Giving the people what they want
ALBANY—The Cap City has its favorite composers—Stravinsy, Rachmaninoff, Cuong—and the Albany Symphony certainly isn’t about to disappoint the masses.
The ASO’s 2025-26 season will include a mix of classical masterworks and contemporary compositions, featuring pieces by Igor Stravinsky, Gustav Holst, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and a world premiere by composer Viet Cuong.
The season, led by Music Director David Alan Miller, will begin in October and continue through June, with performances held at venues throughout the Capital Region, including the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, the Palace Theatre in Albany, Proctors in Schenectady, and EMPAC at RPI in Troy.
The orchestra’s programming includes Stravinsky’s “The Firebird Suite,” Holst’s “The Planets,” Beethoven’s “Violin Concerto,” and Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 10.” Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2” is also scheduled, with pianist Garrick Ohlsson performing in April.
The season will continue the orchestra’s “Water Music New York: More Voices” initiative, a project marking the bicentennial of the Erie Canal, and will feature new compositions as part of America250, a nationwide observance of the United States’ 250th anniversary.
A season for the new and familiar
In addition to the standard repertoire, the symphony will showcase works by contemporary composers, including Cuong, Clarice Assad, Bobby Ge, Jennifer Higdon, and Loren Loiacono. The season will also include a new violin concerto by Ge, performed by 18-year-old Keila Wakao, and a Bruckner-inspired composition by Francisco del Pino.
Other featured artists include violinist Midori, baritone John Brancy, pianist Anwen Deng, mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan, and cellist Zlatomir Fung. The chorus Albany Pro Musica will return for a performance of “The Planets.”
Miller, who has led the symphony since 1992, said this season’s lineup will offer a balance of traditional and contemporary works.
“There are such amazing, timeless masterpieces on every program, along with dazzling works by some of the most compelling composers of our time,” Miller said in a statement.
Season highlights
The opening concert, scheduled for Oct. 11 at the Palace Theatre, will feature Stravinsky’s “The Firebird Suite” and Dvořák’s “Cello Concerto,” performed by Fung. The program will also include Sibelius’ “Finlandia” and a new composition by Alex Berko.
The November program will feature Holst’s “The Planets,” with Albany Pro Musica providing the offstage women’s chorus that closes the piece. That concert will also mark the world premiere of Ge’s “Violin Concerto.”
In December, concertmaster Christina Bouey will perform Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 5,” and pianist Yi-heng Yang will appear as soloist in Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 20,” played on a replica of a period fortepiano. The program will also include Haydn’s “Surprise Symphony.”
Beethoven’s “Violin Concerto,” performed by Midori, will be the centerpiece of the January program, which will also include Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 10” and Higdon’s “TenFold.”
The February concert
will feature Mahler’s “Songs of a Wayfarer,” performed by Brancy, alongside Tchaikovsky’s “The Tempest” and a new composition by Loiacono.
The March program includes Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 4,” performed by Deng, and Bruckner’s “Symphony No. 7.” Del Pino’s new work, commissioned by the symphony, will also be presented.
In April, Ohlsson will perform Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2,” a piece for which he is widely regarded as a premier interpreter. The program will also include Elgar’s “Enigma Variations” and Thompson’s “To See the Sky,” a tone poem originally commissioned by the New York Philharmonic.
The season will conclude in June with the symphony’s “American Music Festival,” which will feature works by Cuong, Theofanidis, and Assad, as well as three newly commissioned compositions marking America250.
Beyond the main subscription series, the symphony will present its annual holiday concert, “Magic of the Season,” in December. In May, the orchestra will perform a program of music by film composer John Williams, including selections from “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Jurassic Park.”
The orchestra’s contemporary music ensemble, Dogs of Desire, will present new works at EMPAC in June.
Subscriptions for the full season are available, with single tickets set to go on sale later in the year. The orchestra also offers student access programs and free ticket opportunities through the Albany Public Library.
For ticket information, visit www.albanysymphony.com or call 518-694-3300.
