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LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER telecasts the New York Philharmonic's 2008-09 season opening night concert, live from Avery Fisher Hall. "New York Philharmonic Opening Night Gala With Sir James Galway," which launches the philharmonic's 167th season and Lorin Maazel's last as the orchestra's music director, will open with Berlioz' "Roman Carnival Overture" and conclude with Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4. Renowned flutist Sir James Galway will be the soloist in Ibert's Flute Concerto. The program airs Wednesday, September 17, 2008, at 7 p.m. on KUED-Channel 7 and simultaneously in HD on KUED 7.2.

Irish flutist Galway is one of the most sought-after classical soloists today and performs in more than 100 international concerts each year. His professional career has included positions with the Royal Opera House, the BBC Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic. He also has been principal flute of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic. According to the Chicago Tribune, "His flute is the singing voice of a great operatic artist, spinning burnished and beautiful phrases in seamless arcs of liquid sound." A consummate entertainer who crosses musical boundaries, Galway can be heard on the soundtrack of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

Maazel, music director of the New York Philharmonic since September 2002, has led more than 150 orchestras in more than 5,000 opera and concert performances. He has conducted seven world premieres-New York Philharmonic commissions; led cycles of works by Brahms, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky; and taken the orchestra on numerous international tours, including the recent historic visit to Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

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