Season Opening Gala

Begin your year with the MSO as you listen to memorable music from John Williams. It kicks off with crashing cymbals before sending you on a journey to a galaxy far, far away...

The gala continues with Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F. You’re back down on Earth, but you’ve landed in the Jazz Age. Concertgoers who attended the New York City premiere of this work in 1925 would’ve gone home to read the hottest new novel on the shelves, The Great Gatsby. In this performance, you’ll hear French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet conjure the glitz and glamour of this time in history. You may already be familiar with the expertise of the soloist; he’s recorded soundtracks for movies including Pride and Prejudice and The French Dispatch.

MSO Chief Conductor Jaime Martín leads this concert to its climax with Rachmaninov’s lively Symphonic Dances, also composed in the United States during the early 20th Century. Enter your year of live music with these monumental contributions to popular culture.