Name: A Cosmic Voyage: Symphony in Space
Start: 2026-04-18T19:30:00
Location: Winspear Centre

John Morris Russell

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

The Four Seasons, four evocative violin concerti by the Venetian composer, violinist, poet, and cleric Antonio Vivaldi (affectionately known as the Red Priest because of his flaming red hair), are considered the crown jewels of the Italian baroque. Dmitri Shostakovich wrote of the 1960 quartet on which the haunting Chamber Symphony is based, “When I die, no one will write music in my memory, so I decided to write it myself.” Heinrich Biber’s imaginative Battaglia is an early baroque soundscape of battle preparations, blunted by drunken musketeer songs, and war, ending with a mournful lament.

Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Winspear Centre

Following their thrilling initial collaboration in 2024, ESO Music Director Jean-Marie Zeitouni and award-winning Canadian pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko reunite to perform Johannes Brahms’ towering Second Piano Concerto alongside Bright Sheng's entrancing orchestral works Prelude and The Black Swan in honour of the Lunar New Year.

Jean-Marie & Martini

After his unforgettable debut in October 2024, pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko (of Salmon Arm, BC) returns to perform the work with which he won the 2024 Leeds Piano Competition – Brahms' epic Piano Concerto No. 2. Wagner's Prelude to his innovative opera Tristan and Isolde conveys melodramatic longing with aching harmonic progressions and unmatched emotional intensity. Tchaikovsky's tone poem of Francesca da Rimini’s tragic tale completes this romantic program steeped in passion, drama, and doomed love.

Forbidden Love: Brahms, Tchaikovsky & Wagner

Celebrated British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor returns after a 12-year absence to perform Benjamin Britten’s energetic Piano Concerto, written when the composer was 24 and known for its rhythmic drive and inventive orchestration. At its premiere, a critic wrote cryptically of Brahms’ final symphony, “It is like a dark well; the longer we look into it, the more brightly the stars shine back." Malcolm Forsyth wrote his celebratory Jubilee Overture in 1964 when he was 28, four years before he moved to Edmonton and became a member of the ESO. Don’t miss this intriguing concert juxtaposing music of youthful exuberance and wise experience.

Benjamin Grosvenor Plays Britten

Experience an exciting performance that pays tribute to the great divas of the Broadway stage! Three leading ladies, including Glinda and Elphaba from Wicked and Mary Poppins herself, light up the stage in an evening of Broadway showstoppers. Hear soaring music from classics like My Fair Lady and West Side Story, to recent must-see shows, including Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, and more.

The 3 Broadway Divas

Beethoven subtitled his sixth Symphony “Pastorale - Recollections of Country Life” and filled it with innovative orchestral depictions of nature, including birdsong, a flowing stream, and a thunderstorm. Camille Saint-Saëns’ philosophy that “form is the essence of art” is wonderfully realized in his compact and eloquent Cello Concerto No. 1, featuring Montreal-born Jean-Guihen Queyras in his long overdue Edmonton debut.

Beethoven & Beer

A powerful tale of how chance, discovery, and persistence changed the life of a young girl.

Be inspired by this moving tale of a young girl's journey to center stage told through music. This heartwarming story is a powerful symphony of chance, discovery, and perseverance that influences the main character's life goals of becoming an aspiring conductor and composer. The ESO brings Mo Willems’ award-winning book Because to life, with music written by Jessie Montgomery, in this symphony of serendipity, reminding us that sometimes the smallest moments have the biggest impact.

Symphony For Kids concerts are designed to be the ideal child-sized introduction to orchestral music. Family-friendly activities are available in the lobby prior to each SFK concert, so be sure to arrive early – and, of course, there will be fresh popcorn!

Because

Audience-favourite Sara Davis Buechner returns with Edmonton-born rising star Jessica Yuma to perform Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos, a work full of vigor and breathtaking moments. English composer William Walton’s Symphony No. 1 takes listeners on a journey through rich harmony, heart-wrenching climaxes, and ultimate triumph. Plus, Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia pays tribute to a theme written more than three centuries earlier by composer Thomas Tallis.

Concerto for Two Pianos

The ingenuity and courage of the 1960s missions to the Moon sparked a spirit of wonderment in the world’s creative community. Films and TV shows had their own “space race” that included glorious and inspiring music that lives far beyond those original productions.

A Cosmic Voyage: Symphony in Space

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Calgary Philharmonic join forces again to unite Alberta in Harmony. Hear Holst's popular suite The Planets, a magnificent seven-movement work and staple of orchestral repertoire that captures the celestial moods of each planet and its astrological character. Plus, experience the wonder and depth of the ocean in Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning composition by John Luther Adams, Become Ocean.

Alberta in Harmony: The Planets

Carmina Burana remains one of the most popular and dramatic masterpieces in orchestral repertoire. Conducted by Jean-Marie Zeitouni, this towering work based on a medieval collection of poems is a must-see. Ravel’s delicate orchestration in his Suite from Daphnis et Chloé, based on a Greek novel of the same name, is a lush musical adventure full of Impressionist colour. Finally, hear an exciting new ESO commission by leading Canadian composer Julien Bilodeau.

Carmina Burana

Lights … camera … rock! From the 1950s to recent hit films like Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star is Born, rock music has found a permanent place on the silver screen. Singers Julie Reiber (star of Broadway’s Jagged Little Pill) and Bryce Ryness (star of Broadway’s revival of Hair) rock on with the orchestra as we roll out a collection of classics that have powered big-screen soundtracks for decades. From the orchestra’s thrilling sonority to timeless power ballads, expect to hear favorites from films like Rocketman, Top Gun Maverick, Grease, Tommy, Back to the Future, Rock of Ages, Elvis, Yesterday, and more.