Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra trumpeter Herb Smith had not planned to head to the 2023 PGA Championship this week.
But then he got to hold the historic Wanamaker Trophy, which will be awarded to the winner on Sunday after four days of golf at the Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford.
“One look at the cup in all its shiny glory and I was humbled,” Smith said Wednesday. “I was actually surprised at how much I fangirled over the cup. How many people have held this cup? Then I thought how many people haven’t held this cup?
“Now I am super into the PGA. I’ll be there at Oak Hill this week for sure.”
This week, CBS Sports, which will be airing the final two rounds of the PGA, visited the RPO to film the orchestra for a brief opening segment, called a “tease,” on the Sunday broadcast. CBS filmed RPO during rehearsals for Opera in Concert: Rigoletto in Kodak Hall on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.
CBS Sports brought the trophy along for the filming.
“The PGA Championship is one of the biggest sporting events we cover, so we try to capture a little bit of something local for our broadcasts as we rotate to different cities,” CBS Sports Assistant Producer Chris Burns said in a statement. “Rochester has such a great music scene, and, when we found out that the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is celebrating its Centennial next season, we knew we had to pursue that angle.”
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According to the RPO, the segment will be between 90 seconds and two minutes and “will compare the dedication and drama of golfers competing in the PGA Championship with that of the RPO musicians performing Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, led by Music Director Andreas Delfs.”
Millions are expected to tune into the PGA broadcast and will likely see the opening segment.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: RPO to be featured on CBS Sunday for PGA Championship 2023 at Oak Hill