The world premiere of a DCS-commissioned concert work from Award-winning composer Joseph Kraemer opens this program which also features the winner of the Dallas International Piano Competition 2024. After intermission, the orchestra will perform Robert Schumann’s exuberant First Symphony; Richard McKay conducts.

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Schumann's Symphony Nº 1

Moody Performance Hall

Jaap van Zweden  returns to Dallas for Shostakovich’s eloquent Fifth Symphony. Despite its grandeur and optimistic façade — huge climaxes, triumphant marches, exhilarating brass and percussion — a profound sadness cries out in the third movement, the spiritual center of the work. Yet, one critic says, “some shadow of Shostakovich’s indomitable spirit had seeped, surreptitiously, into the souls of attentive listeners.” Conrad Tao “ferociously talented” (TimeOut New York) joins our Conductor Laureate and the orchestra for Mozart’s elegant Piano Concerto No. 17. Opening the concert is Prokofiev’s charming Haydn-inspired “Classical” Symphony.

Jaap van Zweden Conducts Shostakovich and Mozart

Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

Philharmonic, Sinfonietta, DSE, and YPO

Wind Symphony, Flute Choir, and Clarinet Choir

Benjamin Grosvenor “commands the stage with aristocratic ease.” (The New York Times) Grosvenor is the brilliant soloist for Beethoven’s final piano concerto, “Emperor.” The nickname reflects the temperament of the masterpiece, its majesty and nobility — a crowning achievement, indeed. The evening concludes with Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony, whose number alone would terrify the average composer with its inevitable comparison to Beethoven’s Ninth. But instead of the generally expected grandiose, no-holds-barred praise for Stalin’s World War II victory, the composer’s irreverent, sardonic sense of humor delivered a mocking little number!

Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5

GDYO Season Finale

World-renowned violinist Leonidas Kavakos interprets Shostakovich’s Concerto, whose sonorities range from quiet contemplation to the most spectacular cadenza you’re ever likely to witness to a frenzied finale, guaranteed to leave you amazed. Then, from two out-of-the-blue chords to exhilarating finale, the “Eroica’s” majesty and grandeur, extraordinary scope, and bold harmonies rise to a triumphant climax and proclaim that a new era in music has begun. Dallas-based composer Kyle Gann “tinkered” with one of his favorite Charles Ives pieces (which he lamented as being too brief) and “stretched it out,” as he says, resulting in his Serenity Meditation (after Ives).

Beethoven’s “Eroica”

“What is life and what is death? Why did you live? Why did you suffer? … Do our life and death have a meaning? … Whoever hears this call must give a reply. And this reply I give in my last movement.” Thus Mahler guides us to the meaning of his stirring Second Symphony, a work with a beautiful, consoling message. The Finale is a combination of thunderous, apocalyptic outbursts, brass fanfares heard off stage, as well as quieter moments; and then, out of nowhere, a hushed chorus intones the ecstatic Resurrection Ode, as solo voices soar, singing of forgiveness, divine compassion and eternal life: “You shall rise again, rise again/My heart, in an instant./What you have conquered/Shall carry you to God!” Whatever your concept of heaven, this is Paradise in music!

Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 – “Resurrection”

Dive into an enchanting underwater adventure with Symphony Under the Sea. In celebration of World Ocean Day, this program brings the magic and mystery of the sea to life through music. From the sweeping waves of classical masterpieces by Mendelssohn and Saint-Saëns, to the beloved melodies of The Little Mermaid and Moana, this concert captures the wonder of the ocean in a way that’s both exciting and immersive. With pre-concert activities like an instrument petting zoo and resources for family, this sensory-friendly concert designed for music lovers of all ages, will transport you on a symphonic journey beneath the sea.

MyDSO Sensory-Friendly Concert

It’s always an event when Emanuel Ax performs, and Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto will showcase his prodigious virtuosity. This grand work speaks with a bold new voice in the dramatic key of C minor that Beethoven turned to for his revolutionary works. So, hang onto your seat when, after a gargantuan orchestral introduction, the piano announces its presence with three crashing fortissimo chords! The exhilarating Harmonielehre is one of Adams’ most popular works. A fascinating fusion of minimalism and late Romanticism — rushing waves of color, pulsing rhythms and shimmering textures — it promises an unforgettable musical journey at its DSO premiere. The composer points to the final movement that “culminates in a tidal wave of brass and percussion over a pedal point on E-flat Major.” Beginning this concert is the piece that sparked Barber’s career, The School for Scandal. His first work for orchestra is filled with romance and drama, ending on a note of joyous harmony.

Emanuel Ax Plays Beethoven

Mahler’s sunny Fourth, whose ethereal last movement describes a child’s vision of heavenly life — overflowing bowls of tasty food, angels, saints and St. Cecilia and her kindred playing music to accompany the dancing of 11,000 virgins — radiantly portrayed by powerful and stunningly resonant soprano, Sofia Formina. Bachtrack says “her high notes were very secure in brilliant.” Music Director Fabio Luisi also leads the vivacious “Oxford” Symphony, composed on the occasion of Haydn’s receiving an honorary Doctor of Music degree at that university and conducting the work after the ceremony.

Haydn & Mahler

Headlining this all-American program is the red, white, and blue Rhapsody in Blue that Gershwin described as a sort of “musical kaleidoscope of America.” Inon Barnatan “fine music-making wedded to astounding technique” (The Washington Post) stars in this beloved American classic, an effervescent mix of jazz and classical music. The composer himself was at the keyboard at the premiere, and the audience went wild with enthusiasm, propelling this concerto to iconic status. Angélica Negrón’s gripping work for orchestra, chorus and four soloists is an elegy for lost sounds and incorporates birdsong, whale calls, sounds of forests and oceans. It is not to be missed!

Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue

For Schubert, writing a song was not just putting the words to music, but rather translating the poetry into music. And never more so than in his most well-known cycle of 24 songs, Winterreise (Winter’s Journey), set upon poems by Wilhelm Müller. Baritone Matthias Goerne (“today’s leading interpreter of German art songs” (Chicago Tribune) and pianist Daniil Trifonov (“one of the most awesome pianists of our time” (New York Times) interpret Schubert’s gripping, heart-wrenching songs at this not-to-be-missed recital. The austere beauty and power of Winterreise is sure to resonate in your heart and soul.

Schubert’s Winterreise with Trifonov & Goerne

Celebrated conductor Marin Alsop leads the DSO in the tale of the notorious libertine, Don Juan. But the brilliant score by the then-just-24-year-old Richard Strauss shows us a different man…one who is world-and-pleasure-weary, bored with searching for the ideal woman. Beginning with Don’s theme — the rising thunder of horns — to sensuous love music of exquisite beauty; to the eerie, shuddering gestures of the iconic lover’s demise, Don Juan requires a virtuoso orchestra, especially horns. The graphic music scandalized the audience at the premiere but established young Strauss’ genius. Kathryn Bostic, award-winning composer of film, TV and Broadway music — whose accolades include being the first female African American score composer to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — pays homage to Gladys Bentley, African American blues singer of the Harlem Renaissance.

Alsop Conducts Brahms

We’re celebrating the DSO’s 125th anniversary this season, and that makes it the perfect occasion for revisiting the most popular music that you, our Pops fans, have enjoyed over the years. We are thrilled to welcome back former Principal Pops Conductor Richard Kaufman, who served the DSO in that role for 14 years. He’ll dig into the vast treasure trove of beloved pops hits — from the movies to Broadway, from jazz to seasonal celebrations — to pick the ones you’re sure to love. Join us for this stroll down memory lane at the Pops!

Pops Through Time: Iconic Scores & Classic Hits

One of Mozart’s three remarkable final symphonies — his “Triple Crown” — the 40th speaks in his most personal voice. This utterance of extreme urgency is full of agitation with only a slim respite in the exquisite, spiritual slow movement. Nearly 250 years after its completion, it still has a profound emotional impact on audiences. DSO’s Principal Clarinet Gregory Raden gives the world premiere of Dallas-based composer Jon Cziner’s concerto. Music Director Luisi also leads the world premiere of a new work by Jasmine Guo, a film and contemporary concert composer and classical pianist. It’s part of a 30-orchestra consortium performing works commissioned by the Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program for women composers.

Luisi Conducts Mozart

Piano virtuoso Javier Perianes, praised by Gramophone for his “infallible ear for style, atmosphere and colour” returns to perform Nights in the Gardens of Spain, evoking Falla’s beloved Andalusia with its mysterious, fragrant beauty, strumming guitars, flamenco rhythms and dancing melodies. Our rich, Spanish-flavored concert culminates in Rapsodie Espagnole, Ravel’s orchestral masterpiece, showing him as a master of instrumental color. Its four sections are vivid echoes of the sounds and dances of Spain, and its final movement, the sultry “Feria” (“The Fair”), punctuated by castanets, is ablaze in a riot of colors. In between, it’s the zesty suite from The Three-Cornered Hat, replete with sounds of stamping feet, timpani drumming and castanets clicking out infectious rhythms.

Ravel’s Rapsodie Espagnole

It’s that wonderful time of the year when families gather and celebrate the holidays with music— and when guest conductor Lawrence Loh, along with two popular vocalists, soprano Jasmine Habersham and baritone Reginald Smith, Jr., return to sing seasonal favorites for the holidays. Making things even more festive are the Dallas Symphony Chorus and Children’s Chorus. And, of course, what would Christmas Pops be without an audience sing-along and an appearance by that Jolly Old Elf, aka Santa Claus! It’s fun for the entire family and sure to create memories to cherish for a lifetime.

Christmas Pops

Assistant conductor Shira Samuels-Shragg leads the DSO in this “So long 2025!” and “Hello! 2026” celebratory concert on New Year’s Eve featuring Principal Second Violin, Angela Fuller Heyde. The high-spirited musical revels will include beloved waltzes, polkas, marches, overtures, favorite operetta excerpts, plus a few surprises to help ring in the new year. And you can bet that there’ll be some tunes by Johann Strauss, Jr., whose 200th birthday we celebrate in 2025! So, grab your friends and come party at this unforgettable night with the DSO!

New Year’s Eve

The sweeping sonorities of Bruckner’s epic, final symphonic masterpiece unfold and rise sublimely like spires of a grand cathedral, inspiring awe and transporting you to a world with its own conception of time. A devoutly religious man, the composer’s dedication reads: “To the Lord of Lords, to my dear God, my last work, and I hope that He will grant me enough time to complete it and will generously accept my gift.” With this awe-inspiring symphony, he is already standing on the threshold of eternity.

Orchestral events in Dallas, TX

Schumann's Symphony Nº 1

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Schubert’s Winterreise wi...

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Alsop Conducts Brahms

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Pops Through Time: Iconic...

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Luisi Conducts Mozart

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Ravel’s Rapsodie Espagnol...

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Christmas Pops

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New Year’s Eve

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Luisi Conducts Bruckner’s...

Dallas Symphony Orchestra