Don Liuzzi, percussion & Friends

Don Liuzzi takes the stage at Perelman Theater on Monday, October 19, for a percussion-led program that serves as a farewell. It's part of his final season as Principal Timpanist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the whole evening is built around that transition.

Liuzzi has been with the orchestra since 1989, and he's not coming alone. He's joined by fellow percussionists Christopher Deviney, Angela Zator Nelson, and Charlie Rosmarin, along with soprano Ashley Marie Robillard, clarinetist Ricardo Morales, cellist Yumi Kendall, and pianist Charles Abramovic. Morales and Kendall are both long-time colleagues from the orchestra—Morales has been principal clarinet since 2003, and Kendall has been assistant principal cello since 2004.

The program leans toward the ethereal and the rarely heard. It opens with Takemitsu's Rain Tree and Becker's Water Lilies, followed by two of Liuzzi's own pieces, Seoul Spirit and River Flow. From there come The Next Stage by Babcock and Starfall by Vilseck. The night closes with Liuzzi's own arrangement of Debussy's Claire de lune, a piece that’s usually for piano but here gets a percussion makeover.

Liuzzi was born and raised in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and has spent more than three decades in the Philadelphia Orchestra. This concert is one of the final appearances of his tenure, so it's as much a send-off as it is a performance. It's part of the Philadelphia Classical Music Society's 2026-2027 season.

The show starts at 7:30 PM at the Kimmel Center, 300 South Broad Street, and runs about two hours including intermission. It's already sold out, with a waitlist running through the society's box office.