Tuesday, October 28, 2025 Guest conductor David Amado makes his PSO debut in a brilliant program about the heavens and the gods of old. The concert opens with another PSO début: the music of American composer Missy Mazzoli. Mazzoli writes that her nine-minute piece is “music in the shape of a solar system.” It’s elusive,… Read More

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Concerto for Violin & Orchestra in D Major, Op. 35 Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, Russia, in 1840 and died in St. Petersburg in 1893. He composed his Violin Concerto in 1878, and it was first performed in 1881 by violinist Adolf Brodsky with the Vienna Philharmonic, Hans Richter conducting…. Read More

Sunday, October 5, 2025Tuesday, October 7, 2025 Welcome to the hundred first season of the Portland Symphony Orchestra! If you were here last season, you heard spectacular collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Opera Maine for La bohème, and ChoralArt for Orff’s Carmina Burana. This season brings the orchestra itself into focus in great works including Holst’s… Read More

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 Portland Symphony Music Director Eckart Preu leads the closing program of the orchestra’s 100th Anniversary season. American violinist Tai Murray makes her PSO debut at this concert, though she has performed previously in Portland with other organizations. The music on this program highlights views of the USA from inside and out…. Read More

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington Harlem Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was born in Washington, D. C. on April 29, 1899 and died in New York City on May 24, 1974. His Harlem Suite was written in 1950 and premiered in January, 1951 in its original version for jazz band. The version heard this evening, with orchestrations… Read More

Tuesday, May 13, 2025 Portland Ballet is Portland’s professional ballet company and has shared the Merrill stage with PSO for multiple performances. It is flutist Mimi Stillman’s first appearance with the orchestra, and the first time the PSO has played music by Chinese American composer Zhou Tian. Ballet itself has roots that go back to… Read More

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Suite from Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66a Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, Russia, in 1840 and died in St. Petersburg in 1893. He composed the ballet Sleeping Beauty on a commission from the Director of the Imperial Theaters in St. Petersburg in 1888-1889 and it was first performed at the Mariinsky… Read More

Sunday, April 27, 2025 Tuesday, April 29, 2025 PSO Music Director is joined for this program by the Silver-Garburg Duo in two-piano concertos by J. S. Bach and Mozart. The Silver-Garburgs last played here in February, 2022 with concertos by Bach and Poulenc. After intermission, Carl Orff’s eternally popular Carmina Burana takes the stage, employing… Read More

Johann Sebastian Bach Concerto for Two Pianos and String Orchestra in C Major, BWV 1061 Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany on either March 21 or March 31, 1685 and died in Leipzig, Germany on July 28, 1750. This concerto, originally for 2 harpsichords and strings, dates from the 1730s and is scored… Read More