“I am enormously excited about next season and the Springfield Symphony. Our season is packed with sonic treasures as we explore new artists and timeless favorites,” said Wilson.
Saturday’s concert’s description is “From Myth to Modern Spark – Where Music and Imagination Meet” and will feature Quinn Mason’s “Talk of the Town” and Chopin’s “Piano Concerto No. 1,” with guest performer Sara Davis Buechner. A unique touch will come with Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite,” which will be accompanied by animated visuals by Spork Fine Art for a special finale.
One of the best loved cartoon characters will pop out of the rabbit hole and into the Kuss Auditorium on Nov. 15 with “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony.”
“My favorite offering of the season will find me in the audience as ‘Bugs Bunny at the Symphony’ comes with its own conductor, but like many symphonic music fans, my earliest attraction to that form of art came from Bugs Bunny, who, amazingly, turns 85 years old this year,” Wilson said.
The new year will bring a chance to explore new artists, including Dwight Parry, who will perform oboe for “Timeless Whimsy” on Jan. 24. Francaix’s “Flower Clock” and Clementi’s “Grand Symphony No. 4” will be performed.
Rising star violinist Nijoma Grevious will be the guest artist for “Virtuosity and Vision” on March 14 with a show of spirit, wit and heroic grandeur. The program will include Poulenc’s “Les Biches” to the fiery Saint-Saens “Violin Concerto No. 3” and Sibelius’ “Fifth Symphony,” a composer often called the Italian Mozart.
Mozart’s final masterpiece, “Requiem,” works as a choral and orchestral work and will give the Springfield Symphony Orchestra Chorale the chance to combine with the musicians on April 18.
Rounding out the season will be a classic with a new twist — or several. “Carmen Reimagined” on May 16 will make the iconic opera into a spectacle by bringing in Troupe Vertigo’s cirque aerialists, dancers and musicians.
“It’s a breathtaking way of using aerial artists to close out our musical adventures for this season,” Wilson said.
Single tickets and season and select 3 packages are available as well as special student pricing for the concerts.
Also returning in 2025-26 is the Carol Busch Concert Series, featuring the Springfield Symphony Jazz Orchestra at the John Legend Theater, 700 S. Limestone St. Nov. 1 will launch the season with “The Roaring 20s: Celebrating the Jazz Age” with Grammy-winning guest artist Catherine Russell.
“A Big Band Swingin’ Christmas” will ring in the season on Dec. 20 and it will wrap on March 7 with “Jazz Royalty: Ellington and Basie Reign.” Reserved seats for these shows cost $30 each.
For tickets or more information on the shows, www.springfieldsym.org.
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