Composer

Written for Baroque orchestra, Stacy Garrop’s Handel-inspired concert opener features bursts of musical color and leads perfectly into Music for the Royal Fireworks. Musical pyrotechnics continue in the jubilant trumpet line of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 and conclude with Haydn’s beloved final symphony. Dame Jane Glover conducts this spectacular program.

Baroque Fireworks

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Making Herstory presents a powerful program that features music about women and written by women composers. The evening includes Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 6 by Joan Tower, curated movements from Montgomery Variations by Margaret Bonds, and Battle for the Ballot by Stacy Garrop, alongside a premiere by an MSU student composer—winner of the Jere Hutcheson Composition Competition. Conducted by Katherine Kilburn, joined by conductors Zongheng Zhang and Dan Jaggars.

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Concert Orchestra, “Making Herstory”

Michigan State University

The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program: American Composers Orchestra and League of American Orchestras have established a third national consortium, featuring three new commissions of full-length, 25- to 30-minute concert works. World premieres and repeat performances of the new works by a consortium of nine orchestras will occur during the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons.

Virginia B. Toulmin Commission by Stacy Garrop with Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra

Butler University

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 Stacy Garrop with Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra

Orpheum Theater

Journey through a tapestry of musical brilliance, beginning with the dramatic depths of Farrenc's Overture No. 1 in E minor, followed by the vibrant, modern melodies of Stacy Garrop's "Goddess Triptych," a sonic celebration of Hindu deities, and finally the ultimate crescendo: Beethoven's glorious 9th, a symphony that will ignite your soul and leave you breathless.

Beethoven Symphony No. 9

The ensembles continue their mission of expanding the repertoire for saxophone with this concert of new compositions. Featured will be the world premiere of 10^62, a major new work by Australian composer Chris Dench, featuring New York-based saxophone soloist Thomas Giles. Also on the program are world premiere arrangements of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw’s Entr’Acte and Stacy Garrop’s Ribbons of Steel; Garrop’s work was commissioned by the Grant Park Music Festival in tribute to the Pritzker Pavilion structure. Rounding out the concert is Steven Banks’s (MMus 2017) Strength to Climb, commissioned in 2022 by the Northwestern University Saxophone Ensemble.

Saxophone Ensembles

Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall

Special Recital of Zachary Mathews, saxophone

College of Music at Florida State University

Sparkling, elegant, and full of musical fireworks! We bookend this program with two of Handel’s most celebrated works—Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks—with Stacy Garrop’s Spectacle of Light as a shimmering tribute. In between, violinist Eric Gratz shines in Vivaldi’s Spring from The Four Seasons and Piazzolla’s passionate Primavera Porteño.

Baroque Spectacle

Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre

Mid-Texas Symphony presents Baroque Spectacle

From Joseph Wilcox Jenkins’s spirited American Overture to Frank Ticheli’s expressive Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble, this program invites listeners into a vibrant musical mosaic. Chicago-based composer Stacy Garrop offers a fresh reimagining of her work Radiant Glow in a world premiere performance. The evening culminates in Paul Hindemith’s monumental Symphony in B-flat, composed after his emigration to the United States. Together, these works reflect the evolving landscape of American music, shaped by reflections on artistic identity and reinvention.

Symphonic Wind Ensemble

Northwestern University

Handel’s brilliance meets Jennet and Friends! Principal Oboist Jennet Ingle walks us through the work of Handel, Morricone, Stacy Garrop and a world premiere concerto by Kincaid Rabb with guest conductor Fernanda Lastra!

Musician Favorites: From Jennet

DeBartolo Performing Arts Center

Join us for a program of four journeys spanning one hundred years. We voyage to the sea and back in Benjamin Britten’s stunning interludes from his opera Peter Grimes, we encounter the afterlife as envisioned by Richard Strauss, we hope not to turn to stone with Stacy Garrop’s arresting Becoming Medusa, and we will be captivated by Igor Stravinsky’s depiction of love, struggle, and, ultimately, joy.

Orchestral Odysseys

The Forum Auditorium

The ESO opens its 2025–2026 subscription concert series with a program that combines charm and passion. Local composer Stacy Garrop’s Song of Orpheus, commissioned by the Louisiana Philharmonic in 2023, evokes the god of Greek mythology charming all of nature. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto is one of the favorite—and most charming—wind concertos of all time. It will be performed by the renowned principal clarinetist of the Chicago Symphony, Stephen Williamson. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony, the “Pathetique,” is his final masterpiece. The work is filled with passion, dreamlike ecstasy, triumph, and ultimately, despair.

Tchaikovsky & Mozart

Founded in 1989 by musicians of the Lyric Opera Orchestra, the Chicago Philharmonic Society is dedicated to reimagining the orchestra concert experience. With nearly 200 musician members and a unique system of musician governance, Chicago Philharmonic is recognized as one of the most versatile, innovative, and ambitious orchestras in the country.

World Premiere: Invictus & An African American Requiem

Harris Theater for Music and Dance

Featuring four works inspired by fairy tales, this concert takes you from Mother Goose to Shakespeare to Greek mythology featuring selections by Ravel, Grieg, Tchaikovsky and living composer Stacy Garrop.

Fairy Tales

St. Paul's Syracuse, the Downtown Episcopal Church

Icelandic Víkingur Ólafsson is currently one of the world's most acclaimed and sought-after pianists. The New York Times coined him ”Iceland's Glenn Gould”, and his recordings are showered with five-star reviews. This season, he is the Artist-in-Residence at Konserthuset Stockholm.

Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto

Stockholm City Hall

Since 2011, Civitas Ensemble has combined the outstanding collaborative musicianship of multiple top Chicago Symphony Orchestra string chairs with a thirst for interdisciplinary exploration of new and traditional chamber music, including pairings with dancers, visual artists, and poets. Their Alla Zingarese project, released on Cedille in 2018, leaped to the whirlwind crossroads of Western classical and Romani folk traditions, creating “a trip through history … and a venture into new musical territory with surprises aplenty” (Chicago on the Aisle). In their first appearance at Ravinia as Civitas—though all veterans of the festival’s stages—the core trio of CSO Asst. Concertmaster Yuan-Qing Yu, CSO Asst. Principal Cellist Kenneth Olsen (an early 2000s alum of Ravinia’s Steans Institute), and Chicago College of Performing Arts Piano Program Head Winston Choi bring a program of Turina and Tchaikovsky headed up by a picturesque recent work by longtime Chicagoan Stacy Garrop.

Civitas Ensemble

Ravinia Festival

The Orchestra presents a Sunday afternoon celebration of women composers beginning with Fanny Mendelssohn, the older sister of the composer Felix Mendelssohn. Overture in C Major, her only composition ever for orchestra alone, debuted at one of her private salon concerts in 1834. It remained unpublished during her lifetime and was only published in 1994. The Battle for the Ballot, written by Stacy Garrop and narrated by Mayor Stephanie Terry, features excerpts from the speeches and writings of seven suffragists, which depict their struggle for the right to vote.

 

Elaine Hagenberg's By Night features the women of the Evansville Philharmonic Chorus. Inspired by Harriet Prescott Spofford's poem “By Night,” it describes a young woman who discovers a bold new world of thrilling beauty when she ventures beyond her familiar walls. Gabriela Ortiz is among the most prominent composers in Mexico, and her varied and distinct work, Kauyumari, meaning “blue deer” represents a spiritual guide, transformed through an extended pilgrimage into a hallucinogenic cactus called peyote.

Celebrating Women in Music

Victory Theatre

Come early with chairs, blankets and an appetite! The program will include a selection of gorgeous string orchestra tunes, a symphony based on the Don Juan stories, and an exciting horn concerto by Mozart! Join the KCCO musicians and guest conductor Carolyn Watson as they bring you the

adventure of live music in the open air!

Music in the Garden!

The John Wornall House Museum

A spectacular season opener begins featuring the The Syracuse Orchestra wind section in The Lovely Sirens, written by Stacy Garrop in 2010. Michelle Cann returns to the stage to play Beethoven’s fifth and final piano concerto, “The Emperor”, and the concert closes with the popular Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, which he dedicated to his best friend.

Michelle Cann Plays Beethoven

The Oncenter Civic Center Theaters

Indulge in an extraordinary morning with the renowned Lincoln Trio as they mark the culmination of their illustrious twentieth anniversary. Revered for their pioneering spirit and innovative contemporary repertoire, the Trio promises an unforgettable performance with the iconic Brahms C Major Piano Trio that catapulted them to acclaim alongside a curated selection of works by trailblazing female composers, including the visionary Stacy Garrop, whose groundbreaking composition left a lasting impression as the inaugural Composer-in-Residence for Newport Classical in 2021. Experience a captivating fusion of tradition and innovation as the Lincoln Trio celebrates two decades of musical excellence.

Lincoln Trio

The Elms Newport

CYSO’s Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonic Orchestra present their spring concert at Orchestra Hall. Tickets go on sale on April 10th.

Symphony Orchestra Spring Concert at Orchestra Hall featuring Philharmonic Orchestra

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Join us for an enchanting evening of vocal brilliance as Priya Krishnaswamy, a talented soprano from the Northwestern Bienen School of Music, takes the stage for her Bachelor of Music recital. This special performance is scheduled for Friday, May 17, 2024, at 8:30pm CDT, in the intimate setting of the McClintock Choral and Recital Room.

Under the tutelage of Theresa Brancaccio, Priya will be joined by Greta McNamee, mezzo-soprano, and Teresa Kang on piano, to present a diverse and captivating program. The evening's repertoire includes cherished works by J.S. Bach, such as "Ich folge dir gleichfalls" from St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, and "Aus Liebe" from the same passion, alongside George Frideric Handel's "Come unto Him" from Messiah, HWV 56. The program will also feature pieces from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, Vincenzo Bellini, Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Joseph Haydn, Stacy Garrop, Jean-Paul-Égide Martini, Claude Debussy, Léo Delibes, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Frederick Lowe, promising a rich exploration of vocal music.

This recital is a free event, open to all who appreciate the power and beauty of the human voice in its many forms. Whether you're a lover of classical opera, contemporary compositions, or timeless classics, Priya's performance is sure to captivate and inspire.

The McClintock Choral and Recital Room, located at 70 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, within the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts, offers a cozy and acoustically pleasing environment, perfect for the nuances of vocal performance. With seating for 120, it's an ideal space for an intimate musical experience.

For those unable to attend in person, we are pleased to offer a live stream of the event. Ensure you don't miss this remarkable display of musical talent and passion.

Mark your calendars for an unforgettable night of music and emotion with Priya Krishnaswamy and guests.

Priya Krishnaswamy, soprano

Ryan Center for the Musical Arts

Join us for an enchanting evening of violin mastery as Eliana Silverman takes the stage on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at 6:00pm CDT. This captivating recital will be held in the intimate setting of the McClintock Choral and Recital Room, located within the prestigious Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts at 70 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208.

Eliana, a talented Bachelor of Music student under the guidance of Desirée Ruhstrat, will be accompanied by Nathan Canfield on piano. The program promises a journey through the evocative landscapes of violin music, featuring Stacy Garrop's "Repair the World" for solo violin, Jennifer Higdon's "Smoky Mountain Air" for solo violin, and Amy Beach's Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Minor, Op. 34.

This event is a celebration of musical artistry, offering a free live stream for those who cannot attend in person. No tickets are required for this event, making it a wonderful opportunity for music lovers of all ages to experience the beauty of classical music performed by emerging talents.

Don't miss this opportunity to support live music and witness the future of classical performance.

Eliana Silverman, violin

Join us for an evening of contemporary music and premieres at the Bienen School of Music's Galvin Recital Hall on Friday, March 8, 2024, at 7:30pm CST. Under the baton of Ben Bolter and assistant conductor Jason Gluck, the Contemporary Music Ensemble will present a captivating program featuring the Chicago premiere of Yotam Haber's "Estro Poetico-armonico III" for mezzo-soprano and ensemble, inspired by the rich liturgical traditions of Jewish communities in Italy. Mezzo-soprano Rena Maduro will lend her voice to this piece, which intertwines historical recordings with poetry reflecting the complexities of modern life in Israel.

The evening will also spotlight Stacy Garrop's "Frammenti," a composition of five miniatures each based on musical fragments, and the world premiere of "Asphyxiation" by Bienen student composer Jonah Keoun. This performance promises to be a profound exploration of music's power to convey history, emotion, and innovation.

Tickets are priced at $8 for the general public and $5 for students with valid ID, though availability is limited. The Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall, located at 70 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL, offers an intimate setting with stunning views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline, ensuring an unforgettable experience. Don't miss this opportunity to witness groundbreaking works performed by the next generation of musical talent.

Contemporary Music Ensemble

Featuring the recorded voices of Mahalia Jackson and Studs Terkel.

Kronos Quartet

PPU Pittsburgh Playhouse

Celebrate Five Decades of Transformative Music with Kronos Quartet

Join us for an unforgettable evening as the Kronos Quartet marks its 50th anniversary with a special concert at Sixth & I on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at 7:30 PM. Renowned for their revolutionary approach to string quartet repertoire, Kronos Quartet has been a formidable force in the world of music, collaborating with some of the most inventive composers and performers across the globe.

This milestone event will showcase the Quartet's legacy initiative, "50 For the Future: The Learning Repertoire," featuring a series of commissions by composers from around the world. The program promises an eclectic mix of compositions that highlight the Quartet's commitment to pushing musical boundaries and fostering new works. Highlights include:

- Nicole Lizée's "ZonelyHearts: PhoneTap CCTV"
- An excerpt from "Segara Gunung" by Peni Candra Rini, arranged by Jacob Garchick
- "Maji" by Sun Ra and Jlin, arranged by Kronos Quartet
- Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," inspired by Jimi Hendrix and arranged by Jacob Garchick
- "Only Ever Us" by Paul Wiancko
- "God-music" from "Black Angels" by George Crumb
- The world premiere of Aleksandra Vrebalov's "Gold Came From Space"
- Terry Riley's "This Assortment of Atoms One Time Only: Lunch in Chinatown"
- "The Beatitudes" by Vladamir Martynov
- "Tusen Tankar (A Thousand Thoughts)" a traditional piece, arranged by Kronos Quartet
- "Glorious Mahalia" by Stacy Garrop

The New York Times has lauded the Kronos Quartet for breaking the boundaries of what string quartets do, and this concert is a testament to their innovative spirit and artistic leadership over the past five decades.

This performance is supported by the generous contributions of the Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts, Betsy and Robert Feinberg, the Galena-Yorktown Foundation, and Pamela Sutherland, among others, who have played a crucial role in bringing this event to life.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience the Kronos Quartet's groundbreaking music and celebrate their 50-year journey of artistic excellence. Reserve your tickets now for an evening of extraordinary music and innovation.

Sixth & I

October 2023 Concert

Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew

University Of Illinois Philharmonia Orchestra

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

Spring 2023 Concert

Calvary Presbyterian Church

Join us in 2022-23 for a season of vibrant musical experiences.

Music for the Royal Fireworks

Davies Symphony Hall

This concert features newest ICA members Sarah Carrillo, Principal Trumpet of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, and Oto Carrillo, horn player in the legendary Chicago Symphony Orchestra! In Joan Tower's Copperwave, the brass instruments interweave and surge through wavelike patterns. Chicago composer Stacy Garrop's Legends of Olympus depicts five Greek gods in a colorful story that highlights each brass instrument. One of America's greatest composers, Amy Beach's late Romantic Piano Quintet is dreamy and sensuous, crafted thoroughly well.

Brass Waves & Beach

Church of the Holy Spirit

Baroque specialist Jane Glover returns to Cleveland for a regal program framed by rousing suites from Handel’s Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks. The pyrotechnics begin with Britten’s shimmering song cycle Les Illuminations, featuring soprano Julia Bullock in her TCO debut. Stacy Garrop’s Spectacle of Light completes the program with a contemporary take on the 1749 celebration for which Handel wrote his own “fireworks music.”

Royal Illuminations

Severance Music Center

Welcome the spirit of the holiday season with a program full of reflection and promise. Garrop’s Penelope Waits sets a gentle, contemplative tone before Naha Greenholtz brings Vivaldi’s and Piazzolla’s vibrant “Autumn” works to life. Schubert’s radiant “Great” Symphony closes the concert with an uplifting sense of joy and possibility.

Masterworks III: Season of Anticipation

Adler Theatre

Moline High School

This concert explores the way composers reveal character—through myth, intimacy, and deep hidden meanings—using the orchestra as a vehicle for personality and transformation. Mythic strength and modern voice meet as music shifts seamlessly between clarity, emotional depth, and expansive color. At the center is Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto, led by returning audience favorite Ray Ushikubo, whose refined artistry brings quiet authority and lyric intensity to one of Beethoven’s most intimate statements. Elgar’s Enigma Variations closes the evening with one of the repertoire’s most compelling portraits of human connection that is richly orchestrated, deeply personal, and endlessly revealing. Framed by the contemporary voice of Stacy Garrop, this is a concert of contrast and cohesion, where intellect, emotion, and storytelling converge in music that rewards close listening and leaves a lasting impression.

Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4

Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts

Experience a fusion of elemental power and local artistry as the Symphony’s own Principal Clarinet, Rachelle Goter, takes center stage for Mozart’s sublime Clarinet Concerto. The program opens with the sharp, witty energy of Barber’s School for Scandal Overture, before turning toward the horizon for the vibrant "skyfire" of Stacy Garrop’s Spectacle of Light.

Composer

Stacy Garrop

Events

Upcoming events

12 - 15 Nov, 2026

Royal Illuminations · The Cleveland Orchestra

5 - 6 Dec, 2026

Masterworks III: Season of Anticipation · Quad City Symphony Orchestra

23 - 24 Jan, 2027

Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 · Reno Philharmonic Orchestra

Apr 18, 2027

Wind, Waves & Skyfire · Wichita Symphony Orchestra

Past events

14 - 16 May, 2026

Baroque Fireworks · Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Apr 16, 2026

Concert Orchestra, “Making Herstory” · Michigan State University College of Music

About

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