When you hear Gabriel Fauré’s haunting Élégie as performed by Principal Cello Seth Russell, you will feel something. We don’t presume to tell you what, but sensitive artistry is required, and Seth has it in spades. The last movement from the Pelléas et Mélisande suite was played at the composer’s own funeral is beautiful enough to make the rest of us cry too.
Speaking of feelings, your patriotism will surge as you hear the sweeping sounds of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. How could one person so perfectly encapsulate what America sounds like? The richness and pain and expansiveness and playfulness you hear in this piece composed for chamber orchestra in 1944 is Copland’s calling card. Fiddler Mark O’Connor and Bassist Edgar Meyer collaborated to create Appalachia Waltz in 1993 as a poignant expression of longing for home.
This concert experience might remind you of what it feels like to be on the top of a mountain watching the sunrise.

EPSG:4326

Appalachian Elégie

Peace Center

D’un matin de Printemps (Of a spring morning) was the last piece Lili Boulanger ever wrote. On the list of composers like Schubert and Mozart who died too young, Lili succumbed to tuberculosis in 1918 at just 24 years old. While the composer was physically frail, this piece demonstrates her inner strength and transcends pain with its vitality and joy. Fly, Lili, fly.
Tango revolutionary Astor Piazzolla was just nine years old when his family gave him a beautifully wrapped gift box that he hoped would contain a toy. He was thoroughly disappointed when he opened it and found a bandoneón inside. Lucky for us, he took to it after all and wrote Concerto for Bandoneón in 1979. Many say it is his very best work. An expert in tango and the work of Piazzolla, GRAMMY-winner Hector Del Curto has traveled the world as a soloist.
The most recognizable tune from Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures is by far “The Great Gate of Kiev.” If you’re like us, you wonder: what is this gate? Are there pictures? And the answer is no. The gate is a figment of dear Modest’s fertile imagination, which doesn’t make it any less majestic and arresting, of course. Maybe more. And especially when you consider he wrote this, one of the most performed orchestral works of all time in just three weeks. Come hear why the greats like Mussorgsky are great for a reason.

Yaniv Attar and Hector Del Curto: The French Connection

Be immersed in the art and music as the Greenville Symphony Pops-up at the Greenville County Museum of Arts on Sunday, March 10, 2024, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

Greenville County Museum of Art and Strings Pop-Up Music!

Wynton Marsalis’ Violin Concerto is a showstopping piece that vibrates with energy at the intersection of jazz and classical music, a fusion genre often referred to as “Third Stream.” A native of Kentucky and highly-acclaimed fiddler as well as a classical virtuoso, GRAMMY nominated violinist Tessa Lark is the perfect artist to bring this piece to Greenville. Fusion is where this violin luminary lives.

In addition to being written for a huge orchestra of around 90 musicians, Hector Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique stands out for the full-on macabre it provokes. Inspired by the composer’s romantic obsession with a Shakespeare actress, this Gothic-style piece’s most obvious literary counterpart is the work of Edgar Allan Poe.

Wesley Schulz and Tessa Lark: Fusion and Fantastique

Your favorite downtown bookstore and coffee shop just got better…join us on February 6, 2024, from 5:30 to 6:30 PM to hear the Greenville Symphony’s string quartet at M. Judson’s Booksellers. Make sure to arrive early for a seat or standing room will be available!

M. Judson’s and Strings Pop-Up Music!

Saint-Saëns got it right with his first cello concerto, widely believed to be one of the greatest ever written for the instrument, even by tough critics like Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff. The success of this piece catapulted the composer to stardom, and it’s only fitting that our audience should hear it performed by a major star: Joshua Roman.
Pair that with the dreamy playfulness of Ravel’s Ma mère l’Oye or “Mother Goose Suite,” written in 1910 for six-year-old Mimi and seven-year-old Jean, the children of the composer’s close friends. The piece has been featured regularly in popular culture, on albums, in television series, and movies.
Paul Hindemith and his wife loved playing piano duets by Classical period composer Carl Maria von Weber, and it was these pieces that inspired his ambitious Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber. Beloved by orchestras for its sumptuous harmonies and technical challenges, you’ll be amazed when you hear and see the artistry our Greenville Symphony musicians bring to this metamorphosis.

Janna Hymes and Joshua Roman: Tales of Transformation

Cars fly, trees fight back, and monsters are on the loose in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts™ School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! This concert features the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™ in high definition, on a giant screen, while a live orchestra performs John Williams’ unforgettable score. Relive every magical moment as the music brings life to a story that has enchanted the world.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets™ in concert

You’ll be brimming with holiday cheer when you leave this annual seasonal celebration! Gather your family and friends for Greenville’s favorite Christmas spectacular, which always features your favorites combined with fresh, new themes. Whether you’re carrying on a yuletide tradition or feeling inspired to start a new one, this concert is the perfect way to get into the spirit of the holidays.

Holiday at Peace

Get into the Holiday Spirit with the Greenville Symphony on December 7, 2023, from 5–7:00 PM at Project Host (525 S Academy St. Greenville, SC 29601). Your holiday experience is not complete until you hear the magic of holiday tunes performed by four trombones!

Pop-up Music at Project Host with a Trombone Quartet

Philip Glass and Robert Schumann are composers separated by two centuries.  One, an American from Baltimore whose music defies genre: it’s two parts driving rhythm and one part rich string texture.  You could even say it’s got a hint of rock n’ roll.  Add a true rockstar of the violin, the one and only Simone Porter, and the fear of missing out factor is on another level.

Robert Schumann, best friend of Johannes Brahms and husband of the legendary Clara Schumann was a musical celebrity in 19th century Germany who struggled with mental illness. He found relief and sanctuary in music and the result is some of the most complex and fascinating compositions of the German Romantic period. Despite the composer’s depression, this symphony cuts through the darkness and leaves us feeling hopeful and uplifted.  This energetic and elegant second symphony turns the traditional structure on its head by opening with a quiet first movement. Don’t take it from us—come hear this revolutionary and redemptive work for yourself.

Lee Mills and Simone Porter: Through The Looking Glass

Experimental. Artisanal. Inspired. Share a journey of musical exploration with artists and guests of the Greenville Symphony and be guided every step of the way.

Artists Up Close: Day of the Dead

Fine Arts Center

Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte is a Haydn-inspired strings-rich piece that will pull you in. It’s what critic James Bennett called “juicy and ebullient…culminating with a succession of full-bellied chords that I may one day make my ringtone.” 

Washington DC native and Duke Ellington School for the Arts alum beatboxer Christylez Bacon has created something totally new with this intersection of symphonic and hip hop tradition. You may have seen this Grammy nominee onstage with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center.  He says, “The music is the lure and the lyric is the education that will destroy the many barriers that prevent us from recognizing our connections with each other.”

John Devlin and Christylez Bacon: Music for Our Moment

A smorgasbord of some of the most virtuosic works composed for the human voice, this experience is composed of arias that are quite simply Olympic feats of singing.  Come and wonder at the impossible beauty of these works by Monteverdi, Handel and Mozart, including an aria from his iconic character the Queen of the Night, have a good laugh at Figaro’s expense in Rossini’s Largo from The Barber of Seville, hear operetta and even some selections from the golden age of Broadway.  This is an hour of operatic goodness you won’t want to miss.  And the crazy thing is, they make it look easy!

Olympic Feats of Opera

Join the notorious Spanish rake on his legendary quest to find the perfect woman with Richard Strauss’ Don Juan. Written in 1888, Don Juan has been keeping musicians up at night ever since. The technical challenges of this piece are legendary, and you’ll be right there as the artists of the Greenville Symphony bring their years of training and incredible skill to bear for the realization of this work.

Geoffrey Robson and Andrius Žlabys: Quest and Destiny

“Courage,” features piano chamber music at the Tryon Estates (617 Laurel Lake Dr, Columbus, NC 28722). The program proudly features two works by South Carolina-based composers, Jon Grier and Meira Warshauer.

Courage Pop-Up Music!

Tryon Estates

“Courage,” features piano chamber music. The program proudly features two works by South Carolina-based composers, Jon Grier and Meira Warshauer.

Artists Up Close: Courage

Richard Strauss was the son of an extraordinary horn player. Even the notoriously cranky composer Richard Wagner was quoted as saying “when he plays his horn, one cannot stay cross with him.” Did Richard’s dad influence his Serenade in E-flat? Probably. Either way, you can’t miss this chance to hear clarinet soloist Erik Franklin and the outstanding winds of the Greenville Symphony in a program that features just them. It’s a rare and wonderful opportunity to focus on the instruments of the orchestra powered by breath alone.

Erik Franklin, a Furman graduate and prominent American clarinetist is a former student of Les Hicken, and has written a new work which will be premiered on this program. South Carolina history is happening here.

With the Wind

Student-Teacher Ticket program for Masterworks and Chamber Concerts. $10 Teacher and GCS Staff Tickets and $5 Student Tickets are available for purchase the day of the concert.

Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony

Student-Teacher Ticket program for Masterworks and Chamber Concerts. $10 Teacher and GCS Staff Tickets and $5 Student Tickets are available for purchase on the day of the concert.

Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme

Make sure to drop by our tent and visit with some of your favorite musicians. You will hear performances throughout the day and learn some of the intriguing science behind sound!

iMAGINE Upstate STEAM Festival Pop-Up Music!

Clemson University

Our Faith Pop-Up concert at Trailblazer Park (235 Trailblazer Dr, Travelers Rest, SC 29690) is a portrayal of the joys and travails of “Faith” in all its variety, featuring music for harp and The Rivertree Singers and music from the cinema.

Faith Pop-Up Music!

Trailblazer Park

Our second concert is a portrayal of the joys and travails of “Faith” in all its variety, featuring music for harp and The Rivertree Singers and music from the cinema.

Artists Up Close: Faith

Rachmaninoff Rhapsody

Artist Up Close: Rebirth

If for you, the sound of the harpsichord conjures the luxury and excess enjoyed at the court of Marie-Antoinette, this concert starts there and takes you to places you couldn’t imagine. The experience is a romp through eras starting with Gluck’s response to the excesses of the Enlightenment, his Orfeo ed Euridice Overture. Then it takes a hard left with composer Philip Glass who was sick and tired of being called a minimalist and decided to explore the flowery Baroque period with his Concerto for Harpsichord and Orchestra, premiered in Seattle in 2002. The last movement will make you want to dance. The grace of Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances is all the bright-toned elegance you could wish for, followed by the original master of the Baroque, the one and only Johann Sebastian Bach. The instantly-recognizable majesty and beautiful melody of his third orchestral suite brings everything that’s just happened into sharp focus, and ties it in a profoundly Baroque bow.
Conductor Gary Robinson collaborates here with his daughter and celebrated keyboardist Caroline Robinson. This is an unforgettable program for them and for all who will be in the room to share it.

Greenville Symphony

6 - 7 Apr, 2024

Appalachian Elégie

16 - 17 Mar, 2024

Yaniv Attar and Hector Del Curto: The French Connection

Mar 10, 2024

Greenville County Museum of Art and Strings Pop-Up Music!

17 - 18 Feb, 2024

Wesley Schulz and Tessa Lark: Fusion and Fantastique

Feb 6, 2024

M. Judson’s and Strings Pop-Up Music!

Greenville Symphony

Events by genre

Chamber Music

Choral

Film in Concert

Opera in Concert

Oratorio

Artists & Creators

Bass-baritones

Conductors

Pianists

Sopranos

Stage Director

Violinists

Ensembles & Organizations

Ballet Companies

Festivals

Opera Companies

Orchestras

Performing Arts Series

Theatre Companies

Cities

Berkeley

Los Angeles

Sacramento

San Diego

San Francisco

San Jose

Santa Barbara

About

Artists

Ticket Conversion

Marketing Tools

Audience Growth

Contact Us