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Scalia/Ginsburg is a comic opera written by lawyer Derrick Wang that explores the lively, unexpected friendship between Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. When Scalia’s fiery dissents land him in a cosmic “prison,” his unlikely ally Ginsburg arrives to help him out (and, of course, debate along the way). Through musical sparring, legal philosophy, and wit, Scalia/Ginsburg celebrates two brilliant minds finding common ground—one opera aria at a time.

Music Director Ken-David Masur and President & Executive Director Mark Niehaus invite you and yours to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s Season Opening Gala! Please join us for this extra special evening that ushers in Music Director Ken-David Masur’s final season with the MSO. Enjoy an exquisite sit-down dining experience, followed by a thoughtfully curated performance by your Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. The celebration continues with an After Party complete with late night bites, desserts, dancing, and more music!

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 not to make his Piano Concerto for the Left Hand feel like a thin parlor trick; its music is robust, demanding, and full of dramatic illusion. The MSO welcomes “one of the best pianists of his generation” (Philadelphia Inquirer), Stewart Goodyear, to perform this impressive concerto.

Put on your sequins and platform shoes and get ready to dance as Principal Pops Conductor Byron Stripling opens the season with Disco Divas! Celebrate the reigning Queens of Disco with powerhouse vocals backed by driving orchestral forces, featuring the music of Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, and the one and only Diana Ross, along with classic disco hits from Earth, Wind & Fire, The Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, and more. Sing along with the disco divas to your favorite hits like “Bad Girls,” “I’m Coming Out,” “Lady Marmalade,” “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” “We Are Family,” “I Will Survive,” and “She Works Hard for the Money.”

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 “the most sublime noise that has ever penetrated into the ear of man.” The Milwaukee Symphony Chorus — celebrating its landmark 50th year — brings the “Ode to Joy” and more to life.

Enjoy an evening with Herb Alpert and his brand new Tijuana Brass, touring for the first time in 35 years. Herb, along with his 6 great musicians, will play all of your favorite TJB hit songs just as you remember hearing them while growing up. As 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the iconic album, “Whipped Cream & Other Delights," you'll groove to many of those great songs, in addition to other hits you know and love, including “The Lonely Bull”, “Spanish Flea”, “Taste of Honey”, “Mexican Shuffle”, “Tijuana Taxi”, “This Guy’s In Love With You”, “What Now My Love”, “Zorba the Greek”, “Ladyfingers”, “Rise” and many other delights. Featuring a giant video screen that displays hundreds of classic photos, videos, art and various memorabilia from Herb’s music career. A one-night-only experience of revisiting old memories and making wonderful new ones surrounding music we all grew up listing to awaits!

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 qualities of the instrument throughout. This dynamic program opens with Tchaikovsky’s delightful Serenade for Strings, featuring a memorable waltz and spirited Russian folk tunes.

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 qualities of the instrument throughout. This dynamic program opens with Tchaikovsky’s delightful Serenade for Strings, featuring a memorable waltz and spirited Russian folk tunes.

“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 as the “Reformation” for its celebration of the Protestant church; its music turns Martin Luther’s hymn “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott” (“A mighty fortress is our God”) into a triumphant oratorio without words.

Sidekick Leporello follows the notorious and unapologetic nobleman Don Giovanni (yes, that Don Juan) as he waltzes through life with a scandalous checklist: seduction, deception, and, naturally, leaving a trail of broken hearts and vengeful fiancés. Despite plenty of red flags (and, let’s be honest, a few angry mobs), he shrugs off every warning like yesterday’s conquest. No lesson learned, no apologies offered—until fate shows up, ready to dish out a final, fiery “we need to talk.”