Copland & Twain: An America 250 Celebration Co-premiere by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Ravinia Festival This exciting new theatrical concert from director Bill Barclay and Concert Theatre Works marries Aaron Copland’s stirring incidental music with Mark Twain’s poignant observations of a changing America. Copland’s compositions, including Music for Movies and Music for the … Continued

At a time when the church was questioning the morality of art, Bach gave the world a musical triumph of faith and spirit, and few masterpieces of this scope are as intimate and personal as his St. Matthew Passion. In these performances, the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus — celebrating its golden anniversary — sings the text … Continued

Music Director Ken-David Masur opens his phenomenal final season with a festive fanfare by Andrea Tarrodi. The celebration continues as the MSO raises a ruckus with R. Strauss’s tone poem Ein Heldenleben (“A Hero’s Life”), rife with, in the composer’s words, “lots of horns, horns being quite the thing to express heroism.” Ravel was determined … Continued

“When you’re named after one of the biggest constellations in the night sky, the pressure is on to display a little star power — and the young pianist Orion Weiss did exactly that,” proclaims The Washington Post; Weiss joins the MSO for piano variations by Dohnányi. Music Director Ken-David Masur conducts Mendelssohn’s Fifth Symphony, known … Continued

Undoubtedly one of the finest cellists performing today, Johannes Moser returns to the MSO stage to play composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Before we fall, fresh off its world premiere with the San Francisco Symphony. “Before we fall centres around the notion of teetering on the edge,” says the composer; Moser’s cello “generates the atmospheric progression of … Continued

Music Director Ken-David Masur began his tenure during the 250th birthday celebration of Beethoven; we harken back to that season with the undeniable masterpiece that is Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Written after Beethoven’s most profound period of despair, the Ninth is an impassioned testament to life, friendship, and the human spirit; author E.M. Forster called it … Continued

A highly distinguished pianist and the first classical performer to be granted a MacArthur Fellowship, Sir Stephen Hough’s magic is best experienced live — in these concerts, he performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, which begins cautiously but soon dives into its true warmth and urgency. Guest conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni guides this rollicking dance across … Continued

MSO First Associate Concertmaster Ilana Setapen commands the stage with Arturo Márquez’s folk-infused violin concerto Fandango. “I had known this music since I was a child,” says Márquez, “listening to it in the cinema, on the radio, and listening to my father, a mariachi violinist (Arturo Márquez, Sr.) interpret huastecos and mariachi music.” Márquez says … Continued

The MSO welcomes Eric Jacobson, “an interpretive dynamo” (The New York Times) to conduct Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony, a work of tragic grandeur flecked with sunlight. MSO Principal Tuba Robyn Black takes center stage for Vaughan Williams’s Tuba Concerto, which begins with a brisk march, ends with an energetic flurry of sound, and showcases the unique … Continued

Grammy-nominated pianist Joyce Yang puts her “agility, balance and velocity” (The Washington Post) on full display with Tchaikovsky’s highly original First Piano Concerto; Tchaikovsky’s colleague Hans von Bülow claimed that “this true gem shall earn you the gratitude of all pianists.” MSO Assistant Conductor Ryan Tani conducts this program. The MSO Steinway piano was made … Continued