The Hartford Symphony Orchestra begins its new season this October. The events of their upcoming season include:
American Adventures – Season Opener
Belding Theater at The Bushnell
October 7-9, 2022
Friday & Saturday at 8 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
Coleman Seven O’Clock Shout
Grofé Grand Canyon Suite
Copland Appalachian Spring Suite
Gershwin An American in Paris
Featuring Carolyn Kuan conductor
Take a musical journey through the lens of American Composers. Enjoy the spectacular sounds of Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite and the “simple gifts” of Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite –both of which are included on NPR’s list of the 100 most important American Musical compositions of the 20th century. Be inspired by Valerie Coleman’s new work Seven O’Clock Shout, an anthem dedicated to frontline workers and the cheers given to them from the windows of NYC residents Any American Adventure would not be complete without Gershwin’s An American in Paris, the piece that was inspired by his trip Paris.
Debussy & Ravel
Belding Theater at The Bushnell
November 4-6, 2022
Friday & Saturday at 8 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
Bates Liquid Interface
Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
Debussy Clair de lune
Debussy Nocturnes
Featuring Carolyn Kuan conductor and Alessio Bax piano
Claude Debussy’s beloved and unforgettable piano pieces Clair de lune and Nocturnes are transformed for orchestra. Debussy’s music perfectly embodies an ever-changing and carefree feeling. Pianist Alessio Bax joins the HSO to perform Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, a piece composed for Austrian pianist, Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm during WWI. Mason Bates’ Liquid Interface is a piece inspired by bodies of water- showing the magnificent power of the element in all forms.
Breaking Beethoven
Belding Theater at The Bushnell
December 2-4, 2022
Friday & Saturday at 8 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
Beethoven Grosse Fuge, Op. 133
DBR Dancers, Dreamers, and Presidents
Beethoven Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36
Featuring Carolyn Kuan conductor and BRKFST Dance Company
The Minnesota based breakdance group BRKFST to the Belding stage. Founded in 2014, BRKFST is a collaborative ensemble that combines breaking movement with contemporary dance. You will be captivated by the group’s new choreography set to Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge, and DBR’s eclectic Dancers, Dreamers, and Presidents- a piece that won the 2010 Sphinx commissioning prize. Despite being written while Beethoven was coming to terms with his terminal deafness, Symphony No. 2 exhibits joy and humor that will remind you why Beethoven is a true “master” of composition.
Romantic Rachmaninoff & Price
Belding Theater at The Bushnell
February 10-12, 2023
Friday & Saturday at 8 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
Montgomery Starburst
Price Symphony No. 1 in E minor
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2
Featuring Carolyn Kuan conductor and Terrence Wilson piano
Pianist Terrence Wilson performs what can be considered one of the greatest and most romantic works in the piano repertoire, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. While nursing a broken foot, Florence Price composed Symphony No. 1 in E minor, her first full orchestral composition on record. Price’s Symphony was the first symphony composed by a Black woman to be performed by a major orchestra- the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1932.
Symphonie Fantastique
Belding Theater at The Bushnell
March 10-12, 2023
Friday & Saturday at 8 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
Joplin Ragtime Dance
Joplin The Entertainer
Clyne Dance for Cello and Orchestra
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14
Featuring Carolyn Kuan conductor and Inbal Segev cello
Experience the drama of Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fanstastique. This emotional piece is filled with enchantment, love and suspense as it tells the story of lost love. Gain a new appreciation for the classic sounds of Scott Joplin, one of the first classically trained Black American composers to become a household name. Cellist Inbal Segev performs Anna Clyne’s powerful piece for cello, Dance, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship and the collective power of women in classical music.
Mozart 40
Belding Theater at The Bushnell
March 31 – April 2, 2023
Friday & Saturday at 8 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
Bologne Symphony Bo. 2 Op. 11, No.2
Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No. 3, Op. 61
Mozart Symphony No. 40, K. 550
Featuring Adam Boyles conductor and Leonid Sigal violin
Under the direction of HSO Assistant Conductor, Adam Boyes, the orchestra will ignite your passion for the well-known classics and introduce to you the prolific composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Described as “the most accomplished man in Europe” by President John Adams, Joseph Bologne was considered the first classical composer of African ancestry. While listening to Mozart 40, you will feel the excitement and drama through each note played by the HSO.
Beethoven by the Rivers
Belding Theater at The Bushnell
April 14-16, 2023
Friday & Saturday at 8 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
Smetana Vltava (The Moldau)
Xinghai Yellow River Piano Concerto
Beethoven Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, “Pastorale”
Featuring Carolyn Kuan, conductor and Jie Chen, piano
Inspired by the German countryside and the composer’s love of nature, Beethoven’s “Pastorale” will leave you with a feeling of contentment. A beloved piece in the international orchestral repertoire, Bed?ich Smetana’s Vltava (The Moldau) is an ode to Smetana’s homeland and the longest river in Bohemia, the Vltava River (Moldau in German). The piece brings you through the calmness of the river, through the exciting rapids, and the sounds of life on the river’s banks. Pianist Jie Chen joins the HSO for the Yellow River Piano Concerto. Using traditional Chinese folk melodies, Yellow River is meant to represent the determination of the Chinese people.
Mendelssohn Taking Flight
Belding Theater at The Bushnell
May 12-14, 2023
Friday & Saturday at 8 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
Mendelssohn Hensel Overture
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, OP. 64
Frank Raíces “Roots”
Respighi The Birds
Featuring Alexandra Arrieche conductor and Adé Williams violin
Guest conductor Alexandra Arrieche joins the HSO for this extraordinary and eloquent program, featuring works by the Mendelssohn siblings Fanny and Felix, who grew up making music together. Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel’s Overture was composed simply as “music” with no additional intended imagery or background story. Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto has become a standard of the violin repertoire. Enjoy the sounds of nature as the orchestra performs Respighi’s The Birds, which imitates birdsong in a delightful and masterful way. Award winning composer Gabriela Lena Frank’s Raíces “Roots” explores the conductor’s Peruvian heritage.
Tchaikovsky & Pride
Belding Theater at The Bushnell
June 9-11, 2023
Friday & Saturday at 8 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
Joyce C. Willis Artist in Residence New Commission
Bell Stonewall Suite
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, TH 30 “Pathétique”
Featuring Carolyn Kuan conductor
We conclude our 2022-2023 season with a celebration of the classic and the contemporary- including two new works commissioned by the HSO. Tchaikovsky’s final symphony, “Pathétique” continues to be one of his most debated works that takes you through an array of emotions and mystery. Stonewall Suite is based on composer Iain Bell’s opera Stonewall that commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in NYC that ignited a fight for equality among the LGBTQ+ community. HSO Music Director, Carolyn Kuan, conducted the premiere of the opera. The HSO welcomes the Joyce C. Willis Artist in Residence, and was one of three local arts organizations to receive a grant from the Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation to support a Black Artist in Residence for three years.