(NOTE: Due to incorrect information provided, an earlier version of this article gave the wrong date for the start of ticket sales.)

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — We may still be a few months away, but Rochester is gearing up for the Total Solar Eclipse.

For three minutes and 38 seconds on April 8, 2024, the Greater Rochester Area will be plunged into complete darkness, as the moon creeps across the sun.

To welcome the tens of thousands of visitors expected in our area, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has teamed up with many cultural organizations to put on the performance of a lifetime.

The RPO Eclipse Spectacular will run one night only, the evening before the eclipse. 

“We knew for a while the eclipse was coming, I think for hundreds of years, we knew it would descend on us,” RPO Music Director Andreas Delfs joked. “So [we] put together something not only to combine the universal planetary event with beautiful music, but to bring the community together.”

The live performance will feature original compositions as well as interstellar classics (like Star Wars) paired together with a performance from the Rochester City Ballet, and choral work from various organizations. Tickets, starting at $27, will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 7.

There will also be a laser light show and a special message from NASA astronauts. 

“This spectacular event reflects exactly who we are. we’re a community dedicated to the arts, we’re dedicated to creativity, we’re dedicated to progress. So, that spotlight of the world aimed in our direction, we are going to shine,” Eclipse Task Force Chair Debra Ross said.

Rochester is one of few cities directly in the center of the path of totality. To learn more about how the Flower City is preparing for this once-in-a-lifetime experience, click here. 

The next total solar eclipse in the United States will be in about 21 years, on August 23, 2044. The next total solar eclipse that will pass through our area will be in about 120 years.