Belize-born British composer Errollyn Wallen is featured in two works including Spirit in Motion, written for the 2012 Paralympic Games, and the premiere of a new violin concerto performed by Philippe Quint. Strauss’s autobiographical tone poem Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life) is written for large-scale orchestral forces and casts the concertmaster in the role of Strauss’s wild and flirtatious wife. Revolutionary or egotistical, it is a showstopper in the orchestral repertoire. Brevard Music Center Orchestra Keith Lockhart, conductor Philippe Quint, violin Allison Pohl, soprano ERROLLYN WALLEN Spirit In Motion ERROLLYN WALLEN Violin Concerto RICHARD STRAUSS Ein... Read More

Two of the most original and “American” sounding composers of the 20th century are featured in this concert written and curated by cultural historian Joseph Horowitz. Hosted and conducted by Delta David Gier, the Brevard Sinfonia explores Ives’s tuneful and inventive 2nd Symphony, and BMC Artist Faculty pianist Terrence Wilson performs Gershwin’s ever-popular Piano Concerto in F. Brevard Sinfonia Delta David Gier, conductor Terrence Wilson, piano GEORGE GERSHWIN Piano Concerto in F CHARLES IVES Symphony No.... Read More

Written by Zhou Tian as a gift to his fellow musicians upon his return to Shanghai after many years, Gift is cinematically thrilling, beautifully lyrical, and vibrantly colorful—all this in just 8 minutes. Borodin’s 2nd Symphony is a distinctive and original work that captures the new ‘Russian sound’ developed by Borodin and his compatriots during the second half of the 19th century. Folk tunes, liturgical traditions, and rich orchestral palettes abound in what Borodin himself called his “Heroic Symphony.” Brevard Concert Orchestra Ken Lam, conductor Hannah Tam, violin ZHOU TIAN Gift ALEXANDER GLAZUNOV Violin Concerto ALEXANDER BORODIN Symphony No.... Read More

Always the not-to-be-missed concert of the season! Celebrate BMC’s mission and the next generation of classical musicians as our most talented young students are showcased. Winners of the prestigious Jan and Beattie Wood Concerto Competition will be featured, as well as the student composition winner from 2023, and a vibrant performance of Debussy’s La Mer. Brevard Music Center Orchestra Ken Lam, conductor MARK CONTRERAS WAISS Mixtura III Concerto Competition winners CLAUDE DEBUSSY La... Read More

Brevard’s High School Division students shine! Kraig Alan Williams leads the Brevard Symphonic Winds in three works by seminal composers for the symphonic wind repertoire, and Ken Lam conducts the Brevard Concert Orchestra in the last of Respighi’s ‘Roman Triptych’, described by the composer as incorporating the “maximum of orchestral sonority and color.” Every section has the chance to stand out in this final high school program of the season. Brevard Symphonic Winds Kraig Alan Williams, conductor Brevard Concert Orchestra Ken Lam, conductor PETER BOYER Fanfare, Hymn and Finale JOHN MACKEY This Cruel Moon JAMES M. DAVID Flying Jewels HECTOR BERLIOZ March to the Scaffold from Symphonie Fantastique GIACOMO PUCCINI I Crisantemi IGOR STRAVINSKY Firebird Suite... Read More

Sebastian Lang-Lessing returns to Brevard’s podium to conduct Bruckner’s sweeping Symphony No. 7. The most successful of Bruckner’s works, its early performances turned the oft-maligned Austrian composer into an overnight success. This beautiful statement of Bruckner’s special world of slow-moving intensity and overpowering climaxes is a fitting celebration of the composer’s 200th birthday. Brevard Sinfonia Sebastian Lang-Lessing, conductor ANTON BRUCKNER Symphony No.... Read More

Cultural historian and author Joseph Horowitz explores the life and career of American composer Charles Ives. A scripted playlet is the vehicle used to tell the story before Horowitz and Professor J. Peter Burkholder introduce Ives’s 2nd String Quartet, to be performed by BMC Artist Faculty. Interspersed throughout the program will be art songs from baritone William Sharp. A discussion with the artists will take place immediately following the... Read More

Witness a rare performance of Ives’s iconic sonata performed by pianist Michael Chertock. Readings that inspired Ives’s work are recited before each movement by baritone William Sharp. A discussion with the artists will take place following the... Read More

As a musician, interdisciplinary artist, and educator, MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ recipient Claire Chase is passionately dedicated to the creation of new ecosystems for the music of our time. In this recital she performs solo works and collaborates with BMC flute students and other instrumentalists in an exploratory and improvisatory program. Chase is a 2024 Thomas C. Bolton Distinguished... Read More

Few composers captured the cadences, timbres, and inflections of language and culture as did Dvořák, Janáček, and Smetana. Their embrace of folk music and its importance as an element of an original compositional style led to a collective body of influential work inspired by the songs, dances, and rhythms of country life. The three pieces featured here capture all of the complexity, virtuosity, and “folksiness” for which these composers are admired and loved. ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Bagatelles, Op. 47 LEOŠ JANÁČEK Mládí ~ INTERMISSION ~ BEDŘICH SMETANA Piano... Read More

A varied program of mixed chamber music sets the stage for Brahms’s rich and complex G Major String Sextet. A sonorous work filled with dancing rhythms, exquisite melodies, and even a musical reference to a lost love, the String Sextet No. 2 is a sophisticated work by a great artist reaching the heights of his compositional genius. DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH 5 Pieces for Two Violins and Piano SVANTE HENRYSON Suite ~ INTERMISSION ~ JOHANNES BRAHMS String Sextet No. 2 in G... Read More