The season begins with an electrifying evening of symphonic grandeur. Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture is a jubilant celebration of popular song, including the universally recognized “Gaudeamus igitur.” Angela Cheng, Oberlin Conservatory Professor of Piano, then takes center stage for Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto, a rarely heard work of deep lyricism and virtuosic brilliance. The evening reaches its peak with Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, Titan, a sweeping and emotionally charged masterpiece that showcases the full power of the orchestra. After performing Mahler’s Third and Second Symphonies in recent years to great acclaim, the Akron Symphony Orchestra is excited to kick off […]

We’ve loaded this concert with cinematic drama. Eidelman’s world premiere of The Tempest evokes a storm of Shakespearean mystery, Elfman’s Sleepy Hollow casts an orchestral chill through the hall, while Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead is gorgeously gothic. Finally, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite swoops in and sets the evening ablaze. It’s mythical, magical, and musically magnetic in the best way. This one’s for the movie lovers, the fantasy fans, the thrill-seekers. You don’t need to know classical music to enjoy it… You just need a pulse! All concerts take place at E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, located on the campus of The […]

This performance of Messiah: Part 1 and the triumphant Hallelujah chorus will transport audiences with its grandeur and spirit. The program begins with William Boyce’s Ode to the New Year 1758, a lively and celebratory work, followed by composer and lost local legend Julia Perry’s Ye Who Seek the Truth. Hadyn's charming and impressive Trumpet Concerto closes the first half. Finally, the Akron Symphony Chorus joins the ASO to deliver the true might of orchestral power necessary for Handel’s Messiah—a piece widely recognized and beloved by audiences. A full stage of choral and orchestral energy awaits audiences this November. Justin Kohan, […]

What do you get when you blend the elegance of Beethoven, the soul of Ellington, and the sparkle of Bernstein? A concert that dances. Beethoven’s Seventh isn’t just “good.”... Wagner called it the “apotheosis of the dance.” It’s yet another joyous display of brilliance out of one of music’s all-time greats. University of Akron professor Chris Coles, our saxophone soloist, brings the cool to the Duke’s Three Black Kings, and Bernstein’s West Side Story  Symphonic Dances round it all off with jazzy brilliance. We open the night with a special debut of UofA student Sarah Hegenderfer’s Clearing of Snow. This […]