George Enescu Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 in A major, Op. 11 George Enescu (known also as Georges Enesco) was born in 1881 in Liveni, Romania, and died in Paris in 1955. He composed this work in 1901, and led the first performance in Bucharest in 1903. The score calls for 3 flutes, piccolo, 3… Read More
Tuesday, October 12, 2023 This program could just as well be titled “National Fervor.” Musical Director Eckart Preu leads three works with immediately obvious national characteristics. Two are from countries that were part of larger empires when these pieces were written; only Romania was independent. Enescu summons a vast range of orchestral color to… Read More
George Gershwin An American in Paris George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1898 and died in Hollywood in 1937. He composed An American in Paris in 1928, and it was first performed later that year by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Walter Damrosch. The score calls for… Read More
Saturday, September 30, 2023 Sunday, October 1, 2023 PSO Music Director Eckart Preu is joined by the singers of Portland’s ChoralArt for a program of music that paints vivid pictures. Visual artists from the Maine College of Art and Design have created new work inspired by Mussorgsky’s great 1874 solo piano work Pictures at… Read More
Brian Nabors Pulse Brian Raphael Nabors was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1991. His piece Pulse was first performed by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Giancarlo Guerrero on September 9th, 2019 in Laura Turner Concert Hall at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville, TN for the NSO 2019 Composer Lab Showcase. The score calls for 3… Read More
This program is a snapshot of the richness of London musical life in the years before the First World War. The British Empire, upon which the sun never set, was at its zenith, and its capital basked in its diversity and wealth. The country’s artists looked abroad for inspiration, but also, finally, searched England’s history… Read More
Max Bruch Kol Nidrei for violoncello and orchestra, Adagio on Hebrew Themes This work by the German composer Max Bruch (1838-1920) remains one of his most popular, along with his first violin concerto and his Scottish Fantasy. Three symphonies, two additional violin concertos, numerous choral and chamber works are largely unheard today, though curious listeners… Read More
PSO violinist Lisa Goddard performs Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 5 (“L’Aurore” & “Dance Rustique”) for solo violin as part of our digital series PSO: Notes From Home. Watch as the amazing musicians of your Portland Symphony Orchestra bring music, instrument demonstrations, and more from their homes to yours! To help the PSO Play On, donate… Read More
PSO trombonist Greg Spiridopoulos performs a multi-track arrangement of Wagner’s “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” as part of our digital series PSO: Notes From Home. Watch as the amazing musicians of your Portland Symphony Orchestra bring music, instrument demonstrations, and more from their homes to yours! To help the PSO Play On, donate to… Read More
PSO violinists Antoaneta Anguelova and Mina Lavcheva perform two “Mirror” duets for violin (one by Niccolò Mestrino, the other attributed to Mozart) as part of our digital series PSO: Notes From Home. Watch as the amazing musicians of your Portland Symphony Orchestra bring music, instrument demonstrations, and more from their homes to yours! To… Read More
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In honor of its 100th anniversary season, the Portland Symphony Orchestra steps beyond Merrill Auditorium and brings the music to you.
This all-new Chamber Music series celebrates the intimate and artistically vibrant nature of small musician led groups as they perform on stages throughout the state of Maine.
Find the answers to all the questions about the orchestra you may be too afraid to ask!
Coming in 2025… The Portland Symphony Orchestra partners with Carnegie Hall to present Link Up: The Orchestra Sings! Link Up is a fully participatory, school-day concert program. Students will fill Merrill Auditorium to sing, play recorders, move, and listen along with the symphony from their seats. This program is designed for students in grades 3-5 but all are welcome and encouraged to participate!
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