Conductor

Our season closes in a riot of rhythms as the orchestra rehearses George Gershwin’s Concerto in F, with pianist Orion Weiss, and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A London Symphony. Composer Wang Lu joins us from the stage to share her work, Surge, commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

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Season Finale Dress Rehearsal

Saenger Theatre Pensacola

Our season closes in a riot of rhythms as the orchestra performs George Gershwin’s Concerto in F, with pianist Orion Weiss, and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A London Symphony. Composer Wang Lu joins us from the stage to share her work, Surge, commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

Season Finale

Join us for a spectacular rehearsal, featuring Sergei Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, conceived by the composer as “glorifying the grandeur of the human spirit, praising the free and happy man—his strength, his generosity, and the purity of his soul.” The program also includes Dmitri Shostakovich’s reorchestration of Modest Mussorgsky’s Overture to Khovantchina and soloist William Hagen performing Max Bruch’s perennially fresh First Violin Concerto.

Symphonic Spectacular Dress Rehearsal

Join us for a spectacular evening, featuring Sergei Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, conceived by the composer as “glorifying the grandeur of the human spirit, praising the free and happy man—his strength, his generosity, and the purity of his soul.” The program also includes Dmitri Shostakovich’s reorchestration of Modest Mussorgsky’s Overture to Khovantchina and soloist William Hagen performing Max Bruch’s perennially fresh First Violin Concerto.

Symphonic Spectacular

Join us for an exploration of metaphorical light and darkness through the works of musical giants. This program features Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, one of his few major works in a minor key, and Felix Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, inspired by the poetry of Johan Wolfgang von Goethe. Mezzo-soprano Susan Platts joins the orchestra for Gustav Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, which sets to music the poetry of Friedrich Rückert stemming from an outpouring of grief as he processed the deaths of his two children. Heartrendingly beautiful, this intimate song cycle explores our shared humanity with the message that while death is powerful, love is stronger.

Mozart, Mahler & Mendelssohn Dress Rehearsal

Mozart, Mahler & Mendelssohn

Celebrate the iconic soul and R&B music of Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys and Adele in a symphonic tribute that spans six decades. Featuring vocalists Shayna Steele, Kelly Levesque and Ashley Jayy, this concert includes favorites such as Proud Mary, Rollin in the Deep, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and more.

Queens of Soul

The soaring stained-glass windows of First United Methodist’s sanctuary provide a beautiful setting for our annual celebration of Mozart! This chamber orchestra concert features the composer’s merry and vivacious Fourth Horn Concerto with Jacquelyn Adams as soloist.

Mozart Madness

First United Methodist Church of Pensacola

Under the baton of Maestro Peter Rubardt, our 99th season commences with a pairing for star-crossed lovers — Sergei Prokofiev’s Suite from Romeo and Juliet and Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. The two hours’ traffic of our stage also features the unforgettable melodies of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto, a rapturous and powerful musical triumph, featuring soloist Joyce Yang.

Opening Night!

Saenger Theatre

Acclaimed for their command of jazz vernacular, vocalist Sydney McSweeney and vocalist and trumpeter Byron Stripling join the orchestra for a swinging evening of classic standards from Gershwin, Berlin and friends. It will be an unforgettable New Year’s Eve celebration and a heartfelt tribute to some of America’s finest music.

Celebrate the New Year!

Enjoy a night of musical intrigue as Broadway and pop vocalists Chloe Lowery and Ron Bohmer join the orchestra for the music of the spies, from James Bond hits to The Pink Panther, Indiana Jones and The Incredibles.

Bond & Beyond

Some composers looked within for inspiration, while others looked up. Join us for Gustav Holst’s The Planets, evoking the astrological characterizations of our celestial neighbors. From the romantic lyricism of “Venus” to the golden song of “Jupiter,” the massive seven-movement suite spans a range of emotions. The program also includes Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula by contemporary composer James Lee, III, and Claude Debussy’s The Joyful Island, depicting a merry party arriving on the island known as the birthplace of Venus.

Pensacola native and Nashville Symphony Orchestra Principal Oboist Titus Underwood returns home to perform Richard Strauss’ Oboe Concerto. Underwood, who has played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, is the first Black oboist to receive tenure as a principal player in a major U.S. orchestra. The program also includes Strauss’ Serenade for Winds and Franz Schubert’s Ninth Symphony, “The Great.”

Strauss & Schubert

The season concludes with a thrilling finale, featuring Antonín Dvořák’s lyrical and fiery Sixth Symphony and Hector Berlioz’s Le Corsaire Overture, inspired by the thieving pirates of Lord Byron’s poetry. Soloist Maxim Lando joins the orchestra for a breakneck cascade of notes in Camille Saint-Saëns’ Second Piano Concerto.

Peter Rubardt

Conductor

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 5, 2024

Opening Night! · Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Dec 31, 2024

Celebrate the New Year! · Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Feb 15, 2025

Bond & Beyond · Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Mar 5, 2025

Symphonic Spectacular · Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Mar 8, 2025

Symphonic Spectacular · Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Past events

Apr 20, 2024

Season Finale Dress Rehearsal · Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Apr 20, 2024

Season Finale · Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Future and recently performed repertoire

Conductor in Symphonic Dances from West Side Story by Bernstein

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninoff

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Serenade for Winds by Strauss

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Piano Concerto No. 2 by Saint-Saëns

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Oboe Concerto by Strauss

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Symphony No. 6 by Dvořák

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in The Planets by Holst

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Suite No. 2 from Romeo & Juliet by Prokofiev

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in L’isle Joyeuse (The Joyful Island) by Debussy

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula by III

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Symphony No. 9, “The Great” by Schubert

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Le Corsaire Overture by Berlioz

Pensacola Symphony Orchestra

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