EPSG:4326

Khachaturian Concerto

Von Braun Center

The Who & Led Zeppelin

Flute, Harp, and Strings: Dinner Concert

Pictures at an Exhibition

“Frankenstein!! (Mr. Superman)”

Randolph School

Yes, May 4 is “International Star Wars Day,” and of course the Huntsville Symphony intends to make an Imperially big deal about it. Few musicians in this galaxy (or any other) have impacted the art of cinema more than the great John Williams, whose insightfully crafted scores have enthralled audiences for more than seventy years now. This program celebrates the Movie Maestro’s life and legacy, along with classic selections by fellow film composers including Leonard Bernstein.

May the Fourth be with You

We end this season’s Classical Series with a program of firsts. Performed by Gilles Vonsattel, Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 1 was penned when the pianist-composer was only a teenager, long before the more often played Second and Third concertos, and is based loosely on the great concerto by Grieg. Few debuts have made quite the impression given by Mahler’s ambitious Symphony No. 1, sometimes called the “Titan,” which despite many later successes became the original work most frequently conducted by the composer throughout his career.

Mahler and Rachmaninov

Musical Walk with the HSO

Athens State University

Mussorgsky, Saint-Saëns, and John Williams provide the orchestral soundtrack to this one-of-a-kind stage performance by the legendary illusionist Michael Grandinetti. Renowned for his appearances on network television, in NFL and NBA half-time shows, and in stadiums, arenas, casinos, and theatres around the country, Grandinetti never fails to astonish with his mastery of the arcane arts – and he loves to make his audiences part of the magic. Musical selections include Night on Bald Mountain, Danse macabre, and symphonic hocus-pocus courtesy of Harry Potter.

The Magic of Michael Grandinetti

The “Italian” Symphony No. 4 of Felix Mendelssohn is among the most celebrated of his compositions, catalyzed by his enchantment with the peninsula during a European tour. The HSO also performs his overture Die schöne Melusine, based on the legend of a forlorn mermaid. Soloist Gábor Varga joins the orchestra for Mozart’s timeless Clarinet Concerto, a lyrical masterpiece and one of the great composer’s final completed works.

Mozart and Mendelssohn

Though the tales of the 1001 Nights have been told many times, it was probably Sir R. F. Burton’s 1885 translation of the Arabian Knights which made these exotic stories famous worldwide, inspiring numerous artists and
composers. Soprano Christie Weber performs Maurice Ravel’s picturesque Shéhérazade songs, paired with Rimsky- Korsakov’s colorful and evocative symphonic suite of scenes from the sweeping Middle Eastern epic.

Scheherazade

Acclaimed for their command of jazz vernacular and the African-American gospel tradition alike, vocalist Sydney McSweeney and singer/trumpeter Byron Stripling present a swinging evening of classic standards and vibrant spirituals in The Gospel According to Gershwin. It’s sure to be an unforgettable New Year’s Eve celebration and a heartfelt tribute to some of the finest American music, reaching way down to the roots.

The Gospel According to Gershwin

Admired for his authentic and original voice, the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams created soundscapes which seem to emerge right from the mists of the English countryside. Tonight we enjoy the stunningly beautiful Tallis Fantasia for strings as well as his powerful but little-heard Toward the Unknown Region, for chorus and orchestra – alongside music from Hungarian composer Miklós Rózsa, and the premiere of a new work for children’s voices and orchestra by Music Director & Conductor Gregory Vajda.

Toward the Unknown Region

Spice up the spooky season with the HSO and the accomplished rock musicians of Jeans ‘n Classics as we perform songs from the original cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. From “Dammit Janet” to “Wild and Untamed Thing,” feel free to croon along with your favorite numbers from Jim Sharman’s freaky ‘70s comedy – it’s the ultimate midnight movie and a scary good time.

The Music of Rocky Horror

“Table Music” A Dinner Concert

The earthy melodies and unbridled passion of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto may have confounded nineteenth-century critics, but these are the qualities which ultimately made it a cornerstone of the Romantic repertoire.

HSO Concertmaster Josh Holritz performs as soloist in this program which also includes Prokofiev’s music for the 1934 Soviet film Lieutenant Kijé, and perhaps the most famous of all concert overtures, Tchaikovsky’s majestic The Year 1812.

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto

Many great artists have had to sing for their supper, so to speak. Especially during the Classical Period, composers such as Mozart often provided soundtracks for the dinnertime diversion of courtly households. His Serenade in C minor, written for wind instruments, is one such work; tonight, it is presented alongside a delectable quartet for flute and string instruments. Finishing the program is a most unusual symphony – a playful miniature which includes an assortment of nursery noisemakers in its instrumentation. This “Toy” Symphony is most often attributed to the pen of Mozart’s father, Leopold, though the definite identity of its author remains a mystery.

Supper Serenade

Stovehouse

Brahms was an established figure already, but it was the 1869 premiere of his great requiem setting for chorus and orchestra which cemented his reputation as one of the most important artists of the era. Written in response to the deaths of the composer’s mother and of his friend and mentor Robert Schumann, Ein deutsches Requiem is a deeply personal, transcendent essay on existential peace and acceptance. The performance is prefaced by English composer Benjamin Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem of 1940, an unusual and poignant wartime symphony which takes its form and content from the traditional requiem rite.

Brahms German Requiem

John Williams has penned the soundtracks to some of the most successful films of all time, from Superman to the Star Wars series. A great film score lingers with the audience long after the closing credits have scrolled; the composer uses music to underscore the action, to help characters and emotions resonate, and to make those magical moments even more memorable. Tonight’s concert features the full symphony orchestra in performances of classic cues from the likes of Henry Mancini, John Barry, Maurice Jarre, Michael Gioacchino, and of course from Mr. Williams himself, dean of the silver screen.

Hollywood Hits

One of the first rockstars of classical music, the Hungarian pianist and composer Franz Liszt galvanized nineteenth-century audiences with passionate performances of richly expressive music. It is said that young ladies collected his used handkerchiefs and made lockets from strands of his wild hair. Canadian pianist Katherine Chi plays Liszt’s diabolical Totentanz, “Dance of Death”. Liszt would be pleased to find himself featured alongside his idol Beethoven; we will hear the early Symphony No. 2 and the overture to King Stephen, written to commemorate the founding of the Kingdom of Hungary

Liszt Fantasy

A terrible thing has transpired at the concert hall: the composer is dead! Where were the violins on the night in question? Has anyone seen the harp? With your help we will scour the stage for clues, examining each instrument of the orchestra with care – before the trail of evidence goes cold. It’s a bit of film noir fun for the whole family, a suspiciously charming introduction to the symphony for children of all ages.

Free Family Concert: The Composer is Dead

Mozart’s phrases often seem to take on a question-and-answer format, as if he is scripting musical conversations. Composer Petér Eötvös created his Dialog mit Mozart in 2014; throughout the piece, he engages in a dialectic exploration of tunes by his renowned predecessor. Violinist Tai Murray takes the stage to perform Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.3 in a program crowned by Schubert’s Symphony No. 4, the “Tragic,” composed at age nineteen but unheard until decades later.

Conversation with Mozart

Grab your yoga mat and come flow with Casey Bakula of Your Yoga while the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra performs. This event will take place at the RC Hagans art exhibit in North Floor Gallery of Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment. Experience arts of all types at this one of a kind event.

Bach in Motion

Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment

The biggest British sensation to follow the Beatles, Queen dominated the rock and pop charts of the 1970s and 1980s with anthems like “We Are the Champions” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The band has sold 300 million records, with all four members having penned number one hits. The phenomenal artists of Jeans ‘n Classics join forces with the musicians of the HSO to perform the very best of these mercurial chart-toppers in grand symphonic style. Make no mistake: WE WILL ROCK YOU!

One Vision: The Music of Queen

“It struck me like lightning,” Mahler wrote of his “Resurrection” Symphony No. 2. Premiered in 1895, it remains one of his most enduring offerings. A choral symphony written for a very large orchestra and host of singers, the Second is an inspired exploration of life, death, and the hereafter, ideas which would go on to occupy much of Mahler’s later work. Join the HSO and the Huntsville Community Chorus for a stunning, transcendent, unforgettable season finale.

Mahler Resurrection

Are some people just born with it? Is music part of our DNA? Maestro Gregory Vajda and Dr. Rick Myers, one of America’s leading geneticists and the President and Science Director of Huntsville’s HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, have teamed up to explore questions like these in a lecture set to music. Mark your calendar this intriguing dialog between science and music in the Paul Propst Center at HudsonAlpha’s beautiful, cutting-edge research campus.

The Music Gene

For nearly 70 years, John Williams has provided the soundtracks for many of the world’s most beloved films; his music for Star Wars is rated by the American Film Institute as the greatest film score of all time. “Music is there for everybody,” says Williams, lauded for his ability to engage audiences through powerful themes. Enjoy gripping, evocative symphonic scores from many chapters and facets of Williams’ storied career, performed by the full orchestra in a special salute to America’s movie maestro.

The Music of John Williams

The Fifth Symphony of the great Anton Bruckner is among his most intellectually rich works, and one that he never heard performed by an orchestra in his lifetime because he fell ill at the time of its premiere. It is celebrated for its thematic intricacy and for its brilliant conclusion. This piece is paired with a dazzling contemporary concerto, Aerial, by the Austrian composer HK Gruber – a sizzling tour de force for HSO Principal Trumpet Christopher Coletti.

Bruckner 5

Winner of nine All-Ireland fiddling championships, with 80 albums and film scores to her credit, the amazing Eileen Ivers rings in the new year with a celebration of Irish influence in American music – from Appalachian melodies to railroad work songs and Southern-fried blues. Join Eileen and her ensemble for this one-of-a-kind, unforgettable festival evening: Fiddle on Fire!

Eileen Ivers: Fiddle on Fire!

Chamber music and the full symphony orchestra meet in this evening’s unique program. Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin, a perennial favorite, highlights the colors of a chamber orchestra while paying patriotic tribute to the French musical tradition. His Sonata for violin and cello is a strikingly different work, experimental and virtuosic in character. The imposing Triple Concerto, composed by Beethoven for his patron and student, the Archduke Rudolph, is a marvelous essay for piano trio and orchestra, among Beethoven’s favorites of his own work.

Beethoven Triple Concerto

Contemporary classical music thrives in all corners of the world, including our home state of Alabama. This introspective program of new music will showcase recent compositions by three noted Alabama composers. You know Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms – but what about the composers living right next door?Maybe your neighbors include engineers, nurses, or teachers – but what if one of them is a composer, of all things? Today’s program focuses on exciting new works by living composers right here in Alabama: Joshua Burel from Huntsville, Birmingham’s William Price, and Amir Zaheri, who comes to us from Tuscaloosa. Join us in Roberts Recital Hall on the UAH campus for an afternoon of exciting new music and engaging discussion by these three fantastic composers from the University of Alabama system.

Who’s Afraid of Living Composers?

Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, like the Hungarian Dances of his mentor Brahms, were crafted to capture the spirit of eastern Europe for the benefit of a wide audience. We’ll enjoy these festive pieces alongside the composer’s picturesque Serenade for wind instruments – while keeping it in the family with the gorgeous, intimate Serenade for strings by Josef Suk, Dvořák’s son-in-law.

Huntsville Symphony Orchestra

Dec 31, 2024

Champagne Pops! An Elegant Toast to the New Year

Jan 11, 2025

From the New World

Jan 26, 2025

English Folksong: A Side-by-Side Performance

Feb 1, 2025

The Princess Bride in Concert: Film with Live Orchestra

Feb 22, 2025

Carnival of the Animals

Nov 15, 2024

Khachaturian Concerto

Nov 1, 2024

The Who & Led Zeppelin

Huntsville Symphony Orchestra