The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra Hear the World in Providence!, with the Opening Night Classical Concert “Ilya and the Titan” on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. at The Vets, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence. This Opening Night concert begins Music Director Larry Rachleff’s 16th season with the orchestra.

Pianist Ilya Yakushev returns after his brilliant last minute fill-in performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 Opening Night last season, this time performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat major, op. 23. This visit to Moscow concert also includes Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D major, (Titan).

Resident Conductor Francisco Noya presents an informal talk about the concert program in the auditorium before the concert from 7-7:25. WPRO News Talk 630 is the media sponsor for the season; Almon and Suzanne Hall are the sponsors of the opening night concert.

Yakushev continues to mesmerize audiences at major venues on three continents. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in 2007, where his performances were hailed as some of the top classical music events of the year. Yakushev has also given recent performances with the Syracuse and Fairbanks Symphonies, the BBC Concert Orchestra and Keith Lockhart in London. Recent recital venues include Chicago's Ravinia, New York's Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Bechstein Center in Berlin and Vienna's Musikverein.

Yakushev received his first award at age 12 as a prize-winner of the Young Artists Concerto Competition in his native St. Petersburg, and he was also the winner of the 2005 World Piano Competition. Yakushev serves as Executive Director of the International Keyboard Institute and Festival at Mannes School of Music, a position he has held since 2002. For more information visit his website, www.ilyayakushev.com.

Tickets for all Philharmonic Classical concerts may be purchased 24/7 on the Philharmonic website www.riphil.org using MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover; www.vmari.org and www.arttixri.com. Tickets may also be purchased at the Philharmonic Box Office at 667 Waterman Ave., East Providence until Friday, Sept. 23 at 4 p.m., either by phone (248-7000) using MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover or in person during regular box office hours, Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the PPAC Box Office, 220 Weybosset St., Providence, either by phone (421-2787) or in person during regular box office hours, Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, the day of the concert, tickets are available onsite at the VMA Box Office, in person or by calling 421-2787 from 12 noon until 8:30 p.m. Ticket prices for the opening night concert range from $30 to $70 for adults with discounts in selected areas of the hall for full time students and groups of 10 or more. At 7:30 p.m. if there are tickets remaining, a full-time student presenting a valid student ID may buy one ticket for $12. There is free parking for all Philharmonic Classical concerts at designated lots along Smith Street with limited ADA parking just past Avenue of the Arts on Park Street. The Philharmonic provides a free shuttle bus to and from the parking lots before and after the concerts.

Subscriptions for the Classical Series (as well as tickets to all individual concerts) are available at the Philharmonic Box Office. Eight-concert subscription prices are $245, $265, $335, $420, $485 and $510 for Adults, with discounts for full-time students in selected seating sections. Eight-Concert Subscriptions are available until Friday afternoon, Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. at the Philharmonic Office. Mini-subscriptions, 7-6-5 and 4 classical concerts, are also available through the Philharmonic box office.