Tag: Artistic Planning

Springfield Symphony’s 2025-26 Season

Posted on October 2, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Sunday’s (9/28) Springfield News-Sun (Ohio), Brett Turner writes, “Springfield Symphony Orchestra conductor and music director Peter Stafford Wilson will show his versatility in the upcoming 2025-2026 season. He’s scheduled programs with themes with everything from Mozart to Bugs Bunny, spinning a beloved opera in a new direction and incorporating visuals … Season theme ‘Beyond the Score: Where Music Comes Alive’ will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 … Saturday’s concert … will feature Quinn Mason’s ‘Talk of the Town’ and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1, with guest performer Sara Davis Buechner…. Stravinsky’s ‘Firebird’ Suite … will be accompanied by animated visuals by Spork Fine Art … The new year will bring a chance to explore new artists, including Dwight Parry, who will perform oboe … on Jan. 24. Francaix’s ‘Flower Clock’ and Clementi’s Grand Symphony No. 4 will be performed. Violinist Nijoma Grevious will be the guest artist … on March 14 … The program will include Poulenc’s ‘Les Biches,’ Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3 and Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony … Mozart’s final masterpiece, Requiem … will give the Springfield Symphony Orchestra Chorale the chance to combine with the musicians on April 18…. ‘Carmen Reimagined’ on May 16 will [feature] Troupe Vertigo’s cirque aerialists, dancers and musicians.”

Monterey Symphony’s 2025-26 Season: Classics Plus World Premieres Plus Frank Zappa

Posted on October 1, 2025 by - News Briefs

In the Fall issue of Carmel Magazine (California), Michael Chatfield writes, “Since its inception, the Monterey Symphony has enjoyed a steady and loyal audience…. ‘We sold out every concert in the 2024/2025 season,’ says Symphony President and CEO Nicola Shangrow Reilly. The Symphony was established in 1946 … Then as now, the organization presents varied programs of orchestral music—both classical and contemporary … The Monterey Symphony will celebrate its 80th anniversary over the 2025/2026 season under the guidance of Music Director Jayce Ogren…. The season kicks off September 16 and 17 with” works by Offenbach and Gershwin. “Concerts celebrating the music of Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Bruckner, Schubert and Haydn, among others, are also on the [season] schedule. Opening the full Symphony schedule October 18 is ‘Saxophone Concerto + Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2’ followed by the world premiere of ‘Anemology’ by Grammy-winning composer Steven Mackey … In April … Monterey Symphony’s Composer in Residence John Wineglass will premier his new concerto ‘Democracy’ with master clarinetist Mariam Adam. Frank Zappa … created the symphonic work ‘Dog Breath Variations,’ based on one of his compositions with the Mothers of Invention. The evening rounds out with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3.”

Review: “Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience” with the Florida Orchestra

Posted on October 1, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Friday’s (9/26) Tampa Bay Times (Florida), Gabrielle Calise writes, “Morgan Freeman came to town Thursday night to turn the Mahaffey Theater into a juke joint. His juke joint, to be specific: Clarksdale, Mississippi’s own Ground Zero Blues Club. During the local tour stop of ‘Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience,’ the Florida Orchestra teamed up with seven wickedly talented blues musicians from Ground Zero, which Freeman opened back in 2001. Though the lush, swelling harmonies from the orchestra provided a cinematic layer to the performance, it was hard at times to focus on anything but Freeman’s crew of Mississippi musicians as they wailed, shredded and grooved along….  The actor would reappear onstage throughout the night in a series of pre-taped videos, narrating the origin and evolution of the blues across five chapters. Archival footage rolled in the background, from workers toiling in cotton fields to late-night dance parties across time. Mississippi singer and harmonica player Keith Johnson unleashed a soulful slide guitar performance as Freeman’s voiceover explained the blues’ role as ‘heartache and hope tied together.’… As the band and orchestra moseyed through covers of B.B. King, Sam Cooke and Robert Johnson, the crowd swayed in their chairs, singing and clapping along.”

Harrisburg Symphony’s 2025-26 Season

Posted on September 30, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Monday’s (9/29) The Burg (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania), Lori M. Myers writes, “The stars are … aligned for the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra’s 2025-26 season, led by Music Director Stuart Malina. [Executive Director Matthew] Herren admits he’s excited about every one of the concerts being performed at The Forum, HSO’s home for 96 years…. There is something for all musical tastes in the Masterworks Series of shows. On Nov. 8 and 9, audiences will take a 100-year orchestral odyssey, from Benjamin Britten’s ‘Four Sea Interludes’ to Richard Strauss’ ‘Death and Transfiguration,’ then Stacy Garrop’s ‘Becoming Medusa,’ until the final stop with Igor Stravinsky’s ‘The Firebird.’ On Jan. 10 and 11, HSO will present Zoltan Kodaly’s ‘Dances of Galanta,’ Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony #6 … The Feb. 14 and 15 concert … opens with Mozart’s Symphony #35, ‘Haffner,’ and concludes with Louise Farrenc’s Symphony #3. The presentation also includes a new work for four players and numerous instruments … by Viet Cuong entitled ‘Re(new)al.’ On March 14 and 15, Anna Clyne’s ‘Masquerade’ will be performed, along with the rarely heard Symphony #2 composed by Kurt Weill just before his escape to France during World War II.” The article describes the entirety of the orchestra’s season, which also includes pops, film, and young people’s concerts.

Philadelphia Orchestra Nears $330 Million Campaign Goal

Posted on September 26, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Thursday’s (9/25) Philadelphia Inquirer, Peter Dobrin writes, “The city’s flagship arts group has notched a major milestone in a remarkable turnaround: Quietly over the last several years, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts has raised $305 million toward a $330 million goal, with almost another year to go in the campaign … When the season opens Thursday night in Marian Anderson Hall with pianist Yuja Wang in Ravel, the orchestra will be backed by a new sense of momentum. For one thing, audiences have returned. Attendance has exceeded its pre-pandemic levels, rising from 47% of seats filled by paying patrons in the pandemic-stricken 2021-22 season to 75% in 2024-25. Perhaps just as encouraging, younger audiences … are turning out. Between 2019 and 2024, the number of orchestra listeners 59 and under has increased by 78%. That’s no accident. The orchestra has changed its programming mix to be, essentially, all things to all people…. At the same time, the orchestra continues the Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, and Brahms, as well as works dealing with social justice and climate change. The proceeds of the $330 million campaign are … ‘providing and will continue to provide incredible stability,’ said [President and CEO] Ryan Fleur.”

Judge Cites First Amendment to Halt NEA from Denying Grants Based on “Gender Ideology”

Posted on September 25, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Friday’s (9/19) Reuters, Nate Raymond reports, “A federal judge on Friday blocked U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration from disfavoring arts organizations deemed to be promoting ‘gender ideology’ when deciding which ones should receive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. U.S. District Judge William Smith in Providence, Rhode Island, ruled that a policy the NEA adopted to implement an executive order Trump signed was unlawful and violated the free speech protections of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. Smith, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, said the policy improperly restricts artists’ speech because it ‘assigns negative weight to the expression of certain ideas on the issue of gender identity.’ Vera Eidelman, a lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union representing the four arts and theater organizations that sued over the policy, in a statement called the ruling ‘an important victory for freedom of speech and artistic freedom.’ The NEA and White House did not respond to requests for comment…. The plaintiffs said the NEA’s policy would force them to self-censor to obtain funding and alter the scope of artistic projects that involve transgender characters or LGBTQ actors. After the lawsuit was filed, the NEA rescinded its initial policy and on April 30 re-implemented Trump’s order through a new one under which the NEA’s chair would assess grant applications ‘for artistic excellence and merit, including whether the proposed project promotes gender ideology’ … In Friday’s ruling, Smith said [the NEA’s] latest effort constituted an unconstitutional viewpoint-based restriction on private speech.”

Orchestras Act to Broaden Repertoire, Concert Formats—and Audiences

Posted on September 22, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Monday’s (9/22) Tampa Bay Times (Florida), Kurt Loft writes, “When was the last time you listened to a Beethoven symphony, much less paid to hear it performed? That’s what officials with The Florida Orchestra ask themselves as they launch their 58th season … The question is, will young people buy tickets to hear the sounds of past centuries? Just as important, can orchestras keep leaning on the familiar without risking their future? The answer, say industry experts and musicians, is clear … ‘It’s essential that we offer a mix of the old and the new,’ says music director Michael Francis…. No ensemble can survive in today’s arts climate without a commitment to diversity and variety, both generational and in the music itself … But as [familiar music] and other works recede farther into the past, a younger generation can feel disconnected. To counter this, The Florida Orchestra offers [a wide range of music]… Innovation is part of the fabric of many of these concerts, including synchronized videos … The Jacksonville Symphony appeals to the city’s young demographic with an imaginative mix of classical, pop, rock and jazz … The Seattle Symphony follows a similar approach … It’s making a difference across the country, according to an audience diversification study by [TRG Arts and] the League of American Orchestras, a non-profit advocacy group supporting more than 700 ensembles. [Between 2019 and 2023], the proportion of tickets purchased by Millennial buyers surged from 9 to 25%, while those purchased by Gen X rose from 20 to 31%.”

St. Louis Symphony President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard on the Transformation of Powell Hall

Posted on September 19, 2025 by - News Briefs

Thursday’s (9/18) St. Louis Magazine includes a podcast in which Sarah Fenske interviews Marie-Hélène Bernard, president and CEO of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. “As Powell Hall prepares to reopen after a $140 million transformation, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s president and CEO reflects on the challenges of the project and the bright future she sees for the city she now calls home. In this episode of ‘The 314 Podcast,’ host Sarah Fenske talks with Marie-Hélène Bernard, president and CEO of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, on the eve of its return to Powell Hall after a $140 million renovation. A native of Quebec who moved here from Boston, Marie-Hélène explains how the SLSO pulled off the project on time and on budget—and what made her fall in love in St. Louis. Bernard: ‘We have a lot of people coming from Kansas City to hear us. We are traveling also in the Midwest. It’s important for us to be also the orchestra of the Midwest. We have this nimbleness, and I think we’re the best thing around.’ ”

Asheville Symphony Plays Original Musical Score for Immersive Experience at Biltmore House

Posted on September 18, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Tuesday’s (9/16) AVL Today (Asheville, North Carolina), Grace Powers writes, “Beginning in late March, you’ll be able to see the Biltmore in a brand new light. The Biltmore House itself will become the canvas for Luminere, a new outdoor evening art experience that projects scenes from the estate’s landscape and legacy onto the facade of the house and the gardens. In its 130-year history, this immersive, outdoor installation is the first of its kind for the Biltmore. As the sun goes down, guests will embark on a self-guided tour of the Biltmore House, the Italian Garden, the Pergola, the Shrub Garden, the Walled Garden, and the Conservatory. Each area will display digital projections of milestones in the estate’s history and the Vanderbilt’s lives. Plus, the scene will be set to an original musical score composed by Julian Grefe featuring the Asheville Symphony…. The Philadelphia-based [Klip Collective] studio … created the projection-mapped [installation].” Led by Asheville Symphony Music Director Darko Butorac, Asheville Symphony musicians recorded the score with composer Julian Grefe present. Asheville Symphony’s studio recording will be complemented by additional music, some of which was captured inside the Biltmore House featuring musicians such as Asheville Symphony keyboardist Jamar Woods.

Review: New York Philharmonic in World Premiere by Leilehua Lanzilotti, Plus Bartók and Ives

Posted on September 15, 2025 by - News Briefs

In Monday’s (9/15) Musical America, Fred Cohn writes, “Gustavo Dudamel’s current title at the New York Philharmonic is Music & Artistic Director Designate. But the September 11 opening night of the 2025–2026 season offered a good sense of what to expect in 2026-27, when he takes the post officially. The concert featured a world premiere, along with Bartók’s Third Piano Concerto and Charles Ives’s Symphony No. 2 … The new work was ‘of light and stone,’ a Philharmonic commission from Hawaiian composer Leilehua Lanzilotti. It’s a 15-minute evocation of the composer’s home state; each of its four movements pays impressionist tribute to one of … the four siblings of the 19th-century Kalakua dynasty. All of them were composers, and each movement incorporates motifs from their individual songs… You could hear in Lanzilotti’s soundscapes the natural beauty of the islands … Throughout, orchestra and conductor kept instrumental textures superbly balanced, as if finely attuned to the sounds Lanzilotti intended…. Bartók’s Piano Concerto was the glamorous centerpiece, with the 21-year-old South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim as soloist…. Lim has become a bona fide superstar, and his work here made plain the reasons for his ascendancy.”