Milwaukee, Wis. 4/28/2023 – The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra announced plans today for the 2023.24 Pops season. The orchestra’s third season in the Bradley Symphony Center will feature tributes to iconic singers and composers, a variety of genres from Latin to jazz and the blues, and holiday traditions. Plus, Music Director Ken-David Masur conducts the music of his friend and mentor John Williams. The MSO welcomes back conductors Byron Stripling and Stuart Chafetz, as well as guest vocalists Ann Hampton Callaway and Shayna Steele. Plus, conductors John Morris Russell and Enrico Lopez-Yañez and guest artists Tatiana Mayfield, Jose Sibaja, Mónica Abrego, Mamie Parris, and the Marcus Roberts Trio make MSO debuts.
The MSO’s film with orchestra series continues this year with Elf in November and Back to the Future in December.
Bradley Symphony Center Presents welcomes back Dee Alexander, who performed during the MSO’s virtual season, and guitarist John McLean and the Alexander McLean Project for a one-night-only holiday jazz concert.
Series subscriptions are available beginning April 28, and single tickets go on sale August 28.
6-SERIES CONCERTS
Gershwin Celebration with Marcus Roberts Trio
Fri, Oct 6, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Sat, Oct 7, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Sun, Oct 8, 2023 at 2:30 pm
John Morris Russell, conductor
Tatiana Mayfield, vocalist
Marcus Roberts Trio
The phenomenal long-standing jazz partnership of the Marcus Roberts Trio shines in our Pops season opener, featuring tributes to the great 20th-century composer George Gershwin. Vocalist Tatiana Mayfield performs favorite jazz standards like ’S Wonderful and Fascinating Rhythm, plus the orchestra presents highlights from one of America’s favorite operas, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. The Marcus Roberts Trio then joins the MSO for an unforgettable rendition of Rhapsody in Blue.
Holiday Pops
Thu, Dec 14, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Fri, Dec 15, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Sat, Dec 16, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Sat, Dec 16, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Sun, Dec 17, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Tue, Dec 19, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Byron Stripling, conductor & trumpet
Mamie Parris, vocalist
Milwaukee Symphony Chorus
Cheryl Frazes Hill, chorus director
Byron Stripling returns to the Bradley Symphony Center for the MSO’s cherished tradition of holiday cheer! Featuring special guests in a program of audience favorite classics, carols, and sing-alongs, this is a musical jubilee of the season you won’t want to miss.
Fever: A Peggy Lee Celebration
Fri, Feb 16, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Sat, Feb 17, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Sun, Feb 18, 2024 at 2:30 pm
Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Ann Hampton Callaway, vocalist
Tony Award nominee, songwriter, and pop/jazz vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway presents an engaging night of songs and stories to celebrate one of America’s most beloved artists, the iconic Peggy Lee. Over a career spanning seven decades, Lee was a trailblazer for female songwriters and was dubbed the “Queen of American pop music” and “the female Frank Sinatra.” Her sultry tone and incredible span of recordings are showcased by Callaway and the full orchestral power of the MSO.
Nothin’ But the Blues
Fri, Mar 15, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Sat, Mar 16, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Sun, Mar 17, 2024 at 2:30 pm
Shayna Steele, vocalist
Charismatic and talented jazz vocalist Shayna Steele takes the stage with your MSO to pay tribute to the likes of Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ma Rainey, Louis Armstrong, and more. Explore the early music that started the Blues and is at the heart and soul of nearly every form of popular music of the past 100 years! Songs include St. Louis Blues, House of the Rising Sun, Nobody Knows When You’re Down and Out, and Baby Won’t You Please Come Home.
Movie Music of John Williams
Fri, May 3, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Sat, May 4, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Sun, May 5, 2024 at 2:30 pm
Ken-David Masur, conductor
Oscar-winning composer John Williams’s music has been a staple of cinema for decades, capturing all the excitement and emotion to truly elevate the audience movie-going experience. Music Director Ken-David Masur explores the many monumental film scores of his mentor and friend John Williams, in a celebration of iconic music that continues to touch the lives of generations.
Latin Fire
Fri, May 31, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Sat, Jun 1, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Sun, Jun 2, 2024 at 2:30 pm
Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor
Jose Sibaja, trumpet
Mónica Abrego, vocalist
Enrico Lopez-Yañez, principal pops conductor of the Nashville Symphony, leads this passion-filled, energetic celebration of Latin American orchestral hits paired with the firework playing of highly acclaimed Costa Rican trumpeter Jose Sibaja and vocalist Mónica Abrego. In addition to being the lead trumpet of the Boston Brass, Sibaja has recorded with such artists as Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, and Celia Cruz, and he has performed on television at the MTV awards, Grammy Awards, Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with David Letterman, among many others. This high-octane concert is sure to make you dance and sing along!
FILM
Elf™ in Concert
Fri, Nov 24, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Sat, Nov 25, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Sun, Nov 26, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Nobody spreads Christmas cheer quite like Buddy the Elf! Directed by Jon Favreau and starring Will Ferrell, this film is considered by many to be one of the best holiday movies of all time. Follow along as Buddy is accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. The heartwarming score by John Debney is performed live by the MSO to bring this 2003 modern classic to life! ELF and all related characters and elements © & ™ New Line Productions, Inc. (s22)
Back to the Future
Sat, Dec 30, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Sun, Dec 31, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Recharge your flux capacitor … and get ready to celebrate this unforgettable movie classic as you’ve never seen or heard it before! This 1.21-gigawatt blockbuster topped the 1985 box office chart, spawned two wildly successful sequels, and stamped an enduring imprint on pop culture. Join Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), and a time-traveling DeLorean for the adventure of a lifetime as they travel to the past, present, and future – setting off a time-shattering chain reaction that disrupts the space-time continuum! Now, fans old and new will experience the thrill of Back to the Future like never before – on a big, hi-def screen with a full symphony orchestra performing Alan Silvestri’s dazzling musical score live with the movie. Audiences will also be in for an exclusive treat: approximately 20 minutes of brand-new music added by award-winning composer Silvestri to the film’s score especially for these unique live orchestra presentations.
© Universal City Studios LLC and Amblin Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
BSC PRESENTS
Holiday Jazz with Dee Alexander
Sat, Dec 2, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Dee Alexander, vocalist
John McLean, guitar
Don’t miss a special one-night-only performance of Dee Alexander, “Chicago’s first lady of jazz,” serving up the winter holiday season in style with show-stopping standards and spirituals to lift your soul. Accompanied by guitarist and composer/arranger John McLean and a collection of Chicago’s finest musicians, the Alexander McLean Project achieves new musical heights on stage at the Bradley Symphony Center.
Bradley Symphony Center Presents programs do not include MSO musicians.
SPECIALS
Handel’s Messiah
Fri, Dec 8, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Sat, Dec 9, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Sun, Dec 10, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Ken-David Masur, conductor
Milwaukee Symphony Chorus
Cheryl Frazes Hill, chorus director
Handel’s Messiah, one of the most revered oratorios of all time, has become one of the most anticipated traditions of the holiday season. While the Bradley Symphony Center is decked in festive splendor, the orchestra and the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus fill the concert hall with Handel’s sacred sounds, including the exalted “Hallelujah” chorus.
Resonance Food Co.
The Milwaukee Symphony and its hospitality partner have scaled up food and beverages with the creation of Resonance Food Co. Resonance Food Co. offers a medley of choices, prepared on-site by full-time chefs. The Ellen & Joe Checota Atrium and Gallery feature full bars with comfortable lounge seating for mingling and conversation. In addition, five bars serve every level of the Bradley Symphony Center, and patrons are welcome to take beverages into the concert hall. Patrons have come to expect signature dishes and bespoke drinks, accented by local flavors and favorite traditions, as well as changing menus that reflect concert themes.
About the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Ken-David Masur, is among the finest orchestras in the nation and the largest cultural institution in Wisconsin. Since its inception in 1959, the MSO has found innovative ways to give music a home in the region, develop music appreciation and talent among area youth, and raise the national reputation of Milwaukee. The MSO’s 72 full-time professional musicians perform over 135 classics, pops, family, education, and community concerts each season in venues throughout the state. A pioneer among American orchestras, the MSO has performed world and American premieres of works by John Adams, Roberto Sierra, Phillip Glass, Geoffrey Gordon, Marc Neikrug, and Matthias Pintscher, as well as garnered national recognition as the first American orchestra to offer live recordings on iTunes. Now in its 52nd season, the orchestra’s nationally syndicated radio broadcast series, the longest consecutive-running series of any U.S. orchestra, is heard annually by more than two million listeners. The MSO’s standard of excellence extends beyond the concert hall and into the community, reaching more than 70,000 children and their families through its Arts in Community Education (ACE) program, Youth and Teen concerts, and Family Series.