Beethoven chose E-flat major for his last piano concerto, the heroic key from his Eroica. This weighty classic, played here by the sensationally talented young pianist Justus Friedrich Eichorn from Weimar, who had already caused quite a stir, is correspondingly energetic, brilliant, and virtuosic. And before Hindemith sends his painterly hero from the time of the Peasants' War, who would later become the title character of his famous opera, through a turbulent life, cast in music and sadly too rarely heard, Mozart's Schürzenjäger takes the stage. The overture to "Don Giovanni" is a masterpiece in just a few minutes, a character study of the title character that is among the most artistic in operatic literature.

Heroes

Stadthalle Göttingen

Beethoven's "Symphony of Destiny" breathes the spirit of revolution, both artistic and political, and has become a musical symbol of humanity's liberation from darkness into light. Isang Yun's fanfare resounds like a warning cry, followed in the memorial by memories and visions of the future. In this composition, Yun also creates a symbiosis of Western European and Korean musical traditions, which is what makes his work unique. Karl Amadeus Hartmann composed a warning with his Concerto funèbre, written after the annexation of the Sudetenland in 1939: He sensed that even darker times lay ahead.

Fate

Gewandhaus

We open the season with a program that showcases the exhilarating power of music. Fate Now Conquers, by Grammy-nominated composer Carlos Simon, was inspired by Beethoven’s defiant spirit and determination to overcome adversity. This contemporary masterpiece sets the stage for the triumphant celebration that unfolds in Beethoven's immortal Symphony No. 5. Renowned violin virtuoso Eunice Kim joins us to perform the breathtaking Bruch Violin Concerto, a technically stunning display of musical artistry.

EPSG:4326

Immortal Beethoven

Mayo Civic Center

Toronto: Alexander Shelley leads the National Arts Centre Orchestra, featuring pianist Yeol Eum Son in Mozart’s expressive Piano Concerto No. 22, along with Beethoven’s iconic Fifth Symphony, a masterful depiction of triumph over adversity.

Beethoven’s Fifth with the National Arts Centre Orchestra

Roy Thomson Hall

This recital is given in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music. Maya Zemach is a student of Desmond Hoebig.

Maya Zemach, Cello

Alice Pratt Brown Hall

After is acclaimed NAC debut in 2023, Nobu returns for an evening of romantic music that warms the heart and calms the mind.
Blind since birth, the Japanese pianist learns every piece of music he performs by ear or by using a Braille score.

Nobu

Southam Hall

Experience the miraculous chemistry that happens when two great musical minds fuse into one, as guest pianist Angela Hewitt interprets Mozart on Southam Hall’s stage. 
Montreal-based composer Keiko Devaux loves playing with electroacoustic sounds then translating them into emotional and genre-blurring music, resulting in beautiful and otherworldly effects. 

Mozart, Hewitt & Beethoven's Fifth

An unlikely pairing of groundbreaking works from different centuries by Jean-Féry Rebel and Ludwig Van Beethoven, beginning with Rebel's shocking depiction of chaos, through Beethoven's exhilarating ride from darkness to triumphant light.

Total Sound Explosion 2!

Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church

All Souls' Episcopal Church

A summer holiday in the Bohemian countryside inspired Antonín Dvořák to compose his tranquil Eighth Symphony, where the composer weaves the traditions of Czech folk music with his own romantic melodies to evoke the beauty of his surroundings. Although this is a work of abstract music (meaning it doesn't tell a specific story), listen closely and you'll hear the enchanting sounds of summer — from beautiful birdsong to the echoes of a shepherd's horn and even a rumbling thunderstorm

Bancroft, Dvořák & Clara-Jumi Kang

NASO Feb' Concert 2025

Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space

“The demon speed of Montreal-born pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin’s finger work, along with his passionate musicianship, have earned him 7 Juno Awards and 11 Grammy nominations. ”

Hamelin & Beethoven's "Emperor"

Experience all the feels as Principal Youth Conductor and Creative Partner Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser leads the NAC Orchestra in a program designed to showcase how a range of emotions can be expressed — and experienced — through music. Hear works by Beethoven, Nielsen, and other evocative composers! ​ Canadian visual artist Holly Carr will help bring the music to life, painting an 8-foot silk mural on stage in real time, vividly reflecting the themes of Mad, Sad, and Glad.

Mad.Sad.Glad: A Symphony of Emotions 

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. 

Branford Marsalis: Cinematic Sax

Celebrating the masters of classical music with Beethoven’s Symphony No.7 and Violin Concerto featuring Dmitri Berlinsky.
Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra is thrilled to bring internationally acclaimed violinist Dmitri Berlinsky to our northern Michigan audiences performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto!
Mr. Berlinsky arrived on the international scene as the youngest winner in the history of the Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa, Italy. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia into a family of musicians, Mr. Berlinsky began studying the violin with his father. At a very early age he appeared as soloist with the St. Petersburg Symphony and the Moscow Philharmonic. Since, he performed with most prestigious orchestras worldwide.

Beethoven’s Night

Great Lakes Center for the Arts

BSO Music Director Jonathon Heyward takes the podium for a free community performance, featuring selections from Beethoven's beloved Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral," evoking vivid depictions of nature and rural scenes. Accompanying Beethoven's timeless work is BSO Composer in Residence James Lee III's Amer'ican and selections from Captivating Personas, praised by the Washington Post for its "deep colors, historical echoes and unabashed optimism."

Symphony in the City: Morgan State University

Morgan State University

Beethoven’s Ninth

Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

The stars align for the final concert of our Summer Festival celebrating Beethoven’s profound influence on the evolution of music. Messiaen’s transcendent Interstellar Call and Ravel’s heroic and nearly orchestral Piano Trio capture both the grace and power he brought to music. Beethoven’s masterfully entertaining Septet in E-flat Major—arguably, the greatest septet ever written—expresses his exquisite wit and joy. Don’t miss this exciting Summer Festival finale!

FESTIVAL FINALE: Celestial Virtuosity

Reed College

More than any previous composer, Beethoven challenged musicians to reach new heights, redefining musical virtuosity. Tonight’s program features soaring soloist masterworks, including Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 3, Jörg Widmann’s clarinet Fantasie, and Weber’s epic Clarinet Quintet arranged for chamber orchestra—performed by some of the world’s finest on their instruments.

SOARING SOLOISTS: Clarinet, Cello & Piano

Patricia Reser Center for the Arts

Beethoven propelled the piano to the forefront of classical music, challenging both the instrument and pianists as never before. Bold and powerful, subtle and sublime, Beethoven, Robert Schumann, and Igor Stravinsky’s three powerful piano showpieces capture the piano’s full versatility in the hands of the world-renowned pianists Artistic Director Gloria Chien, Stewart Goodyear, and Chloe Mun.

KEYBOARD CONVERGENCE: Quintets, Quartets & Solos

Portland State University

Four all-star performers take on three exceptionally thrilling works for their instruments! World-renowned horn master Radovan Vlatković tackles Ligeti’s devilishly difficult Horn Trio. Portland’s own revolutionary flutist Amelia Lukas with the astounding pianist/composer Stewart Goodyear premiere his stunning The Torment of Marsyas. Then, Busoni and Geneva Piano Competitions winner Chloe Mun conquers Beethoven’s monumental “Hammerklavier.”

PREEMINENT PIANO: Beethoven, Ligeti & Goodyear

Beethoven’s incendiary and revolutionary Grosse Fuge forever changed music. The almost incomprehensible genius of his “Great Fugue” has powered every genre of music since—from classical to jazz, Motown to heavy metal. We’ll explore equally fiery works by Brahms and Finnish composer Sebastian Fagerlund, inspired by the musical bonfire Beethoven ignited. After the Grosse Fuge, music would never be the same.

MUSIC ON FIRE: Beethoven, Brahms & Fagerlund

Opening Night of CMNW’s 54th Summer Festival will be a not-to-be missed event celebrating Beethoven’s influence on the last two centuries of chamber music! Our first concert of the summer features many of our favorite CMNW artists, including violist Paul Neubauer and renowned pianist Alessio Bax performing an exquisite Brahms Viola Sonata. We will “replay” the delightful Ralph’s Old Records by Portland’s own Kenji Bunch. A new arrangement for chamber ensemble of Beethoven’s stunning Second Symphony will conclude the evening. A truly epic start to the summer!

OPENING NIGHT: Beethoven, Brahms & Bunch!

Go behind the scenes and observe CMNW’s world-class musicians working together to put the finishing touches on the music for upcoming performances. An informal Q&A follows the rehearsal. 

FREE Open Rehearsal: BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2 in D Major

Please join us for an exclusive preview and celebration of the Portland Chamber Music Festival’s 2024 summer season! Enjoy informal performances and conversation with extraordinary musicians, drinks and light refreshments, and the company of fellow chamber music enthusiasts in a delightfully intimate setting.

 Spring Salon & Social

PCMF’s inaugural Winter Warmer Festival opens with two landmark masterworks of the chamber music canon, both brimming with kaleidoscopic colors, rollicking rhythms, and harmonic daring.

Winter Warmer I: Bartók and Beethoven

University of Southern Maine

Leave the city and follow the living tones of nature on a dramatic journey towards paradise with Beethoven and Brabbins. 

When Beethoven was allowed to go out into the country, he was immediately in a good mood. Join chief conductor Martyn Brabbins out into nature where we can join the happy composer in the Pastoral Symphony and enjoy the babbling brook where the nightingale sings its trill. Our own brilliant concertmaster Marika Fältskog gently coaxes the lark's poetic flight from her violin in The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Beethoven & Brabbins

Malmo Live Concert Hall

In year three of the Road to 100: The Complete Beethoven Symphonies, Santa Rosa Symphony performs two of Beethoven’s great works. Like a breath of fresh air, Symphony No. 4 is a luminous and graceful work, radiating noble simplicity. Symphony No. 6 journeys through idyllic landscapes, capturing humanity’s profound connection to nature, and culminating in an uplifting hymn of gratitude.
Performed with the orchestra in unique configurations reflecting how the symphonies, in Beethoven’s time, may have been played.

Ludwig Van Beethoven

Events

Upcoming events

May 7, 2026

Beethoven & Brabbins · Malmö Symphony Orchestra

May 31, 2026

Road to 100: The Complete Beethoven Symphonies, Year 3 · Santa Rosa Symphony

Past events

Nov 16, 2025

Heroes · Göttinger Symphonieorchester

Nov 16, 2025

Fate · MDR-Sinfonieorchester

About

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