Composer

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.

EPSG:4326

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.”

Holst’s The Planets

Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

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.

The Planets

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

The Slippin’ Slides

Hamel Music Center

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

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.

UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra

UC Berkeley Department of Music

The popular organ matinée series, featuring some of Sweden’s foremost organists, has grown steadily in recent years. The organ at Konserthuset Stockholm, with its magnificent façade, is one of Europe’s most iconic – and with 6,100 pipes, also one of the largest.

Organ Matinee with Joakim Andersson

Konserthuset Stockholm

Join us for an immersive, sonic journey into the cosmos like no other. As the concert hall becomes a planetarium, lie down amongst the orchestra and listen to music themed around astronomy, whilst gazing at projections of the awe-inspiring universe in which we live.

The Night Sky

A fabulous concert featuring a diverse range of singers and instrumentalists from Dulwich College, highlighting outstanding soloists and top-tier performers from across the school.

The Symphonic Wind Band performs Philip Sparke’s Portrait of a City, a musical reflection of London, his hometown, followed by the Brass Band ushering in the Christmas spirit with two festive classics.

Dulwich College Winter Concert

Cadogan Hall

Planet hop with us as the stunning images from the student artists of St. Dominic School  are projected above the orchestra, bringing the Sun and  Holst’s The Planets to life. The adventure continues with thrilling music of epic space movies.

Spaces Out

Beachwood High School

Infinite expanses. When the nights get longer, it's worth taking a look at the dark sky. In addition to the moon and the many sparkling stars, the planets of our solar system are particularly visible - for example, the powerfully shining Jupiter, the bright Venus, or the red glowing Mars. Even the ancient Romans invented stories about the planets visible to the naked eye. But it was the English composer Gustav Holst who set them to music. And so we embark on a musical journey through the universe. But what about Phili? Is our little meerkat girl flying along, or does she have completely different ideas? Stay tuned to find out!

phil to explore ...in the vastness of outer space

Palace of Culture

Gustav Holst’s The Planets captures the essence of our solar system in a groundbreaking, cinematic style. The opening of Mars, the Bringer of War alone reveals his profound influence on generations of (film) composers. Claude Debussy’s Nocturnes offers a contrasting journey, painting vivid atmospheric sketches of sunlight’s glow, clouded skies, and the sirens’ haunting song. Like Holst, Debussy masterfully integrates the choir in the final movement, creating an otherworldly allure that is both enchanting and irresistible.

The Planets by Gustav Holst

Queen Elisabeth Hall

James MacMillan is Scottish, just like our chief conductor Sir Donald Runnicles. Both have known and respected each other for many years, so it is no wonder that MacMillan dedicated one of his symphonies to his friend. This symphony, the fourth of our Composer in Residence, contains everything that defines his composing style: opulent melodies stand alongside rich soundscapes, tight marches alongside harmonies reminiscent of Bach. The listeners are not safe from apparent coincidences - perhaps not surprising, considering MacMillan is a big football fan and loves the unpredictability of the game. In addition, one of the most popular symphonic works in English music, Holst's "The Planets," will be performed - continuing our British Festival with this concert.

Sir Donald with Holst

The nighttime sky will never look the same after a concert of this nature! Climb aboard our audio version of the U.S.S. Enterprise as IPO takes you on an auditory adventure with Star Trek Through The Years (arranged by Calvin Custer), a compilation of some of the series’ most notable musical pieces. John Williams’ E.T. Adventures on Earth contributes to this out of this world evening, as does the closing number, Gustav Holst’s The Planets which takes the audience on a  journey throughout all the known planets of the Solar System seen from Earth at the time of its writing, and their corresponding astrological character. A video accompaniment with visuals by Adrian Wyard adds to this other worldly experience. 

NIGHT MOVES: The Planets, E.T. and Star Trek

Trinity Christian College

A program of rich chamber music spanning the 20th century, from Berkeley’s elegant Sextet and Delius’ atmospheric Three Small Tone Poems to Arnold’s spirited Quintet. The concert concludes with Holst’s expansive and deeply expressive Sextet in E Minor, a hidden gem that reveals the composer’s lyrical voice beyond his famous orchestral works.

Delius & Holst

Government House

This thrilling concert features Holst’s iconic suite alongside the US premiere of Dani Howard’s The Butterfly Effect and Debussy’s evocative Deux Nocturnes. Female choruses from WTAMU and Canyon High School join the journey, making this an unforgettable voyage!

Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts

Gustav Holst's "The Planets" takes you on a musical journey through our solar system - but not as you might expect! Instead of dry astronomy, Holst brings the different planets to life with dramatic and exciting sounds. Each planet has its own mood: For example, the planet Mars, named after the ancient god of war, is portrayed with powerful, almost threatening rhythms. Venus, the goddess of love, on the other hand, sounds gentle and peaceful. Holst composed the music in a way that allows you to feel the characters of the planets directly - from the energy of wild Jupiter to the mysterious silence of Neptune. It is an exciting, slightly different classical experience that will both captivate and amaze you. Get ready to discover the planets in a whole new way!

abgeFRACKt: The Planets

Gustav Holst’s The Planets captures the essence of our solar system in a groundbreaking, cinematic style. The opening of Mars, the Bringer of War alone reveals his profound influence on generations of (film) composers. During this concert at The Planets, you will also enjoy a video projection with images from NASA.

The Planets by Gustav Holst: music and film

BOZAR

Step into a world where science, art, and music converge in What Music Is, a transformative concert-theatre experience that explores the profound role music plays in our lives and the universe. Created by composer Bill Barclay, this immersive, family-friendly performance features a full orchestra, captivating spoken narrative, and stunning animations that bring to life the universal language of music.

What Music Is

Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center

Bobby Ge + Holst's The Planets

Palace Theatre Albany

Depicting the shape of a solar system in loops and spirals, LSO opens with Missy Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres). LSO principal trombonist Scott Anderson takes the stage to perform Ferdinand David’s virtuosic Concertino for Trombone. After intermission, the orchestra performs Gustav Holst’s The Planets, an epic journey through our solar system.

Exploring the Expanse

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Two extraordinary Bulgarian musicians are featured in this electrifying concert program. Young conductor Delyana Lazarova leads her compatriot Dobrinka Tabakova's Orpheus Comet. German violinist Clara-Jumi Kangnous leads us into a fabulous display of virtuosity and lyricism with Prokofiev's Second Concerto . The irresistible melody of the Andante assai opens a visual world echoed in Gustav Holst's fascinating Planets . Having inspired John Williams's Star Wars score , this unique score draws on astrology to paint a musical portrait of the planets.

Holst's Lights on the Planets

Grand Théâtre de Québec

Holst’s best-known composition The Planets evokes planetary gods such as War, Peace, and Magic in an unforgettably powerful orchestral experience. Hindemith’s legendary viola concerto Der Schwanendreher features rising star viola virtuoso Emad Zolfaghari. We also will present the much-anticipated world premiere of Voices by Santa Cruz native Benjamin Goodwin.

Civic Auditorium Santa Cruz

Watsonville High School

Join us on a musical space adventure like no other when the Odense Symphony Orchestra explores known and unknown galaxies in a giant program with the biggest draw. Gustav Holst's Planeterne is a symphonic masterpiece that requires considerable instrumental muscle to realize, and the 7 movements that encapsulate the essence of the planets in our solar system are here followed by Colin Matthews's addition: Pluto – despite the fact that we are now no longer allowed to call the one planet. Ligeti's Atmosphères is the sound of being stretched out in space with no possibility of coming back – and that's what Stanley Kubrick heard when he catapulted the piece to world fame as an invisible and eerie co-star in his ground-breaking film Space Travel in 2001.

The Planets & Star Wars

Odense Concert Hall

Elevate your musical experience with our Sound of Innovation performances. This distinctive series, where innovation meets classical virtuosity, immerses you into a mix of traditional and contemporary compositions. Your experience includes dinner and a drink ticket

The Sound of Innovation

The Club Room at The Clyde

Fasten your seat belt, settle into your seat and join us on a symphonic astro-adventure to the outermost limits of the solar system.
Imagine traveling billions of kilometers to the farthest reaches of the solar system without leaving your seat in the concert hall. In a new collaboration between the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, The Animation Workshop, Animation Studio Tumblehead and Astrophysicist Anja Cetti Andersen, the concert hall is transformed into a living cosmos.

SymfUniverse

Aarhus Music Hall

Experience The Planets, the astrological romp that turned Gustav Holst into a rock star. The off-world orchestral suite spawned rock-and-roll remakes by bands such as Led Zeppelin and King Crimson. The one planet that didn't make the cut in Holst’s score—Earth—gets its due when the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra does a mashup with Hindustani violinist Kala Ramnath. Her scintillating, genre-bending evocation of the ancient elements of space, air, water, fire, and earth comes to life with composer Reena Esmail. Guest conductor Vinay Parameswaran launches the evening on a cosmic journey with Nina Shekhar’s seductively mesmerizing Lumina.

Celestial Illuminations featuring The Planets

The Woodruff Arts Center

Embark on a celestial journey as the JSO explores music inspired by the stars and beyond. Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst opens the program with its radiant energy, followed by Fernande Decruck’s evocative Hymne à Apollon, a nod to ancient mythology. The concert continues with selections from John Williams’ iconic Star Wars Suite, transporting you to galaxies far, far away. After intermission, Gustav Holst’s The Planets takes center stage, offering a breathtaking symphonic portrayal of the cosmos , enhanced by stunning visual projections from designer Camilla Tassi.

Star Wars & The Planets

Jackson College

A concert about the skies above us, beginning with Lera Auerbach’s cinematic description of the Ancient Greek mythological hero Icarus who killed himself by flying too close to the sun, followed by Ralph Vaughan Williams’s most popular piece, The Lark Ascending, a miniature violin concerto in which the soloist represents a tiny skylark on a spring day, flying higher and higher into the heavens and pouring out their love in cascades of folk-inspired melody. The concert ends with Gustav Holst’s evergreen and spectacular orchestral suite The Planets, describing the seven planets of ancient astrology, each with their own mysterious properties which shape our human lives and characters.

Music of the Heavens: Holst’s Planets

Jacobs Music Center

Phantasies

Künstlerhaus am Lenbachplatz

What do a Renaissance genius and the vastness of space have in common? Vision. Curiosity. A relentless drive to understand the world. Hagen’s The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci gives voice to the mind of a thinker whose ideas still shape our world, with the MSU Choir weaving his words into something almost otherworldly. Then, we set our sights on the stars with Holst’s The Planets, a piece that captures the energy, mystery, and wonder of the universe—from the commanding presence of Mars to the dreamlike drift of Neptune. Two journeys—one through history, one through the cosmos—both reminding us of the limitless nature of human imagination.

Wharton Center for Performing Arts

Step into a world shaped by sound and discover what’s ahead.

Opening Night

Mechanics bank theater

WDR Happy Hour - The Planets

Philharmonic Essen

Museum Ludwig

The concert features Holst's majestic The Planets, Op. 32, followed by Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, orchestrated by Ravel. These remarkable pieces highlight the Cape Ann Symphony's incredible talent and commitment to exceptional performances.

The Virtuoso Orchestra Concert

Manchester Essex Regional High School

The soundscapes of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra's chamber concerts are as diverse as the personalities of the musicians who perform in them. The demands of the orchestra pit are often determined by the scale and diversity of voices. Chamber music, on the other hand, reduces this dimension to smaller ensembles and allows for intimate musical interaction. As in a dialogue, diverse opinions collide, new ideas emerge and develop during performance, thus opening up a creative space for spontaneous development.

Chamber Concert / Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

The most popular classical show in the UK returns to Manchester, combining the very best in classical music with magnificent lights and lasers! Ranging from a flood of pure white light to electrifying multi-coloured laser displays, the dazzling special effects bring to life the scenes and moods evoked by each glorious piece.

Classical Spectacular

The Bridgewater Hall

The soundscapes of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra's chamber concerts are as diverse as the characters of the musicians who perform in them. The demands in the orchestra pit are often characterized by the size and diversity of the voices. Chamber music, on the other hand, reduces this dimension to smaller ensembles and allows for intimate musical interaction. As in a dialog, different opinions come together, new ideas emerge and develop during the performance, opening up a creative space for spontaneous development.

1st Chamber Concert

Elbphilharmonie

Embark on a symphonic journey to a realm of heroes, villains, fantastic creatures and faraway lands as SSO brings the thrill and grandeur of sweeping epic film scores to life in a program of familiar favorites (maybe even yours!). Join us for an unforgettable evening of passion, drama, danger and adventure…. and maybe even some music.

Symphonic Epic: Swords, Lords and Chords

Cain Park

Woodwinds + Brass: Dvořák, Shostakovich & Holst

New World Center

Continuing Education Brass Ensemble Recital

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

This evening's performance by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus is supported by the Alan J. and Suzanne W. Dworsky Fund for Voice and Chorus.

Poulenc Gloria and Holst The Planets with Kazuki Yamada

Tanglewood Music Center

To kick off the season, the hr Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with the European Central Bank, invites you to the Europa Open Air concert series. In the unique atmosphere on the banks of the Main River in Frankfurt, you can expect another captivating summer concert evening with chief conductor Alain Altinoglu. Up to 20,000 visitors regularly enjoy the hr Symphony Orchestra's summer concerts on the banks of the Main. As always, supported by the Elisabethen Quelle Foundation, this year's program features popular orchestral works by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Aram Khachaturian, and Gustav Holst, which have also enjoyed worldwide success in film. In addition, a rousing concerto for two pianos by Francis Poulenc and the renowned "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" by Franz Liszt will be performed. Earlier in the evening, the hr Big Band, featuring Wolfgang Haffner and special guest Shantel, will provide the first musical highlights and create a lively atmosphere on the banks of the Main. In keeping with tradition, gastronomic offerings round off the Europa Open Air concert of the hr-Sinfonieorchester and the European Central Bank, to which all music lovers are once again very warmly welcomed.

Europa Open Air

Wesel shipyard

Step onto the main stage and play along with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra for the 7th annual Philadelphia Orchestra PlayIN event at SPAC. Violin, viola, cello, and bass players of all ages are invited to play on the SPAC stage alongside members of The Philadelphia Orchestra.

PlayIN for Strings with The Philadelphia Orchestra

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

A Hero’s Life

Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

Concert "London"

Schloss Moritzburg

One of the foremost conductors of our time, Marin Alsop, leads Gustav Holst’s iconic The Planets, a work that has inspired generations of sci-fi film composers, featuring the ferocity of “Mars, the Bringer of War”, the high-spirited “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity,” and the ghostly suspense of “Neptune, the Mystic.” Holst’s exciting, cosmic score features a seven-movement orchestral suite, with each movement named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst.

One of the foremost conductors of our time, Marin Alsop leads Gustav Holst’s iconic The Planets, a work that has inspired generations of sci-fi film composers, featuring the ferocity of “Mars, the Bringer of War,” the high-spirited “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity,” and the ghostly suspense of “Neptune, the Mystic.” Holst’s exciting, cosmic score features a seven-movement orchestral suite, with each movement named after a planet of the solar system and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst.

Saratoga Spa State Park

Under the baton of principal conductor Edward Gardner, the London Philharmonic Orchestra returns to the Festival for the first time in a decade with a stunning programme.

Holst's The Planets

Usher Hall

Edinburgh International Festival

Join the amazing 12 and 13 year olds of NCO (National Children’s Orchestras) as they present to you their There’s No Planet B programme, featuring orchestral greats like Jean Sibelius’ Finlandia and Gustav Holst’s Jupiter from The Planets, alongside stirring new music from Debbie Wiseman (Carnival of the Endangered Animals) and Rachel Portman’s (Endangered).

National Children's Orchestra

From a bird in flight to the astrological personalities in our solar system to the vast mysteries of deep space, Leonard Slatkin presides over a night that invites audiences to look upward at the Southern California sky in wonder. The Hollywood Bowl was a family tradition for Los Angeles native Slatkin who grew up watching LA Phil performances from the benches. That family tradition gains a new chapter as Slatkin leads the orchestra in his son Daniel’s Voyager 130, which was inspired by the Golden Record on NASA’s Voyager spacecraft that carries Earth’s music to the edge of interstellar space.

Hollywood Bowl

Celebrating 27 years of challenging and nurturing the future leaders of the American classical music scene, the Credo Festival is a cherished part of Chicago’s summer musical scene. The Credo Festival Orchestra (an All-Star orchestra comprised of titled players from fifteen major American orchestras and students from the country’s major conservatories) will be led by David Chan (MET concertmaster).

Credo National Festival

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

In 2019, two of the Northwest’s premier local orchestras joined forces for the first time for a truly memorable performance of Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony.  Now, the collaboration continues as both orchestras take to the stage for Gustav Holst’s stellar journey through the cosmos.  Joined by ladies from Liverpool Welsh Choral, there will be up to 150 performers involved in the performance!

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

A concert for all young people under 30! As a child, Kyohei Sorita dreamed of playing with a large orchestra and being enveloped by sound. He has now fulfilled this dream many times over. In 2021, he was the discovery of the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, where he played his way into the hearts of the audience. In 2023, he made a brilliant debut with the Munich Philharmonic with Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto, and now he is returning to the Isarphilharmonie with the sister work. Completely detached from the earth: Gustav Holst penetrates the infinite expanses of space in his composition "The Planets". In each movement, he focuses on one of the planets of our solar system and illustrates the mythological properties of the celestial body with great orchestral effect. The Spanish conductor Gustav Gimeno leads the choir and orchestra of the Munich Philharmonic on this brilliant journey through the cosmos. Following the university concert, the evening continues with »MPHIL Late«. A surprise awaits the young audience in the foyer of the Isarphilharmonie, Hall E. Put your books and laptops away and off to the concert!

University Concert & For All Under 30

Gasteig HP8

There is no shortage of superlatives when it comes to Sergei Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto. It is considered one of the most challenging works for pianists, "the concerto with the most notes per second." But the piece is not a superficial parade of virtuosity, because Rachmaninoff succeeds in filling the bravura display with deep "sentiment." After his brilliant debut with the Munich Philharmonic, where Kyohei Sorita caused a stir with Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto, he now returns to the Isarphilharmonie with its sister work. In his brilliantly orchestrated "The Planets," Gustav Holst takes a sonic journey through the cosmos. Each of the seven planets of our solar system is dedicated to a movement that illustrates the mythological properties of the celestial body very effectively. It was not only contemporary audiences who regretted that Gustav Holst did not produce a follow-up to this monumental piece. And so “The Planets” became a classic one-hit wonder — with the Munich Philharmonic conducted by Gustavo Gimeno.

Rakhmaninov Holst

Join us for a special evening of music at Halifax Minster, featuring violinist Ofer Falk and students from North Halifax Grammar. The programme includes Vaughan Williams’ English Folk Song Suite, Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, Holst’s St Paul’s Suite, and The Lark Ascending (arranged Gerigk).

The Lark Ascending at Halifax Minster

Halifax Minster

Sheffield Symphony Orchestra Concert 5

All Saints Church Ecclesall

Lift off with the symphony as we explore the universe in all its celestial wonder. You’ll hear music inspired by planets, comets, moons, and stars accompanied by images from our galaxy and beyond. “Claire de Lune,” selections from Gustav Holst’s Planets and John Williams’s Star Wars Suite, and so much more will bring our season to a spectacular conclusion.

Celestial Sounds

Livermore-Amador Symphony

Celebrate the grand finale of SOGO’s 25th anniversary season with a spectacular concert! Join us as we embark on a musical journey with the Conservatory Orchestra performing Dvořák’s lively Polka for Prague Students, followed by the enchanting Andante and Rondo Ongarese by Carl Maria von Weber, featuring the virtuosity of senior clarinetist Diego Cortes-Monroy. The evening culminates in a celestial performance of Mars and Jupiter from Holst’s epic The Planets, presented in a thrilling side-by-side collaboration with members of the Olympia Symphony Orchestra. The Brass Choir and Academy and Philharmonic orchestras will also perform. This unforgettable concert promises to highlight the extraordinary talent of over 160 young musicians from across the South Sound region.

SOGO 25th Season Spring Concert

Washington Center for the Performing Arts

CYS will present its final season concert featuring both the Associate Orchestra and the Virtuosi and Intermezzi String Ensembles at 1:00 PM on May 18 at Smithwick Theater, Foothill College. Maestra Kati Kyme will conduct works by Gabriel Fauré, C.P.E. Bach, and Joseph Haydn with the Virtuosi String Ensemble. Haydn composed his Symphony No. 45 in 1768 during his “Sturm und Drang” (Storm and Stress) period, and it carries the subtitle “La Passione”. The Intermezzi Strings will perform works by Mozart and Schubert, as well as selections from Gustav Holst’s St. Paul Suite.

String Ensembles and Associate Orchestra

Foothill College

Everything old is new again. “Spring” and “Summer” from Vivaldi’s beloved Four Seasons bookend this program featuring violinist Amaryn Olmeda, a rising star. Stravinsky, Respighi, Coleridge-Taylor, and Holst all took a page from musical styles of the past.

Vivaldi Inspired

Sarasota Opera House

A global celebration of music inspired by cities, countries, and cultures, featuring Holst's Japanese Suite.

Music from Around the World

Baldwin Wallace University

The Temecula Valley Youth Symphony invites you all to join us for some wonderful Live Classical Music for our end of the session concert on May 12th, 2025 at Murrieta Springs Seventh-Day Adventist Church at 7:30pm. Our Concert will feature performances from all three of our ensembles, including our Debut Strings (for their Debut performance!) headed by Ms. Marie Luedtke , our Concert Orchestra conducted by Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann, and our Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Dr. Zun Hin-Woo. The Concert will include classical music favorite such as Bizet’s Carmen Overture, Themes from the Planets by Holst, and classic Handel Water Music! Hope to see you all soon. Thank you for your support of the Temecula Valley Youth Symphony!

TVYS Classical Music Concert

Murrieta Springs Seventh-day Adventist Church

traditions and powerful storytelling. The evening culminates in Stravinsky’s “The Firebird,” a fairytale ballet based on Russian folklore, featuring the remarkable young dancers of San Antonio Youth Ballet. Energetic dance compositions by Gustav Holst and American contemporary composer Kenji Bunch build to the excitement of the grand finale, along with a soloist performance by the talented 2024/25 YOSA Concerto Competition winner. YOSA Prelude Strings, the youngest YOSA musicians, will open this musical evening of dance and fantasy you won’t want to miss.

Firebird Dance

Tobin Center for the Performing Arts

### Event Description: The Planets - An HD Odyssey

**Event:** The Planets - An HD Odyssey  
**Presented by:** Symphony San Jose

**Dates and Times:**
- **Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.**
- **Sunday, May 11, 2025 at 2:30 p.m.**

**Venue:**  
California Theatre, San Jose, CA

**Concert Length:**  
Approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes, including an intermission.

**Pre-Concert Music Notes:**  
Occurs one hour prior to the concert in the auditorium.

**Artists:**
- **Conductor:** Tatsuya Shimono
- **Performers:** Symphony San Jose and Women of the Symphony San Jose Chorale

**Program:**
1. **Jessie Montgomery** - *Starburst*
2. **W.A. Mozart** - *Symphony No. 41 Jupiter*
3. **Gustav Holst** - *The Planets*

**About This Performance:**
Embark on the ultimate journey through our solar system with Symphony San Jose's breathtaking multimedia event. Experience Gustav Holst’s epic celestial masterpiece, *The Planets*, accompanied by awe-inspiring NASA images and footage projected onto a giant screen on stage. The concert begins with Jessie Montgomery’s vibrant *Starburst* and concludes with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s final symphony, *Jupiter*, a piece long celebrated as one of the greatest symphonies in classical music.

**Tickets:**
- **Purchase Tickets:** Available online
- **Subscription Options:** Subscribe and save

**Contact Information:**
- **Phone Number:** 408-286-2600
- **Ticket Office Hours:** Monday to Friday, 10am-5pm

Don’t miss this extraordinary event that combines the majesty of classical music with the wonder of space exploration. Secure your tickets now for an unforgettable experience!

The Planets An HD Odyssey

California Theatre

Those who frequent the KSO (indoors and out), know that all forms of jazz fit comfortably within the KSO’s wheelhouse. Stumbling upon intriguing jazz orchestrations of Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Dvorak, Gershwin, Holst, Suppe, Verdi, led James Cassidy to assemble an All-Star Big Band to end the 33rd season with a bang.

The concert opens with the jazz piano stylings of Eugen Cicero and his take on C.P.E. Bach’s Solfeggio in C minor. Consummate 1950s-60s arranger Billy May’s no-holds-barred approach to Hungarian Dance No. 5, Poet and Peasant Overture, Humoresque and others, paired with today’s big band guru Gordon Goodwin’s interpolations of the Two-part Invention in D minor, Symphony No. 40 in G minor and Rhapsody in Blue, and Jeremy Levy’s re-imagining of The Planets sets the stage for a veritable “hornucopia” of in your face classics à la jazz to close the KSO’s 33rd campaign.

Composer

Gustav Holst

Events

Upcoming events

Sep 21, 2025 - May 10, 2026

Chamber Concert / Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra · Elbphilharmonie

Feb 6, 2026

Symphony Orchestra, “Holst’s The Planets” · Michigan State University College of Music

7 - 8 Feb, 2026

USO 2025-26 Season Concert 3 · Ukiah Symphony Orchestra

Feb 8, 2026

Marin Alsop conducts Star Wars and The Planets · Philharmonia Orchestra

Feb 14, 2026

Carnegie Mellon Wind Ensemble · Carnegie Mellon University School of Music

Past events

Jan 28, 2026

Voces8 · Cadogan Hall

25 - 26 Jan, 2026

Dawnland to the Planets · Portland Symphony Orchestra

About

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