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The 2024-25 season starts tonight with a performance at the Albany Palace Theatre
ALBANY — Presenting its classic, beloved repertoire with a contemporary appreciation is at the forefront of the programming for the 2024-2025 season at the Albany Symphony Orchestra. With a focus on inclusive narratives, the magic of the season, a world-renowned local conductor returning home for an exclusive concert, and a night dedicated to a legacy, the wide variety of music this season is designed to appeal to all audiences.
“If anybody ever needs their infusion of music, just look at the schedule — there is something fabulous happening every month,” enthused Music Director David Alan Miller.
In addition to the subscription series, unique programming includes the “Water Music NY: More Voices Festival,” “Symphony Side-by-Side” with the Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO), “Magic of Christmas,” and “Tiny Tots” concerts for young audiences. Throughout the season, ASO has woven a theme connecting new and older works with the upcoming “Water Music NY: More Voices Festival.”
“We really have designed each month to be a huge, fun, unique celebration event,” said Miller. “We really hope people will check out the different programs, from the subscription concerts to the John Williams special in May and our amazing American Music Festival in early June. It focuses on the water music theme and has four amazing new works.”
Combining water music with the Erie Canal’s story was first commemorated in 2017, marking the start of the Erie Canal bicentennial. The orchestra floated down the canal, collaborating with various art groups from Albany to Buffalo. This tradition continues with community collaborations and day-long festivals of art, culture, and music in several towns.
“The response was really incredible,” said Miller, recalling their performance at the Mabee Farm Historic Site. Expecting only 500 or 600 attendees, around 5,000 people gathered to hear the music.
“It was a huge success and proved a couple of things,” he said. “One, people love free outdoor concerts. And two, telling stories of our own time and place with music by living composers can be incredibly alluring. We thought it was a huge success by every metric and a wonderful chance to expand our community and the communities we serve.”
This year’s festival theme is designed to amplify overlooked voices in the story of the Erie Canal and New York history. “It’s really about amplifying the voices that maybe haven’t been heard in the traditional narrative: women, people of color, immigrants, particularly indigenous people, and the environment,” said Miller.
Some of the most celebrated and famous pieces of all time will be performed throughout the season, including Beethoven’s “Pastoral” on Jan. 11 and 12, 2025, Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” on Feb. 15 and 16, and Maurice Ravel’s “Boléro” on Apr. 5, which Miller described as “maybe the most famous piece ever.”
“Ravel’s ‘Boléro’ is one of the most exciting and mesmerizing pieces in the repertoire,” said Miller. “These seminal works are so powerful and moving that sharing them at least annually or every couple of years is something that renews the spirit.”
Combining classical pieces with modern, living composers and artists is another essential element of the season. On Mar. 8, guest conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya will helm a night of music that includes works by Missy Mazzoli, Samuel Barber, and Antonín Dvořák.
“One of the great highlights is that our March concert will feature a guest conductor — a young woman who graduated from Guilderland High School and is now performing worldwide, primarily as an opera conductor but also as a symphony conductor,” said Miller. “We’re really excited to welcome Lidiya home to her orchestra.”
“We’re not only championing the classics with the Albany Symphony, but also the best and most exciting composers of our own time, in hopes of identifying the great composers who will continue to be performed in the future,” he added.
The upcoming Nov. 16 and 17 performance at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall exemplifies the blend of older and newer works, featuring Antonín Dvořák’s “Symphony No. 9 From the New World,” Bedřich Smetana’s “The Moldau” from “Má vlast,” and Joan Tower’s “Cello Concerto ‘A New Day.'”
“Every concert elevates the music of our time by putting it in conversation with the greatest works of all time,” said Miller. “I’m really proud that the living composers we play deserve to be on the same program as the timeless masterpieces.”
Bringing music to young people is crucial to ensuring these timeless pieces are never forgotten. “For people looking for events for their kids, things like ‘Magic of Christmas’ and John Williams are great family opportunities,” said Miller.
“But as far as I’m concerned, so are the subscription concerts,” he continued. “The beautiful Baroque holiday concert in December is a great event to bring your kids to. It’s going to be fun, and we have an oboe soloist and a world premiere of a guitar concerto. Every concert is curated to be a fabulous, fascinating event. We hope people come on down.”
With each program flowing into the next, culminating in a celebration of New York’s past and present legacy, ASO aims to appeal to all ages with “incredible things every month.”
“We designed the season so that it’s a wonderful experience for people who take the whole journey with us or just stop by for a concert. We design each concert to be its own incredible jewel,” added Miller.
