HAMPTON ROADS, VA [March 4, 2024] – The future of the VSO shines brightly. Today the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Music Director, Eric Jacobsen announced details of the 2024/25 season. Patrons should look forward to a season full of joy, live music to enjoy together, and new voices such as Adrienne Warren and Aoife O’Donovan. With favorites like Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, Handel’s Messiah, and The Music of Star Wars. Alongside new additions such as Sanit-Saens Organ Symphony, Psycho in Concert, Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony, and much more.
This season opens with Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition where….(?) and our season closes with Mahler’s Ninth Symphony. This symphony has been called sublime, lush, and mind-blowing. It is, “one of the greatest accomplishments of humanity- on par with architectural masterpieces like the Taj Mahal and the Duomo in Florence,” says our Music Director, Eric Jacobsen.
“This season broadcasts that the orchestra truly is for everyone,” says VSO’s Chair of the Board, Tim Faulkner. “We strive for inclusivity and musical excellence and I believe this year’s program reflects that. We want to show respect for the classics while also looking to the future. We hope to capture the beauty of music this season by showcasing not only tried and true compositions, but also by performing world premiers and highlighting up-and-coming artists.
This year we are introducing Coffee Concerts! Coffee Concerts feature all the artistic mastery of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, at a convenient time! Enjoy refreshments before the performance.
*Denotes a Coffee Concert and the pieces that will be played.
24/25 Season Planning
Opening Weekend: Pictures at an Exhibition
Friday, September 13, 2024, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Sunday, September 15, 2024, 2:30pm – Sandler Center
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Valerie Coleman: Fanfare for Uncommon Times
Mason Bates: Philharmonia Fantastique
Modest Mussorgsky/Maurice Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition
Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with Eric & Colin Jacobsen + COFFEE
Friday, September 20, 2024, 11am – Chrysler Hall*
Friday, September 20, 2024, 7:30pm – Chrysler Hall
Saturday, September 21, 2024, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Colin Jacobsen, violin
Ludwig van Beethoven: Coriolan Overture
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony 4
Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Concerto
Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony
Friday, October 18, 2024, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Saturday, October 19, 2024, 7:30pm – Chrysler Hall
Sunday, October 20, 2024, 2:30pm – Sandler Center
JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Brendon Elliott, violin
Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus
Lili Boulanger: Psalm 24
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Violin Concerto in A major, Op.5 No 2
Camille Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3, “Organ”
Psycho in Concert: Film with Orchestra
Saturday, October 26, 2024, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Sunday, October 27, 2024, 2:30pm – Sandler Center
Enjoy Hitchcock’s timeless thriller projected on the big screen as the Virginia Symphony Orchestra performs Bernard Herrmann’s spine-tingling score live. Take in every twist and turn as Marion is plunged into a world of crime, suspense, and murder all set to one of the most iconic film scores of all time.
PBJ Halloween Spooktacular
Sunday, October 27, 2024, 3:00pm – Sandler Center
Helen Martell, conductor
Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony
Friday, November 1, 2024, 7:30pm – Chrysler Hall
Saturday, November 2, 2024, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Sunday, November 3, 2024, 2:30pm – Sandler Center
Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Michelle Cann, piano
Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
Franz Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2
Appalachian Spring & Aoife O’Donovan + Coffee Concert*
*Friday, November 15, 2024, 11am – Ferguson Center
Friday, November 15, 2024, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Aoife O’Donovan, vocalist
Aaron Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man*
Aoife O’Donovan: America Come
Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring*
A Gospel Christmas featuring a Tribute to Richard Smallwood
Saturday, December 7, 2024, 7:30pm – Chrysler Hall
Henry Panion, III, conductor
Gospel Choir led by Minister Earl Bynum
Holiday POPS!
Thursday, December 12, 2024, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Saturday, December 14, 2024, 7:30pm – Chrysler Hall
Sunday, December 15, 2024, 7:30pm – Sandler Center
Robert Shoup, conductor
Join us for the must-see holiday tradition of the season – Holiday POPS! There’s no better way to lift your spirits than with seasonal songs and traditional carols delivered in full sound and spectacle by the Virginia Symphony and special guests. Holiday POPS will have all the magical elements you’ve come to expect and more – high energy, familiar carols, and lots of holiday warmth! And we’ll even throw in a surprise or two! We can’t wait to celebrate the 2024 holiday season together!
PBJ: Jingle Bell Jam
Sunday, December 15, 2024, 3:00pm – Sandler Center
Helen Martell, conductor
Handel’s Messiah
Thursday, December 19, 2024 7:30pm – VB
Friday, December 20, 2024 7:30pm – First Baptist Church Newport News
Saturday, December 21, 2024 7:30pm – Harrison Opera House
Anthony Parnther, conductor
George Frideric Handel: Messiah
PBJ: Dancing Princesses
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 3:00pm – Sandler Center
Helen Martell, conductor
Dancing in the Street: The Music of Motown
Friday, January 31, 2025, 7:30pm – Chrysler Hall
Saturday, February 1, 2025, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Experience the magic of MOTOWN! This program features smash hits made famous by artists like Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, The Temptations, and the one and only Stevie Wonder. Songs include “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “Dancing In The Street,” “I Heard it Through The Grapevine,” “My Girl,” “Superstition” and more. You’ll be transformed by the powerful music of Motown with these authentic arrangements and exciting, young talented singers.
Piano Superstar Yuja Wang + Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Romeo & Juliet
Saturday, February 8, 2025, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Yuja Wang, piano
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Selections from Swan Lake
Igor Stravinsky: Movements for Piano and Orchestra
Igor Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy
Igor Stravinsky: Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra
A Night Honoring Tina Turner with Adrienne Warren
Saturday, March 1, 2025, 7:30pm – Chrysler Hall
The Virginia Symphony Orchestra celebrates the legacy of the iconic Tina Turner and the countless artists she inspired with Adrienne Warren, Hampton Roads native and Tony Award winner for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.
West Side Story Symphonic Dances + Coffee*
Friday, March 14, 2025, 11am – Ferguson Center
Friday, March 14, 2025, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Sunday, March 16, 2025, 2:30pm – Sandler Center
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Michael Daniels, cello
Hurrah Players
Richard Strauss: Don Quixote *
Leonard Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Maurice Ravel: La Valse
Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony
Friday, March 28, 2025, 7:30pm – Chrysler Hall
Saturday, March 29, 2025, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Sunday, March 30, 2025, 2:30pm – Sandler Center
Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Demarre McGill, flute
Missy Mazzoli: Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
C.P.E. Bach: Concerto for Flute in D minor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter”
PBJ: Sleepover at the Museum
Sunday, April 6, 2025, 3:00pm – Sandler Center
Helen Martell, conductor
Symphonie Fantastique + Coffee*
*Friday, April 11, 2025, 11am – Ferguson Center
Friday, April 11, 2025, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Saturday, April 12, 2025, 7:30pm – Sandler Center
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus
Anna Clyne: This Moment
John Adams: Harmonium
Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique*
The Music of Star Wars
Saturday, May 3, 2025, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Sunday, May 4, 2025, 2:30pm – Sandler Center
Mahler’s Ninth Symphony
Friday, May 9, 2025, 7:30pm – Ferguson Center
Saturday, May 10, 2025, 2:30pm – Sandler Center
Gustav Mahler’s Ninth Symphony has been called sublime, lush, and mind-blowing. For Eric Jacobsen, Music Director of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, it is “one of the greatest accomplishments of humanity—on par with architectural masterpieces like the Taj Mahal and the Duomo in Florence.” Recently diagnosed with a terminal heart condition, Mahler composed his Ninth Symphony, his final completed symphony, while confronting his own mortality. The emotional work takes the listener on a musical journey from the beauty of life to the tranquility of the great unknown. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear this monumental masterpiece LIVE with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra!
Co-presented with the Virginia Arts Festival
