Mother of the Sea
A captivating and climate-relevant story in music and images about the ocean – and about our shared connection to life below the surface.
The myth of Sassuma Arnaa (Mother of the Sea) is a story about the Greenlandic Inuit people's relationship with nature, the sea and the animals they hunt: When the catch failed due to people's greed and lack of gratitude, the village's Angakok (spiritual healer) had to make the dangerous journey down to Sassuma Arnaa to untangle her tangled hair, where seals, whales, grouse, polar bears and fish were trapped. Only in this way could the people survive.

Mother of the Sea

Aarhus Music Hall

This performance will include Smetana's "Ma Vlast Nr. 2 Vltava 'The Moldau,'" Jacob's "Old Wine in New Bottles," and Saint-Saëns' "Symphony No. 3 'Organ Symphony'" (featuring soloist Dr. Carrie Groenewold).

EPSG:4326

NISO spring concert

Dordt University

The Associate and Senior Orchestras, conducted by Leo Eylar, and the CYS Wind Symphony, conducted by Pete Nowlen, will present the annual Holiday Concert at San Mateo Performing Arts Center on December 7, 2025. Once again the orchestras and Wind Symphony will offer the audience a pleasing mix of classical and holiday favorites.

Holiday Concert 2025

San Mateo High School

"Relaxed" events are designed for individuals on the autism spectrum and with other sensory sensitivities. Our culture can be unforgiving if you're unable to conform to the standard concert etiquette of quietly sitting still for extended periods. This excludes individuals who are unable to sit still or who may express emotions such as joy or excitement through vocalization. This relaxed open rehearsal aims to remove barriers, allowing everyone to be themselves and enjoy a musical experience in a safe and judgement-free environment.

Relaxed Open Rehearsal: New World Symphony

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Get ready for a grand tour of Europe with beloved travel expert Rick Steves as your guide. Rick Steves’ Symphonic Europe is a one-of-a-kind concert event that combines breathtaking symphonic music with stunning video from Rick’s acclaimed PBS travel series—projected above the orchestra in high-definition and synchronized live with the music.

From the noble beauty of Elgar and the rhapsodic sweep of Smetana’s The Moldau to the joyful grandeur of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy and the iconic charm of Strauss’s Emperor Waltz, each piece in this globe-trotting program evokes a different place, tradition, or cultural landmark. Rick Steves appears on screen throughout the concert, sharing personal insights and stories that deepen the audience’s connection to each work and destination.

Rick Steves’ Symphonic Europe

Ford Community & Performing Arts Center

Kick off our 72nd season with a thrilling mix of classical masterpieces like Bernstein’s Candide Overture, Sibelius’ The Swan of Tuonela, and Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre, plus iconic film scores and a nostalgic journey through ’50s and ’60s hits, including a Beach Boys medley. From the depths of the ocean with the ABZU Fantasia to the Silver Screen with the Hollywood Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra, get ready to Expect the Unexpected!

Opening Night: Expect the Unexpected

King Center for the Performing Arts

Concert "Prague"

Schloss Moritzburg

"When we touch each other with music," wrote Leonard Bernstein, "we touch each other's hearts, minds and souls - all at once." Indeed, like no other art, music opens up access to the inner world of people. Also and above all to the souls and hearts of people with dementia. Our afternoon concert offers those affected and their families the opportunity to experience music together and thus continue to be able to participate in social and cultural life. Experience an afternoon of classical evergreens that awaken memories of old times. Because nothing brings the past back and makes it come alive in us like music.

Concert For People With Dementia, Relatives And Everyone

Meistersingerhalle

Travel down the Mississippi with Florence Price and the Moldau with Bedrich Smetana, respectively, in a Mother’s Day concert that celebrates musical creativity and the beauty of Mother Earth. The melodic and rhythmic ebb and flow of Price’s Mississippi Suite reveals the landscapes, birds, and people in the lands of southern spirituals and New Orleans jazz, and Smetana’s  “The Moldau,” capturing the composer’s love of his homeland, flows past jubilant hunters, a village wedding, a legendary gorge, and whitewater rapids before reaching Prague and its Bohemian castle, Vyšehrad. And Rokeach’s creative Piccolo Concerto, featuring soloist Amy Likar, takes the listener on an optimistic and celebratory journey while also showcasing the instrument’s uniquely sweet-toned low register

A Musical Mother's Day: River Journeys

Lesher Center for the Arts

Crescendo: A Symphonic Celebration of Washington Landscapes

Benaroya Hall

In the depths of the water, conductor Anton Holmer guides the Malmö Symphony Orchestra through a concert where the currents of sound create art. Smetana's Moldau lets us sail through the Czech landscapes, where every note is like a wave of romance.

Water concert from Vltava to Rhine - Saturday

Malmö Concert Hall

In the depths of the water, conductor Anton Holmer guides the Malmö Symphony Orchestra through a concert where the currents of sound create art. Smetana's Moldau lets us sail through the Czech landscapes, where every note is like a wave of romance. Tan Dun's Water Concerto invites us to a magical dance where the soloist uses water as a sonorous partner, and we experience music's unique ability to shape water into a symphony.

Water concert from Vltava to Rhine - Thursday

Faszination Klassik: Große Opernchöre

Gasteig HP8

Join us for an unforgettable musical journey with Xavier de Maistre, one of the world's leading harpists, presented by Stanford Live. This exclusive performance is set to take place on Sunday, November 10, 2024, at 2:30 PM in the prestigious Bing Concert Hall. Known for his profound creativity and dedication to expanding the harp repertoire, de Maistre has commissioned new works from various modern composers, making his concerts a unique blend of classical tradition and contemporary innovation.

**Event Details:**
- **Date and Time:** Sunday, November 10, 2024, at 2:30 PM
- **Venue:** Bing Concert Hall
- **Tickets:** Starting at $32, with presale access available

**Program Highlights:**
- Experience a diverse range of compositions that showcase the harp's versatility, including works by Giovanni Pescetti, Francisco Tarrega, Manuel De Falla, Claude Debussy, Bedrich Smetana, Gabriel Faure, and Henriette Renie.
- The program features beloved pieces such as Tarrega's "Recuerdos de l’Alhambra," Debussy's "Clair de Lune," and Smetana's "Moldau," among others.

**Performance Information:**
- Lobby opens at 1:30 PM, allowing guests to settle in before the performance begins at 2:30 PM.
- Beverages, light bites, and snacks will be available for sale, enhancing your experience.

Xavier de Maistre is celebrated for his virtuosic skill, musical depth, and the ability to convey a wide range of nuances through his performances. Don't miss this opportunity to witness a master at work, bringing the harp to life in ways you've never heard before. Secure your tickets now for an afternoon of exquisite music that promises to be both inspiring and mesmerizing.

Xavier de Maistre

Stanford University

Due to illness, cellist Amalie Stalheim has been forced to cancel. This also results in a programme change for tonight's concert. Instead of Grażyna Bacewicz’s First Cello Concerto, we will hear the German cellist Julian Steckel perform Haydn’s First Cello Concerto.

Haydn and Dvorák

Stockholm City Hall

The oceans, lakes, streams, and rivers have always been important sources of inspiration for artists, poets, and composers. In the famous Moldau by Smetana, celebrating its 200th anniversary, we hear how the babbling smaller streams wind their way through the landscape before flowing together into the mighty river. The melody comes from an old folk song that we recognize as Ack Värmeland, du sköna. Perhaps Smetana heard the melody when he was working as a conductor in Gothenburg in the 1850s?

Smetana and Dvorák

Experience an evening where classical music and storytelling come together to create an unforgettable musical journey.

The Sleeping Beauty

Minot State University

We celebrate the 200th birthday of Czech composer Bedrich Smetana, whose works chronicled both the beauty of his native land as well as his own personal struggles with loss and illness. Two of his most well-known works are paired with a wind quintet by the Haitian composer Nathalie Joachim, which commemorates the stories behind important objects found in people’s everyday lives.

From My Life: Music as History

St. Martin's Lutheran Church

The string quartet has long been a powerful medium for storytelling, giving voice to both our most personal experiences and the shared journeys that unite communities. Through Bedřich Smetana’s autobiographical String Quartet No. 1, “From My Life” and Pēteris Vasks’ deeply moving String Quartet No. 4, this program explores themes of love, loss, resilience, and hope across generations and cultures. Smetana invites listeners into his own life’s triumphs and tragedies, while Vasks reflects the enduring spirit of the Latvian people, transforming hardship into quiet optimism. Along the way, audiences will discover how these deeply expressive works reveal the remarkable ability of music to preserve memory, foster empathy, and connect us through our shared humanity. Through conversation and audience participation, this concert invites listeners to reflect on the stories that shape our own lives and the common pulse that emerges when we come together to listen.

Perfect for both seasoned concertgoers and those new to classical music, this welcoming Up Close performance combines exceptional chamber music with fascinating history, creating meaningful connections between performers, audiences, and the enduring power of artistic expression.

Bedrich Smetana

Events

Upcoming events

Jun 6, 2027

FCS Up Close No. 4 · Fort Collins Symphony

Past events

Apr 18, 2026

Mother of the Sea ·

Mar 31, 2026

NISO spring concert · Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra

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