NYSMusic has published a stellar review of the Philharmonic's February 24, 2024 concert, Pops at the Forum:
On February 24, the Binghamton Philharmonic performed a crowd-pleasing pops concert – with a twist. In “Pops at the Forum,” rather than sticking to the timeworn pops formula of show tunes and light classics, Maestro Daniel Hege led the orchestra in a satisfyingly dynamic mix of opera excerpts, overtures, film music, and even rock.
The show spotlighted the talents of several of the Philharmonic’s world-class musicians. Principal cellist Hakan Tayga, along with percussionists Julie Licata, Steve Matthiesen, Sam Lazzara, and the father-daughter team of Joel and Elaina Smales, provided dramatic solos in Tan Dun’s atmospheric “Crouching Tiger” Concerto. Principal flutist Karen Bogardus and oboist Evan Ocheret phrased their solo lines sinuously in Fauré’s delicate Pavane in F-sharp minor. The orchestra’s trumpet section – Frank Campos, Ben Aldridge, and Jud Spena – brought the heat in Leroy Anderson’s toe-tapping “Bugler’s Holiday.” And the whole audience whistled along enthusiastically to the “Colonel Bogey” March (known to some as the “Comet” song!).