Chautauqua Institution today announced the 2023 season repertoire of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra (CSO) under the baton of Music Director and Principal Conductor Rossen Milanov. The CSO in 2023 will offer 24 performances between June 29 and August 22, with concerts in Weeks One through Nine of the Chautauqua Summer Assembly ranging classics to commissions, and several concerts with Principal Pops Conductor Stuart Chafetz on the podium. CSO members will also provide support to the Chautauqua Opera Company’s productions of Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and La Tragédie de Carmen.

“The CSO’s 94thseason, features a dazzling mix of programs, from rich and complex works like Bruchner’s Symphony No. 4 and the Sibelius Violin Concerto, to multiple pops concerts including the beloved annual Fourth of July Celebration led by featuring Tamika Lawrence This season, we have also leaned into family-friendly programming including the North American premiere of the anime-infused “Merregnon: Land of Silence” and Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, while committing to fostering new American classics through multiple commissions. We are truly blessed to have a resident orchestra who can offer such an abundant and varied slate of programming in a just nine brief, magical weeks.” says Vice President for Performing and Visual Arts Laura Savia.

The 2023 season brings exciting new developments for the CSO. For the first time, they will perform off-grounds at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts in Jamestown, New York, on Aug. 17, featuring “The Music of Billy Joel” with Michael Cavanaugh. Natalie Merchant will perform with the CSO on July 8, and the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory will assemble several voices to perform in concert with the CSO on Aug. 5. Additionally, two Broadway actors who will be working with Chautauqua Theater Company this summer will appear with the CSO in family-friendly programs. The CSO continues its relationship with the Sphinx Organization with 10 CSO Fellows selected from the Sphinx Orchestral Partners program joining the orchestra this summer.

Programming will include screenings of two beloved films, “Princess Bride” on July 22 and “Return of the Jedi” on July 29. Additionally, there will be two special concerts designed for families. “Merregnon: Land of Silence,” featuring original music by internationally renowned composer Yoko Shimomura and a story by German children’s author Frauke Angel, with narrator Tina Benko and anime-style projections on July 1. The beloved classic “Peter and the Wolf,” with narrator Brandon Dirden will be shown on Sunday, Aug. 6, a free admission day at Chautauqua Institution.

Chautauqua Institution proudly continues to support the development of new work through two co-commissioned projects. On July 13, Steven Banks will perform Billy Childs’ saxophone concerto, written for Mr. Banks, and on Aug. 22, Mary Elizabeth Bowden will perform Clarice Assad’s “Bohemian Queen,” a trumpet concerto composed for Ms. Bowden. Both works were commissioned by consortiums including the CSO.

Violinist Augustin Hadelich, who debuted with the CSO to great acclaim in 2016, returns to the Amphitheater stage for the first time since 2019 with the “Sibelius Violin Concerto.” Chautauqua also welcomes back the 2012 David Effron Conducting Fellow Roderick Cox, and Conductor Carolyn Kuan makes her CSO debut on Aug. 15 with an evening of symphonic showstoppers.

“The CSO season has been curated with the desire to bring to our CHQ community the virtuosity, passion and musicianship of our beloved Chautauqua Symphony in exciting and diverse repertoire, sharing the stage with world-class soloists and presenting stimulating collaborations—all in our hallowed Amphitheater,” shared Milanov.

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Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra 2023 Repertoire

Subject to change. See full listing at chq.org

Thursday, July 29, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: “Opening Night 2023”

Rossen Milanov, conductor J.S. Smith/Damrosch: The Star-Spangled Banner Ludwig van Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b Julia Perry: Study for Orchestra Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations Edward Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March #1

Saturday, July 1, 2023 • 7:30 p.m.

Merregnon: Land of Silence with Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra A Symphonic Fairy Tale by Yoko Shimomura

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Tina Benko, narrator

Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46

Yoko Shimomura: Merregnon: Land of Silence

Tuesday, July 4, 2023 • 8:00 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: “Independence Day Celebration”

Stuart Chafetz, conductor

Tamika Lawrence, vocalist

Thursday, July 6, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Price and Firebird

Timothy Muffitt, conductor

Florence Price: Symphony No. 1 Igor Stravinsky: Firebird Suite (1919)

Saturday, July 8, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Natalie Merchant with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra

Stuart Chafetz, conductor

Tuesday, July 11, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Scheherazade

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Jean Sibelius: Valse Triste

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Op. 35

Tuesday, July 13, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra with Steven Banks, saxophone

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Steven Banks, saxophone

Sergei Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes

Billy Childs: Saxophone Concerto (premiere)

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1, Op. 13

Saturday, July 15, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Opera & Pops

Stuart Chafetz, conductor

Tuesday, July 18, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Bruckner 4

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major, WAB 104

Thursday, July 20, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Mozart & Haydn

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Joseph Bologne: L’amant anonyme Overture

Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 82 (“The Bear”)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 31 in D major, K. 297 (“Paris”

Saturday, July 22, 2023 • 7:30 p.m.

“Princess Bride” in Concert with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra

Lawrence Loh, conductor

Tuesday, July 25, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Dawson and More

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Florence Price Concert Overture No. 2

William Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony

Tuesday, July 27, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra with Alexander Gavrylyuk, piano

Alexander Gavrylyuk, piano

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43

Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47

Saturday, July 29, 2023 • 7:30 p.m.

Return of the Jedi in Concert with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra

Chia-Hsuan Lin, conductor

Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: American Song

Rossen Milanov, conductor Yazid Gray,

baritone Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring Suite

Michael Daugherty: Letters from Lincoln

Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Liszt’s Dante Symphony

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Richard Sherman, flute

Chorus from the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory

Kevin Puts: Flute Concerto (2013)Franz Liszt: Dante Symphony S. 109

Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023 • 2:30 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Peter and the Wolf

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Brandon J. Dirden, narrator

Gioachino Rossini: William Tell Overture

Sergei Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf

Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra with Augustin Hadelich, violin

Rossen Milanov, conductor

Augustin Hadelich, violin

Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93

Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Symphonic Fireworks

Carolyn Kuan, conductor

Bedrich Smetana: Die Moldau

Felix Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Huang Ruo: Folk Songs

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Español

Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Houston Ballet II with Artists from Houston Ballet and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra

Rossen Milanov, conductor

A Time to Dance

Clear

White Swan

Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Wagner & Tchaikovsky

Roderick Cox, conductor

Richard Wagner: Tannhauser Overture

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64

Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

The Music of Billy Joel with Michael Cavanaugh and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra

Stuart Chafetz, conductor

Venue: Reg Lenna, Jamestown

Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Ginastera, Márquez & the Waltz

Rossen Milanov, conductor A

lberto Ginastera: Variaciones concertantes

Arturo Márquez: Danzon #2

Johann Strauss: Tales from the Vienna Woods

Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier Suite (1945)

Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023 • 8:15 p.m.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra with Mary Elizabeth Bowden, trumpet

Stuart Chafetz, conductor

Mary Elizabeth Bowden, trumpet

J.S. Smith/Damrosch: The Star-Spangled Banner

Giuseppe Verdi: Force of Destiny Overture Clarice Assad: Bohemian Queen (premiere)

Alexander Borodin: The Polovtsian Dances

ABOUT CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION
Chautauqua Institution is a community on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York state that comes alive each summer — and year-round through the CHQ Assembly online platforms — with a unique mix of fine and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities. As a community, we celebrate, encourage and study the arts and treat them as integral to all of learning, and we convene the critical conversations of the day to advance understanding through engaged dialogue.
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