Music & Entertainment

Friday, September 25, 8pm
Sunday, September 27, 2pm

Andrew Grams, conductor

Elgar: In the South TSO PREMIERE
Copland: The Tender Land Suite
    Party Scene TSO PREMIERE
    Finale: The Promise of Living
Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances

The rhythm and energy of Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances combined with one of Copland’s signature pieces, The Promise of Living, get the season off to a festive start. The Symphonic Dances contain some of Rachmaninoff’s lushest harmonies as well as reference points from his 40 year career as a composer, pianist and conductor. The Promise of Living, the finale of Copland’s only opera, The Tender Land, reflects the hope of a young high school graduate as she prepares to leave her home on the farm to seek her fortune. Elgar’s In the South, composed on the Italian Riviera, opens this sparkling, all orchestral program.

Andrew Grams is currently Music Director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. He has conducted orchestras across the United States and internationally, and served as Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra. He received a degree in Violin Performance from The Juilliard School and his conducting degree from the Curtis Institute of Music.

Friday, October 23, 8pm
Sunday, October 25, 2pm

David Danzmayr, conductor
Terrence Wilson, piano

Bernstein: Overture to West Side Story
Daugherty: Deus ex Machina TSO PREMIERE
Brahms: Symphony No. 4

Pianist Terrence Wilson returns to perform the TSO premiere of a work he debuted, recorded and won a Grammy® for, Deus ex Machina by Michael Daugherty, one of the most widely performed American concert music composers of his generation. Inspired by the railroad, Deus ex Machina illustrates Daugherty’s acclaimed melodic and rhythmic vitality and his skill at blending classical styles with popular music and film scores. Wilson has been hailed as a “young pianist with 24-Karat virtuosity to burn.” Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, inspired by a Bach chaconne, is immensely popular for its soaring, well recognized melodies. Bernstein’s Overture to West Side Story sets the mood for a rousing program of high energy music.

Austrian conductor, David Danzmayr, is the Music Director of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra in suburban Chicago and the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. Previously he served as Assistant Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. This will be his second appearance with the TSO.

Friday, November 13, 8pm
Sunday, November 15, 2pm

David Alan Miller, conductor
Elena Urioste, violin

Tower: Tambor TSO PREMIERE
Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Elgar: Enigma Variations

Sphinx Medal of Excellence winner Elena Urioste and the TSO observe the 150th anniversary of Jean Sibelius’ birth with his virtuosic yet melodic Violin Concerto. Urioste’s performances of the concerto have been hailed by critics for her “virtually flawless and seemingly effortless” technique. Elgar’s intriguing musical portraits of his friends in the Enigma Variations and Joan Tower’s percussive Tambor, inspired by the vibrant drumming in Bolivia where she grew up, make this a deeply personal program and one of exceptional diversity.

David Alan Miller, Music Director of the Albany Symphony since 1992, made his TSO debut in the 2014-15 season. Prior to his appointment in Albany, Mr. Miller was Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for five years.

Friday, December 4, 8pm
Sunday, December 6, 2pm

Peter Bay, conductor
David Barford, oboe

Ravel: Alborada del Gracioso
Falla: The Three-Cornered Hat Suites No. 1 & 2
Françaix: Flower Clock TSO PREMIERE
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2

Manuel de Falla uses traditional Andalusian folk music throughout the ballet, The Three-Cornered Hat, and Maurice Ravel incorporates Spanish musical themes into the technically challenging Alborada del Gracioso (Morning Song of the Jester). Ravel called Daphnis et Chloé a “choreographic symphony” and the ballet has been called “a masterpiece for orchestra.” It is widely regarded as some of his best and most passionate work and Suite No. 2 is the more frequently performed of the two suites. Jean Françaix earned Ravel’s blessing when he was a student at the Paris Conservatory. Françaix composed the Flower Clock for the principal oboist of the Philadelphia Orchestra and now it will be performed by Principal Oboe David Barford in his TSO solo debut.

Peter Bay is currently Music Director and Conductor of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Hot Springs Music Festival in Arkansas and the Big Sky Festival in Montana, and just completed a 20-year tenure as Music Director of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, OR. He has appeared with over 70 orchestras in the U.S. and made his TSO debut in the 2014-15 season.

Friday, January 22, 2016, 8pm
Sunday, January 24, 2016, 2pm

George Hanson, conductor laureate
Sasha Cooke, mezzo
Richard Cox, tenor
Anne Gratz, cello

Tan Dun: Crouching Tiger Concerto for Cello and Chamber Orchestra
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde TSO PREMIERE OF FULL ORCHESTRA VERSION

Prepare for Chinese New Year (the year of the horse) by delving into ancient Chinese legends and poetry. Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde is based on works by Li Bai, the wandering poet of the Tang Dynasty; Tan Dun’s Oscar winning score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon accompanied a martial arts adventure from the Qing Dynasty and featured a performance by Yo-Yo Ma. George Hanson, considered a Mahler specialist in Europe, will return to conduct the full orchestral version of the composer’s celebration of earthly beauty, Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth). Featured soloists are Grammy® winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and rising Metropolitan Opera star Richard Cox. TSO Principal Cello, Anne Gratz, will make her solo debut.

In partnership with the Tucson Desert Song Festival

Friday, February 19, 2016, 8pm
Sunday, February 21, 2016, 2pm

José Luis Gomez, conductor
Lauren Roth, violin

Respighi: Fountains of Rome
Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1
Strauss: Death and Transfiguration

TSO Concertmaster Lauren Roth will make her Classic Series debut performing one of the most popular violin concertos in the repertory, Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 on a program with two popular tone poems: Bruch’s colleague, Ottorino Respighi, composed one of the most eminent examples of the symphonic poem, his musical interpretation of four of the Fountains of Rome at the time of day when they are at their most beautiful. In Death and Transfiguration, Richard Strauss spectacularly captured life in the form of a tone poem, rich with melodies and harmonies from fine, nuanced pianissimos to lavish crescendos.

José Luis Gomez is the young Venezuelan-born, Spanish conductor catapulted to worldwide attention when he won First Prize at the International Sir Georg Solti Conductor’s Competition in Frankfurt in September 2010 in a rare unanimous decision from the jury. This will be his second appearance with the TSO.

Friday, March 18, 2016, 8pm
Sunday, March 20, 2016, 2pm

Andrew Grams, conductor
Sonja Tengblad, soprano
Eric Neuville, tenor
Charles Wesley Evans, baritone
TSO Chorus, Bruce Chamberlain, director
Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus

Orff: Carmina Burana

You’ve heard the music in movies, rock songs, commercials, wrestling events and video games. Now hear Carmina Burana in all of its glory with full orchestra and the TSO Chorus, Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus and soloists from the five-time Grammy® nominated vocal ensemble, Conspirare. Famously lusty and lyrical, Carmina Burana was created by composer Carl Orff from 24 bawdy, irreverent and satirical poems written by students and clergy in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries. Hoist a few to the rites of spring and be transported from the Tucson Music Hall to a beer garden party!

Andrew Grams is currently Music Director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. He has conducted orchestras across the United States and internationally, and served as Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra. He received a degree in Violin Performance from The Juilliard School and his conducting degree from the Curtis Institute of Music.

Friday, April 15, 2016, 8pm
Sunday, April 17, 2016, 2pm

Mei-Ann Chen, conductor

Smetana: The Moldau
Britten: Peter Grimes: Four Sea Interludes
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

Get ready to go with the flow in this all orchestral program. From Smetana’s symphonic poem Má vlast comes the rolling, roiling, rumbling sounds of the river Moldau, his most beloved work. The Four Sea Interludes from Benjamin Britten’s opera, Peter Grimes, capture Dawn, Sunday Morning, Moonlight and The Storm, as the story unfolds about life in a fishing village. Rimsky-Korsakov’s most popular work, the famous tale of one thousand nights, Scheherazade, ends the Classic Series in an appropriate way: the entire piece is full of remarkable solo opportunities for nearly every instrument in the orchestra.

One of America’s most dynamic young conductors, Mei-Ann Chen has been Music Director of the Memphis Symphony since 2010 and of the Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011. A sought-after guest conductor, she made her TSO debut in November, 2012 conducting DvoÅÂ?ák’s eighth symphony.

Pure fun! Dynamic popular music entertainers play a variety of music with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. You’ll come out of Tucson Music Hall singing, and with just four performances each season, you’ll want to see them all!

Parents: we encourage you to bring children, as you deem appropriate. Child subscriptions are 50% off the full price. Call the box office at 882-8585 to order.

MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS

Saturday, October 17, 2015, 8pm
Sunday, October 18, 2015, 2pm

Robert Bernhardt, conductor

Music plays a vital role in movies; heightening dramatic moments and etching stories and characters indelibly in our memory. John Williams is the master of film scores, composing music that has earned five Academy Awards®, four Golden Globe® Awards and 21 Grammys®. His scores are some of the most popular and recognizable in cinematic history including Jaws, the Star Wars series, Superman, the Indiana Jones series, Saving Private Ryan, the first three Harry Potter films, Memoirs of a Geisha, War Horse, and Lincoln to name just a few. Experience the excitement and adventure captured in his compositions to the fullest plus entertaining anecdotes from Williams’ friend and the evening’s conductor, Robert Bernhardt.

BYRON STRIPLING: SOUNDS OF NEW ORLEANS

Saturday, January 16, 2016, 8pm
Sunday, January 17, 2016, 2pm

Stuart Chafetz, conductor

A spectacular trumpeter with a very wide range, a beautiful tone, and the ability to blend together many influences into his own style, Byron Stripling is an extroverted performer who brings the audience into his music and is constantly in demand to play with pops orchestras around the world. The happiness that he exudes through his trumpet, his vocals and his words is reminiscent of Louis Armstrong, yet very much his own. Originally Byron enrolled at the Eastman School of Music with plans to become a classical trumpeter. “I loved classical music but my heart kept on going to Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan and Kenny Dorham.” His career blossomed as he toured with legends such as Clark Terry, Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie and Billy Eckstine, the Woody Herman Orchestra and the Count Basie Orchestra when it was led by Thad Jones and Frank Foster III. His performances are full of remarkable musicianship, wit, showmanship, and a joyous spirit.

See and hear more on YouTube:
Byron Stripling Bern May, 2000
Doc Severinsen - Byron Interview
Trumpeter Byron Stripling on his own musical education, Jazz Times Video

Proud partner of Tucson Jazz Festival

CURTIS STIGERS: HOORAY FOR LOVE

Saturday, February 13, 2016, 8pm
Sunday, February 14, 2016, 2pm

Stuart Chafetz, conductor

Often euphoric and always elegant, the songs of Hooray For Love dart easily between standards and songs that perhaps should be. Like Sinatra and Nat “King” Cole, singer/ songwriter/saxophonist and two-time Jazz ECHO Award Male Jazz Singer of the Year, Stigers possesses a curator’s knack for hearing a song, framing its heart and making it his own, be it the work of Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Wilco or The Kinks. Classics like “You Make Me Feel So Young,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” and “Love Is Here to Stay” are taken for a spin with his rich singing voice — singular, balletic, at turns mournful and playful. Hooray For Love is the embodiment of what happens when everything works,“ raves Critical Jazz about Stigers’ album of the same name. “Nothing short of amazing.”

“Rock ‘n’ roll and jazz share so many of the same artistic bloodlines that it’s remarkable the two don’t fuse more often into the kind of inspired marriage of visceral clout and intellectual savvy conjured by the singer, songwriter and saxophonist Curtis Stigers.” – The New York Times

See and hear more at www.curtisstigers.com

MAMBO KINGS

A Fusion of Afro-Cuban music and Contemporary Jazz

Saturday, March 12, 2016, 8pm
Sunday, March 13, 2016, 2pm

Albert-George Schram, conductor

A fascinating journey through the music of Latin America and the U.S. From the sultry melancholy of Astor Piazzolla and the burning Afro-Cuban jazz of Tito Puente, to the rhythmic playfulness of jazz great Dave Brubeck and the pop strains of The Beatles, Mambo Kings will be your guide on a Latin jazz tour of the Pan American experience, featuring music from the U.S., Perú, Argentina, Cuba and Puerto Rico. With music that soars over sheer rhythmic joy, the famous and celebrated Mambo Kings are enjoying great success as a leading Latin jazz ensemble, and have rapidly earned a national reputation for their explosive blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz improvisation. Since their debut in 1997 with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Mambo Kings have appeared with the Detroit Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, The Cleveland Pops, Dallas Symphony, and many more.

“If major-league arrangements of high-voltage Latin music is your forte, you’ll definitely enjoy Mambo Kings…they were hot, full of energy and excitement.” – Naples Daily News

“After the last number, Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va” (arr. Delaney), the Vancouver audience clamored for more.” – reviewVancouver

See and hear more at www.mambokingdom.com