Juanjo Mena will be joined by Renée Fleming and Rod Gilfry, conducting the New York premiere of Kevin Puts’ The Brightness of Light with the New York Philharmonic at the Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. The concerts, which will take place on 16th, 17th and 18th May, will also feature Ravel’s complete ballet Daphnis et Chloé, for which the New York Philharmonic Chorus will join the orchestra. It is a work which is at the very heart of Mena’s repertoire, having led the Berlin Philharmonic last September in performances of the same work, to glowing reviews. “Juanjo Mena manages to make the [Berlin] Philharmonic shine and sparkle, and the audience rejoices.” (Felix Stephan, Berliner Morgenpost).

Mena, who announced back in January that he had been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease, continues to enjoy a varied schedule of concerts, having conducted the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and sold-out performances with the Spanish National Orchestra and Chorus in recent weeks. Following another performance of The Brightness of Light at Cincinnati’s May Festival, which he led for five years until 2023, he will close the 2024-25 season with performances with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, and at the Granada Festival in Spain.

Further information about Mena’s concerts with the New York Philharmonic can be found here.