Choose Your Own Bonus Concert!
All 21/22 CSO & Pops series packages include a bonus concert voucher to exchange for another performance of your choosing. We invite you to unleash your curiosity and discover new programs that excite or challenge you, or bring a friend and introduce them to the Orchestra—you choose!
Bonus vouchers can be exchanged for many 21/22 season performances, including some special concerts! View all eligible concerts below and look for details coming soon on family films, exciting multimedia projects, chamber performances, and more! When you're ready to exchange, give our friendly Box Office staff a call at 513.381.3300 (MON-FRI 10-5; SAT 10-2).
*Daniil Trifonov and Itzhak Perlman recitals are not eligible for exchange. Additional charges may apply for seat upgrades or exchanges into special concerts.
PIXAR'S COCO
Film with Live Orchestra
Fri Sep 17, 2021 | 7:30 pm
Sat Sep 18, 2021 | 2:00 pm
Sarah Hicks, conductor
Frederico Ramos, guitar
Follow 12-year-old Miguel on an extraordinary musical journey in this Academy Award® winner for Best Animated Feature Film.
Tickets on sale now.
CSO PROOF: ANNO Anna Meredith & Vivaldi's Four Seasons
Thu Oct 7, 2021 | 8:00 pm
Fri Oct 8, 2021 | 8:00 pm
Louis Langrée, conductor
Anna Meredith, electronics
Eleanor Meredith, video
Simon Hendry, sound design
Charles Morey, violin
At times haunting and achingly beautiful, at others punchy and bombastic, ANNO intertwines sections from Vivaldi's hugely famous Four Seasons with newly composed electronic and acoustic music by Anna Meredith. Learn more.
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Film with Live Orchestra
Sat Oct 23, 2021 | 7:30 pm
Sun Oct 24, 2021 | 2:00 pm
Christopher Dragon, conductor
“This is Halloween!”
FREEDOM & JOY
Fri Oct 29, 2021 | 7:30 pm
Sat Oct 30, 2021 | 7:30 pm
Louis Langrée, conductor
Stefani Matsuo, violin
Drew Petersen, piano
Our opening concerts symbolize the freedom and joy in being able to gather together to share live music. The program features Brahms’ blockbuster Third Symphony—an outburst of freedom and joy. Pianist Drew Petersen joins concertmaster Stefani Matsuo for Brahms’ Scherzo movement from the collaborative F-A-E Sonata and then performs Andrew Norman’s enigmatic Suspend, which explores melodic fragments from both of Brahms' works.
This program is part of CSO Series 2.
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Program
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JOHANNES BRAHMS:
F-A-E Sonata, Scherzo
ANDREW NORMAN:Suspend, a fantasy for piano and orchestra
JOHANNES BRAHMS:Symphony No. 3
GAFFIGAN CONDUCTS MAHLER 4
Sat Nov 13, 2021 | 7:30 pm
Sun Nov 14, 2021 | 2:00 pm
James Gaffigan, conductor
Robert Sullivan, trumpet
Catherine Trottmann, soprano
Conductor James Gaffigan returns with Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, a work depicting the stunning grace often found amid tragedy. Soprano Catherine Trottmann makes her CSO debut, and Principal Trumpet Robert Sullivan takes center stage with a rarely heard 18th-century gem by the little-known Czech composer Johann Baptist Georg Neruda.
This program is part of CSO Series 3.
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Program
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JOHANN BAPTIST GEORG NERUDA:
Trumpet Concerto
GUSTAV MAHLER:
Symphony No. 4
MANNY, HAYDN & BEETHOVEN 8
Fri Nov 19, 2021 | 11:00 am
Sat Nov 20, 2021 | 7:30 pm
Louis Langrée, conductor
Emanuel Ax, piano
Emanuel Ax, a perpetual audience favorite, performs Haydn's shimmering Concerto in D. Composer Sebastian Currier took Louis Langrée’s CSO commission instructions literally: each of the four movements in Track 8 parallels a movement of Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony, in what Currier calls “a Beethoven remix.”
This program is part of CSO Series 1.
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Program
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LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN:
Symphony No. 8
FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN:Concerto in D Major
SEBASTIAN CURRIER:
Track 8 [World Premiere, CSO Commission]
DEBUSSY, RAVEL & MENDELSSOHN
Fri Nov 26, 2021 | 7:30 pm
Sat Nov 27, 2021 | 7:30 pm
Roderick Cox, conductor
Conrad Tao, piano
Roderick Cox’s CSO debut takes us into the sound world of the imagination, with works by composers who used the full palette of orchestral colors to illustrate their vision. Mallarmé’s poem depicting a faun’s ephemeral fantasies inspired Debussy’s most famous work. Pianist Conrad Tao performs Ravel’s concerto inspired by jazz and Basque folk music, and Mendelssohn’s Scottish evokes the dramatic landscapes of the British Isles.
This program is part of CSO Series 2.
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Program
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CLAUDE DEBUSSY:
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun)
MAURICE RAVEL:
Piano Concerto in G Major
FELIX MENDELSSOHN:Symphony No. 3, Scottish
HOLIDAY POPS
Fri Dec 3, 2021 | 7:30 pm
Sat Dec 4, 2021 | 7:30 pm
Sun Dec 5, 2021 | 2:00 pm
Fri Dec 10, 2021 | 7:30 pm
Sat Dec 11, 2021 | 7:30 pm
Sun Dec 12, 2021 | 2:00 pm
John Morris Russell, conductor
Aubrey Logan, vocalist
Michael Preacely, vocalist
Joy to the world! Cincinnati’s beloved holiday tradition returns with music, warmth, laughter and seasonal inspiration for the entire family. Gather those dear to you to share unforgettable memories in the grandeur of a Music Hall adorned with wondrous decorations and joyful song.
This program is included in the Friday, Saturday and Sunday Pops Series.
STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI
Film with Live Orchestra
Wed Dec 29, 2021 | 7:00 pm
Thu Dec 30, 2021 | 7:00 pm
Damon Gupton, conductor
“I am a Jedi, like my father before me….”
NEW YEAR'S EVE AT MUSIC HALL: SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED
Fri Dec 31, 2021 | 8:00 pm
John Morris Russell, conductor
Capathia Jenkins, vocalist
Ron Bohmer, vocalist
The countdown stops at 007. John Morris Russell leads a thrilling Top Secret program featuring iconic themes and famous music from the longest-running franchise in movie history. Shake things up with all things James Bond, including hits like Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, The World Is Not Enough and more. Ring in this New Year in style!
DAWSON, BEETHOVEN & BERNSTEIN: A Shared Humanity
Sat Jan 8, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sun Jan 9, 2022 | 2:00 pm
James Conlon, conductor
James Conlon, May Festival Music Director Laureate, returns with works by three composers who touch on universal themes of cultural identity and our shared humanity. Dawson, a pioneering composer in his time, expresses the Black American experience while Beethoven's and Bernstein’s works illustrate the conflicts between cultures thrown together through circumstance.
This program is part of CSO Series 3.
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Program
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LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN:
Overture to Fidelio
WILLIAM DAWSON:Negro Folk Symphony
LEONARD BERNSTEIN:Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN:Leonore Overture No. 3
LA VALSE & SIMPSON PREMIERE
Fri Jan 14, 2022 | 11:00 am
Sat Jan 15, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Louis Langrée, conductor
Nicola Benedetti, violin
At the turn of the 20th century, there were no greater orchestrators than Ravel and Strauss, whose works unleash the full force of the orchestra in all of its innumerable colors. Grammy-winning violinist Nicola Benedetti gives the U.S. premiere of Mark Simpson’s dazzling new violin concerto. Finished during the pandemic, the work “explodes with all those feelings—frustration, anger, restlessness, confusion, uncertainty—that have had nowhere to go during the lockdowns” (The Times, London).
This program is part of CSO Series 1.
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Program
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MARK SIMPSON:
Violin Concerto [U.S. Premiere, CSO Co-commission]
RICHARD STRAUSS:Der Rosenkavalier Suite
MAURICE RAVEL:La valse
CIRQUE GOES BROADWAY
Fri Jan 21, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sat Jan 22, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sun Jan 23, 2022 | 2:00 pm
John Morris Russell, conductor
Cirque de la Symphonie
Dizzying heights and Broadway lights come together for a captivating Pops & Cirque mashup. Marvel at the eye-popping feats of Cirque’s mesmerizing acrobats with JMR and the Pops performing top Broadway hits to accompany contortionists, balancers, tumblers, and athletes on aerial silks defying gravity and doing the seemingly impossible.
This program is included in the Friday, Saturday and Sunday Pops Series.
PINTSCHER PREMIERE & RACHMANINOFF
Fri Jan 28, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sat Jan 29, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Matthias Pintscher, conductor
Leila Josefowicz, violin
CSO Creative Partner Matthias Pintscher and close collaborator, violinist Leila Josefowicz, premiere Pintscher's brand new concerto, written for the CSO. Completing the program is another composer who conducted his own works: Sergei Rachmaninoff, whose spirited Symphonic Dances are always an audience favorite.
This program is part of CSO Series 2.
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Program
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MATTHIAS PINTSCHER:
Assonanza (for violin and chamber orchestra) [CSO Commission, World Premiere]
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF:
Symphonic Dances
MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS
Sat Feb 5, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sun Feb 6, 2022 | 2:00 pm
Fri Feb 4, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Damon Gupton, conductor
Happy Birthday, John Williams! Pops Principal Guest Conductor Damon Gupton and the Pops treat us to a slice of John Williams’ most beloved scores—just in time for his 90th birthday. Experience selections from Superman, Star Wars, E.T., Jaws, Witches of Eastwick and more by one of the greatest composers of our lifetime.
This performance does not contain film clips.
This program is included in the Friday, Saturday and Sunday Pops Series.
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Program
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JOHN WILLIAMS:
"Planet Krypton" from Superman
"Superman March" from Superman
The Shark Theme from Jaws
Main Theme from Jurassic Park
"Viktor's Tale" from The Terminal
"Devil's Dance" from The Witches of Eastwick"Love Theme" from Superman
"Throne Room and Finale" from Star Wars: A New Hope
Olympic Fanfare and Theme
"Harry's Wondrous World" from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
"With Malice Toward None" from Lincoln
March from 1941
"Wide Receiver" (Theme from NBC Football)
"Adventures on Earth" from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
TANGO & CITY NOIR
Sat Feb 12, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sun Feb 13, 2022 | 2:00 pm
Christian Reif, conductor
Ksenija Sidorova, accordion
The sounds of the Americas ring out as conductor Christian Reif leads a program conjuring missing lovers, misspent youth, intrigue, and the early hours of Los Angeles. Piazzolla’s steamy, sultry Latin tangos are mesmerizing as performed by accordionist Ksenija Sidorova in her CSO debut.
This program is part of CSO Series 3.
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Program
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ARTURO MÁRQUEZ:
Danzón No. 2
ASTOR PIAZZOLLA:Aconcagua
JOHN ADAMS:
City Noir
BRAHMS 1 & ELGAR CONCERTO
Fri Mar 4, 2022 | 11:00 am
Sat Mar 5, 2022 | 7:30 pm
David Danzmayr, conductor
Alban Gerhardt, cello
Spellbinding and intense, Anna Clyne’s This Midnight Hour showcases the low strings and winds of the Orchestra in all their cinematic glory. Then, cellist Alban Gerhardt returns to the CSO stage for Elgar’s fiery and elegant Cello Concerto. To close the program, conductor David Danzmayr and the Orchestra bring to life the piece Brahms took decades to perfect—his Symphony No. 1 an homage to symphonic giant, Beethoven.
This program is part of CSO Series 1.
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Program
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ANNA CLYNE:
This Midnight Hour
EDWARD ELGAR:Cello Concerto in E minor
JOHANNES BRAHMS:
Symphony No. 1
GIRLS ROCK!
Sat Mar 5, 2022 | 10:30 am
This fun-for-everyone concert features musical stories told by and about amazing female heroes, including Harry Potter’s brave and loyal protector Hedwig, the powerful and iconic voice of Aretha Franklin, the fierce Valkyrie warriors of Norse mythology, and the joyful dances of composer Florence Price.
Tickets on sale now.
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Program
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GABRIELA LENA-FRANK: "Mestizo Waltz" (from Three Latin-American Dances)
JOHN WILLIAMS: "Hedwig’s Theme" from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
MARY WATKINS: "Soul of Remembrance" from Five Movements in Color
OTIS REDDING: Respect
AMANDA GORMAN/SAMUEL A. WARD: "The Hill We Climb" (set to America the Beautiful)
JOHN WILLIAMS: "Rey’s Theme" from The Force Awakens
RICHARD WAGNER: "Ride of the Valkyries" from Die Walküre
JENNIFER HIGDON: Machine
MOZART & MAZZOLI PREMIERE
Fri Mar 11, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sat Mar 12, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Louis Langrée, conductor
Jennifer Koh, violin
Kathryn Mueller, soprano
Georgia Jarman, soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
May Festival Chorus, Robert Porco, director
Jennifer Koh is a prolific champion of new works and stars in the premiere of a CSO co-commission by “Brooklyn’s post-millennial Mozart,” Missy Mazzoli. The May Festival Chorus makes a triumphant return to Music Hall for Mozart’s poignant Mass, taking us from anxiety and darkness to glorious transfiguration.
This program is part of CSO Series 2.
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Program
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MISSY MAZZOLI:
Violin Concerto (Procession) [CSO Co-commission]
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART:
Mass in C Minor, Great Mass
RESPECT: A TRIBUTE TO ARETHA FRANKLIN
Fri Mar 18, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sat Mar 19, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sun Mar 20, 2022 | 2:00 pm
John Morris Russell, conductor
Shaleah Adkisson, vocalist
Blaine Krauss, vocalist
Tamika Lawrence, vocalist
CoCo Smith, vocalist
John Boswell, piano
JMR and the Pops join with three powerhouse vocalists to pay R-E-S-P-E-C-T to Aretha Franklin, “the #1 singer of all time” (Rolling Stone). Come celebrate the life and music of an American icon featuring your favorite hits from the Queen of Soul!
This program is included in the Friday, Saturday and Sunday Pops Series.
SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE
Fri Mar 25, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sat Mar 26, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sun Mar 27, 2022 | 2:00 pm
Louis Langrée, conductor
GRAMMY Award-winning Eighth Blackbird joins the CSO for a premiere from
Kinds of Kings, a U.S.-based composer collective amplifying and advocating for underrepresented voices. A new fanfare by Wynton Marsalis shows off the Orchestra’s brass, and Symphonie fantastique completes the concert with a delirious dream fueled by Berlioz’s obsessive passion and unrequited love.
This program is part of CSO Series 3.
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Program
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WYNTON MARSALIS:
Herald, Holler and Hallelujah! [CSO Co-commission]
KINDS OF KINGS:
Nine Mothers [World Premiere, CSO Co-commission]
HECTOR BERLIOZ:Symphonie fantastique
BARTÓK & PROKOFIEV 5
Fri Apr 1, 2022 | 11:00 am
Sat Apr 2, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Kazushi Ōno, conductor
Seong-Jin Cho, piano
Prokofiev’s powerful hymn to humanity anchors a program featuring the CSO debuts of conductor Kazushi Ōno and star pianist Seong-Jin Cho. The vivid musical imagery of Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu sets the stage for Bartók’s airy and virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 3.
This program is part of CSO Series 1.
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Program
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TŌRU TAKEMITSU:
A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden
BÉLA BARTÓK:Piano Concerto No. 3
SERGEI PROKOFIEV:Symphony No. 5
BRONFMAN & LA MER
Fri Apr 8, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sat Apr 9, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Louis Langrée, conductor
Yefim Bronfman, piano
Powerhouse pianist Yefim Bronfman returns to the CSO with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Julia Adolphe’s premiere evokes the power of nature and its malleable, playful, childlike qualities. With La mer let your imagination soar—Debussy’s masterful use of orchestral colors makes this impressionistic work a perpetual audience favorite.
This program is part of CSO Series 2.
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Program
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LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN:
Piano Concerto No. 3
JULIA ADOLPHE:Paper Leaves on Fields of Clay [World Premiere, CSO Commission]
CLAUDE DEBUSSY:La mer
CSO PROOF: Black Being
Thu Apr 14, 2022 | 8:00 pm
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
Flutronix
Nathalie Joachim & Allison Loggins-Hull, composers and soloists
Jaki Shelton Green, poet
Co-Commissioned by The Arts Club of Chicago and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Black Being, the latest co-composed work of acclaimed duo Flutronix (Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull), explores the black female experience in an evening-length song-cycle. In this immersive electro-acoustic presentation, Flutronix sets newly commissioned text by North Carolina poet laureate Jaki Shelton Green, “… a poet whose work exemplifies how poetry can spark conversation and can help us learn about one another’s lives and unique experiences, which promotes greater understanding.” Through themes of strength, sacrifice, beauty, fear, and survival, Black Being gives voice to the complexities of black womanhood, and provides a musical lens into black female cultural realities and conditions. Learn more.
CLASSICAL ROOTS
Fri Apr 22, 2022 | 7:30 pm
John Morris Russell, conductor
Classical Roots Community Mass Choir, William Henry Caldwell, resident conductor
- Ciara Harper, soloist
- Noël Walton, soloist
- Ron Logan, soloist
- Timothy Oliver, soloist
Talise Trevigne, soprano
Michael Preacely, baritone
Benjamin Preacely, baritone
Alton Fitzgerald White, baritone
Members of the Nouveau Program, Marion Peraza, artistic advisor & coach; Felipe Morales-Torres, coach
Shout for joy, Cincinnati! JMR and the CSO celebrate 20+ years of Classical Roots, one of The Queen City’s most inspiring musical traditions. Experience the voices of the Classical Roots Community Mass Choir and let the powerful presence of song and spirit in beautiful Music Hall lift up your heart.
Tickets on sale now.
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Program
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MICHAEL ABELS: Outburst
JAMES WELDON JOHNSON: Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing
GIUSEPPE VERDI: "Sempre Libera" from La Traviata
WILL MARION COOK: In Dahomey Suite
SCOTT JOPLIN: Treemonisha Overture, arranged by Rick Benjamin
SCOTT JOPLIN: Bowing Music: Themes from Treemonisha in One-Step Tempo, arranged and orchestrated by Rick Benjamin
EUBIE BLAKE: "I'm Just Wild About Harry" from Shuffle Along
JAMES CLEVELAND & CHARLES FOLD:
Charles Fold Suite
This Too Will Pass
Tell It
May the Lord Bless You Real GoodMARGARET ALLISON BONDS: "Alleluia” from The Ballad of the Brown King
GREGORY SPEARS: “Think You Know This Man” from Castor and Patience
TERENCE BLANCHARD: “Peculiar Grace” from Fire Shut Up in My Bones
CHARLIE SMALLS: "Home" from The Wiz
MARK MANCINA: "He Lives in You" from The Lion King
ALAN MENKEN: "If I Can't Love Her" from Beauty and the Beast
STEPHEN FLAHERTY: "Make Them Hear You" from RagtimeSTEPHEN FLAHERTY: "The Wheels of a Dream" from Ragtime
LUTHER VANDROSS: "Brand New Day" from The Wiz
JMR'S GREATEST HITS
Fri Apr 29, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sat Apr 30, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sun May 1, 2022 | 2:00 pm
John Morris Russell, conductor
We're celebrating 10 years of JMR by pulling out all the stops—and the stars! Join the Pops and a host of guest artists from some of the past decade's most memorable performances to celebrate JMR, JMR-style—with music from every genre, including iconic movie themes, pop, classics, Broadway and jazz, plus a cache of musical memories. We'll also look ahead with a new work commissioned from Grammy Award-winning composer Eric Whitacre.
This program is included in the Friday, Saturday and Sunday Pops Series.
CONNESSON PREMIERE & RACHMANINOFF
Fri May 6, 2022 | 11:00 am
Sat May 7, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sun May 8, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Louis Langrée, conductor
Dwight Parry, oboe
Rachmaninoff’s lush and romantic Second Symphony uses the full force of the orchestra to deliver one of the most popular symphonic works. Opening the concert is a world premiere by French composer Guillaume Connesson, written for CSO Principal Oboe Dwight Parry.
This program is part of CSO Series 1.
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Program
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GUILLAUME CONNESSON:
Les belles heures ("The Beautiful Hours") [World Premiere, CSO Commission]
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF:Symphony No. 2
TRANSCENDENT BRUCKNER
Sat May 14, 2022 | 7:30 pm
Sun May 15, 2022 | 2:00 pm
Louis Langrée, conductor
Louis Langrée calls Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony “a cathedral of sound—spiritual, soaring and transcendent." The concert opens with a new work by Gabriela Ortiz, identified by NPR as “one of Mexico’s most sought-after classical composers,” whose musical language stems from her heritage and yet is all her own.
This program is part of CSO Series 3.
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Program
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GABRIELA ORTIZ:
TZAM [World Premiere, CSO Commission]
ANTON BRUCKNER:Symphony No. 7