Chautauqua has long offered a cross-fertilization of art forms, bringing together art makers and art lovers in community — and increasingly it serves as an incubator for new, exciting work, providing a window into the process of creative experimentation and excellence. What are the dual roles and responsibilities of the artist and the audience, and what do works of art tell us about cultural, political, and social ideas and/or ideals? This week aims to connect impactful artistic experiences with a deeper understanding of artistic meaning and process from the makers themselves.

The Dutch String Guild is a national music society that annually puts together a project string orchestra from advanced amateurs. During a seven-day rehearsal period, an adventurous and contemporary program is rehearsed, after which the orchestra goes on tour through the Netherlands. The quality of the performances is paramount and therefore the participants are selected in advance by means of auditions. Eventually, a string orchestra of approximately forty musicians is created.

NSG 2025

From July 25th to August 3rd, NSG 2025 will take place with the theme: TIMELESS . We will give our concerts on August 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

We play under the direction of Peter Biloen .

Program:

• Marjan Mozetich – Fantasia … sul linguaggio perduto for String Orchestra
• Missy Mazzoli – Dark with Excessive Bright (Dutch premiere), soloist: Sasha Witteveen
• Andrés Martín – Double Bass Concerto no.1 (parts 2 & 3, in version for string orchestra) (world premiere), soloist: Sasha Witteveen
• Julia Wolfe – Cruel Sister

LUMINA – OPENING NIGHT

John Corigliano: Phantasmagoria

Nina Shekhar: Lumina

Missy Mazzoli: Procession (Jennifer Koh, Violin) (West Coast Premiere)

John Corigliano: Three Hallucinations

Discover the gold standard of choral singing and percussion in the opening concert of The Queen’s Hall series.

Vocal perfection meets percussive precision in a dazzling concert of (mostly) contemporary works. The King’s Singers pair up with Colin Currie on the marimba in Steve Martland’s playful Street Songs, while the marimba flies solo in Bryce Dessner’s mesmeric Tromp Miniature.

Alongside, some big questions are asked. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic hovers over Missy Mazzoli’s A Year of Our Burning, in a world premiere arrangement, while Francesca Amewudah-Rivers asks, ‘Do you know how it feels to be alive?’ Music from across the globe – from South Africa to Japan to the US – provides a glorious variety of answers.

Seventeenth-century composer Thomas Weelkes makes a brief appearance to remind us that some things don’t change. And bringing us right up to date is the thrilling prospect of a James MacMillan premiere.

PROGRAM

MISSY MAZZOLI: These Worlds in Us
BRUCH: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, op. 26
—
BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique, op. 14

Aspen favorite Gil Shaham returns to play Bruch’s soaring and melodious First Violin Concerto. His impeccable technique, inimitable warmth, and infectious joy in music-making have made him one of the world’s foremost soloists.

Bruch’s concerto was the composer’s first major work, putting him on the musical map, and setting up expectations for comparable achievements that never quite materialized. Soloists have always loved to play this passionate and demanding piece, and audiences have warmly embraced it. Bruch studied violin for several years, and his love for the instrument shines through. When his publisher once suggested he try a work for cello and orchestra, Bruch replied, “I have more important things to do than write stupid cello concertos.” Eugen d’Albert asked for a piano concerto in 1886; Bruch fired back: “Me, write a piano concerto! That’s the limit!” (Bruch eventually wrote beautifully for cello with orchestra, though he never did compose a piano concerto.)

Berlioz’s autobiographical symphony tells of an artist obsessed with a beautiful woman, and is peppered throughout with a melody which represents the object of his fixation. The real woman was the Shakespearean actress Harriet Smithson, who did (hysterically) agree to marry Berlioz — after he took a lethal dose of opium in front of her in a desperate attempt to woo her. The antidote he took worked; the marriage did not.

In addition, as part of the Great Performers Series, Cellist Gautier Capuçon will present a recital of world premiere cello works on November 16. The San Francisco Symphony commissioned 16 composers for Capuçon’s project, including Bryce Dessner, Joe Hisaishi, Missy Mazzoli, Gabriela Montero, Nico Muhly, Max Richter, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, and more. The recital will also feature a new work by composer and cellist Quenton Xavier Blache, who Capuçon anonymously selected for a new commission under the umbrella of the Emerging Black Composers Project. Quenton was selected from the pool of applicants from the 2023 Emerging Black Composers Project.

Acclaimed conductor and Berkeley Symphony’s own Ming Luke conducts the 25/26 season’s third performance, Worlds Beyond. This program explores the artist’s voice at moments of transition and liminality. Alma Monarca, a new work from Juan Pablo Contreras co-commissioned by Berkeley Symphony, is inspired by Contreras’s memories of celebrating Día de los Muertos in his grandfather’s hometown of Pátzcuaro, Mexico. Next, soprano Laquita Mitchell leads audiences through Richard Strauss’s haunting Four Last Songs, written as the composer contemplated the end of his life. Missy Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres) lifts the audience into the cosmos, inviting us to view our lives from a new perspective. We close with Dmitri Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony, a work that signifies the composer’s challenges navigating the political thresholds of his era.

Juan Pablo Contreras – Alma Monarca

Richard Strauss – Four Last Songs – Laquita Mitchell

Missy Mazzoli – Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)

Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 9

Copenhagen Phil
Conductor / Bjarni Frimann Bjarnason
Soloist / Josefine Opsahl, cello
Host / Olga Ravn

Ives / The unanswered question
Strozzi / Che si puo fare / Lagrime Mie
Opsahl / HANDS, world premiere of version for symphony orchestra
Mazzoli / Orpheus Undone, Danish world premiere
Stravinsky / The Firebird suite
Hildegard / O Rubor Sanguinis
Falla / El circulo magico from El Amor Brujo

OLGA RAVN: RE-ENCHANTMENT

As a poetic encounter between folk magic and symphonic music, star author and artist Olga Ravn enters into dialogue with the concert hall as a place and the concert as an event to re-enchant the listening moment.

With her deep knowledge of Nordic folk magic, Olga Ravn works to stage performances that reinterpret folk magic with inspiration from cultic ritual, the visual world of poetry and the concentration of performance art. It is this dialogue that now moves into the concert hall with a performance developed especially for the Copenhagen Phil.

Listen to Charles Ives’ evocative The Unanswered Question , the heartfelt sounds of Baroque composer Barbara Strozzi and Stravinsky’s haunting ballet suite The Firebird –  as well as the premiere of the cello concerto HANDS with the award-winning Danish cellist and composer, Josefine Opsahl, who has established herself as a unique artist with prestigious concerts in, among others, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and at The Met in New York.

World Premiere
Libretto by Michael R. Jackson
Music by Andy Akiho, Alistair Coleman, Nathalie Joachim, Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly, Rene Orth, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kamala Sankaram, Dan Schlosberg, and Errollyn Wallen
Performed in English with English supertitles

One librettist, one actor, four singers, and ten composers join forces to make opera in a brand-new way. In his first opera libretto, Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning playwright Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop) traces the life of a woman named Sue whose personality is split in two. Sue’s life, from the mundane to the extraordinary, unfolds before us, with each decade scored by a different musical luminary. Opera Philadelphia favorites Missy Mazzoli (Breaking the Waves, The Listeners), Rene Orth (10 Days in a Madhouse), and Nico Muhly (Dark Sisters) return alongside a panoply of company debuts from notable composers, like GRAMMY® nominee Nathalie Joachim. The production stars MacArthur Genius and cabaret icon Justin Vivian Bond, with Zack Winokur directing, and conductor Caren Levine making her Opera Philadelphia debut.

Subscriptions are on sale now. Pick Your Price tickets go on sale to subscribers, donors $100+, and Opera Pass holders on May 1, and to the general public on May 15.

How would music sound if it were in the shape of a solar system? Hear how one of the most successful classical composers on the planet lets her imagination run free with that idea. Then it’s your turn to imagine Carnival time in St. Petersburg as the puppet Petrushka comes to life.

Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

Amica Rush Hour Series: March 13, 2026, 6:30PM

TACO Classical Series: March 14, 2026, 7:30PM

Marcelo Lehninger, conductor

Joyce Yang, piano

MISSY MAZZOLI: These Worlds in Us

BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 1

TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 4

While the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra season just ended last month, the schedule for the new 2025-2026 season has been announced and tickets are on sale now for the new season that begins in September.

It will be Music Director James Ross’ final season with the symphony, after announcing his decision to step down after this season.

Later in the spring, the musical journey continues with Bruch & Sibelius, scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, and again on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at 3 p.m.at the George Washington Masonic Memorial.

This program offers a powerful exploration of Romantic and Nordic soundscapes. The concert will begin with Missy Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres), a contemporary piece that evokes a sense of cosmic wonder and movement. The celebrated violinist Alexander Kerr will then take center stage to perform Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, one of the most beloved and emotionally resonant works in the violin repertoire. The program will conclude with the sweeping grandeur of Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2, a work celebrated for its lyrical beauty and powerful sense of national identity.

These two concert experiences offer a fantastic opportunity to witness exceptional musical talent and explore a diverse range of orchestral masterpieces. Whether you are a seasoned classical music enthusiast or new to the world of orchestral performance, these evenings promise to be both enriching and unforgettable. Mark your calendars for February and April 2026 to experience the magic of live music.

Founded during the Second World War, the Alexandria Symphony provides music education and performance to the western Potomac community.  It currently presents five concert pairs each season.   Saturday evenings are performed at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, and Sunday matinees at George Washington Masonic National Memorial.

While the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra season just ended last month, the schedule for the new 2025-2026 season has been announced and tickets are on sale now for the new season that begins in September.

It will be Music Director James Ross’ final season with the symphony, after announcing his decision to step down after this season.

Later in the spring, the musical journey continues with Bruch & Sibelius, scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, and again on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at 3 p.m.at the George Washington Masonic Memorial.

This program offers a powerful exploration of Romantic and Nordic soundscapes. The concert will begin with Missy Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres), a contemporary piece that evokes a sense of cosmic wonder and movement. The celebrated violinist Alexander Kerr will then take center stage to perform Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, one of the most beloved and emotionally resonant works in the violin repertoire. The program will conclude with the sweeping grandeur of Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2, a work celebrated for its lyrical beauty and powerful sense of national identity.

These two concert experiences offer a fantastic opportunity to witness exceptional musical talent and explore a diverse range of orchestral masterpieces. Whether you are a seasoned classical music enthusiast or new to the world of orchestral performance, these evenings promise to be both enriching and unforgettable. Mark your calendars for February and April 2026 to experience the magic of live music.

Founded during the Second World War, the Alexandria Symphony provides music education and performance to the western Potomac community.  It currently presents five concert pairs each season.   Saturday evenings are performed at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, and Sunday matinees at George Washington Masonic National Memorial.