Composer

Originally a famous studio orchestra and recreated as a labour of love by John Wilson, the Sinfonia of London has taken the orchestral world by storm. With a uniquely vibrant sound, this hand-picked, all-star ensemble has won a host of major awards for its recordings, and this dazzling programme of orchestral showpieces is the perfect showcase for its Usher Hall debut.

Sinfonia of London

Usher Hall

Experience a thrilling opening to Western Piedmont Symphony’s 62nd season as Maestro Matthew Troy and the orchestra are joined by internationally acclaimed tabla virtuoso Sandeep Das. Rich with stories, vivid imagery, moments of sublime beauty, and the driving rhythms of North Indian classical music, Mystic Horizons blurs the lines between genre, time, and place. From the meditative beauty of Max Richter to the dazzling tales of Scheherazade, this captivating program invites audiences on a journey of wonder, adventure, and breathtaking musical color.

EPSG:4326

Masterworks: Mystic Horizons

Lenoir-Rhyne University

A wicked sultan, a courageous princess, and a thousand and one nights of pleasure: there’s no doubt that Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade is one of classical music’s most sensuous treats. Today, with the dynamic young conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh, it’s the climax of a concert packed with musical fairytales – from Glinka’s swashbuckling overture to the real-life marvel that is violinist Ning Feng. ‘The more you listen, the more you want to listen’, wrote one critic, and his performance of Tchaikovsky’s thrilling Violin Concerto is the warm heart of a concert filled with wonders. Hearing is believing ...

London Philharmonic Orchestra: Scheherazade

Congress Theatre

A wicked sultan, a courageous princess, and a thousand and one nights of pleasure: there’s no doubt that Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade is one of classical music’s most sensuous treats. Today, with the dynamic young conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh, it’s the climax of a concert packed with musical fairytales – from Glinka’s swashbuckling overture to the real-life marvel that is violinist Ning Feng. ‘The more you listen, the more you want to listen’, wrote one critic, and his performance of Tchaikovsky’s thrilling Violin Concerto is the warm heart of a concert filled with wonders. Hearing is believing …

Scheherazade

For this program led by Michael Francis, courage wears many faces. In Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, a quick-thinking heroine stays alive night after night by spinning stories of the Arabian Nights, and you can hear her voice in the violin — pulling you into the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor, Aladdin and more. One of today’s most exciting young pianists, Jeneba Kanneh-Mason makes her TFO debut in Piano Concerto in One Movement, a work shaped by the fearless spirit of its trailblazing composer, Florence Price. Opening the evening, Karen LeFrak’s American Promise sets a tone of reflection and hope. Jeneba Kanneh-Mason building a distinctive artistic voice of her own while inspiring a new generation.

Duke Energy Center for the Arts

Neil Thomson conducts Rimsky-Korsakov, Rodrigo and Elgar

Teatro Malibran

The recorder – perhaps under the guise of its humble appearance and wide accessibility – is in fact a magnificent and extremely sophisticated instrument which acted as one of the main driving forces of the western music tradition through the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The purity and elegance of its tone make it the perfect vessel for the delicate lightness of music at that time, but its brilliant versatility carry it all the way to the music of today as well.

Stefan Temmingh Plays Vivaldi & Moonchild’s Dream

Hong Kong City Hall

Our Centennial Season begins with pieces of rich lyricism, fairy-tale wonders, and a virtuosic composition from our very first composer-in-residence, Eunike Tanzil. Hear the orchestra build from a whisper to a roar in Tanzil’s one-movement Ascending Creatures, inspired by a flock of birds in flight. Then, Beethoven’s poetically quiet Piano Concerto No. 4 that highlights enchanting exchanges between soloist Jean-Baptiste Doulect and the orchestra. Lastly, Rimsky-Korsakov’s legendary Scheherazade presents a gripping symphonic battle of wits, stormy seas, and fairy talks where a brave queen fights for her life using the power of storytelling.

Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts

Journey to the fairy-tale world of The Arabian Nights in Rimsky-Korsakov’s cinematic Scheherazade. Spinning stories of young love and thrilling adventures at sea with glittering orchestral colors, Scheherazade conjures the fabled Persian queen who saves the lives of 1,000 women with her imaginative tales.

Scheherazade & Pablo Sainz-Villegas

Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

The London Schools Symphony Orchestra brings together teenage musicians from across the capital who share a deep commitment to music-making at the highest level. This performance is the final concert of our season, representing the culmination of a full year of intensive music-making, collaboration, and artistic growth with professional conductors and tutors.

London Schools Symphony Orchestra: Voyages and Visions

Fairfield Halls

The 176th Subscription Concert in Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall

Tokyo Opera City Tower

The fairy-tale world of the legend of A Thousand and One Nights comes to life with Ravel and Rimsky-Korsakov. Oriental rhythms, acrobatic creations, stage dance, and the velvety voice of Fatma Said narrating the story of Scheherazade.

The Krumlov Festival: A Thousand and One Nights / Shéhérazade

Summer Riding Hall - Český Krumlov

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

In recognition of Nikolaus Fheodoroff's achievements, the Carinthian state government has awarded the composition prize named after him in various categories since 2013. Composers of all nationalities and ages were invited to submit works for solo quartet and orchestra for 2025. David Kosviner, born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and living in Austria since 2011, received the award in 2025. His award-winning work, Sentiero, will be presented on June 14, 2026. The KSO and its chief conductor, Chin-Chao Lin, will accompany this world premiere with the three movements for string orchestra by the competition's dedicatee, as well as with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's brilliantly orchestrated Scheherazade Suite.

Nikolaus Fheodoroff Composition Prize

Stadttheater Klagenfurt

The Chinese-born New Zealand conductor Tianyi Lu makes her San Francisco Symphony debut with Rimsky-Korsakov’s cinematic orchestral showpiece Scheherazade, paired with the first Symphony performances of Iranian-American composer Iman Habibi’s Zhiân, dedicated to “the brave people of Iran, in the hope of better days ahead.” Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s side job as a film composer likely saved his life. In 1938, the Jewish former prodigy fled Vienna for Hollywood; five years later, he became a US citizen. His violin concerto, performed here by María Dueñas, was written for his neighbor, none other than Jascha Heifetz, who helped ensure that the violin writing was perfectly pitched between lyricism and virtuosity.

Davies Symphony Hall

This concert program features three distinct evocations of love, laughter and passion. Manuel de Falla’s Three-Cornered Hat, written as ballet music for Serge Diaghilev, follows a lecherous magistrate on his always thwarted quest of the beautiful miller’s wife. Alexander Glazunov’s Violin Concerto in A-Minor combines instrumental virtuosity with deep feelings and lyrical expressions. The violin soloist, Nathan Amaral, received the Sphinx Organization’s 2024 Medal Of Excellence Award. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral tour-de-force Scheherazade, based on tales from The Thousand and One Nights, is one of the most popular works on the orchestral repertoire for a reason. This performance, featuring Concertmaster Julie Fischer, commemorates her 10th season in the chair.

Northwestern University

Swiss Conductor Ruth Reinhardt returns to Orlando for a night of musical storytelling and vivid orchestral colors with an electrifying program featuring a World Premiere of Jessica Meyer’s Turbulent Flames, Manuel de Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. De Falla’s evocative Nights in the Gardens of Spain whisks you away to a world of Andalusian romance, where shimmering piano lines dance over lush orchestration. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade brings the concert to a mesmerizing close, weaving a spellbinding tale of adventure and enchantment with some of the most dazzling melodies in classical music. Don’t miss this unforgettable close to the 25/26 Season!

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

The Terre Haute Symphony League is thrilled to host a special Luminous Strings event on Saturday, June 6, 2026 at the BankOnArt Gallery in Brazil, IN benefitting the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra! This special presentation of Luminous Strings will feature the THSO String Quartet performing pop, rock, and classical music favorites surrounded by hundreds of candles to accompany the BankOnArt Gallery's current exhibit titled BLOOM/HUM/GLOW! Seating is general admission (all ticket holders are guaranteed a seat). Light refreshments will be available.

Luminous Strings

BankOnArt Gallery

Under the baton of guest conductor José Luis Gómez, Summer Tales launches the 210 Festival—The Orchestra San Antonio’s signature summer celebration—inviting you to embark on a journey not by planes or trains, but through the music and imagination of summer adventures. The evening is full of familiar melodies—they are journeys full of color, tension, rhythm, and romance. Summer Tales is a musical escape filled with passion, power, and storytelling. The Orchestra San Antonio proudly welcomes rising star and cellist Cameron Renshaw to the Tobin Center stage in an epic showcase of talent.

Join us one hour before each concert in the Feik Family Rotunda for a lively pre-concert discussion with guest artists. Gain unique insights into the music, the creative process, and what to listen for as the evening unfolds.

Summer Tales

Tobin Center for the Performing Arts

BNY Classics showcases unforgettable performances by your Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, featuring timeless masterpieces, thrilling premieres, and renowned guest artists.

Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts

Jader Bignamini, Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, conducts a suite from Stravinsky’s The Firebird; the music of this fairytale ballet, including its scintillating “Infernal Dance,” still feels fresh and wild. Stravinsky learned a great deal from his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov; here the MSO explores the latter’s Spanish-accented Capriccio espagnol, from its first alborada (morning song) to its final fandango. Witness a rising star as Giuseppe Gibboni, winner of the Paganini Violin Competition, performs an intoxicating violin concerto by Pulitzer Prize-winning jazz legend Wynton Marsalis.

Stravinsky’s Firebird

Warner Grand Theater

Rimsky-Korsakov - Shéhérazade

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Theatre

Season Finale: SCHEHERAZADE!

Paramount Theatre Oakland

The Canton Youth Symphony was founded in 1961 as a way to give young musicians the opportunity to participate in a high-quality regional youth orchestra that strives to provide a professional atmosphere for music making and the highest artistic standards. The Canton Youth Symphony is meant to supplement, not replace, school instruction and ensemble participation.

2026 Canton Youth Symphonies Spring Concert

The 2025/2026 concert season draws to a close with an exhilarating musical voyage across continents, cultures, and soundscapes. Join us for a vibrant exploration of the world, beginning with Ibert’s Escales (Ports of Call), which captures the energy of bustling international harbors. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol and Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italian transport us to Spain and Italy with vivid, lively rhythms. The concert concludes with Respighi’s Pines of Rome, a journey through the eternal city, where the music paints a landscape from tranquil parks to the bustling streets. Through rich orchestral color and diverse influences, this concert invites you to experience the sights and sounds of the world.

Pines of Rome: A Musical Voyage

The Maryland Theatre

Mystique and Wonder

Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo

Scheherazade didn't tell stories because she loved storytelling. She told stories to stay alive — weaving one tale into the next, night after night, keeping the sultan hooked until he forgot to execute her. She was the original cliffhanger artist. The first showrunner.


Scheherazade: 1001 Nights in 101 Minutes

Artelize Hall

The culmination of the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra’s 100th anniversary season, featuring Antonín Dvořák’s New World Symphony, a special commission by composer James Stephenson, and performances by the Pensacola Children’s Chorus and the newly established Pensacola Symphony Youth Orchestra.

100th Anniversary Gala Concert

Saenger Theatre Pensacola

Set sail with ASO as we close the season with a musical voyage that captures the mystery, majesty, and mischief of the sea! Featuring Debussy’s “La Mer,” Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean!”

Pirates and Other Songs of the Sea

Lewis and Clark Community College

100th Anniversary Gala Concert Dress Rehearsal

This exciting and unusual three-concerto program features acclaimed soloist Evgeny Kissin, known for his charismatic virtuosity. These three sparkling but rarely heard concertos span the late Romantic/early modern periods. The BSO has only played Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s concerto once in 1914, and Scriabin’s on only two prior occasions, most recently in 2001. Andrey Boreyko leads this all-Russian program, opening with Rimsky-Korsakov’s brilliantly colorful Russian Easter Overture.

An Evening of Piano Concertos with Evgeny Kissin and Andrey Boreyko

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Kazakh pianist Alim Beisembayev shot to international fame when winning the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2021 and also taking home the medici.tv Audience Prize. Not long after, he won worldwide acclaim by making his BBC Proms debut with only two days’ notice. He’s an artist who thrives on big repertoire and they don’t come much bigger than Prokofiev’s 2nd Piano Concerto, the centrepiece of this Royal Liverpool Philharmonic programme. Premiered in 1913, Prokofiev’s Concerto vividly embodies the energy of the machine age: one commentator described it moving ‘with the relentless force and fluidity of a speeding locomotive.’ The soloist is continually pushed to the limit, whether in its lush and expansive theme or its finger-crunching cadenza.

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Royal Concert Hall Nottingham

University Orchestra

Music Building and Recital Hall

The Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia presents the final concerts of the season

Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia - Masterworks 5 - Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade

Charlottesville High School

University of Virginia

Bard Conservatory Graduate Conductors, together with The Orchestra Now (TŌN) and the Bard Chamber Singers, present a program of old and new works exploring themes of internal and external transformation.

Reflections and Refractions: A Sonic Kaleidoscope

Fisher Center at Bard

The spirit of adventure is calling as your Colorado Symphony and beloved Conductor Laureate Marin Alsop present Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, an exhilarating journey through love, intrigue, and suspense. This poignant adaptation of the classic Arabian Nights tale casts the violin as the cunning Scheherazade, who outwits her murderous Sultan husband through the telling of enchanting stories. Rimsky-Korsakov’s score is filled with dynamic emotion and riveting melodies that will instantly transport you into a fairytale world.

Marin Alsop Conducts Scheherazade

Denver Performing Arts Complex

If you love a lush melody, this program is for you. After a lean and powerful showpiece for strings, you’ll hear how Rachmaninoff looks at a violin caprice by Paganini from 24 different angles as he reimagines it for piano and orchestra. We’ll send you home with epic storytelling from the well-read and clever Scheherazade.

Barnatan Plays Rachmaninoff

Orchestra Hall Minneapolis

In this one-of-a-kind concert, let’s learn about the orchestra and insects without fear! Discover The Carnival of the Insects, a recent work by Quebec composer Maxime Goulet. Each short movement highlights an insect and an orchestra instrument that will have the chance to be heard as a soloist. Ants, bees, beetles, and many other insects will be evoked by the timbres of the four instrument families of the orchestra. To complete the celebration, other bugs might just join in!

The OSM Carnival

Place des Arts

Like a train conductor guiding travelers, a musical conductor can transport us to exciting places using rhythm, melody, and imagination—just with the flick of a baton or the wave of an arm. Conductor Ana María Patiño-Osorio steers us through a thrilling ride on Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileira, a stormy sea voyage through Scheherazade, a festive dance-filled adventure across Spain and Mexico, and more.

Symphonies for Schools

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Get ready for the ultimate buddy adventure! Bee-est friends Betty Bee and Billy Bee (no relation) are lost in the bee-autiful Fort Worth Botanic Garden and need your help to get back home. Bring the whole family to the Botanic Garden this spring for an ALL-NEW storybook exploration of nature and sound, with a classical music soundtrack sure to leave you buzzing!

Flight of the Bumblebee

Fort Worth Botanic Garden

Experience stunning performances and sensational stories featuring remarkable women. Anna Sułkowska-Migoń—known in the orchestra world for her sensibility to nuance and detail—opens her SLSO debut with a dynamic overture by fellow Polish musician, Grażyna Bacewicz. Leila Josefowicz displays her formidable talent in Berg’s soul-searching Violin Concerto, written in remembrance of a lost friend. And the orchestra conjures the magic of Scheherazade’s 1,001 tales in Rimsky-Korsakov’s beloved interpretation of the centuries-old Middle Eastern legend.

Powell Hall

The first cello concerto by Grammy-winning composer Gabriela Ortiz is inspired by the extraordinary landscape of the Yucatán Peninsula in southern Mexico. Ortiz wrote it for ICS favourite Alisa Weilerstein – and she’ll be performing it herself in its Manchester premiere.

Philharmonia Orchestra

The Bridgewater Hall

Marin Alsop conducts ‘Mexico’s second national anthem’ and an exciting new cello concerto by the Philharmonia’s Featured Composer Gabriela Ortiz.  

Ortiz’s concerto, written for tonight’s soloist Alisa Weilerstein, is inspired by the caves and underground rivers of the Yucatán peninsula (Dzonot in Mayan, and Cenotes in Spanish). Its four movements, ‘Vertical Light’, ‘Eye of the Jaguar’, ‘Jade’, and ‘The Toh Bird’, pay homage to this remarkable and threatened ecosystem. 

Marin Alsop and Alisa Weilerstein

Southbank Centre

Marin Alsop returns to Canterbury to conduct ‘Mexico’s second national anthem’ and an exciting new cello concerto by the Philharmonia’s Featured Composer Gabriela Ortiz.   

Gabriela Ortiz’s concerto, written for tonight’s soloist Alisa Weilerstein, is inspired by the caves and underground rivers of the Yucatán peninsula (Dzonot in Mayan, and Cenotes in Spanish). Its four movements, Vertical Light, Eye of the Jaguar, Jade, and The Toh Bird, pay homage to this remarkable, and threatened, ecosystem.

Canterbury: Marin Alsop conducts Scheherazade

The Marlowe

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

Be swept away by this spell-binding evening of stories in sound, weaving together cultures and legends. The journey begins with Ghost of the White Deer, a powerful bassoon concerto by Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, performed by celebrated bassoonist Rufus Olivier. Native American voices and natural imagery inspired by Chickasaw mythology intertwine to create a hauntingly beautiful soundscape. We venture onward with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, the dazzling orchestra suite inspired by the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, where the voice of a storyteller dances through the orchestra in rich, exotic color. From the spirit of the forest to the mystery of the sea, this program invites you into a world of imagination, tradition and transcendent beauty.

Legends and Spirits

Arkley Center for the Performing Arts

Alain Altinoglu & Frank Peter Zimmermann

Munich Residence

Master’s Solo Recital of Johniel Paul Najera, trumpet

Longmire Alumni Building

Spanish music has an atmosphere of its own which Manuel de Falla captured in concert works better than anyone else. His music for Serge Diaghilev’s ballet The Three Cornered Hat thrusts bright colours, crisp rhythms and harmonic panache up against one another and here sets up an evening of Spain-inspired works to include red-hot music by Falla, Rodrigo’s fragrant guitar concerto and pieces by French composers Bizet and Massenet who couldn’t resist the allures of the impassioned dances and folk songs south of the border. Guest conductor from Spain Antonio Méndez leads the orchestra with superstar guitarist MILOŠ for company.

Spanish Nights with MILOŠ

University of Oxford

The Baldwin Wallace Symphony Orchestra will feature students Roy Marcos '27, winner of the Lauria Concerto Competition, performing Concerto for Viola and Orchestra by Miklós Rózsa, and a world premiere by composer Ilona Fiedorowicz '28. The concert will conclude with Rimsky-Korsakov's "Capriccio Espagnol."

Symphony Orchestra

Baldwin Wallace University

A mix of blockbuster and breakout, this dynamic program brings fresh perspective to the familiar, pairing beloved classics with some of today’s rising voices.

Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol & Mozart’s Haffner with orchestra premieres by Joachim & Simon

The Parker

The College of the Florida Keys

New World Center

It’s a concert inspired by love! We open with Missy Mazzoli’s These Worlds in Us, expressing the love of a daughter for her father. Then Jiebing Chen, performing on the traditional Chinese instrument the erhu, joins for The Butterfly Lovers concerto, originally written for violin and based on a Chinese folklore love story. The Syracuse Orchestra finishes the program with the Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov, telling the story of “One Thousand and One Nights”.

Love Stories

The Oncenter Civic Center Theaters

This February, let the Modesto Symphony Orchestra whisk you away for an enchanting evening of dance, romance, and fantasy! Two-time Latin GRAMMY winner and violinist Anne Akiko Meyers will ignite the stage with her passionate performance of Marquez’s Fandango. Then, be swept away into the fantastic world of Arabian Nights as the MSO performs Rimsky-Korsakov’s mesmerizing Scheherazade!

Modesto Symphony Orchestra - Marquez’s Fandango & Scheherazade

Gallo Center for the Arts

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 Julia Adolphe with Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra

Lied Center for Performing Arts

LSO opens with Jean Sibelius’ stirring Finlandia, a tone poem considered as Finland’s unofficial national anthem. Rita Porfiris then takes the stage to perform Julia Adolphe’s Unearth, Release – a concerto showcasing the rich tone of the viola. The concert finishes with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, based on One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights).

Experience the Intrigue

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Tales of Old

Travis Park United Methodist Church

Music to dream of faraway places! Our program takes you into the vibrant, richly colored, and unfathomable world of the Orient, as great composers of the past have timelessly captured it musically – as a magical, exotic realm full of beauty and irresistible temptations. Right in the overture to his opera The Abduction from the Seraglio, Mozart trumps it with a blaring "Alla Turca." Abduction? Seduction! Rimsky-Korsakov's Symphonic Suite Scheherazade , named after the beautiful princess and seductive narrator of the oriental tales from One Thousand and One Nights , is enchantingly magical . And the Orient also resonates in Rachmaninoff's hit Piano Concerto in C minor – in a theme that evidently fascinated Miklos Rózsa while he was working on his film score for Ben-Hur . The soloist is Russian pianist Dmitry Masleev, who thrilled the symphony audience in October 2023. Eduard Topchyan, conductor of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, will conduct.

Rachmaninov And Scheherazade

Meistersinger Hall

Join the San Diego Symphony for a family-friendly concert that celebrates the beauty of the animal kingdom. Experience the buzz of "Flight of the Bumblebee", the grace of The Waltzing Cat, and Gershwin’s playful Promenade (Walking the Dog). Be among the first to hear the world premiere of Right Whale, Wrong Letter, a heartfelt piece about Robley, a North Atlantic Right Whale. The performance concludes with Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, a timeless tale that brings the characters of animals to life. Bring your family for a morning of music, wonder and a celebration of the natural world we all share.

Peter and the Wolf (A Family Concert)

Jacobs Music Center

The enchanted world of Stravinsky’s The Firebird lies trapped in a wintry darkness, until the magic of fire, love and Stravinsky’s dazzling music restores it to glowing, vibrant life.

The Firebird

Harmony with Nature isn’t always quiet. The music of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Orthodox Easter celebrates the rebirth of spring and light. The enchanted world of Stravinsky’s The Firebird lies trapped in a wintry darkness, until the magic of fire, love and dazzling music restores it to glowing, vibrant life. And with a piano concerto like no other, composer pianist Gustavo Díaz-Jerez takes us to the island of La Palma, where the volcano Tajogaite creates even while it destroys.

Vincenzo Milletarì conducts Martucci, Skrjabin, Rimskij-Korsakov

Guest Concert

Rheingoldhalle Mainz

Spending the New Year in Spain? Yes! But which one? Here are three, presented by Yutaka Sado and the National: the idealized one, of a Capriccio made to "shine with the virtuosity of its orchestral coloring," says Rimsky-Korsakov, that musician "of the starry night and the golden sun" admired by Vladimir Jankélévitch; the other, more earthy and bloody, of Bizet and Carmen ; finally, between the fragrances of magnolias, the song of birds and the trickling of fountains, that of Rodrigo and his Concerto under the fingers of Thibaut Garcia.

The Grand Tour: Dijon

Archipelago Theatre

Dijon Opera

Grain Market

Maison de la culture de Grenoble

Olympia Theater Arcachon

Salins Theater

Théâtre Molière Sète National Stage and the Bassin de Thau

Aranjuez Concerto / Thibaut Garcia

Maison de la Radio et de la Musique

Bring some popcorn spirit into your holiday season! This year’s 64th Annual Concert-at-Christmas delivers festive cheer through cinematic sound, theatrical energy, and cherished tradition. Bruce Stark’s Popcorn Fantasia makes its world premiere, a lighthearted and imaginative tribute to film music. Leonard Bernstein’s Suite from On the Waterfront follows, rich in emotional intensity and urban drama.

A Cinematic Solstice

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

[Maestro] A white and thrilling Christmas, that's what OPRL and Adèle Molle offer you to close the year 2025. The story takes place in a Ukrainian village during Christmas night. We follow Vakoula, a young blacksmith in love with Oksana, a beautiful but capricious young girl. To seduce her, he must accomplish a real feat: bring Oksana the Tsarina's shoes. With the help of the devil, whom he manages to capture and force into obedience, Vakoula travels to the imperial court to seize his booty...

A Christmas in the snow

Philharmonic Hall of Liege

For its Christmas concert, the OPRL, under the direction of Austrian conductor Christoph Campestrini, explores some major works by composers inspired by the melancholic beauty of winter. In his Seasons , Glazunov delicately evokes the winter season, with its frost, ice, hail, and of course, snow! Taken from an opera about the life of Ukrainian villagers, Rimsky-Korsakov's Christmas Eve suite is adorned with Slavic colors and irresistible picturesque dances. Finally, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 1 captures the beauty and intense emotion of a dreamlike journey to the heart of winter and its misty lands.

Christmas Concert: Tchaikovsky, Winter Dreams

ATTACCA Concert: Great Romanticism

Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding

Arabian Nights

Jackson Theater, Sonoma Country Day School

Lidiya Yankovskaya returns to conduct Rimsky-Korsakov’s beloved Sheherazade, inspired by Arabian Nights featuring concertmaster soloist Rolf Haas. Ten-time Grammy Award Winner and 2024 Kennedy Center Honoree Arturo Sandoval performs his very own Trumpet Concerto No. 2, inpired by his Latin Jazz roots and his love of Rachmaninoff. Samuel Barber’s Second Essay for Orchestra rounds out the program.

Scheherazade and Sandoval

Phoenix Convention Center

A concert to transport your imagination through storytelling and tall tales - from the romp that is Strauss’ Overture to Die Fledermaus, relating the farcical misadventures of a man dressed as a bat, to romantic tales of the Arabian Nights in Rimsky Korsakov’s Scheherazade. En route, drift off to a place of great calmness and tranquillity with Barber’s sublime Adagio for Strings and hear the tumultuous life story of an imaginary soldier in Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kije Suite.

Basingstoke Symphony Orchestra

The Anvil

Inspiration comes in all forms—whether it’s the sounds of a neighborhood, a different style of music, or even stories from over one thousand years ago.

Merrill Auditorium

Opening Weekend: Xian Conducts Scheherazade

New Jersey Performing Arts Center

Princeton University

Count Basie Center for the Arts

The Midland Symphony Orchestra invites you on a breathtaking musical journey celebrating the violin! The evening begins with Motherboxx Connection by Carlos Simon, a vibrant and powerful work commissioned by our friends and partners at The Sphinx Organization. Violinist Adrian Anantawan will join the Orchestra for a performance of this Tchaikovsky masterwork. The second half features the beautiful and alluring Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov.

Composer

Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 5, 2026

Four Last Songs · Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Nov 6, 2026

Sinfonia of London: Scheherezade · Barbican Centre

Nov 8, 2026

Scheherazade · Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Nov 24, 2026

Francisco López, Luca Lione · Associazione Siciliana Amici della Musica

Nov 27, 2026

20th Schlosskonzert under the Christmas Tree · Musikalischer Sommer in Ostfriesland

Past events

Oct 31, 2026

Sinfonia of London · Usher Hall

Oct 24, 2026

Masterworks: Mystic Horizons · Western Piedmont Symphony

About

Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov hasn't added a bio