSO Executive Director Peter Salerno, “being able to show off the versatility and talent of our extraordinary musicians in front of a television audience of over 35 million viewers is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We thank the world champion New England Patriots for allowing us the honor to share in their championship moment at Gillette Stadium. The Springfield Symphony Orchestra, its donors, trustees, and patrons will cherish these moments forever. Go Pats!”

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1944, and is now the largest professional symphony in Massachusetts outside of Boston. Its 2015-16 concert season kicks off on Saturday, Oct. 3 and includes seven classical concerts and four pops concerts, all performed at Springfield Symphony Hall. For more information about the SSO, visit www.springfieldsymphony.org.