What better way to close the season than hearing the full expressive might of the TSO in Holst’s technicolor orchestral masterpiece, The Planets, which became an inspiration for John Williams’ movie scores. Maestro Gomez navigates the stormy seas of Britten’s Four Sea Interludes and introduces Daniel Asia’s powerful At the Far Edge in celebration of the Tucson composer’s 70th birthday.

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Holst’s Planets

Linda Ronstadt Music Hall

“Master Class,” the Tony-winning play by Terrence McNally, tells the story of the uncompromising opera diva Maria Callas as she delivers a life altering master class to students at an elite opera training program. During the class, she encounters three vastly different students who are by turns hilariously crushed, soulfully uplifted, and profoundly inspired by her singular artistry. Based on a series of real-life classes Callas delivered at Juilliard, “Master Class” inspires us, transports us, and transforms us by carving a window into the soul of one of the most complicated and celebrated artists of the 20th century who pushed the boundaries of artistic sacrifice and quality.

Master Class

Rio Salado Park

Temple of Music and Art

Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer finalist and Tony-nominated play “True West” is a Cain and Abel story of brotherly love and sibling rivalry set against the Dreams of the American West. Successful screenwriter Austin settles in to housesit his mother’s desert home to write his next screenplay, while his brother Lee, an alcoholic drifter, arrives to rob the neighborhood. A hysterically twisted story unfolds as the estranged brothers torment each other until they are forced to collaborate on a screenplay for Austin’s producer with the promise of a huge Hollywood payday. Ultimately reversing roles and finding themselves inside the other’s shoes, the two brothers discover that this town ‘aint big enough for the both of them …

True West

Verdi, Kalman, Rósza, and Sibelius

St Andrew's Presbyterian Church

DesertView Performing Arts Center

Podcast link: https://youtu.be/4hagYvrYbuM

The Artelize Podcast and Kasper Holten - Pedefining Opera for the modern world

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36M5Hi6O80

The Artelize Podcast - A legacy of innovation in Opera: Celebrating Marc A. Scorca

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59E40S_EQSY

The Artelize Podcast: A love letter that was never sent

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THv6htilWtI

The Artelize Podcast and Adolfo Corrado: Mediterranean flavors, opera and social media

The Fox Tucson Theatre in partnership with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra are proud to present City Lights. Enjoy a special evening of the orchestra’s live accompaniment to Charlie Chaplin’s masterpiece, all on the Fox stage. City Lights, is a silent tale of a lovable vagrant falling for a young blind woman who sells flowers on the street and mistakes him for a millionaire. Be transported to an era of Hollywood where silent film stars make the screen come alive with the added magic of the symphony. TSO is led by conductor, José Luis Gomez.

Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights

Fox Tucson Theatre

Please note that the length of concerts may vary, and the time listed is approximate.

Symphonic Band

The University of Arizona

Recital Choir: Jordan Shomper

University of Arizona

Ana Luiza Tovo Loureiro, Viola – Doctoral Solo Recital Gréta Pásztor, Piano

Ana Luiza Tovo Loureiro, Viola – Doctoral Solo Recital

First United Methodist Church of Tucson

Kenny Kriha, Bassoon – Senior Recital

Bethany Jargstorf, Soprano – Doctoral Qualifying Recital

Mo Casorla, Oboe – Senior Recital

UA Symphonic Choir will present the first performance of Marianna Martines’s Terza Messa since its premiere during her lifetime in 1761. Together with a chamber orchestra, the choir will be joined by soloists to present this work by the exceptional Viennese Classical composer, who was a contemporary of Joseph Haydn and W.A. Mozart, and who was highly acclaimed during her lifetime. The performance will be based on the first published edition of this work that was created in 2023 by UA doctoral student James Higgs. James traveled to Vienna to gain access to archival materials including a manuscript of this work to create his edition, and this performance will be the American premiere of the work. The first recording of this work will be made as part of the preparation for this concert, and both the score and recording will be made available for purchase to the public in early May. The concert will begin with a short talk by editor James Higgs, who will introduce the composer and the work. The performance will be conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Schauer, Director of Choral Activities at University of Arizona. The event is free and open to the public, but a free will offering will be taken at the conclusion of the performance to offset costs associated with producing the performance and recording.

Symphonic Choir and Chamber Orchestra – “Terza messa” by Marianna Martines

Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church

HarpFusion Presents Star Maps: A nod to HarpFusion’s 2007 Cosmos concert, this riveting harp ensemble performance features planetary, space, and night sky themes, sprinkled with a bit of astrology! HarpFusion members will perform Star Maps, a new work by composer Michael Vince. Star Maps is a collection of twelve short pieces, each inspired by a different symbol of the astrological zodiac chart. Space-themed student arrangements will take center stage in the second half of the concert featuring music by Van Morrison, Electric President, Belle and Sebastian, among others. Join us for a cosmic afternoon of harp music!

HarpFusion

Spring Percussion Ensembles concert (undergraduate and graduate) featuring notable works by Bob Becker, Toru Takemitsu, John Luther Adams, Mark Applebaum, Maurice Ravel, and others!

UA Percussion Ensemble

Join us for an unforgettable evening on April 27th as the University of Arizona Wind Ensemble takes the stage with an array of special guests! Composer-in-residence Kevin Day, alongside the Rincon-University High School Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Jeff Marchant and Dan Phillips. Highlighting the evening will be the exhilarating performance of Mr. Day’s concerto for alto saxophone, “Unquiet Waters,” featuring the exceptional talents of Dr. Eddie Goodman, renowned saxophone professor at UA. Don’t miss this extraordinary showcase of musical talent and collaboration!

The University of Arizona Wind Ensemble & Chamber Winds

Kylie Baird, Viola – Senior Recital

Ana Maria Iordache, guitar – Doctoral Solo Recital

Siyuan Zhang, Piano – Doctoral Solo Recital

The two orchestras of the University of Arizona will share the Crowder Hall stage for their final performances of the 2023-24 season. The evening will cohere around two themes:  journey and homeland. The UArizona Philharmonic begins with Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Overture, inspired by two short works of the German Romantic poet, Goethe.  Smetana’s vivid and colorful depiction of the Moldau River, a symbol of Czech national pride, follows. We follow the river on its journey from the tiniest mountain trickle all the way downstream to a triumphant expanse of a broad river. After the intermission, the Arizona Symphony offers Symphony No. 2 by the Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius. In this masterpiece many hear a call to Finns’ ethnic independence and national pride, in response to Russia’s imperial threat. The symphony is a symbolic journey from bucolic innocence through conflict and struggle to assert a national identity, culminating in a broad, triumphant statement of Finnish national pride.

Arizona Symphony Orchestra and University of Arizona Philharmonic

Mozart’s Don Giovanni, regarded by many as one of the greatest operas of all time, tells the centuries-old story of the libertine Don Juan.

Don Giovanni tries to seduce Donna Anna, which goes awry and he ends up killing her father, the Commendatore, unbeknownst to her. Donna Anna asks her fiancé, Don Ottavio, to avenge her father’s death. The opera follows Don Giovanni’s salacious escapades, aided and abetted by his servant Leporello. Giovanni makes his rounds seducing and duping numerous characters, bragging along the way and escaping accountability by obscuring his identity. In a cemetery, Giovanni meets the Commendatore’s statue, who forebodingly warns him that he will laugh no longer. When offered the chance to change his ways, will Don Giovanni repent?

Events in Tucson, AZ

Holst’s Planets

Tucson Symphony Orchestra

Master Class

Arizona Theatre Company

True West

Arizona Theatre Company

Verdi, Kalman, Rósza, and...

Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra

The Artelize Podcast and ...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast - A ...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast: A l...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast and ...

Artelize

Charlie Chaplin’s City Li...

Tucson Symphony Orchestra

Symphonic Band

University of Arizona School of Music

Recital Choir: Jordan Sho...

University of Arizona School of Music

Ana Luiza Tovo Loureiro, ...

University of Arizona School of Music

Kenny Kriha, Bassoon – Se...

University of Arizona School of Music

Bethany Jargstorf, Sopran...

University of Arizona School of Music

Mo Casorla, Oboe – Senior...

University of Arizona School of Music

Symphonic Choir and Chamb...

University of Arizona School of Music

HarpFusion

University of Arizona School of Music

UA Percussion Ensemble

University of Arizona School of Music

The University of Arizona...

University of Arizona School of Music

Kylie Baird, Viola – Seni...

University of Arizona School of Music

Ana Maria Iordache, guita...

University of Arizona School of Music

Siyuan Zhang, Piano – Doc...

University of Arizona School of Music

Arizona Symphony Orchestr...

University of Arizona School of Music

Don Giovanni

Arizona Opera