Since its inception in 1959, the "Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra" has consistently received critical acclaim for artistic excellence. This 13 week Sunday series of two-hour concerts is hosted by WFMT's Suzanne Nance. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra can be heard Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. from January through March on our News & Classical Music Network and year round on the All-Classical Network.
The 2019 series celebrates the centennial of Leonard Bernstein’s birth. Highlights include works by American composers Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber and George Gershwin as well as a focus on contemporary works by living composers such as Jake Heggie, Nico Muhly, John Adams, Augusta Read Thomas, Pierre Jalbert and Joan Tower.
Jan. 6, 2019
CONDUCTOR: Cristian Macelaru
- BERNSTEIN: Overture to Candide
- ANNA CLYNE: Masquerade
- JAKE HEGGIE: Suite from Moby Dick
- BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 7 in A major, Opus 92
Jan. 13
CONDUCTOR: Edo de Waart
SOLOISTS: Katherine Young Steele, oboe; Catherine Chen, bassoon; Ilana Setapen, violin; Susan Babini, cello
- IVES: The Unanswered Question
- HAYDN: Sinfonia concertante in B-flat major
- MOZART: Symphony No. 39, K. 543
Jan. 20
CONDUCTOR: Karina Canellakis/Michael Francis
SOLOIST: Joyce Yang, piano
- TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5 in E minor
- NICO MUHLY: Mixed Messages
- BERNSTEIN: The Age of Anxiety, Symphony No. 2
Jan. 27
CONDUCTOR: Edo de Waart
SOLOISTS: Margaret Butler, English horn; Matthew Ernst, trumpet; Philippe Quint, violin
- COPLAND: Quiet City
- BERNSTEIN: Serenade
- JOHN ADAMS: Harmonielehre
Feb. 3
CONDUCTOR: Teddy Abrams
SOLOIST: Susanna Phillips, soprano
- BERNSTEIN: Divertimento for Orchestra
- PERRY: A Short Piece for Orchestra
- BARBER: Knoxville: Summer of 1915
- COPLAND: Symphony No. 3
Feb. 10
CONDUCTOR: Fabien Gabel
SOLOIST: Louis Schwizgebel
- BEETHOVEN: Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major for Piano and Orchestra, “Emperor”
- BERNSTEIN: Fancy Free
- SCHMITT: Rêves, Opus 65, No. 1
- RAVEL: La Valse
Feb. 17
CONDUCTOR: Stefan Asbury
SOLOIST: Augustin Hadelich, violin
- KODALY: Dances of Galánta
- LIGETI: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
- BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Opus 36
Feb. 24
CONDUCTOR: Andreas Delfs
SOLOISTS: Frank Almond, violin; Wendy Bryn Harmer, soprano; Edward Nelson, baritone; Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, Cheryl Frazes Hill, chorus director
- MENDELSSOHN: A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Overture, Nocturne, and Scherzo
- JALBERT: Concerto for Violin & Orchestra
- VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: A Sea Symphony (Symphony No. 1)
March 3
CONDUCTOR: Yaniv Dinur
SOLOIST: Drew Peterson
- EMILY COOLEY: Green Go to Me
- GERSHWIN: Rhapsody in Blue
- PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, Opus 100
March 10
CONDUCTOR: Asher Fisch
SOLOISTS: Bella Hristova, violin; Michelle DeYoung, mezzo soprano; Stuart Skelton, tenor
- FOSS: Three American Pieces for Violin and Orchestra
- BRITTEN: "Four Sea Interludes" from Peter Grimes
- MAHLER: Das Lied von der Erde
March 17
CONDUCTOR: Hans Graf
SOLOIST: Truls Mørk, cello
- BARBER: Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance
- PROKOFIEV: Sinfonia concertante for Cello and Orchestra
- DVORAK: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Opus 95, "From the New World"
March 24
CONDUCTOR: Ken-David Masur
SOLOISTS: Todd Levy, clarinet; Robert Levine, viola; Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, Cheryl Frazes Hill, chorus director
- COPLAND: Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra, with Harp and Piano
- VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Flos campi ("Flower of the Field")
- RAVEL: Suite No. 2 from Daphnis et Chloe
- BRAHMS: Symphony No. 2 in D Major (from 2018-2019 Opening Night)
March 31
CONDUCTOR: Jun Märkl
SOLOISTS: Evan Bagwell, boy soprano; Heidi Stober, soprano; Kelley O’Connor, mezzo soprano; Anthony Dean Griffey, tenor; Morris Robinson, bass; Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, Cheryl Frazes Hill, chorus director
- AGUSTA R. THOMAS: Radiant Circles (Ken-David Masur, conductor)
- JOAN TOWER: Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 1
- BERNSTEIN: Chichester Psalms for Chorus and Orchestra
- BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus 125, “Choral”
