Composer

“Love is a rebellious bird,” sings Carmen in Georges Bizet’s opera of the same name. In 1992, the Swedish dance legend Mats Ek made Carmen the title character of a ballet for the Cullberg Ballet. He closely follows the novella by Prosper Mérimée on which the opera is based, in which Don José recounts Carmen’s story from his death cell. Playing with classical gender roles, Mats Ek avoids common Carmen clichés and arrives at a profoundly human interpretation. The Australian choreographer Dani Rowe, who now directs the Oregon Ballet Theatre, presents “Vestige,” set to the music of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” in Maurice Ravel’s orchestral arrangement. In episodic visions, people, impressions, and experiences pass before the main character, “Human,” allowing her to draw new strength from her memories.

EPSG:4326

Rebel Birds

Opernhaus Zürich

Join brass players from across Scotland in tribute to inspirational trumpeter, composer and educator John Wallace.

Brass Fanfare: A Tribute to John Wallace

Usher Hall

Brass players from three of Scotland’s top orchestras join forces with The Wallace Collection ensemble, as well as young players from RCS Junior Conservatoire and StAMP, in tribute to late Scottish trumpeter John Wallace.

Mussorgsky’s musical gallery visit, rendered expressively through Ravel’s colorful orchestration, is a lasting tribute to an artistic life. Written as a tribute to the painter Victor Hartmann, a dear friend of the composer who died prematurely, the piece transports us from scenes of the countryside to the majestic Great Gate of Kyiv.

Pictures at an Exhibition

Hollywood Bowl

Pianist George Li—praised by The Washington Post for combining “staggering technical prowess, a sense of command and depth of expression”—plays two defining works of the solo piano repertoire: Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, a powerful evocation of a memorial for the composer’s friend at St. Petersburg’s Imperial Academy of Arts, and the first book of Debussy’s two-book suite Images, which the composer (rightfully) predicted would “find [its] place in the literature of the piano…to the left of Schumann or to the right of Chopin.”

George Li Piano Recital

New Mexico Museum of Art

Experience the magic of live music at NRO On the Lake, the NRO’s annual free concert at the breathtaking Dillon Amphitheater. Under the masterful direction of Music Director Michael Stern, this unforgettable evening blends classical masterpieces with modern favorites, creating a dynamic program that captivates audiences of all ages. Set against the stunning backdrop of Lake Dillon and the majestic Tenmile Mountain Range, whether you’re a devoted classical music enthusiast or simply looking for a perfect summer evening by the water, NRO On the Lake promises an inspiring and unforgettable experience.

NRO On the Lake

Dillon Amphitheater

Guest performance in Bad Elster »Soundscapes of Classical Music«

Heidenheim Nature Theatre

The Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra ends its 2025-26 season at Cadogan Hall in style, with an evening of art and romance.

The concert opens with Berlioz’s Hungarian March, a spirited piece derived from a popular folk tune that was originally part of his dramatic legend, The Damnation of Faust.

Pianist Radu-Gabriel Stoica is the soloist for Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2, an emotional tour-de-force which needs no introduction.

Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra

Cadogan Hall 

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom where two royal children grew up in peace… But suddenly, terrible things began to happen: herds of animals disappeared and fields were devastated. No one could explain the sudden turmoil. So the two children decided to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Pictures from an exhibition

Casino Bern

Camellia Symphony Orchestra: Fire and Legends

C.K. McClatchy High School

Qixuan Fan, piano

Northwestern Bienen School of Music

Spending a night in a museum – super exciting! And a little spooky… Pictures come to life, old stories suddenly seem very real. Shhh – can you hear the music? What's that man in medieval clothes doing there? And that shadow… is it a witch?

A Night at the Museum - Pictures from an Exhibition

Staatstheater Kassel

Our eighth symphony concert concludes the first concert season under General Music Director Ainārs Rubiķis, and with this concert, the State Orchestra makes its symphonic debut at the INTERIM venue. This new location is sure to leave a very special impression. This time, the focus is on the human emotional landscape. Leonard Bernstein based his Serenade for Violin and Orchestra on texts by Plato – more precisely, from his Symposium. In it, the ancient philosopher addresses one of the central themes of our existence: love. In an illustrious evening gathering, which includes a fictional Socrates, Eros and love are discussed. Bernstein's rarely performed work is one of his most personal compositions. Our concertmaster, Katalin Westermann, will perform this extraordinary serenade together with her colleagues from the State Orchestra.

8th Symphony Concert - Man III

Season Finale – Pictures

Heritage Middle School

Chamber Music/Visual Show

Sand Island Park

Mussorgsky’s Dawn on the Moscow River was intended as the prelude to his final opera, Khovanshchina, and is a prime example of Mussorgsky’s Russian Folk style. The orchestration was completed by Rimsky-Korsakov in 1886. 

Prokofieff’s Queen of Spades was written as the score for a film by Mikhail Romm, intended for the 100th anniversary of Pushkin’s death, but never completed. English Composer Michael Berkely created a ballet – RUSHES – from Prokofieff’s music for the Royal ballet in 2008, and subsequently published the Orchestral suite played in this concert. 

Stravinsky’s Firebird

Smith Square Hall

After visiting an exhibition showcasing paintings by his deceased friend, the composer Modest Mussorgsky wrote his famous work "Pictures at an Exhibition" in 1874. The expressive paintings by Viktor Hartmann inspired Mussorgsky to set them to music: to translate colors, figures, and moods into sounds, thus bringing the artworks to life. Pictures became musical pieces. But can these musical pieces become pictures again today? We'll find out: The State Theatre's Symphony Orchestra brings Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" to the stage in a large orchestral version, while artists paint live to the music. A feast for the eyes and ears!

Pictures at an exhibition

Detmold Theatre

Mussorgsky Khachaturian Bizet

Gasteig HP8

In this 60-minute Symphonic Happy Hour, experience the extraordinary talent of Jason Xu, winner of the 2024 OSM Competition, as he brings out the full technical richness of the saxophone in Frank Martin’s Ballade. Camille Pépin will captivate you with the vibrant energy of Vajrayana, while Mussorgsky will take you on a journey through his imagined museum with Pictures at an Exhibition, a stunning work enriched by beautiful orchestral colours.

Place des Arts

Joonhyoung (Ben) Kim, piano

Sebastian Weigle is already a familiar name at the Munich National Theater, having performed in numerous operatic performances. With The Love of Danae, the internationally sought-after artist recently rehearsed his first new production at the Bavarian State Opera, and now he is conducting an Academy concert for the first time. The program features two orchestral works whose virtuosity and richness of color showcase the instrumental talent of an orchestra in every respect: Modest Mussorgsky's only original orchestral composition, A Night on Bald Mountain, a wild witches' sabbath, and Camille Saint-Saëns 's Organ Symphony   , in which the State Opera's new organ is able to unfold its splendor. In the fine tradition of the Bavarian State Orchestra of introducing its soloists in the Academy Concerts, principal trumpeter Johannes Moritz will interpret the Trumpet Concerto by Alexander Arutiunyan: a truly spectacular piece in which the Armenian composer combines elements of his homeland's folk music with late-Romantic, luxuriant harmonies and French flair – a captivating discovery.

6th Academy Concert: Sebastian Weigle

Max-Joseph-Platz

Journey with Toronto Symphony Orchestra Conductor Emeritus Peter Oundjian through the vivid imagery of Mussorgsky’s glorious Pictures at an Exhibition. “Set to dominate the piano world for a long time to come” (The Times of London), Simon Trpčeski tackles Rachmaninoff’s impressive First Piano Concerto, bursting with virtuosic passages. Joan Tower’s Concerto for Orchestra opens the evening showcasing the exceptional musicians of the VSO.

Pictures At An Exhibition

Orpheum

Promenade with the Colorado Symphony through the gallery of one of the most celebrated and colorful works in the symphonic catalogue: Ravel’s famous orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. From its regal opening to its majestic finale, Mussorgsky’s work is a perennial favorite characterized by immersions into the worlds of its various paintings.

Pictures at an Exhibition with Christopher Dragon

Denver Performing Arts Complex

Haozhou Wang, Piano

The Juilliard School

Side-by-Side

Northern Virginia Community College

The Texas Medical Center Orchestra concludes its 2025-2026 season with a concert filled with exploration, innovation, and the joy of music.

Russian Fireworks

Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

Pictures at an Exhibition-Season Finale

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts

A museum visit? Boring?! Not this one! In our narrated family concert, conducted by Benjamin Haemhouts, you can take a musical stroll through Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" and experience how the individual paintings evoke moods and the moods become musical sounds. The musicians of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, playing brass and percussion, along with soloist Christian Schmitt on the organ, considered the "queen of instruments," will create a truly special sound experience. Join us and experience "Pictures at an Exhibition" in a unique version that will take young and old alike on an exciting journey through the museum's corridors.

Family Concert: Pictures at an Exhibition

Bamberger Symphoniker

Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra – Pictures at an Exhibition Conducted by Matthew Wood

Queensland Conservatorium

One of the boldest virtuosos this century plays Bach & more.

Cameron Carpenter, Organ

The Church of St. John the Divine

The centerpiece of the Symphonic Band’s first spring concert is Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (orchestrated by Maurice Ravel and transcribed for band by Paul Lavender). The pictures the work depicts were created by Mussorgsky’s friend, artist Viktor Hartmann. Following Hartmann’s untimely death, the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg exhibited his work, and after touring the exhibition, Mussorgsky was inspired to compose the score.

Symphonic Band

Northwestern University

Since becoming Music Director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra in 2023, Chad Goodman has been praised for taking the orchestra to new artistic heights and dramatically expanding its impact in the community. In his first two seasons he led the ESO premieres of more than a dozen works, increased community engagement through run-out concerts and engaging presentations in Elgin and neighboring cities, and spearheaded the orchestra’s first ever Día de los Muertos concert, uniting the symphony with folkloric dance and vocals in a city-wide cultural celebration.

Hemmens Auditorium

Join us for our closing Masterworks concert of the season with an evening of orchestral splendor featuring harpist Courtney Hershey-Bress. The program includes Berlioz’s spirited Hungarian March, Michael Daugherty’s captivating Harp of the Age, and Mussorgsky’s iconic Pictures at an Exhibition.

Orchestral Brilliance

Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts

In collaboration with the University of Northern Colorado choirs, your Greeley Philharmonic brings you a night of masterful works. Be immersed in a daring prison escape with Beethoven’s Fidelio Overture. Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition brings Viktor Hartmann’s artwork to life. In the second half, the choir and orchestra combine with Vaughan Williams’ “Serenade to Music,” which pays homage to Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. To end your Greeley Philharmonic’s 114th season, the combined ensemble performs Bernstein’s Hebrew Chichester Psalms. You don’t want to miss the season finale!

Beethoven to Bernstein

Union Colony Civic Center

A powerful program that bridges sound, imagery, and urgent storytelling. Mussorgsky’s iconic Pictures at an Exhibition is brought to life with film, transforming this classic suite into a multi-sensory journey through music and art.

Paired with it is The Bird-While by Gala Flagello, a 2024 Sousa-ABA Ostwald Composition Contest finalist. This striking concerto for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and winds—based on Keith Taylor’s poem “Acolytes in the Bird-While”—explores the beauty of Michigan’s ecosystems and the human struggle to persist in the face of climate change. Featuring guest soloists from "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, this performance brings extraordinary artistry to a message of environmental urgency.

Wake Forest University

Josh Jones will play Procession, Jessie Montgomery's inventive percussion concerto. Mussorgsky's colorful Pictures at an Exhibition in Ravel's iconic orchestration will complete the program.

Ohio Wesleyan University

Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts

Favorite Adventures

Asbury United Methodist Church

April 2026 Concert

Downey Theatre

Travel through time and imagination in this dynamic program featuring Renaissance dances, bold brass, and a musical masterpiece inspired by visual art.



The evening opens with lively selections from Susato’s The Danserye, followed by the world premiere of The Distant Band by Steven Juliani, performed by the acclaimed Seraph Brass quintet. We close with Mussorgsky’s dramatic Pictures at an Exhibition—a timeless journey through a gallery in sound.

A Dance Through the Gallery

Meyerson Symphony Center

Modest Mussorgsky’s inspiration for “Pictures at an Exhibition” came from an art exhibition of paintings by his recently departed friend, Viktor Hartmann. Full of emotional ups and downs, this masterpiece takes you on a vivid journey through Mussorgsky’s imagination with each note echoing the brush strokes of a different painting. Premiered in May 2023, “Harp of Ages” reflects on one of the oldest instruments – the harp. Featuring seven eclectic pieces each inspired by a memorable figure associated with the harp including comedian Harpo Marx, poet Sister Juana of Mexico, and from the original Star Trek TV series, Nyota Uhura.

Harp of Ages & Pictures at an Exhibition

McAninch Arts Center

Leigh Barrett is a beloved Boston-based actor, singer and director. Although she received her Bachelor's degree in Voice Performance, opera emphasis, from Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory in Ohio, she has found her home in musical theatre. 

Her very first stage was her parent's living room and every guest got treated to a show. There were costume changes, guest stars (her little sister Sue),  a jump rope microphone, and complicated choreography (the very advanced step, touch, and turn around).

From there she joined her church and high school choirs. And although she didn't really know what a "career" in music or acting was, she followed her best friend to Ohio to major in Music Education. Scared off by a middle school choir and shop class (don't ask), she switched her major to Voice Performance (because that’s not scary!). After graduation, she was cast in Little Shop of Horrors and she knew she had found her place. 

April 11 & 12, 2026

Greenwich High School

Honored by the League of American Orchestras, guest conductor Daniel Hege returns to Chapman Music Hall to lead the orchestra in a dark and mysterious concert that replicates the tone of the opera Khovanshchina. Rich harmonies evoke a feeling of dawn over Moscow for the audience in Tulsa's Performing Arts Center. Thereafter, enjoy the expressive work of Ruth Gipps's Horn Concerto, Op. 58, which features a three-movement piece, each with its own character and mood, ending on a lively and rhythmic passage. Hege leads the orchestra into the final and majestic selection of Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C major, D.944, “The Great.” This four-movement piece travels through a bold, relaxed, lively, and triumphant orchestral journey. A concert not to be missed!

Vi: Schubert's Symphony No. 9, "the Great"

Tulsa Performing Arts Center

“I wanted to express the moment, the so-called ‘shock of realization,’ when you reach the edge of the continental landmass,” wrote the American composer John Adams about his composition Dharma at the Big Sur . The concerto for six-string electric violin and orchestra was composed in 2003 for the opening of the Walt Disney Company’s Big Sur International Theatre.

6th Symphony Concert | Good Friday Concert - Earth

Congress Palace Kassel City Hall

In the dark heart of a continent on the brink of war, a violin catches fire. Three robed priests vent their pain and rage, in molten, tactile paint. And a hut on hen’s legs flies through a fairytale forest. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but music can paint pictures that haven’t even been imagined. Tonight, Edward Gardner is the curator of a sonic picture gallery: presenting powerful 20th-century masterpieces by Mark-Anthony Turnage and Bartók alongside Mussorgsky’s multicoloured, hugely popular Pictures at an Exhibition. Let your ears be your eyes, and hear them come to life.

Southbank Centre

Two timeless classics, two modern original compositions performed by their composers. Special guest Kebra-Seyoun Charles, rising star of the orchestra landscape, performs their composition Nightlife: Concerto for Bass following the concerto’s recent premiere at Carnegie Hall, followed with the Michigan premiere of Trance, an original composition by our own composer and Music Director, Fouad Fakhouri. Also featured in the program is Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

SBSO: Pictures at an Exhibition

Temple Theatre

Two timeless classics, two modern original compositions performed by their composers. Special guest Kebra-Seyoun Charles performs their composition Nightlife: Concerto for Bass; Michigan premiere of Trance by Music Director Fouad Fakhouri; plus Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition with visual effects.

SBSO: Music Reframed: Pictures at an Exhibition

Pictures at the Symphony

Robinson Center

A grieving composer captured an artist's work in a suite of piano pieces. Later, that music lit a fire in the genius orchestrator Maurice Ravel to create one of the best-loved works in the concert hall. Experience Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition through the dynamic power of a world-class orchestra. Guest conductor Kevin John Edusei leads the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in the heel-kicking Hungarian folk suite Dances of Galanta. In between, the ASO welcomes violin soloist Isabelle Faust for the elegiac Violin Concerto No. 2 by Bela Bartók.

The Woodruff Arts Center

Imagery and sensual sound are the key concepts of the concert program of French music, in which the name Thierry Escaich (*1965) stands out. He is among the crème de la crème of organists of our time and was appointed titular organist of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris when the famous church was ceremoniously reopened in December 2024 after a devastating fire. At the same time, Escaich is one of the leading French composers of our time. With this dual talent, he continues a venerable tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. We welcome him to Dortmund in this dual role: as soloist in his organ concerto Quatre Visages du temps . Escaich is above all a master of timbre, who drew inspiration for this large-scale, four-movement work from a journey through musical history, from the Baroque passacaglia to contemporary disco music.

6th Philharmonic Concert

Konzerthaus Dortmund

Is there a more beautiful violin concerto than Bruch’s? Probably not, especially when it’s played by Elli Choi on her stunning Stradivarius. In Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, colourfully orchestrated by Maurice Ravel, beautiful paintings come to life. This will be a great Sunday morning in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, full of the kind of melodies you’ll walk out humming.

Bruch’s Violin Concerto and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition

The Concertgebouw

Discover the Bay Philharmonic like never before in this  brand-new Chamber Event.

Friendship, collaboration, and community all played significant roles in the story of Pictures at an Exhibition, contributing to the incredibly colorful work that has become a beloved staple in orchestra repertoire since its premiere over a century ago. 

This intimate, behind-the-scenes concert offers a rare chance to connect deeply with the artistry of Bay Phil musicians and enjoy incredible music. Seating is limited — secure your spot today!

Deconstructed: The Orchestra Unpacked

CIEL Creative Space

Edwar Elgar sat down at the piano after a tiring day of lessons and played a random melody that caught his wife’s attention. Without further ado, he began to improvise variations on this enchanting melody, inspired by the different characters of his friends and activities around him: a »gruff disposition«, a »stuttering girlfriend«, his first attempts at playing the piano, a dog tumbling down an embankment, or – not to be forgotten – the world-famous »Nimrod« variation, with which Elgar honours his best friend. The solution to the riddle, the enigma of the variations, which according to Elgar is hidden within the composition, remains unsolved to this day.

NDR Youth Symphony Orchestra / Stefan Geiger

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

Impressive, athletic – and so vivid that individual scenes of our antics will be clearly recognizable: We are looking forward to performing a few lighthearted musical recreations under the direction of Robert Treviño. We will be playing a musical team game composed by Charles Ives, and our audience can look forward to seeing how this "Football Game," complete with woven-in fan chants and a referee's whistle to ensure fair play, unfolds. 

Visiting Erlangen

Heinrich-Lades-Halle

With a stage name inspired by a martial arts icon and karting as a hobby, Bruce Liu is full of surprises. Just like his incredibly colourful piano playing, which has catapulted him into the premier league of the classical music world. Bruce Liu was born in Paris and grew up in Canada, but it was not least his Asian roots that shaped him. ‘I realise that the history of China - Confucianism, Taoism - is in my blood. But I am also closely connected to European culture through my profession.’ His touch definitely has a French vein, is elegant and incredibly light, while a haunting tension simmers beneath the surface. Excellent prerequisites for Tchaikovsky's legendary first piano concerto, which covers every emotional range from sensitive tenderness to an almost uncontrollable outburst of energy. Modest Mussorgsky's ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’, which will be performed by the renowned City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kazuki Yamada in the second half of the concert, evokes fewer emotional states, but instead marvellous visual associations. (Pro Arte Frankfurt)

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Alte Oper

Impressive, athletic – and so vivid that individual scenes of our antics will be clearly recognizable: We are looking forward to performing a few lighthearted musical recreations under the direction of Robert Treviño. We will be playing a musical team game composed by Charles Ives, and our audience can look forward to seeing how this "Football Game," complete with woven-in fan chants and a referee's whistle to ensure fair play, unfolds. The composer himself described the piece as a "caricature in two two-minute halves" and added: "Funny to listen to – but difficult to play!" We will also present the equally witty pranks of Till Eulenspiegel, that profound rogue whom Richard Strauss captured with all manner of mischief – and with such delight, because he wanted to hear "the people in the concert hall really laugh.

Robert Treviño, Janos Wollenweber

Rossini’s bright and sunny overture preludes one of the most famous and popular of all concertos, suffused with the sun-drenched melodies and balmy atmosphere of southern Spain; its achingly beautiful slow movement is perhaps the most sublime pieces of music ever written. The Spanish passion continues with Chabrier’s dazzling rhapsody and Rimsky-Korsakov’s vibrant and colourful suite. In contrast, Borodin’s tone poem evokes the sweeping plains of central Asia, whilst nightmarish visions abound in Mussorgsky’s dark and brooding depiction of a Witches Sabbath.

Classic FM Hall of Fame The greatest works in classical music

Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts

Sharks are curious – and students even more so! With our specially designed student concerts, we bring classical music directly into the everyday life of schools in Saxony-Anhalt. Whether in the concert hall or on-site at the school: familiar works, exciting composers, and relevant topics seamlessly connect to music lessons – live, lively, and age-appropriate.

3rd Student Concert

nt-Saal

Europagymnasium "Walther Rathenau"

Theater Eisleben

Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium Zeitz

Set sail on a breathtaking musical journey where the power and beauty of water come to life through sound. From the mysterious dawn of Mussorgsky’s Prelude to Khovantchina to the serene optimism of Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, the evening flows with evocative imagery. Cuong’s Re(new)al surges forward with exciting rhythms, as the GRAMMY®-nominated Sandbox Percussion Quartet channels the energy of hydro, wind, and solar power. Sibelius’ The Oceanides shimmers with Nordic elegance before Debussy’s La Mer washes over the audience in a mesmerizing display of orchestral brilliance. Let the waves of music carry you away!

Waves & Wonder

Williamsburg Community Chapel

You’re invited to Mussorgsky’s musical “gallery crawl,” where you’ll encounter the titular pictures on exhibit, ten in all, plus “traveling music” in-between. Special highlights include the opening “Promenade,” as you stride into the gallery; the whimsical unhatched baby chicks pecking their way out of their shells; spooky Parisian “Catacombs;” and “The Great Gate of Kiev,” shaking you with the resounding pealing of bells in the grand finale. Artist-in-Residence Leonidas Kavakos takes a turn on the podium at this concert and leads our concertmaster in Prokofiev’s Concerto that both sparkles and dances with vibrantly colored passages, ending in a tumultuous flurry of notes.

Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition

Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

Denver favorite Olga Kern returns, lending dazzling technique and searing musicianship to Shostakovich’s witty Piano Concerto No. 1. The piece – a rule-breaking, neo-baroque romp filled with sardonic humor, parody, and fleeting musical quotes – is actually a double concerto supported by string orchestra in which the piano converses with solo trumpet, played by our inimitable Principal Trumpet Justin Bartels.

Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 with Olga Kern

Feel the swirling dread of Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain and recoil from the stabbing strings of Psycho. The tension is palpable in Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and John Williams’ Jaws, and it explodes in the ghoulish frenzy of Berlioz’s Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath.

Spooky Classics with the Sydney Symphony

Sydney Town Hall

For our second Masterworks, we welcome violinist Hina Khuong-Huu, winner of the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition, whose expressive brilliance and fiery virtuosity will ignite Prokofiev’s darkly lyrical Second Violin Concerto. Framing the program are two vivid fairytales: Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, a gripping, ghostly tone poem made famous by Fantasia, and Tchaikovsky’s luminous Sleeping Beauty Suite, culminating in the waltz beloved the world over. As a final touch of enchantment, we close with the glittering Waltz from Swan Lake.

Into the Night

Lyric Theatre

Vero Beach Country Club

The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program: American Composers Orchestra and League of American Orchestras have established two 30-orchestra consortiums, each supporting commissions by six women and nonbinary EarShot alumni. Each composer writes a 6–8 minute orchestral work and develops an educational or community-focused program presented in partnership with each orchestra. In the 2025–26 season, composers have their works performed by nineteen orchestras across the U.S.

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission by Angel Lam with Quad City Symphony Orchestra

Adler Theatre

Celebrated violinist Gil Shaham showcases “the queen of instruments” in Bruch’s Romantic Concerto. Then, think of Pictures as a musical gallery crawl. Come along as your “mind’s ears” conjure the pictures on exhibit—ten in all, plus “traveling music” in-between—starting with the “Promenade,” as the viewer strides into the gallery. Highlights include eerie Parisian “Catacombs” and “The Great Gate of Kiev,” shaking you with the tumultuous pealing of bells in the grand finale.

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

Explore vivid musical landscapes and bold orchestral color! Mussorgsky’s serene Dawn on the Moskva River sets a tranquil mood, followed by Angel Lam’s captivating new commission making its world premiere. The program concludes with Stravinsky’s electrifying Rite of Spring, brimming with primal rhythms and daring artistry.

Masterworks IV: The Rite of Spring

Centennial Hall Auditorium

Visual art has inspired music for centuries. The art of Vincent Van Gogh, Andy Warhol, and Viktor Hartmann will be projected over the orchestra as the KSO performs the works evoked by them. Local Ryle H.S. graduate and CCM student Andrew Strawn’s Flowers from Vincent receives its world premiere, along with an area premiere of Michael Daugherty’s Warhol inspired work.  Modest Mussorgsky’s war-horse (orchestrated by Ravel) closes the program spotlighting visual art.

Gallerie Fantastique

Greaves Concert Hall

Get ready for a night of sonic fireworks and bold musical colour at Slavic Virtuosity: Prokofiev & Mussorgsky. Conductor Thomas Leduc-Moreau leads the NSO through a program brimming with passion and power, starting with Valentyn Silvestrov’s “Silent Music”, a haunting and meditative gem that whispers its emotional depth. The evening’s centrepiece features world-renowned cellist Stéphane Tétreault in Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev’s brilliant Symphonie Concertante, op. 125—a virtuosic tour-de-force that’s equal parts elegance and electricity.

Then, prepare to be dazzled by Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, in the shimmering orchestration by Ravel—a vivid, musical stroll through an imaginary art gallery that bursts with character and drama.

Slavic Virtuosity: Prokofiev & Mussorgsky

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Want to win at musical Trivial Pursuit? Not embarrassed to be called a classical music geek? The Oregon Symphony is here to lend a hand with a new series, “Naked Classics.” (Not to worry—everyone involved will be fully clothed!) We’ll do our first deep dive into one of the most popular, most requested pieces in the repertoire: Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Join us for a 60-minute exploration with Paul Rissmann, a presenter with impressive creds. He’ll do “live” program notes from the stage, the orchestra will play excerpts as he breaks down the composition into component parts, and then he’ll put it all back together again. The icing on this musical cake: a complete performance of Pictures that you’ll now hear with “brand-new ears.” Getting the inside scoop on classical music has never been so much fun.

Naked Classics: Pictures at the Exhibition

Two generations of Hallé musicians team up to perform alongside each other in this artistic duo of works. Unsuk Chin composed Frontispiece as a timelapse through musical history, taking and reinterpreting the styles and flourishes of several significant composers, from Tchaikovsky and Strauss to Webern and Stravinsky. It is kaleidoscopic in its construction; contrasting fragments from vastly different musical periods work together to create something entirely unique. This theme continues with Ravel’s orchestral arrangement of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Originally composed just for solo piano, the work leads the listener through several eclectic movements, each representing a painting by the artist Viktor Hartmann. Like Unsuk Chin’s piece, it is a kind of musical patchwork and, with Ravel’s orchestration, it utilises all the instrumental families to their full effect.

The Hallé & Hallé Youth Orchestra: Side by Side

The Bridgewater Hall

Unsuk Chin composed Frontispiece as a timelapse through musical history, taking and reinterpreting the styles and flourishes of several significant composers, from Tchaikovsky and Strauss to Webern and Stravinsky. It is kaleidoscopic in its construction; contrasting fragments from vastly different musical periods work together to create something entirely unique.

Side-By-Side: The Hallé and Hallé Youth Orchestra

The ensembles present a joint concert featuring selections they will perform at the annual OMEA Conference.*

Women's Glee Club and Symphony Orchestra give OMEA Preview

Weigel Auditorium

Musorgsky’s Pictures from an Exhibition has thrilled audiences and inspired musicians since its 1874 premiere—including the 1970s rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Dream along with this powerful, beautiful, evocative music. Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Du Yun's Ears of the Book is a virtuosic concerto for award-winning pipa master Wu Man.

Pictures from an Exhibition

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

The program showcases Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The vibrant musical depictions of Viktor Hartmann’s paintings, including the majestic Great Gate of Kiev, have been inspiring audiences for generations. Fourteen-year-old Japanese violinist Himari has been described as a once-in-a-generation talent. The prodigy will perform Bruch’s richly Romantic Violin Concerto No. 1. Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Abels is best known for his genre-defying scores for the Jordan Peele films Get Out, Us, and Nope. His work Amplify was co-commissioned by Sarasota Orchestra.

State College of Florida - SCF Bradenton

Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

Under the inspired direction of Diego Ceretta, principal conductor of the ORT-Orchestra of Florence, the Orchestre National Montpellier transports you from ancient tragedy to the splendors of Rome, from Viennese salons to the pictorial visions of Mussorgsky. The evening opens with the poignant Cede pietati, dolor by Silvia Colasanti, an immersion with expressive textures in the tragic world of Medea. Then Respighi unfolds his Fontane di Roma , a true pictorial symphony where the water games of the Roman fountains gush through the orchestra and where each sound tableau is a celebration of light and movement. After the intermission, Ravel's Valses nobles et sentimentales evoke the elegance of the 19th century in the refined language of the early modernity of the 20th century . Finally, here are Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition . Orchestrated by Ravel, this masterpiece is a veritable sound museum where each piece brilliantly depicts an imaginary canvas.

Opéra Berlioz

Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong leads the program including the Phoenix Symphony debut of Cellist Sterling Elliott in Haydn’s charming Cello Concerto No. 2. Gabriela Ortiz’s Antrópolis which paints Mexico City’s exciting nightlife with vibrant musical brush complements an exciting program that concludes with Maurice Ravel’s masterful orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

Phoenix Convention Center

Named after the 20th century Czech composer, the women's wind ensemble chose the name after winning the prestigious Viktor Kalabis Prize. When such an ensemble plays Kalabis' Divertimento, it is a historically informed interpretation. The central work in the Images and Music series, however, can be none other than Pictures at an Exhibition.

Composer

Modest Mussorgsky

Events

Upcoming events

11 - 27 Sep, 2026

Rebel Birds · Opernhaus Zürich

25 - 26 Sep, 2026

Rite of Spring & Beethoven · Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

Oct 3, 2026

Marsalis & Mussorgsky Reimagined · Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Oct 10, 2026

Worlds of Wonder · Oklahoma City Philharmonic

16 - 17 Oct, 2026

Pictures at an Exhibition · Minnesota Orchestra

Past events

11 - 27 Sep, 2026

Rebel Birds · Opernhaus Zürich

Aug 13, 2026

Brass Fanfare: A Tribute to John Wallace · Edinburgh International Festival

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