In celebration of our 25th season, Best of Boston showcases some of Boston’s most celebrated composers of the past and present, including familiar music by Leonard Bernstein and John Williams, gems by Florence Price and John Harbison, and featuring the Hatch Shell premiere of Amy Beach’s Piano Concerto, a rarely-heard masterpiece.  

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The Best of Boston

Hatch Memorial Shell

The Danbury News-Times praises Trio Valtorna’s balance of “gentleness and power.” Bringing together the gifts of three internationally recognized artists, Trio Valtorna formed in 2011 when, after performing together at New Mexico’s Music from Angel Fire, violinist Ida Kavafian and horn player Daivd Jolley decided to extend their collaboration, inviting pianist Gilles Vonsattel to complete the ensemble. Highlights of the trio’s recent seasons include performances with Delaware’s Coastal Concerts series, the Birmingham Chamber Music Society, California’s Chamber on the Mountain, and the Auburn Chamber Music Society.

Trio Valtorna

Northwestern University

**Event: Parker Plays Gershwin - Minnesota Orchestra**

**Date & Time:** Friday, August 2, 2024

**Venue:** Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55403

**Duration:** 2 hours, including intermission

**Event Description:**
Join the Minnesota Orchestra for an enchanting evening as Jon Kimura Parker takes the stage to perform George Gershwin's masterpieces. This concert, conducted by the talented Lina González-Granados, marks her debut with the Minnesota Orchestra. The program celebrates the vibrant sounds of the Roaring Twenties, featuring Gershwin's "Concerto in F" for solo piano and orchestra, and selections from his renowned opera "Porgy and Bess."

The evening will also include John Harbison’s "Remembering Gatsby," a composition inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age stories, and Darius Milhaud’s "Le Bœuf sur le toit," originally conceived as incidental music for Charlie Chaplin’s silent films.

**Program:**
- **HARBISON:** Remembering Gatsby Foxtrot for Orchestra
- **GERSHWIN:** Concerto in F
- **MILHAUD:** Le Bœuf sur le toit
- **GERSHWIN:** Catfish Row Suite from Porgy and Bess

**Artists:**
- **Lina González-Granados:** Conductor
- **Jon Kimura Parker:** Piano

**Extras:**
- **Pre-concert Activities:** Enjoy a delicious Bubbles and Bites package prepared by Wandering Kitchen, featuring a charcuterie box paired with your choice of bubbles, wine, or a non-alcoholic sparkling beverage.
- **Valet Parking:** Available for your convenience.
- **Pre-order Beverages:** Save time by pre-ordering your intermission drinks.

**Plan Your Visit:**
- **Directions & Parking:** Parking is available just steps away from Orchestra Hall in the city-owned and skyway-connected 11th and Marquette Ramp.
- **Accessibility Services:** Armless & Bariatric Chairs, Assistive Listening Devices, Large-Print Programs, Noise-Cancelling Headphones, Service Animals, Wheelchair & Accessible Seating.

**Tickets:** Available for purchase now. Save up to 15% and receive subscriber perks when you buy 3 or more concerts, including Summer and 2024-2025 season concerts.

**Presented by:** The 2023-2024 Classical Season is presented by Ameriprise Financial.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit the Minnesota Orchestra website.

Parker Plays Gershwin

Minnesota Orchestra

Lina González-Granados makes her Minnesota Orchestra debut in this concert focused on music that both drew from and canonized the sounds of the Roaring Twenties. Two works from George Gershwin highlight the program, including his Concerto in F for solo piano and orchestra, which will be performed by Jon Kimura Parker, and a selection from his famed opera Porgy and Bess. Two pieces inspired by the sights, scenes and sounds of this incredible decade round out this program: John Harbison’s Remembering Gatsby, a 1985 composition inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age short story collection and Darius Milhaud’s Le Bœuf sur le toit, conceived as incidental music for Charlie Chaplin’s silent films.

Gershwin And Gatsby

Join us for an enchanting evening with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Principal Winds as they present "Quintets DSO Principal Winds" on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 7:00 pm. This special performance will be held at the Ferndale First United Methodist Church, located at 22331 Woodward Avenue, Ferndale, MI 48220.

Experience an adventurous night of music featuring works by American composers, highlighted by the challenging "Quintet for Winds" by Pulitzer Prize winner John Harbison. This piece, described by Harbison as born from a collaboration with resourceful, inquisitive, and fearless wind players, promises to be a highlight of the evening.

The program also includes Valerie Coleman's "Umoja" and Marc Mellits' "Apollo," showcasing the exceptional talent and versatility of the DSO Wind Quintet. The ensemble features Hannah Hammel Maser on flute, Alexander Kinmonth on oboe, Ralph Skiano on clarinet, Scott Strong on horn, and Ryan Reynolds on bassoon.

Don't miss this opportunity to witness the artistry of these accomplished musicians in an intimate setting. Tickets start at a special price, offering everyone the chance to enjoy this unique performance. Join us for an evening that celebrates the beauty and complexity of wind music.

DSO Wind Quintet

First United Methodist Church of Ferndale

Insiders: Philip Setzer, Richard Weiss, and Daniel Shapiro

Cleveland Institute of Music

New Music New England is a new initiative of the New England Philharmonic celebrating the new music works from New England. Each concert presents music by artists based in New England that have yet to be heard by the general public. This inaugural concert makes reference to the grand musical traditions of the region with Charles Ives’s Three Places in New England, together with music by Wang Lu, David Sanford, and Kati Agócs, which have yet to be heard in Boston. The concert’s grand finale features Grammy Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs in the long-awaited Boston premiere of John Harbison’s “What Do We Make of Bach!”

New England Philharmonic Concert – New Music New England

Boston University

Immerse yourself in the enchanting melodies of winter with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Masterworks III: Winter Wonders concert. This captivating event is set to take place on December 3, 2023, at 2:00 pm CST, at the prestigious Bartlett Performing Arts Center, located at 3600 Avenue of the Cities, Moline, IL.

Under the baton of Mark Russell Smith, with the talented Andrew Parker on oboe, the concert promises an afternoon of musical exploration through the themes of winter's beauty and its contrasting emotions. The program features a diverse selection of works, starting with George Frideric Handel’s Alexander’s Feast Suite, a piece that promises to take the audience through a range of emotions from fiery revenge to transcendent joy. Following this, experience the tragic love story depicted in Jerod Impichch a achaaha’ Tate’s The Indian Spirit at Mesa Falls from Winter Moons, a piece that brings the folklore of two lovers to life. John Harbison’s Snow Country will then reveal the hidden colors of winter through its beautiful melodies, featuring a solo performance by QCSO Principal Oboe, Andrew Parker. The concert will conclude with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 39, a work that combines stately elegance with the warmth and energy needed to dispel the winter chill.

Tickets for this mesmerizing event start at $12 for adults and $7 for students/children, making it an accessible cultural experience for all. Attendees are also invited to enrich their concert experience through various sponsored activities. Join QCSO Music Director Mark Russell Smith for "Inside the Music" on the Thursday evening preceding the concert for an in-depth exploration of the Masterworks programs, enjoy pre-concert "Concert Conversations" to learn more about the works being performed, and don't miss the "Afterglow" where you can mingle with Maestro Smith, guest artists, and members of the QCSO at the Hotel Blackhawk.

Don't miss this opportunity to celebrate the wonders of winter through music. Secure your tickets now and be part of a memorable afternoon with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra.

Masterworks III: Winter Wonders

Adler Theatre

Moline High School

NEC Wind Ensemble presents a concert under the direction of guest conductor and NEC alumnus Robert Spittal, whose Concerto for Wind Ensemble will be premiered tonight.

NEC Wind Ensemble + Robert Spittal: Harbison, Spittal, Gabrieli

New England Conservatory

A THELAS is relaunching the popular concert format Brand New Tuesdays, where the ensemble's musicians perform works written for smaller constellations over three evenings in a season. The small crews allow ATHELAS' musicians to create a more intimate and informal space between the musicians and the audience and at the same time unfold themselves in an extra equilibristic way on their instruments. Initially, it applies to the wind quintet, which demonstrates the many facets of the wind through a very varied and versatile program.

Brand New Tuesdays

The concert church

America/Beautiful is a project by pianist and arts advocate Min Kwon, in which she has commissioned a diverse group of more than 70 of today’s leading American composers to each compose a variation on “America the Beautiful.”

Kwon's hope is to paint a sonic picture of her adopted country in all of its sprawling complexity, and ultimately try to find the beauty at the core of the American experiment and its credo of e pluribus unum (out of many, one).

America/Beautiful: Min Kwon piano

Aspen Meadows Resort

America / Beautiful: Min Kwon piano

As an artist-led collective, Decoda seeks to create a more compassionate and connected world through music—thoughtfully curating outstanding performances of live chamber music, facilitating creative community projects, and training the next generation of musical artists to rethink and reimagine their role in society.

Decoda

Kaufman Music Center

Anna Thompson, Soprano

Alice Pratt Brown Hall

Like a shooting star, Franz Schubert blazed across music's sky for a brief 31 years, leaving behind over 1,000 works that transformed the Classical into the Romantic age.
Four programs spanning Schubert's creative career and variety of compositions offer a rich journey into one of music's most ethereal worlds. A fifth concert explores how the legacy of Schubert and composers in the two centuries following his death have re-worked and been inspired by his compositions.

Winter Festival: Schubert Forever

Lincoln Center

A recital of viola works performed by classical contemporary music performance student Elsie Bae Han (M.M. '23).

Student Recital: Elsie Bae Han, Viola

Boston Conservatory at Berklee

John Harbison, one of Boston’s musical luminaries for the fifty-odd years that he has lived here, is the composer of a large, extraordinarily varied body of work. Many of music’s highest honors have come his way—the Pulitzer Prize for music and a commission from the Metropolitan Opera among them. The BPYO plays his incandescent Remembering Gatsby (Foxtrot for Orchestra) for the first time since the senior Boston Philharmonic Orchestra played it in 1995.

John Harbison

Events

Upcoming events

May 3, 2026

Harbison / Gershwin / Copland · Boston Philharmonic Orchestra

Past events

Jul 23, 2025

The Best of Boston · Boston Landmarks Orchestra

Jan 12, 2025

Trio Valtorna · Northwestern Bienen School of Music

About

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