Composer

America’s ardor for pushing boundaries led to the settling of America's west and exploring the cosmos. The Symphony celebrates this spirit of discovery with Aaron Copland's “Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo” and Gustav Holst's epic, “The Planets”.

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Exploration

Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center

Join the NYOS Development orchestra for an enchanting evening at Perth Concert Hall. This July, they celebrate British orchestral voices, performing works from Holst, Grace Williams, and Elgar. Opening with a mystic dance for the spirits of earth, fire andwater, Holst’s The Perfect Fool conjures scenes of sorcery and mischief through vivid orchestration and bold musical gestures. Grace Williams’ symphonic poem Penillion follows, a lush evocation of Wales’s verdant landscapes and proud folk tradition. Turning a corner in the programme, Elgar’s fin-de-siècle masterstroke Enigma Variations closes the performances. A cornerstone of the British orchestral repertoire, Elgar’s variations distil the personality of his inner circle through richly expressive, often playful musical ideas. This promises to be a rousing showcase of Scotland’s brightest young musicians.

NYOS Development Orchestra 2026

Perth Concert Hall

Expect futuristic electronics and dazzling soundscapes from the NYOS orchestra at the Usher Hall this summer. Venturing into the depths of the cosmos, our journey begins with Iris ter Schiphorst’s Gravitational Waves, a piece inspired by the 2015 detection of colliding black holes. Camille Pépin’s Laniakea follows, its shimmering orchestral textures and luminous motifs evoking the path of innumerable planetary systems on the vast currents of the universe.

NYOS Summer Concert

Usher Hall

Expect futuristic electronics and dazzling soundscapes from the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland at Perth Concert Hall this summer. Venturing into the depths of the cosmos, our journey begins with Iris ter Schiphorst’s Gravitational Waves, a piece inspired by the 2015 detection of colliding black holes. Camille Pépin’s Laniakea follows, its shimmering orchestral textures and luminous motifs evoking the path of innumerable planetary systems on the vast currents of the universe. The programme comes full circle with Gustav Holst’s The Planets, each movement an iconic portrait of our solar system. Combining majestic brass, intricate woodwinds, and rhythmic drive, Holst’s classic orchestral suite conjures cosmic wonder and human drama with aplomb. It remains a cornerstone of the national repertoire.

NYOS presents: Cosmic Sounds

“The Final Frontier” propels our American Adventures season beyond earthly borders, charting a course through music inspired by the boundless pull of the stars. The journey ignites with Strauss’ iconic opening of Also Sprach Zarathustra,” instantly recognizable from the infamous opening of 2001: A Space Odyssey, before soaring into John Williams’ cinematic worlds, from the wonder of E.T. and Star Wars to the triumphant theme from Superman. James Horner’s Apollo 13 selections and Holst’s relentless “Mars” conjure both the peril and majesty of space exploration. Broadway anthems like “The Impossible Dream” and “Bring Him Home” will be brought to life by vocalist Devin DeSantis, alongside nostalgic favorites from Star Trek, The Flintstones, and The Jetsons, rounding out an evening that blends spectacle, adventure, and heartfelt aspiration—reminding us that the spirit of exploration lives as much within us as it does among the stars.

Topilow Pops: The Final Frontier

Riverwalk Center

The entire theater building will resonate with sound during the concert festival. Hosts of the celebration on all stages are General Music Director Leo McFall and the Hessian State Orchestra. The music, too, will audibly expand and journey into space: from Vaughan Williams' elegiac setting of a Shakespeare poem to harmonies of the spheres and Holst's popular "Planets" suite. Here, motivated amateur musicians can once again play alongside the professionals. Bruckner's Te Deum also has an epic quality: for the deeply religious composer, this powerful hymn was his ticket to heaven. For this performance, the singers from the opera chorus and the Wiesbaden City Choir will join forces.

8th Symphony Concert

Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden

This year’s Free Family & Kids Concert stomps into the spotlight with a dinosaur theme, kicking off with an hour of free, hands-on dinosaur crafts courtesy of Frosted Flamingo. Young concertgoers can create their own prehistoric masterpieces before the music begins, setting the stage for a morning of imagination and discovery. Conductor Jason Seber returns to lead this lively and engaging program, guiding audiences of all ages through an entertaining musical adventure designed especially for families. Filled with energy, storytelling, and plenty of fun, this free community concert invites everyone to explore a Jurassic-sized celebration of music.

Free Family and Kids Concert

June Concert 2026

Pomona College

Following the conclusion of our 25/26 subscription season, join us for “A Community Gift and Dream — for the Love of Music” June 13-14, 2026.

A Community Gift and Dream — for the Love of Music

Overture Center for the Arts

Space. Endless expanses. While these aren't the adventures of the Starship Enterprise, concert organist Mari Fukumoto's program offers a very special kind of adventure. She embarks on a musical journey into space – and this includes perhaps the most famous music about celestial bodies in a colorful organ arrangement.

Mari Fukumoto, Organ

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

Experience an unforgettable night of symphonic wonder as the North York Concert Orchestra presents John Williams' Star Wars Suite and Gustav Holst’s The Planets — two epic works that take you from a galaxy far, far away to the very edge of our solar system.

Spaced Out!

Eglinton St. George's United Church

A programme of 20th century British choral music, with works by Parry, Howells and Vaughan Williams performed in the beautiful surroundings of St John's Church, Wimbledon.

Britten Sinfonia With Academy Choir Wimbledon

St John the Baptist, Wimbledon

3. Philharmonic Evening

Graz Congress

Majestic in its scope. Dazzling in its sound. There is nothing to match the experience of hearing, live in concert, The Planets. Be there for the ultimate trip through the galaxy as Richmond Symphony and Valentina Peleggi perform Gustav Holst’s sonic celestial showpiece. Plus, the suite from John Williams’ Star Wars. Also featured on this final concert of a season, exploring 250 years of American music and history, is a world premiere from composer and storyteller Stacy Garrop, commissioned from her by the Richmond Symphony.

The Planets & Star Wars

Dominion Energy Center

A breathtaking season finale featuring the Lancaster Symphony Chorus in Lauridsen’s luminous Lux Aeterna, followed by Holst’s cosmic masterpiece The Planets, set to stunning NASA imagery.

The Planets

Lancaster Country Day School

Houston favorite Augustin Hadelich returns for one of the most treasured works in all of music, Tchaikovsky’s lushly romantic (and dizzyingly difficult) Violin Concerto. Be transported to a world of soaring beauty and limitless possibility in Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral, which, in Higdon’s words, represents an imaginary journey “through a glass cathedral in the sky.” Then, fasten your seatbelts and blast off to menacing Mars, jolly Jupiter, and beyond as the Symphony performs Holst’s sonic, celestial showpiece, The Planets.

The Planets + Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto

Jones Hall

John Williams & The Planets

Lake Michigan College Mendel Center

The future is now! The Reno Phil welcomes all four of its Youth Orchestras to the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts stage to showcase their hard work. See the Youth Strings Ensemble, Youth Strings Symphonia, Youth Concert Orchestra and Youth Symphony Orchestra perform as they play a variety of favorites.

RPYO Spring Showcase

Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts

Saenger Theatre

Take the plunge into huge orchestral sound as the Calgary Phil and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra come together to perform John Luther Adams' Become Ocean, a haunting work that evokes an unstoppable tidal surge. They also join forces to play Holst's enthralling orchestral mood pictures inspired by the astrological significance of the planets and how they may influence human character.

Alberta in Harmony: The Planets

Arts Commons

In this world premiere presentation, a captivating silent film by Dutch director Lucas van Woerkum explores the vastness of the cosmos and the intimacy of human experience.

Symphonic Cinema: The Planets

Sydney Opera House

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Calgary Philharmonic join forces again to unite Alberta in Harmony. Hear Holst's popular suite The Planets, a magnificent seven-movement work and staple of orchestral repertoire that captures the celestial moods of each planet and its astrological character. Plus, experience the wonder and depth of the ocean in Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning composition by John Luther Adams, Become Ocean.

Winspear Centre

In this 25-minute animated film, students take a magical journey through the anatomy of an orchestra, where strings pulse, winds flutter, percussion bursts and brass gleams.

Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra

Conductor in Residence Benjamin Northey is a superb conductor, in demand to lead everything from the great masterpieces to contemporary works and live to film concerts.

Open Rehearsal with Benjamin Northey

Grow | Frost Symphonic Winds

University of Miami

In this solo recital, organist Jan Kraybill showcases her exceptional command of the Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique’s pedalboard, guiding you on a unique musical voyage from Bach’s Baroque Germany to Sowerby’s America. This is something you’ll want to see and hear!

The organ put its best feet foward

Place des Arts

John Williams's score for Star Wars is universally known, especially the main title. However, not many are aware that this soundtrack has a model, indeed, that it would be almost unthinkable without it. John Williams drew heavily on it. It is Gustav Holst's suite " The Planets ," the most colossal space music of all time, which we supplement with original space images from NASA and ETA. In our program, it is evocatively paired with a symphony by the German-British contemporary of Haydn, William Herschel, who, in addition to being a hobby composer, was one of the most important astronomers of his time: in 1781, he discovered the planet Uranus , and in 1789, he constructed a telescope of previously unknown dimensions. The concert highlight between the symphonic planetariums: the sparkling percussion concerto by the American composer and multi-percussionist Andy Akiho. The soloist is Jacob Nissly, principal timpanist and percussionist of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. At the podium is fellow American Tito Munoz, chief conductor of the Phoenix Symphony.

Holsts Planets And Drum Concert

Meistersinger Hall

The A2SO and Music Director Earl Lee round out an extraordinary 25-26 concert season with Holst’s towering celestial masterpiece The Planets plus Elgar’s poignant cello concerto with in-demand German virtuoso Maximilian Hornung.

Holst’s The Planets

Michigan Theater

RPO: Space! 2026

Eastman Theatre

The program features Tuttarana by Reena Esmail, Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst, Resting in the Peace of His Hands by John Gibson, Fallingwater at Twilight by James David, and His Honor by Henry Fillmore. Arris Golden, Concert Band conductor.

Concert Band and Campus Band

Michigan State University

Mendelssohn´s twelve string symphonies from his youth form the basis for the later peak Romantic symphony. Our orchestra is dedicated to performing these works consistently, and is therefore rightly considered a leading and respected interpreter of Mendelssohn’s early symphonies. Our innovative dramaturgy will enrich the concert with a lesser-known, but very original Romantic composer, the engineer and colonel Gyula Beliczay, whose serenade will be heard next to Elgar’s famous serenade. The evening will close with an internationally acclaimed work by Gustav Holst.

Ludmila Pavlová

Prague Conservatory

The seventh chamber music concert will offer a cross-section of both less performed and notoriously known composers. The Romanian composer and violinist George Enescu, whose works are inspired by Romanian folk music, is one of the greatest composers of his country. The evening is also dedicated to Dmitri Shostakovich. Two of his works will be heard, one of which is the demanding String Quartet No. 8.

Shostakovich. Enescu. Reger

The Professed House, Prague

Repertory Singers & Treble Chorus 2026

University of Rochester

The Campus String Ensemble is comprised of non-music major students, faculty members, staff, and alumni of the University of Michigan.

Campus Orchestra String Ensemble

Earl V. Moore Building

Journey into celestial wonder in this epic concert experience. Accordion virtuoso Radu Ratoi makes his WSO debut with Bach’s Concerto in D minor. Then, soar into the cosmos with Holst’s epic masterpiece The Planets, a breathtaking tour of our solar system brought to life by the full power of the orchestra.

The Palace Theatre Greensburg

Imagine traveling billions of kilometers to the farthest reaches of the universe without leaving your seat in the concert hall. In a new collaboration between Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, TAW-The Animation Workshop and astrophysicist Anja Cetti Andersen, the concert hall is transformed into a living cosmos. Experience the Big Bang as an explosion of sound and light, meet the Juno space probe on Jupiter, and soar over the red deserts of Mars – all surrounded by the magnificent sound of the symphony orchestra and Anja's personal stories about everything that is hidden in the infinite expanses of the universe.

SymfUnivers - Music & the Universe

Aalborg Central Waterfront

Blast off on an out-of-this-world adventure with your Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra! Experience the music from two of John Williams's most iconic film scores, paired with some of the classical greats that inspired them. This concert is a great fit for lovers of music that evokes character and tells a story.

John Williams and His Influences

Methodist University

The ingenuity and courage of the 1960s missions to the Moon sparked a spirit of wonderment in the world’s creative community. Films and TV shows had their own “space race” that included glorious and inspiring music that lives far beyond those original productions.

A Cosmic Voyage: Symphony in Space

Join us in celebration for the retirement of Prof. Jerry Luckhardt and his tenure at the University of Minnesota-TC. This concert will feature guest speakers, archival materials, and a performance filled with repertoire that is special to Prof. Luckhardt, including: Giovanni Gabrieli’s Canzona per Sonare No. 2, Shelley Hanson’s Albanian Dance, H. Owen Reed’s Michigan Morn, Gustav Holst’s Second Suite in F, Alex Shapiro’s Depth, Jonathan Newman’s Blow It Up and Start Again, J. P Sousa’s Minnesota March, Frank Ticheli’s Rest, and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Folk Dances, transcribed by H. Robert Reynolds. This performance will be one you will not want to miss.

Symphonic Band

University of Minnesota

“Suite Dreams” is a concert showcasing a blend of sweet treats and dances, featuring compositions from various artists, notably composer Steven Bryant’s piece titled “Suite Dreams.” This work mainly reinterprets the inverted chaconne melody found in Gustav Holst's “First Suite in E-Flat,” presenting it with a dreamlike quality, as if fragmented memories of the original drifted across the stage.

Suite Dreams

Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts

Embark on a sonic voyage through the cosmos in this extraordinary concert, where the music of the stars meets the stunning imagery captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. Join us for an evening of wonder, beginning with Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams—a thrilling, high-energy work that mirrors the excitement of space exploration with its rapid rhythms and driving momentum. Experience stunning visuals alongside “The Planets,” Gustav Holst’s beloved orchestral suite, as the James Webb Space Telescope's awe-inspiring photographs of distant galaxies and celestial phenomena are projected alongside the music. From the cosmic storms of Mars to the serene beauty of Venus, Holst’s masterpiece invites you to explore the vastness of space through music.

Cosmic Voyage

Mishler Theatre

This performance is currently sold out. Join our waitlist to be notified if additional tickets become available.

Join us for a special dedication recital from renowned faculty members Alan Morrison and Jeffrey Brillhart alongside Curtis organ students as we celebrate the completion of the new instrument in Field Concert Hall.

Following Curtis’ historic centennial celebration, the 100th instrument created by Dobson Pipe Organ Builders will inspire a new generation of organists for years to come.

Organ Dedication Recital

Curtis Institute of Music

Shermerhorn Symphony Center

Join us for a celebration of the musical legacy of the Holst family – both Gustav and his exceptionally talented and influential daughter, Imogen.

Imogen worked with Benjamin Britten to establish the longstanding Aldeburgh Festival in Suffolk alongside her distinguished composing career. Tonight’s highlights are the folk and baroque–inspired Variations on Loth to Depart and the spectacular but rarely heard Festival Anthem, performed with the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir.

From Gustav we have his St Paul’s Suite. Like Imogen’s Variations on Loth to Depart it’s based on English folk music, but it’s much more boisterous and dense – like the musical equivalent of eating a chocolate cake.

The Holsts: Father & Daughter

Derby Cathedral

This delightful concert features Vivaldi’s beloved Four Seasons, Holst’s Lyric Movement, and Mozart’s majestic Jupiter Symphony, performed by the talented Amarillo Chamber Orchestra.

Seasons of Celestial Joy

St Andrew's Episcopal Church

Joseph Haydn probably couldn't imagine that one day you would be able to travel to the moon. Nevertheless, he wrote an opera about life there. Although it was actually just a joke by a lovesick amateur astronomer to marry the daughter of a curious older man. He was fooled anyway, and the opera ends happily, of course. Here you can hear the overture.

Night sky

Linköping Konsert & Kongress

Louis de Geer konsert & kongress

Join us for an unforgettable walk under a starry sky to the magical sound of marimbas! This evening spent in the Bethlehem Chapel promises an extraordinary experience. Venezuelan conductor Andrés Maurette O'Brien will open the Czech première of The Universe, a double concerto for two marimbas and string orchestra. Its author is the contemporary Belgian composer, teacher and brilliant marimba player Ludwig Albert. His pupil, member of the PRSO and excellent marimba player Ladislav Bilan, will perform with him on stage. The radio orchestra will then give a portrayal of our neighbouring planet, Venus. Venus, the Bringer of Peace - this is how the English pedagogue and late-Romanticism composer Gustav Holst portrayed it in his Planets cycle.

Concertos for Marimbas

The Bethlehem Chapel

Music is a language that everyone can understand. As the entire Östergötland orchestra, we want to give everyone who lives here musical experiences to remember with us.The language of musicis borderless and builds bridges between people. During week 11 we welcome an invited audience to the concert hall in Norrköping to listen toNorrköping Symphony Orchestrain collaboration with Östgötamusiken andThe academic women's choir LinneaThe concert is also held in collaboration withThe portalandSFI.

Music's language

" My Father Explains Our Night Sky to Me Every Saturday " ... how poor the world would be without mnemonics ! This one , about the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus , and Neptune, also belongs in our educational luggage. The celestial body Pluto is no longer on our mnemonic list; a few years ago it was deemed too small and therefore rigorously banished from the planetary sky.

Galactic

Cologne Philharmonie

Featuring the PVS Orchestra & Chorus in collaboration with Illumine Vocal Arts Ensemble and Amherst College Glee Club.

Experience a night of transcendent beauty with three masterworks in one unforgettable concert. Gustav Holst’s Walt Whitman Overture bursts forth with energy and optimism, inspired by the poet’s boundless spirit. Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring follows, evoking the American landscape with its warm, pastoral melodies and timeless simplicity. The evening culminates with Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, a powerful and deeply moving plea for peace, interweaving texts from Walt Whitman, the Bible, and political speeches into a soaring choral masterpiece. This evening journeys through the PVS 87th season theme of hope, resilience, and the universal longing for harmony.

Grant Us Peace

Technically challenging runs, playing in extremely high registers, and then the grand solo cadenza in the first movement – ​​in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, the difficulties are strung together like a string of pearls. As technically demanding as this work is, its artistic quality is immense. It is undisputedly considered one of the greatest violin concertos of all time. In our performance, our first concertmaster, Youngkun Kwak, will take on the difficult solo part.

5th Philharmonic Concert

Exhibition Hall 4

Andrew Brownell & Patti Wolf

Music Building and Recital Hall

UC Berkeley Wind Ensemble 2026

UC Berkeley Department of Music

Prepare to take off from the ground when  Interstellar organist Roger Sayer sits down at the Symphony Hall's unique, 42-stop concert organ and plays the music from the blockbuster film at the Music Hall.

Interstellar 10

Aarhus Music Hall

In a magnificent chorus of Hallé singers, the Choir and Children’s Choir join Kahchun Wong for a celestial trio. Unsuk Chin’s Le Chant des Enfants des Étoiles is an intensely atmospheric work which will take you on an exploration through the stars and the infinite reaches of space. Recently revised by the composer, this concert presents the exciting world premiere of this updated version. While the most recognised of Holst’s The Planets in modern times are perhaps Mars, the Bringer of War and Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity (featured in ‘I Vow to Thee, My Country’), hearing the complete suite in order provides an incredible musical journey through the solar system. Commissioned by the Hallé, Colin Matthews rose to the irresistible challenge of writing a complementary movement to Holst’s The Planets. A flurry of solar winds in the strings, and the lightning-fast scherzo Pluto, the Renewer was formed.

The Hallé – The Planets

The Bridgewater Hall

Unsuk Chin’s Le Chant des Enfants des Étoiles is an intensely atmospheric work which will take you on an exploration through the stars and the infinite reaches of space. Recently revised by the composer, this concert presents the exciting world premiere of this updated version.

The Carnegie Mellon Wind Ensemble utilizes a flexible instrumentation of winds, brass, and percussion to perform repertoire from standard concert band works to contemporary compositions of various instrumental combinations.

Carnegie Mellon Wind Ensemble

Schenley Farms Historic District

Marin Alsop conducts three of the most popular works in the orchestral repertoire in this space-themed concert for all the family.  

John Williams is arguably the greatest film music composer of all time, with 26 Grammys and 5 Oscars in his bulging trophy cabinet. He wrote the unforgettable music for all nine Star Wars films. The Suite brings together many of the best bits, including the swashbuckling main theme and Darth Vader’s menacing ‘Imperial March’.  

Marin Alsop conducts Star Wars and The Planets

Southbank Centre

USO 2025-26 Season Concert 3

Mendocino College

The MSU Symphony Orchestra presents a program that spans the intimate and the cosmic. Gala Flagello’s Everything Beautiful offers a poignant meditation on beauty through rich textures and emotional depth. Gustav Holst’s The Planets follows, an iconic suite exploring the drama and mystery of the cosmos—from the force of Mars, the Bringer of War to the shimmer of Neptune, the Mystic. Also included is a Sam and Mary Austin Fanfare by an MSU student composer. Octavio Más-Arocas, conductor.

Symphony Orchestra, “Holst’s The Planets”

Give Me Your Stars explores the profound and diverse beauty of music inspired by the heavens, human connection, and the places we call home. At its heart is Lucy Walker’s eponymous new work, written for VOCES8, which captures the delicate balance between celestial wonder and the deep, personal connections that make us human.

The programme spans centuries of choral music, from the luminous polyphony of Tomás Luis de Victoria’s Regina caeli to timeless jazz standards. Along the way, we encounter the reflective sentiments of Eric Whitacre’s All Seems Beautiful to Me and Ola Gjeilo’s Ubi caritas, folk traditions in Danny Boy and Michael McGlynn’s Dúlamán, and evocative tales of cities and starlight in April in Paris and New York, New York.

Voces8

Cadogan Hall 

Wabanaki means People of the Dawnland. As the first people to greet the sunrise, they are responsible for holding up the sky. Wabanki musician and multimedia creator, Firefly, joins the PSO for a performance of his original work, Militakwat (pronounced mill-e-duh-kwut, Penobscot for “it has all kinds of sounds”), rooted in ancient Wabanaki music.

Dawnland to the Planets

Merrill Auditorium

To mark the 50th anniversary of Benjamin Britten's death, Canterbury Choral Society and Youth Choir will perform his popular cantata St Nicolas. This inventive work features dramatic storms and shipwrecks alongside touching scenes from the saint's life, with audience participation in two hymns.

Joining the choir are the world-renowned London Mozart Players, who will also perform two of the finest English works for string orchestra by Elgar and Vaughan Williams.

Together with Holst's moving Psalm 86, this promises to be an evening of rich enchantment and powerful storytelling.

Canterbury Choral Society presents Britten: St Nicolas

Canterbury Cathedral

Fresh from his wildly successful recent appearance with the DSO, Edward Gardner returns to conduct Holst’s most famous score, with the astrological character of each of the celestial bodies. Each planetary “portrait” reveals a fitting attribute, from Mars’ bellicose hammer blows to the haunting resonances of Neptune, “The Mystic,” with female voices singing wordlessly off stage till they fade away into the great unknown. Walton’s regal hymn of praise was commissioned to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953 and sung as she made her exit from Westminster Abbey. David Childs, euphonium sensation and brass faculty member of the University of North Texas, solos in the US premiere of a concerto by critically acclaimed Scottish composer James MacMillan, whose music is esteemed “for its rhythmic excitement and powerful emotional communication.”

Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

2026 January Chorus Concert

Prepare to be transported beyond the bounds of Earth in an evening anchored by Gustav Holst’s cosmic masterpiece, The Planets. This iconic suite, with its sweeping grandeur and vivid musical imagery, offers a breathtaking tour of the solar system—each movement capturing the astrological character of its namesake planet. From the warlike intensity of “Mars” to the serene beauty of “Venus” and the mystical expanses of “Neptune,” Holst’s visionary score will leave you awe-struck.

The evening opens with Aaron Copland’s spirited Danzón Cubano—a festive, rhythm-driven tribute to Cuban dance that sets a joyful and infectious tone from the very first note.

Planets and Pasos

KMFA Classical 89.5

Violinist Randall Goosby returns to the San Francisco Symphony for an Edward Gardner–led program featuring Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto. Although Bruch lived to be 82 and produced an impressive catalogue of music, he never wrote anything as enduringly popular as his First Violin Concerto. It was an immediate hit, interspersing Hungarian-spiced licks with plenty of crowd-pleasing passagework. Gustav Holst had many esoteric interests, including astrology. The seven movements of The Planets, his best-known composition, range from the brutal rhythms and spooky effects of “Mars, the Bringer of War” to the dissonance and tolling bells of “Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age,” and the closer, “Neptune, the Mystic,” which calls to mind an Impressionist painting of outer space.

Gardner Conducts The Planets

Davies Symphony Hall

From the fiery intensity of Mars to the serene beauty of Venus and the mystery of Neptune, Holst’s awe-inspiring suite captures the character of each planet with unforgettable power and emotion. This is classical music at its most cinematic and thrilling, conducted by Lee Reynolds with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Barbican Centre

Experience the Des Moines Symphony brass section like never before in our newest tradition! Celebrate the sounds of the season with favorites like Joy to the World, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and more. Westminster Presbyterian's beautiful Dobson Pipe Organ will be prominently featured alongside timpani, percussion, and our powerful brass section. Don't miss your chance to experience this intimate, family-friendly holiday concert!

Holiday Brass

Westminster Presbyterian Church of Des Moines

‘An undoubted jewel in Britain’s choral scene’ (BBC Music Magazine), the Choir of The Queen’s College Oxford directed by Owen Rees is among the finest and most active university choirs in the UK. Its extensive concert schedule involves appearances across the UK and internationally, and among its acclaimed recordings – including releases with the Academy of Ancient Music and the Britten Sinfonia – the 2018 release of music by John Taverner receive a Diapason d’Or, while Carols from Queen’s enjoyed nine weeks in the Specialist Classical Charts and was a Telegraph Christmas pick.

Christmas from Queen’s

Smith Square Hall

Under the direction of Michael Waldron, and joined by acclaimed soprano Emma Bell, this programme weaves together traditional favourites and vivid new settings — offering music full of warmth, brightness and the generous spirit of the season.

On Christmas Night

Celebrate the season with a night full of timeless melodies and sonorous brass harmonies. Join members of the orchestra for a musical sleigh ride through the unforgettable holiday hit by Leroy Anderson, as well as Handel’s glorious Joy to the World, Anthony DiLorenzo’s adaptation of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, a mash-up of Hannukah staples, and more.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Embrace the magic of the season at our most popular concert of the year! The Holiday Spectacular returns for its fifth year, featuring the warm, expressive voice of tenor Terrence Chin-Loy and a heartwarming program of holiday favorites.

Holiday Spectacular

Willson Auditorium

Evoke the spirit of the season with the quiet wonder of Holst’s “In the Bleak Midwinter” and warm your heart with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Mad Russian’s Christmas,” “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” and “Sleigh Ride!”

In the Bleak Midwinter

Lewis and Clark Community College

Delight in the brilliance of Amarcord, the acclaimed vocal ensemble from Leipzig, in a concert that highlights their remarkable blend and dynamic range. Renowned for their masterful interpretations of both classical and contemporary choral works, Amarcord brings technical precision and deep emotional resonance to every performance. Whether singing Renaissance gems or modern arrangements, their voices intertwine with effortless beauty, creating a sound that is at once powerful and ethereal. 

An Amarcord Christmas

The Rosen House at Caramoor

The Slippin’ Slides

Hamel Music Center

On December 5 and 6, UCBSO presents the North American debut of Susan Lim’s Fantasy of Companionship for Piano and Orchestra. An imaginative work that fuses classical traditions with futuristic soundscapes, this landmark performance invites audiences into a world where music becomes a lens to reflect on human connection with the inanimate and the future of companionship.

Composer

Gustav Holst

Events

Upcoming events

Sep 19, 2026

The Planets 2026 · Royal Albert Hall

Sep 19, 2026

NSSO September 2026 Concert · North Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Sep 20, 2026

Yannick Conducts The Planets · Orchestre Métropolitain

Sep 26, 2026

Bruch, Holst and Biber · Royal Northern Sinfonia

Oct 5, 2026

Holst’s Planets · Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra

Past events

Sep 12, 2026

Exploration · Rapides Symphony Orchestra

Jul 25, 2026

NYOS Development Orchestra 2026 · Perth Theatre and Concert Hall

About

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