February 2020
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
SAT 29 FEB :: The full orchestra performs the spectacular John Williams movie score live as the movie plays on a big screen with full sound effects and dialogue. For the entire family! “You must feel the Force around you...” The battle for the galaxy intensifies in this thrilling fifth episode of the unfolding saga. As Imperial Forces launch an all-out attack on the Rebel Alliance, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) flee to Cloud City where…
Find out more »March 2020
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
SUN 1 MAR :: The full orchestra performs the spectacular John Williams movie score live as the movie plays on a big screen with full sound effects and dialogue. For the entire family! “You must feel the Force around you...” The battle for the galaxy intensifies in this thrilling fifth episode of the unfolding saga. As Imperial Forces launch an all-out attack on the Rebel Alliance, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) flee to Cloud City where…
Find out more »COFFEE: FESTIVAL OF AMERICAN MUSIC 2
FRI 13 MAR 2020 :: The second of the Festival of American Music presents a program titled "Never Was. Will Be." We offer a world premiere of a trio of symphonic poems featuring the orchestra, a vocal ensemble, a jazz sextet, and featuring Norah Jones and guest soloists composed by Louisville composer Jacob Duncan. Jacob DUNCAN: War Prayers Jacob DUNCAN: Somnambulist in America Jacob DUNCAN: Being Jacob DUNCAN: Lonely Lament Jacob DUNCAN: Nova Vita Horace SILVER: Peace TEDDY ABRAMS, conductor JACOB DUNCAN, tenor…
Find out more »CLASSICS: FESTIVAL OF AMERICAN MUSIC 2
14 MAR 2020 :: The second of the Festival of American Music presents a program titled "Never Was. Will Be." We offer a world premiere of a trio of symphonic poems featuring the orchestra, a vocal ensemble, a jazz sextet, and featuring Norah Jones and guest soloists composed by Louisville composer Jacob Duncan. Mason BATES: Art of War Jacob DUNCAN: War Prayers Jacob DUNCAN: Somnambulist in America Jacob DUNCAN: Being Jacob DUNCAN: Lonely Lament Jacob DUNCAN: Nova Vita Horace SILVER: Peace TEDDY ABRAMS, conductor JACOB…
Find out more »POPS: ARRIVAL FROM SWEDEN: A TRIBUTE TO ABBA
SAT 28 MAR 2020 :: ARRIVAL FROM SWEDEN is the world's greatest ABBA tribute band. They perform ABBA hits with the passion and happiness of the original 70s supergroup. This is the only tribute group that tours with members of the original backup band and sells out arena shows all over the world (including Sweeden)! MAMMA MIA! It's time for you to bring out your inner dancing queen and have fun at the LO POPS! BOB BERNHARDT, conductor SERIES SPONSORED…
Find out more »April 2020
COFFEE: RACHMANINOFF 2nd SYMPHONY
FRI 10 APR 2020 :: Passionate and yearning, Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony builds in waves of emotional intensity from the menacing growl of the opening strings to the powerful chorus of brass at the end. Don't miss a note as the young, dynamic conductor of the Fresno Philharmonic takes the podium in her Louisville debut. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 10AM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program direction Daniel Gilliam. SERGEI…
Find out more »CLASSICS: BEETHOVEN + RACHMANINOFF
11 APR 2020 :: Passionate and yearning, Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony builds in waves of emotional intensity from the menacing growl of the opening strings to the powerful chorus of brass at the end. Plus, we celebrate Beethoven's 250th "birthday" with his witty and buoyantly inventive Eighth Symphony. The concert opens with the 2013 composition about Detroit's massive River Rouge Ford Motor Company manufacturing plant. Fascinated by the industrial and social history of the city of Detroit, Mazzoli transforms the “grit and noise…
Find out more »POPS: MICHAEL CAVANAUGH PLAYS THE SONGS OF ELTON JOHN
FRI 17 APR 2020 :: Michael Cavanaugh is the new voice of the American Rock + Roll Songbook. Hand-picked by Billy Joel to portray the Piano Man in his Broadway Musical, Movin' Out, Cavanaugh has the mad piano skills and the charisma to bring audiences to their feet. Cavanaugh and the Louisville Orchestra, alongside his energetic band, will pay tribute to Sir Elton John's greatest hits, including "Rocket Man," "Tiny Dancer," "Candle in the Wind," "Crocodile Rock," "Bennie and the Jets," and…
Find out more »CLASSICS: CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA
25 APR 2020 :: Composed by Rachel Grimes, Angélica Negrón, Shara Nova, Caroline Shaw, and Sarah Kirkland Snider on a text by American poet Carolyn Forché, The Blue Hour seeks the precious individual in the rush of the difficulties of life on our Earth. Béla Bartók's massive Concerto For Orchestra is his last completed work and is a wondrous celebration of life that vibrantly showcases various instruments and instrument groups from start to finish. The Hungarian composer wrote this showpiece for…
Find out more »September 2020
POPS: FANTASTIC FILM MUSIC
SAT 12 SEP 2020 :: The memorable tunes and big orchestra sound from some of the great films of the last 50 years. Bob will pick his favorites to share. BOB BERNHARDT, conductor
Find out more »COFFEE: FANTASTIQUE
FRI 25 Sep 2020 :: One of the most original pieces ever composed, Symphonie fantastique was created when the composer was under the influence of Goethe's Faust, Beethoven's Eroica, Shakespeare's masterpieces, and the strikingly beautiful actress Harriet Smithson. Berlioz wrote out his obsession with Ms. Smithson in the guise of a love-struck and opium addled musical hero. That the composer never met the actress until years after the symphony became famous (or infamous) did not seem to matter. She is tied to the composer…
Find out more »CLASSICS: FLOWER POWER
26 SEP 2020 :: Flower Power draws on my memory of that political and artistic time period, harnessing the energy and power of liberation and activism,” says composer Julia Wolfe about her new work for orchestra and amplified ensemble that looks back at the 60s in America. Paired with the symphonic drug-induced dreaming of Berlioz’s love struck hero. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 6:45PM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program…
Find out more »October 2020
CLASSICS: BEETHOVEN’S MISSA SOLEMNIS
17 OCT 2020 :: “From the heart, may it go to the heart!” So Beethoven inscribed the manuscript of his greatest and most sublime masterpiece. In this overwhelming and deeply spiritual work Beethoven calls upon God for mercy, gives glory and honor, and begs for peace for all mankind. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 6:45PM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program direction Daniel Gilliam. Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Missa Solemnis TEDDY…
Find out more »CLASSICS: BEETHOVEN’S MISSA SOLEMNIS
18 OCT 2020 :: “From the heart, may it go to the heart!” So Beethoven inscribed the manuscript of his greatest and most sublime masterpiece. In this overwhelming and deeply spiritual work Beethoven calls upon God for mercy, gives glory and honor, and begs for peace for all mankind. Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Missa Solemnis TEDDY ABRAMS, conductor SERIES SPONSORED BY THE BROWN FORMAN FOUNDATION
Find out more »November 2020
COFFEE: BOLERO AND OTHER TREATS
FRI 20 NOV 2020 :: CONCERT TALK: Starting at 10AM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program direction Daniel Gilliam. Richard STRAUSS: Don Juan Claude DEBUSSY (orch. Colin Matthews): Preludes Maurice RAVEL: Bolero TEDDY ABRAMS, guest conductor SERIES SPONSORED BY BAIRD
Find out more »CLASSICS: RAVEL’S BOLERO
21 NOV 2020:: Longtime friend to Teddy Abrams, Alasdair Neale has conducted orchestras across the country. For this concert of musical treats, we welcome Maestro Neale, together with esteemed pianist Jorge Federico Osorio who is known for his elegant and patrician style. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 6:45PM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program direction Daniel Gilliam. Richard STRAUSS: Don Juan W.A. MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 21 ("Elvira Madigan") Claude DEBUSSY…
Find out more »FAMILY: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
SAT 28 NOV :: Enjoy Yuletide magic as well as familiar family selections as part of your holiday tradition at the Louisville Orchestra! STUART CHAFETZ, conductor
Find out more »POPS: HOLIDAY POPS
SAT 28 NOV 2020 :: Hear the sleigh bells and gather ‘round for some holiday cheer! You and your family will enjoy the best music of the Christmas season with guest singers, dancers, and our Yuletide chorus. Our Holiday Pops 202 will be bigger and shine brighter than ever before. STUART CHAFETZ, conductor
Find out more »January 2021
COFFEE: FESTIVAL OF AMERICAN MUSIC
FRI 15 JAN 2021 :: We welcome the "King of Newgrass" as the LO is joined by bluegrass legend Sam Bush as we celebrate this dazzling music. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 10AM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program direction Daniel Gilliam. Aaron COPLAND: Appalachian Spring Selections: Sam Bush with Orchestra TEDDY ABRAMS, conductor SAM BUSH, mandolin SERIES SPONSORED BY BAIRD
Find out more »CLASSICS: THE ROAD TO CARNEGIE HALL
16 JAN 2021 :: In part, Teddy offers two selections to preview of the LO’s program at Carnegie Hall in FEB 2021 at this concert. In addition, this All-American program brings GRAMMY Award-winning multi-instrumentalist and “King of Newgrass” to our stage as Sam Bush makes his first appearance with the LO. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 6:45PM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program direction Daniel Gilliam. Andrew NORMAN: Sacred Geometry…
Find out more »POPS: PROHIBITION: The Music of Moulin Rouge, Boardwalk Empire and more…
SAT 23 JAN 2021 :: Travel through the cabarets and speakeasies of New York, Paris, Berlin, London and Louisville in the 1920s! You’ll run into Josephine Baker, Kurt Weill, King Oliver and all their sizzling hits of Roaring 20s. TEDDY ABRAMS, conductor
Find out more »COFFEE: TCHAIKOVSKY’S SIXTH
FRI 29 JAN 2021 :: Tchaikovsky’s greatest symphony – a searing, white-hot work that spans a supreme range of emotional expression. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 10AM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program director Daniel Gilliam. Igor STRAVINSKY: Funeral Song Pyotr TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6 CHRISTIAN REIF, guest conductor SERIES SPONSORED BY BAIRD
Find out more »CLASSICS: REIF CONDUCTS TCHAIKOVSKY
30 JAN 2021 :: Based on the opera Doctor Atomic, this symphony by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Adams evokes the frenzied panic, boorish pandering, and moral tension of a world developing the means for self-annihilation. Plus Tchaikovsky’s greatest symphony – a searing, white-hot work that spans the full range of emotional expression. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 6:45PM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program director Daniel Gilliam. Igor STRAVINSKY: Funeral…
Find out more »March 2021
POPS: ARETHA FRANKLIN: A Tribute
SAT 6 MAR 2021 :: All the great Aretha hits that are the soul of America including “Respect,” “Think,” “A Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools” performed by the Broadway diva of our time. She will blow you off the planet! BOB BERNHARDT, conductor CAPATHIA JENKINS, vocals
Find out more »COFFEE: REINHARDT CONDUCTS SIBELIUS
FRI 12 MAR 2021 :: Conductor Ruth Reinhardt debuts with the LO in Sibelius’s majestic Second Symphony – a masterwork reflecting the warmth and ease of a composer sojourning in a sun-drenched town in Northern Italy. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 10AM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program director Daniel Gilliam. Lotta WENNAKOSKI: Helsinki Variations Jean SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 2 RUTH REINHARDT, guest conductor SERIES SPONSORED BY BAIRD
Find out more »CLASSICS: SIBELIUS & PROKOFIEV
13 MAR 2021 :: Conductor Ruth Reinhardt debuts with the LO in Sibelius’s majestic Second Symphony – a masterwork reflecting the warmth and ease of a composer sojourning in a sun-drenched town in Northern Italy. Virtuoso violinist Paul Huang also returns to brandish the dazzling pyrotechnics of Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto, whose dark outer movements brim with menace. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 6:45PM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program…
Find out more »COFFEE: FESTIVAL OF AMERICAN MUSIC: Two Americas
FRI 26 MAR 2021 :: The fifth annual Festival of American Music at the Louisville Orchestra continues to ignore traditional boundaries between orchestras and their audiences. First on this program is the dreamy sound world and rueful yearnings of America’s great romantic nostalgist, Samuel Barber. Then, a new work for voices and orchestra by Brooklyn-based composer Gabriel Kahane examines the urgent plight of homelessness today and the humanity of those grappling with its effects. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 10AM in…
Find out more »CLASSICS: FESTIVAL OF AMERICAN MUSIC: Two Americas
27 MAR 2021 :: Teddy Abrams leads the LO in a fascinating program of dual Americas. On the concert's first half, he evokes the dreamy sound world and rueful yearnings of America’s great romantic nostalgist, Samuel Barber. Then, a new work for voices and orchestra by Brooklyn-based composer Gabriel Kahane examines the urgent plight of homelessness today and the humanity of those grappling with its effects. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 6:45PM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers…
Find out more »April 2021
POPS: DECADES: Back to the 80s
FRI 16 APR 2021 :: Enjoy a power packed evening of the 80s #1 hit songs. Get on your feet to sing along with “The Power of Love,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Footloose,” and more by the icons of the decade. Love Madonna, Huey Lewis & The News, Phil Collins? We do too! TBD, conductor TBD, singers
Find out more »COFFEE: SCHEHEREZADE
FRI 23 APR 2021 :: Rimsky-Korsakov’s sensational symphonic showpiece brings to life the fairy tales of the Arabian Nights, with haunting violin solos giving voice to our heroine storyteller. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 10AM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program director Daniel Gilliam. Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherezade TEDDY ABRAMS, guest conductor SERIES SPONSORED BY BAIRD
Find out more »CLASSICS: SCHEHERAZADE
24 APR 2021 :: Two luminous new works by composers Ellen Reid and Paola Prestini (the latter commissioned by the LO) celebrate the centennial of the 19th Amendment on this richly varied program. After intermission, Rimsky-Korsakov’s sensational symphonic showpiece brings to life the fairy tales of the Arabian Nights, with haunting violin solos giving voice to our heroine storyteller. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 6:45PM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio…
Find out more »May 2021
COFFEE: TURANGALILA
FRI 7 MAY 2021 :: “Mind-blowing”… “epic”… “spiritual ecstasy”… These are words that aptly describe this massive symphonic work by French composer Oliver Messiaen. This is a piece from Teddy’s wish list and we close the season with this overflowing hymn to joy, time, movement, rhythm, love, life, and even death. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 10AM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program director Daniel Gilliam. Oliver MESSIAEN: Turangalîla-symphonie TEDDY…
Find out more »CLASSICS: TEDDY TALKS: A Song of Love and Death
8 MAY 2021 ::“Mind-blowing”… “epic”… “spiritual ecstasy”… These are the words used that aptly describe this massive symphonic work by French composer Oliver Messiaen. This is piece from Teddy’s wish list and we close the season with this overflowing hymn to joy, time, movement, rhythm, love, life, and even death. CONCERT TALK: Starting at 6:45PM in Whitney Hall, the LO, together with WUOL, offers a free, pre-concert discussion hosted by radio program direction Daniel Gilliam. Oliver MESSIAEN: Turangalîla-symphonie TEDDY ABRAMS,…
Find out more »