or call (562) 436-3203 ext. 1, or PURCHASE THROUGH TICKETMASTER

Please note: This is the last concert of the season, therefore there are no exchanges. Exchanges must be made within the season tickets are purchased.

Welcome June and the leading edge of summer! Our final concert begins with Anton Bruckner’s rousing “Romantic” Symphony, so named by Bruckner himself and inspired by his vision of a day in the life of a medieval village from dawn to dusk. The audience will hear the morning horn call welcoming the day ahead, the thundering hooves of mounted knights departing the castle, the frenzy of a hunt, and the revelry of a village meal and festival to end the long and eventful day. Then, the Symphony closes this concert and its 2023-2024 season with the help of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who gave the world perhaps the second-most well-known four-note opening salvo in the classical music canon with the opening notes of his Piano Concerto no.1, among the most popular and most performed piano concertos. Virtuoso pianist Awadagin Pratt – famed for his formidable technique as well as his love for pranking and colorful concert attire – joins the Symphony for a fiery finish. Don’t miss this scintillating season finale.

Take a sneak-peek at the PROGRAM’S NOTES!

In Maestro Eckart Preu’s own words

An opportunity to get in the mood: Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Audiences will enjoy the Classical Series fun and elegant evening surrounded by the Terrace’s dazzling fountains and fire pits, live ensemble in the lobby, pre-concert talk to gain greater knowledge regarding the evening programming, and the ability to “Sip & Enjoy” in the concert hall.  

Get all the PERKS and SAVE with a Classical Subscription or 3-Concert Sampler Pack Subscription

or call (562) 436-3203 ext. 1, or PURCHASE THROUGH TICKETMASTER

Enjoy the digital program book with program notes

Enjoy this FREE special Event with Dr. James Bass and the Long Beach Camerata Singers **March 6th**:

On Saturday, March 9^th, 2024, we will celebrate Spring with the music of Guillaume Connesson, Vaughan Williams, and Johannes Brahms, featuring solo performances by Elissa Johnston, Kevin Deas, and the powerful choral talents of the Long Beach Camerata Singers.

The evening begins with living French composer Guillaume Connesson’s “Cosmic Trilogy” (2010) as it rejoices in the vastness of the universe, its mysteries, and gorgeously illustrates the journey of life through the birth, radiance, and death of a star. Disparate influences of Indian raga and John Adams-esque modernism combine to convey the universal impact of time passing and how moments of the past and future come together to define the present.

Inspired by lovers gazing at the stars in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice,  Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Serenade to Music” captures the wonder of the night sky and its unfathomable mysteries.  The magic of the universe looking back upon itself is highlighted by the sweeping, lush orchestral arrangement. Come see why “Serenade to Music” reportedly brought audience member Sergei Rachmaninov to tears.

The evening closes with Johannes Brahms’ “A German Requiem,” a mournful meditation on death and redemption. Brahms’s poignant musical prayer (composed between 1865 and 1868) offers comfort and grace in the face of grief and commemoration of life. “A German Requiem” reflects the painful losses Brahms experienced in his own life, composed after the passing of both his adored mother and his mentor, Robert Schumann. Baritone Kevin Deas and Soprano Elissa Johnston join the Long Beach Camerata Singers in an evening celebrating the mysteries of life, death, and humanity’s place in the infinite universe.

In Maestro Eckart Preu’s own words

Audiences will enjoy the Classical Series fun and elegant evening surrounded by the Terrace’s dazzling fountains and fire pits, live ensemble in the lobby, 7PM Pre-Concert Talk to gain greater knowledge regarding the evening programming, and the ability to “Sip & Enjoy” in the concert hall.  

Get all the PERKS and SAVE with a Classical Subscription or 3-Concert Sampler Pack Subscription

See concert PROGRAM BOOK 

 or call (562) 436-3203 ext. 1, or

PURCHASE THROUGH TICKETMASTER

Long Beach Symphony presents an evening filled with music and imagery featuring the works of American composer Florence Price, Dvořák, Mussorgsky and Ravel, and Cécilia Tsan’s superb cello.  

A night of emotional warmth and vibrant colors opens with Concert Overture No. 2 by Florence Price, the first African American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer and to have her works performed by a major symphony orchestra. Her compositions disappeared after her death but were discovered half a century later in 2009 in a home in Illinois.  Long Beach Symphony will proudly present Price’s Concert Overture No. 2, a set of three spirituals that demonstrate the influence of ragtime, spirituals, and folk dance. This idea that celebrates American music was originally introduced by Dvořák who encouraged American composers to seek inspiration from their own roots.

Dvořák’s own work and Cello Concerto, featuring Long Beach Symphony’s Cécilia Tsan principal cellist, is beloved both for the deeply felt emotion it evokes and for the showmanship and mastery it spotlights in its soloist.

As a celebration of classical music and artistic inspiration, Long Beach Symphony also presents a mesmerizing performance of Modest Mussorgsky’s timeless masterpiece, “Pictures at an Exhibition.” This orchestral suite, originally composed in 1874, has become a staple of the classical repertoire and continues to captivate audiences with its vivid musical depictions of visual art. The composition was inspired by Mussorgsky’s visit to an exhibition of works by his dear friend, the artist Viktor Hartmann. Originally composed for piano solo, the stunningly creative work was arranged for full orchestra forty years after Mussorgsky’s death by Maurice Ravel to immediate and enduring high praise. From The Gnome to The Old Castle and concluding with the majesty of The Great Gate of Kiev, Mussorgsky’s musical visualization of a Russian gallery of paintings always delights. The original imagery will be projected on screen to enhance the audience’s listening experience.

Audiences can enjoy a relaxed, fun, yet elegant evening along the dancing fountains, fire pits and bar on the Plaza, and a 7pm Pre-Concert Talk that will give further context into the evening– with the ability to “Sip & Enjoy” in the concert hall.  

In Maestro Eckart Preu’s own words

Audiences will enjoy the Classical Series fun and elegant evening surrounded by the Terrace’s dazzling fountains and fire pits, live ensemble in the lobby, pre-concert talk to gain greater knowledge regarding the evening programming, and the ability to “Sip & Enjoy” in the concert hall.  

Get all the PERKS and SAVE with a Classical Subscription or 3-Concert Sampler Pack Subscription

Long Beach Symphony presents an evening of exciting, contrasting musical styles and art forms, plus the introduction of a new soundscape where Indian and western classical music come together in a haunting and extraordinary piece about climate change.

It’s a combination of styles, full of energy and contrasts as we are joined by Hindustani violinist Kala Ramnath and Long Beach Ballet.

The evening starts with Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, a lighthearted piece narrating our antihero’s narrow escapes while pursuing his affairs of the heart; an intimate piece based on Baroque music of the 18th century and yet 20th century neoclassicism making it very entertaining and theatrical.

Guest Hindustani violinist virtuoso Kala Ramnath, renowned as the leading 21^st century practitioner of Hindustani classical violin, will take the stage to perform highly sought-after and multiple-award-winning Indian-American composer Reena Esmail’s Violin Concerto, who wrote this piece specifically for Ramnath and Hindustani violin — a rhythmically captivating tour-de-force for orchestra and Hindustani violin. The concerto aptly channels Esmail’s talent for weaving Western and Indian classical music traditions to paint melodic pictures both rapturous and melancholic. As part of this musical presentation, Long Beach Symphony is proud to be a participant in the CA Festival Celebration of New Music.

From Scott Joplin, known as “the King of Ragtime,” Treemonisha overture, from his three-act opera recently rediscovered in the 1990s, will be followed by the boisterous and jazzy, cool, effervescent, improvisatory, and toe-tapping Fancy Free by Leonard Bernstein where, appropriately, the Long Beach Ballet will take the stage.

Audiences can enjoy a relaxed, fun, yet elegant evening along the dancing fountains, firepits, and bars on the Plaza, and a 7pm Pre-Concert Talk that will give further context into the evening– with the ability to “Sip & Enjoy” in the concert hall.  

In Music Director Eckart Preu’s own words…

About Kala Ramnath and her unique skills as a Hindustani violinist

Audiences will enjoy the Classical Series fun and elegant evening surrounded by the Terrace’s dazzling fountains and fire pits, live ensemble in the lobby, pre-concert talk to gain greater knowledge regarding the evening programming, and the ability to “Sip & Enjoy” in the concert hall.  

Get all the PERKS and SAVE with a Classical Subscription or 3-Concert Sampler Pack Subscription

Join your Long Beach Symphony for Opening Night of the 2023-2024 season at the beautiful Terrace Theater. Music Director Eckart Preu launches the orchestra’s new season with a rainbow palette of 19th century musical colors. Johannes Brahms’ lushly harmonic, pulsating Hungarian Dances kick things off with a bright rhythmic energy. Next, renowned pianist and Romantic Era specialist Andreas Boyde joins the orchestra to perform the singular, highly imaginative Piano Concerto by Antonín Dvořák. Written especially for an outstanding popular Czech pianist who championed the young Dvořák, the composer’s only piano concerto will envelope listeners in waves of harmony and emotion. Finally, our celebratory season opening concert concludes with selections from another Romantic icon, the deeply personal “Ma Vlast” – “My Homeland” – by the Czech composer Bedrich Smetana. This beloved and popular work featuring the beloved “The Moldau”, resounding with patriotism, nostalgia, and passion, will send audiences away with ringing ears and hammering hearts.

In Music Director Eckart Preu’s own words:

Audiences will enjoy the Classical Series fun and elegant evening surrounded by the Terrace’s dazzling fountains and fire pits, live ensemble in the lobby, pre-concert talk to gain greater knowledge regarding the evening programming, and the ability to “Sip & Enjoy” in the concert hall.  

Get all the PERKS and SAVE with a Classical Subscription or 3-Concert Sampler Pack Subscription.

You may also buy tickets through Ticketmaster.

Two of classical music’s most romantic Russian composers share the stage in this concert that also presents Enrico Chapela’s high-flying “Rotor”, with its intensity and emotion paving the way for more ardent musical expression as the program unfolds. Both Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky are treasured by music-lovers for their deeply felt works that epitomize the heights and depths of human yearning and heroism. Russian-born pianist Natasha Paremski guests.

Take a sneak peek at the PROGRAM BOOK

Our season finale offers audiences an infectious array of American musical genius. Award-winning pianist Michelle Cann takes center stage performing the Piano Concerto in One Movement by groundbreaking American composer Florence Price. The concert also includes brilliant 21st -century works by Brian Nabors and Nan Schwartz, along with Duke Ellington’s swinging “Harlem” and George Gershwin’s foot-tapping “An American in Paris.” We will send you out dancing!

Audiences will enjoy the Classical Series fun and elegant evening surrounded by the Terrace’s dazzling fountains, live ensemble in the lobby, pre-concert talk to gain greater knowledge on the evening programming, and the ability to “Sip & Enjoy” in the concert hall.  

In this powerful evening of extremes, audiences will be transported by compositions that cross the span of times. Anticipate a highly-charged, exhilarating evening at the Terrace Theater when the symphony embarks on a thrilling musical pilgrimage through Ana Lara’s passionate terrain of fire and ice (listen here); and then, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, or “songs of Bavaria,” sets 24 poetic texts from the Germany of a millennium ago to paint a vivid picture of medieval life, including religious verses, social satires, and bawdy drinking songs. This exhilarating presentation will include three soloists, the Long Beach Camerata Singers, the South Bay Children’s Choir, and returning to Long Beach, the acclaimed Silver-Garburg Piano Duo. Expect an exuberant orchestral panorama of Orff’s pulsating musical journey.   ~ See artist bios at the bottom of this page. Watch the video here:

Audiences will enjoy the Classical Series fun and elegant evening surrounded by the Terrace’s dazzling fountains, live ensemble in the lobby, pre-concert talk to gain greater knowledge on the evening programming, and the ability to “Sip & Enjoy” in the concert hall.  

Music Director Eckart Preu and the Long Beach Symphony launch the 2022-2023 season with a trio of beloved classical masterworks. Opening the concert is Sergei Prokofiev’s ebullient Classical Symphony, among the composer’s most popular works. Next, Concertmaster Roger Wilkie steps into the spotlight in Mendelssohn’s passionate Violin Concerto. The program concludes with the world’s most famous symphony, which may make you jump from your seat as it opens with perhaps the most iconic phrase in the classical repertoire: the majestic “bum bum bum BUM” of Ludwig van Beethoven’s richly triumphant Symphony No.5.

Get an early start on enjoying this concert by reading the Program Notes:

Symphony No. 1 “Classical” (Prokifiev)

Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)

Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)

Take a peek at the Program Book and learn more.

Music For All Seasons: On this spectacular evening, Long Beach Symphony, under the direction of Maestro Eckart Preu, will rouse audiences with Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, a group of four violin concertos embodying each season of the year.  Each of the seasons will be exquisitely presented by Long Beach Symphony’s own stellar lead violinists Roger Wilkie, Agnes Gottschewski, Chloé Tardif, and Chyi-Yau Lee. Vivaldi’s best-known work, Four Seasons (1725) is the world’s most popular and recognized pieces of Baroque music. Audiences will recognize the evolving sounds from movies like Tin Cup, Spy Game, A View to Kill, What Lies Beneath, White Chicks, Saved!, Pacific Heights and The Other Sister; and they will be reminded of many wedding ceremonies attended.

Over 60 years later, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart would compose Symphony No. 40 in G minor, one of only two symphonies he wrote in minor keys reflecting the “Storm and Stress” artistic movement and showcasing darker and stronger emotions.

Audiences will enjoy the Classical Series fun and elegant evening surrounded by the Terrace’s dazzling fountains, live ensemble in the lobby, Pre-Concert Talk to gain greater knowledge on the evening programming, and the ability to “Sip & Enjoy” in the concert hall.