2025/26 CSO Artist-in-Residence Joyce DiDonato is “a supreme artist, as much through sheer triumph of spirit as through musicianship” (Financial Times). The esteemed mezzo-soprano sings the Neruda Songs, Peter Lieberson’s heartbreakingly sensuous song cycle set to the poetry of Pablo Neruda. Edward Gardner concludes the program with Walton’s tumultuous and alluring First Symphony.

EPSG:4326

DiDonato Performs Neruda Songs

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

The ultimate date night. Stéphane Denève conducts Ravel’s pastoral romance. Soprano Kelley O’Connor joins NWS to sing five love poems by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. 

Daphnis and Chloé

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts

The ultimate date night. Stéphane Denève conducts Ravel’s pastoral romance. Soprano Kelley O’Connor joins NWS to sing five love poems by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

The product of a summer’s holiday in 1883, Brahms’s Third Symphony has been described as being “…artistically the most perfect.” A single movement from Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 was the inspiration for Britten to present a musical posy: What the Wildflowers Tell Me. The poetry of Pablo Neruda moved Peter Lieberson to create a song cycle for his wife, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, “one of the most extraordinarily affecting artistic gifts ever created by one lover to another.”

Kluxen - Brahms Symphony No. 3

The Farquhar at Uvic

Our concert opens with music from British composer Hannah Kendall. The Spark Catchers is inspired by the work of British poet Lemn Sissay, who memorialized the “matchwomen” of the Bryant and May match factory in London. The women went on strike in 1888 to protest their dangerous working conditions.

Branford Marsalis: Cinematic Sax

National Arts Centre

Our concert opens with music from British composer Hannah Kendall. The Spark Catchers is inspired by the work of British poet Lemn Sissay, who memorialized the “matchwomen” of the Bryant and May match factory in London. The women went on strike in 1888 to protest their dangerous working conditions. 

American saxophonist Branford Marsalis is known the world over for delivering boundary-pushing performances—pure truth in jazz. He will perform “Neruda Songs” by composer Peter Lieberson, based on the intimate love poems of Pablo Neruda. This fresh arrangement, for saxophone and orchestra, “traces the arc of love’s evolution” (laphil.com)—intensely emotional and filled with happiness and longing. 

Southam Hall

Join us for an unforgettable evening of music and reflection at the Hawaii Theatre with "Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique," a concert event presented by the HSO. This special performance is scheduled for Sunday, December 8, 2024, from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM at the iconic venue located at 1130 Bethel Street, Honolulu, HI.

This year-end reflection features the exceptional talents of Singaporean-British mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron, under the baton of Music Director Dane Lam. The concert will showcase Peter Lieberson’s award-winning "Neruda Songs" and delve into the depths of Tchaikovsky’s soul-searching "Symphony No. 6, Pathétique," promising an evening of profound musical emotion and exquisite artistry.

Ticket holders are invited to a special pre-concert talk in the auditorium at 3:00 PM, offering deeper insights into the evening's program. The concert program also includes César Franck's "Le Chasseur maudit," further enriching the musical journey.

Single tickets will go on sale on May 15. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the powerful combination of Barron's knockout performance and Tchaikovsky's poignant masterpiece. For ticketing information and to secure your seats, please visit the HSO Box Office online or call 808 380-7720, T-F between 10 am - 2 pm.

Prepare to be moved by an evening of masterful compositions and exceptional performances at "Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique."

Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique

Hawaii Theatre

Join us for an enchanting evening under the stars at the Benedict Music Tent on July 9, 2021, at 5:30 PM MT, as the Aspen Chamber Symphony, led by the illustrious conductor Nicholas McGegan, presents a captivating program that promises to be a highlight of the summer season. This special concert, part of the Aspen Music Festival and School, features a selection of mostly 18th-century compositions that are sure to delight audiences.

The evening will commence with the overture to "L’amant anonyme," op. 11 no. 2 by Joseph Bologne, a contemporary of Mozart and a pioneering black composer whose work has recently been celebrated for its charm and historical significance. Following this, violinist Stephen Waarts, acclaimed for his performance of the Khachaturian Violin Concerto in 2019, will take the stage to perform Mozart’s elegant and enchanting Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216, Strassburg.

Adding to the evening’s allure, soprano Julia Bullock, honored by Musical America as a 2021 Artist of the Year: Agent of Change, will transport the audience to India with her rendition of DeLage’s song cycle "Quatre poèmes hindous," inspired by the composer’s travels. The concert will conclude with Haydn’s Symphony No. 82 in C major, Hob. I/82, "The Bear," a piece known for its vivacity and harmonic ingenuity, which earned Haydn the reputation of a compositional rock star across Europe.

This 75-minute performance, with no intermission, is a testament to the joy and energy of live music. Attendees are encouraged to check the Concert Protocols page before attending for the most up-to-date safety protocols. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the brilliance of Nicholas McGegan, Stephen Waarts, Julia Bullock, and the Aspen Chamber Symphony in a program that is sure to make you smile and leave you enchanted.

Featured Conductor & Artists:
- Nicholas McGegan, conductor
- Stephen Waarts, violin
- Julia Bullock, classical singer
- Robert Spano, Music Director
- Alan Fletcher, President and CEO

Special thanks to Janet and Tom O'Connor, and Dana and Gene Powell for their support of this event.

Chamber Symphony: Spano with Joyce Yang, Kelley O'Connor

Michael Klein Music Tent

Acclaimed by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune “as a performer of scintillating energy and imagination…with a fearless, fiery quality,” Aspen alumna Joyce Yang returns for Falla’s Night in the Gardens of Spain. Not quite a piano concerto, the piece can be seen as musical tribute to the composer’s beloved Andalusia. You’ll hear influences of flamenco, guitar, and in Falla’s words, “melancholy and mystery.” The concert begins with a short prayer and “serenade to the past” by Gabriela Lena Frank, inspired by the composer’s visit with her mother to the site in Peru where the Spanish defeated the Inca Empire.

AMFS: Chamber Symphony: Spano with Joyce Yang, Kelley O’Connor

Klein Music Tent

An evening of programmatic drama awaits as GRAMMY® Award-winning mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor joins the Omaha Symphony in Peter Lieberson’s Neruda Songs. Leanna Primiani’s 1001 and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade tell musical tales of Scheherazade as she fights to stay alive.

Scheherazade

Omaha Performing Arts

Journey into the beyond with Daniel Hope and New Century as they offer music for communing with spirits, whether connecting with those we’ve lost or outwitting death for another night! Mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor joins the orchestra in a candlelit, otherworldly setting to examine connections with the afterlife from many cultural angles, including a world premiere commission by Nicolás Lell Benavides that summons the spirit of Doña Sebastiana, Lady Death of the American Southwest.

Visitations

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church

Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture

Journey into the beyond with Daniel Hope and New Century as they offer music for communing with spirits, whether connecting with those we’ve lost or outwitting death for another night! Mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor and a haunting chorus of eight voices join our musicians in a candlelit, otherworldly setting to examine connections with the afterlife from many cultural angles, such as Paul Dukas’s playful tone poem The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Argentinian composer Ariel Ramírez’s resplendent Misa Criolla. Composer Nicolás Lell Benavides premieres a new work commissioned by New Century, a piece for violin and strings that summons the spirit of Doña Sebastiana, Lady Death of the American Southwest.

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

First Congregational Church of Berkeley

Artistic Director Stéphane Denève returns for an emotional concert that explores true love and loss. Inspired by the love-drenched pages of William Shakespeare, Sergei Prokofiev creates musical fireworks in his portrayal of Romeo and Juliet. Soprano Kelley O’Connor—whose past NWS performance was hailed a tour de force by South Florida Classical Review—returns for one of Denève’s favorite works: Peter Lieberson’s Neruda Songs. James Lee III conjures the historic indigenous metropolis of Cahokia.

Denève: Prokofiev's Romeo + Juliet

New World Center

In this special Power to the People! concert, Dudamel conducts the most recognized symphony—proudly based on the blues—by the Dean of African American Composers, William Grant Still, one of the leading lights of the Harlem Renaissance. The program also boasts a world premiere from the multi-talented Puerto Rico-born composer Angélica Negrón, who has already composed for a vast range of ensembles and projects, including scores for film, documentary, ballet, and theater, as well as many orchestral works and chamber music.

Still and Negrón with Dudamel

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Jamie Barton was raised on her family’s farm in Georgia, where “pickin’ and grinnin’s” happened all the time. Friends showed up with their instruments, a potluck dish and a desire to make music. Although she began her musical journey with Bluegrass, Barton has become a musical omnivore. She’ll bring the Neruda Songs to life in her Minnesota Orchestra debut.

Peter Lieberson

Events

Upcoming events

4 - 6 Jun, 2026

Søndergård, Barton and Prokofiev · Minnesota Orchestra

Past events

7 - 9 May, 2026

DiDonato Performs Neruda Songs · Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Mar 7, 2026

Daphnis and Chloé · New World Symphony

About

Peter Lieberson hasn't added a bio