Conductor

One of the most controversial of all concert pieces, Ravel’s Boléro (1928) is both an incomparable feast for the ears
– languid, modal melodies, crooning saxophones, Spanish dance rhythms – and a puzzle for the brain, as it is a work
whose marvelous variety and sensational climax are built on mechanistic repetition. The composer himself once
half-jokingly characterized it as “a crescendo without music.” This evening, the famous Boléro is matched with
Rachmaninov’s riveting, perennially popular Symphonic Dances for orchestra, and the Variaciones concertantes of
Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera, in which a lyrical theme for cello and harp is taken on a tour of the whole
orchestra.

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Boléro

Von Braun Center

Situated the summit of Madison County’s Round Top, Burritt on the Mountain has been one of Huntsville’s main attractions for over sixty years. This evening it provides the view, while the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra brings a three-course dinner and some lovely chamber music for your enjoyment and that of your dinner guests. We’ll hear two very different octets: the first by Louis Spohr, an important violinist, composer, and conductor of the early nineteenth century, and the second by the modern French composer Jean Françaix, celebrated for his sparkling wit and earthy originality.

Dinner on the Mountain

Now massively updated for 2026, Video Games Live is acknowledged by Guinness as the biggest, most successful, and longest-running video game concert in the world. The brainchild of industry legend Tommy Tallarico, Video Games Live combines the energy and excitement of a rock concert with the power and emotion of a symphony orchestra and choir – in support of the art and culture of yesteryear’s arcade classics and today’s fresh console releases. It’s a thrilling experience for the whole family, gamers and grandparents alike. 

Video Games Live

The best-selling solo pianist of our time, Jim Brickman has earned 32 Top Twenty radio singles and has sold ten million albums worldwide, including No Words (1994) and The Gift (1997). Mr. Brickman’s high-profile collaborators have included Martina McBride, Donny Osmond, Kenny Rogers, Herb Alpert, and Michael W. Smith. “I write music to be shared—to soothe, to inspire, to celebrate,” Brickman notes. Tonight he makes his debut with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, performing beloved hits and sharing some new songs, too.

Jim Brickman in Concert

“The new creature eats too much fruit. We are going to run short, most likely,” muses Adam in Mark Twain’s sardonic retelling of the story of Genesis. This evening’s concert features composer Michael Daugherty’s setting of The Diaries of Adam & Eve for two narrators and two musicians, as well as Baroque church sonatas by Arcangelo Corelli, all in the beautiful sanctuary and showcasing the Steiner-Reck organ of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on Whitesburg Drive.

The Diaries of Adam & Eve

Written for his friend and mentor Joseph Joachim, the soaring Violin Concerto represents Brahms at his brightest and is a cornerstone of the Romantic repertoire. Virtuoso Abigél Králik, a veteran of Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list, will invigorate this timeless classic with a fresh and youthful perspective. The piece is paired with Paul Hindemith’s probing and powerful symphony Mathis der Maler, a proving ground for material for his opera on the life of Renaissance painter Matthias Grünewald. 

Brahms Violin Concerto

Dmitri Kabalevsky’s quirky, lighthearted The Comedians was originally incidental music for a children’s play. It has become one of his best-loved works, and it is the springboard for the creativity of our puppeteering friends at Huntsville M.E.T. in this year’s FREE Family Concert, open to the entire community. Also on the program are two well-known short pieces by Edvard Grieg, and a reprise of Bizet’s Children’s Games from earlier in the concert season. It’s a fantastically fun way to introduce families and youngsters to the symphony orchestra! The performance is preceded by musical games and activities in the concert hall lobby. All ages are welcome.

The Comedians

Hailed as a “serious and cultivated Beethoven player” by the Chicago Tribune, Jorge Federico Osorio returns to
Huntsville with Beethoven’s C minor Piano Concerto, a work by turns commanding and whimsical. The Symphonic
Variations, an unofficial companion piece to Dvořák’s nine symphonies, uses one of the composer’s own songs – “I
Am a Fiddler” – as the basis for a delightful exploration of the entire orchestra. Meanwhile, George Enescu’s most
renowned orchestral work, the Romanian Rhapsody No. 1, deploys a variety of folk songs, including “I Have a
Coin, and I Want a Drink.” It’s a grand tour of nineteenth century European concert music, enjoyed from the
comfort of your seat.

European Rhapsody

Just in time for Halloween, you’ll experience this chilling classic with new eyes and ears as the orchestra performs the score live in sync with the big screen. Quite shocking at the time of its 1960 release, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho was the first “slasher” flick; it became a popular success and one of the most influential events in cinematic history, all the more remarkable because of its small budget. It was not only the performances by Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins which brought accolades, but also the groundbreaking music by Bernard Herrmann (Citizen Kane, The Birds, Cape Fear). Like Hitchcock, Herrmann was an innovator who developed his own methods and language quite apart from the trusted conventions of Hollywood scoring.

Psycho: Film with Live Orchestra

Historic homes were the intended venues for many of Mozart’s masterpieces, and today’s performance is no exception. Huntsville’s Oak Place is the site of the Steele-Fowler House, built in 1840 by local architect George Steele. The Greek Revival residence features a unique layout and a highly original split-level design, uncharacteristic of the period. It served as the headquarters for General Joe Wheeler during the Spanish-American War, and entered the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Mozart at Oak Place

The twentieth-century French composer Francis Poulenc has been characterized as half monk, half “bad boy,” equally at home in the cathedral service and the cabaret show. These two worlds collide in his colorful setting of the Gloria, performed with the Huntsville Community Chorus and Huntsville-based soprano Kristine Biller. Tonight’s program belongs to Paris altogether, really – including the beloved tone-poem The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas, made famous in Walt Disney’s Fantasia.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert is a joyful, lively experience that has delighted audiences in West Palm Beach for more than 25 years. Every holiday season, this beloved tradition bursts to life at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts with music, bright costumes, and lush flowers. As dancers enliven timeless melodies, including the Blue Danube Waltz, the Maestro regales the audience with stories (and a joke or two) from the conductor’s podium. Ring in 2025 with soaring arias, romantic duets, and festive overtures, courtesy of the “Waltz King,” Johann Strauss Jr.

Salute To Vienna New Year’s Concert

Alexander W. Dreyfoos Concert Hall

Leave behind 2024 and waltz into 2025 when Salute To Vienna New Year's Concert returns to Ruth Eckerd Hall!

Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert

Ruth Eckerd Hall

Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert is a joyful, lively experience that has delighted audiences in Miami for more than 15 years. Every holiday season, this beloved tradition bursts to life at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts with music, bright costumes and lush flowers. As dancers enliven timeless melodies, including the Blue Danube Waltz, the maestro regales the audience with stories (and a joke or two) from the conductor’s podium. Ring in 2025 with soaring arias, romantic duets and festive overtures, courtesy of the “Waltz King,” Johann Strauss Jr.

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts

With timeless music, dazzling costumes, breathtaking dance, stunning floral designs, Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert returns to The Music Center at Strathmore for an unforgettable New Year’s celebration that will enchant and delight audiences of all ages.

The Music Center at Strathmore

Admired for his authentic and original voice, the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams created soundscapes which seem to emerge right from the mists of the English countryside. Tonight we enjoy the stunningly beautiful Tallis Fantasia for strings as well as his powerful but little-heard Toward the Unknown Region, for chorus and orchestra – alongside music from Hungarian composer Miklós Rózsa, and the premiere of a new work for children’s voices and orchestra by Music Director & Conductor Gregory Vajda.

Conductor

Gregory Vajda

Events

Past events

May 2, 2026

Boléro · Huntsville Symphony Orchestra

Apr 26, 2026

Dinner on the Mountain · Huntsville Symphony Orchestra

About

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