On this special installment of Unorchestrated, we're sharing the insight and depth of mastery behind Gustav Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony– presented by the one and only Benjamin Zander. An infectiously enthusiastic communicator, Benjamin Zander delves into Mahler 2, taking listeners on a journey through the symphony in a highly engaging and informative discussion complete with an updated heartfelt introduction with Maestro Christopher Wilkins.

Benjamin Zander is a passionate conductor and speaker, as well as the longtime musical director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra where he has been nominated for multiple Grammy awards for Best Orchestral Performance. Ahead of the Akron Symphony Orchestra's upcoming performance of Mahler 2, he says the following:

"Nobody can hear the Resurrection symphony without being moved to their very core, and that is definitely going to be the case on March 1st"

The Akron Symphony Orchestra will be performing Mahler Symphony No.2 "Resurrection" on March 1st at E.J. Thomas Hall at 7:30 PM. Tickets are on sale now and available at akronsymphony.org

Original discussion released in 2013 on Linn Records.

The Akron Symphony continues its 71st season on January 18th with a celebration of 100 years of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Joining us is Akron’s own piano virtuoso: Theron Brown. On this episode of Unorchestrated, we’re excited to be joined by none other than the man of the evening himself.

The Akron Symphony will open the second half of the season with a performance featuring Mozart’s 29th Symphony on January 13 at EJ Thomas Hall. The evening will also fully embrace Akron as the Orchestra performs Jake Gunnar Walsh & Jon Sonnenberg’s Conflagration - featuring EarthQuaker devices - and Mary Lou Williams’ jazz-infused Zodiac Suite, featuring longtime friend of the ASO and Akron’s own Theron Brown and his quartet.

In this episode, Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Theron discuss the program, emphasizing the career and influence of composer Mary Lou Williams.

Theron resides in Akron, where he is a Professor of Practice at The University of Akron teaching jazz piano, artist coordinator for the I Promise School, and is immensely involved in promoting the music scene and the arts. He is the founder of the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival, which takes place in Akron’s downtown historic district. Theron frequently tours and plays with his trio including Zaire Darden on drums and Jordan McBride on bass.

The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present EarthQuaker & Mozart on January 13, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at akronsymphony.org.

The Akron Symphony will present Dvořák’s warm-hearted, ecstatic, and deeply lyrical Cello Concerto with guest soloist Khari Joyner on November 18 at EJ Thomas Hall. The performance will also include William Grant Still’s Festive Overture and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6.

Like the New World Symphony, the Cello Concerto is another work hailing from Dvořák’s American period and is therefore infused with the same sense of homesick longing that pervades the symphony. 

Khari Joyner has a following both nationally and abroad as a versatile concert cellist, chamber musician and ambassador for the arts. He has made numerous guest appearances with orchestras and ensembles across the world, and is a passionate advocate for the music of the 21st century. He is also currently an assistant professor at the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music.

Learn more about Khari’s career at kharijoyner.com.

The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Dvořák’s Cello Concerto on November 18, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at akronsymphony.org.

The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony on October 21 at EJ Thomas Hall. In this episode, Music Director Christopher Wilkins sits down with Robert Mollard, principal keyboardist, to talk about the performance in a conversation that was sponsored by The Friends of the Akron Symphony.

Join the Akron Symphony for Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony, featuring Principal Keyboardist Robert Mollard on the Rodgers digital organ, on October 21 at 7:30 p.m., at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 p.m. 

Tickets for the performance, which also includes Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s orchestral fantasy Worship and Respighi’s transcendent Church Windows, are available at akronsymphony.org.

The Akron Symphony will open its new season with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony on September 29 at EJ Thomas Hall. The evening will also include the Akron premiere of Jerod Tate’s Clans from Lowak Shoppala’. The piece will include narration by Akron’s Dr. LaDonna Blue Eye, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation, and Jerod will be the guest conductor.

In this episode, we sit down with Music Director Christopher Wilkins and composer Jerod Tate to discuss his distinguished career, his inspirations, and Lowak Shoppala', which is a work that expresses Chickasaw identity through the medium of modern classical music and theatre. 

Jerod is a dedicated American Indian classical composer and pianist who expresses his native culture in symphonic music, ballet and opera. All of his compositions have been commissioned by major North American orchestras, ensembles and organizations and his works are performed throughout the world. Learn more about Jerod's work at jerodtate.com.

The Akron Symphony Orchestra, along with the Akron Symphony Chorus, will present Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Jerod Tate’s Clans from Lowak Shoppala’ on September 29, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at akronsymphony.org.

The Akron Symphony will open its new season with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony on September 29 at EJ Thomas Hall. Not only will the evening be the start of a yearlong celebration of 70 years of music, but also mark the 50th anniversary of EJ Thomas Hall, which the Akron Symphony opened in October of 1973 with a performance of … Beethoven’s 9th!

In this episode, we sit down with Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Chorus Director Chris Albanese to discuss a composition that is recognized as one of the supreme masterpieces of the Western tradition, and has become an international symbol of unity and affirmation since its first performance in Vienna in 1824. It is also Beethoven’s final symphony and features one of the most famous finales in music - the Ode to Joy.

The Akron Symphony Orchestra, along with the Akron Symphony Chorus, will present Beethoven’s 9th Symphony on September 29, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at akronsymphony.org.

Musical excerpts are from the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Symphony Chorus performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony on January 21, 2017.

As the performance of Brahms Requiem approaches, the chorus has been hard at work preparing! Go behind the scenes with host Tom Moore and Akron Symphony chorus director Chris Albanese to learn more about how the chorus is gearing up for Brahms Requiem.

Valerie Coleman’s Umoja expresses the joy of community, through a single irresistibly catchy tune. Not since Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry, Be Happy has a composer created such memorably euphoric music. Deep joy lies also at the heart of Brahms’ Requiem. It is his most personal work, composed as a response to the death of his mother. Its focus is not on the past, but on the present. The work’s majestic harmonies and soaring melodic lines are for us: they are comfort for the living.

Music Director Christopher Wilkins chats with Principal Trombone John Gruber about Mahler's Third.

Do you love our preconcert Preview from the Podiums? Now you can get to know our upcoming with a pre-preconcert talk! Here's another installment of our Mahler's Third series! 

The Akron Symphony continues its 71st season on November 16th with a marquee pairing of two wonderfully bright and joyful pieces — Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, and Schubert’s Fifth Symphony.

On this episode of Unorchestrated, we’re excited to be joined by none other than our violin soloist tasked with taking on one of today’s most beloved pieces in the classical repertoire: The wonderfully talented Bethlehem Kelley!

The Akron Symphony Orchestra’s new season is filled with a diverse range of music, world-class performers, exciting collaborations, and numerous milestones!

The Akron Symphony will open its 70th season on September 29 with a program featuring Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. It is a fitting choice as the season also marks the 50th anniversary of EJ Thomas Hall and the orchestra performed Beethoven’s towering symphony when the hall opened in October of 1973.

Mahler’s Third is his “Pastoral Symphony.” It seems propelled throughout by nature’s bold power. The opening march represents the arrival of spring in the Austrian Alps—the earth groans, giant ice sheets crack, and cataracts spill forth from mountain streams. The middle movements move in stages up the Great Chain of Being, from raw matter, through many varieties of forms of life, and ultimately to the realm of the spirit. Mahler originally intended to call the overwhelming and majestic final movement “What God Tells Me,” understanding God “in the only way we can experience Him, as pure love.”

Akron Symphony's Julia Perry project seeks to shine a light on the talented Akron-born composer's music and legacy.

Julia Perry was born in Lexington, KY in 1924, into a talented family of musicians, teachers, doctors, and horse trainers. She received an exceptional musical education in Akron, OH, at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, and with prestigious teachers from New York to Paris to Florence, Italy. In the late 40s and throughout the 1950s she enjoyed great success as a composer, vocal soloist, and conductor—principally in Italy. Returning to New York and Akron in the 1960s, she found that doors were not open to her as they had been in Europe. Beginning in 1970, she suffered a series of debilitating strokes that left her paralyzed on the right side, and unable to speak. She continued composing by learning to write with her left hand. Julia Perry died of cardiac arrest in 1979 and is buried in Glendale Cemetery in Akron.

Kick off the Holiday Season with an Akron tradition!

Get in the holiday spirit with an evening of traditional carols and festivities with the Akron Symphony Orchestra, the Akron Symphony Chorus, and special guests—including a visit from the North Pole!

Margaret Bonds and Langston Hughes tell the Christmas story through the person of Balthazar, the Black member of the Three Kings. Akron’s Julia Perry, who began her career in Europe, sets the mystical writings of Catherine of Siena, a beloved figure in the history of Italian literature. Respighi remakes toe-tapping music of the Italian Renaissance into modern miniatures with cinematic brilliance. And Duke Ellington takes five of the best-known dances from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, and dresses them up in top hats and tails. All four works are vibrant updates, “handshakes across the centuries.”

“The awakening of joyful feelings upon arriving in the country” was how Beethoven described the first movement of his Sixth Symphony. The Pastoral Symphony is among the most visual of all orchestral works. In it, we “see” sun-drenched fields, a brookside idyll, a peasant dance interrupted by a violent thunderstorm, and a prayer of thanksgiving. Stella Sung’s Rockwell Reflections—commissioned by the ASO in 2008—are musical likenesses of five Norman Rockwell paintings. They match his art in character, tone, humanity, and humor. Knight Arts Challenge winner Amber Kempthorn unveils Ordinary Magic: A Sunday in the Cuyahoga Valley,  a unique blend of traditional hand-drawn and contemporary computer animation inspired by the moody musical seascapes of Benjamin Britten’s opera Peter Grimes.

Meet the 22-23 Akron Symphony Orchestra Season Opener—American Fanfare— with host Ken Heinlein and Music Director Christopher Wilkins. 

Six Americans compose portraits of our nation and our people. Copland’s brass and percussion fanfare salutes civilians serving our country through simple daily acts. Gershwin’s jazz-age portrayal of an American visitor to Paris revels in musical tone painting. Shakamaxon is the historic Indian village—bordering on present-day Philadelphia—where Chief Tamanend signed the 1682 treaty between William Penn and the Lenape Indians. Jerod Tate’s spirited dance for strings pays respectful and playful homage to the Lenape people.

In the final episode of our series on the Akron Symphony Chorus, we sit down with Chorus Director Chris Albanese and special guests Chuck Myricks Jr. and Jesse Ayers about There’s a Stirrin’ in the Water, which they co-composed in 2016.

The episode includes selections of There’s a Stirrin’ in the Water from the November 2016 performance by the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Symphony Chorus, as well as a performance by the Akron Symphony Chorus in May 2021 from the parking lot of the First United Methodist Church in Akron.

As a pioneering participant in Akron’s Gospel Meets Symphony concerts, Chuck Myricks has had several of his compositions performed by the Akron Symphony Orchestra and the Tuscarawas Philharmonic. In 2000, he was commissioned by Akron’s First Night to write the new Millennium Theme Song for the city-wide celebration. His 2004 collaboration with the Ohio Ballet led to the premier of Transformation, a ballet featuring music composed by Chuck and performed by Divine Hope. He also has written a musical, The Miracle of Love, and an opera, Paul: A Musical Journey.

Jesse Ayers was the winner of the inaugural American Prize for Orchestral Composition in 2011, and winner of the first Opera Kansas Zepick Modern Opera Composition Competition in 2016. Recent honors include the 2020 Governor’s Award for Ohio’s Outstanding Individual Artist, the 2019 Ohio Music Teachers Association Composer of the Year Commission, two Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Excellence Awards, the 2011 Dayton Ballet “New Music for New Dance” award, a 2010 MacDowell Fellowship, and seven “Finalist” awards from the American Prize. His music has twice been selected to represent the United States at the prestigious World Music Days festival. Learn more at his website.

In the third episode of our four-part series on the Akron Symphony Chorus, we sit down with Chorus Director Chris Albanese and special guest Moira Smiley to discuss chorus music in the tradition of the Sacred Harp.

The episode includes selections of William Billings’ The Creation, and Moira’s Lewis, performed by the Akron Symphony Chorus in May 2021 from the parking lot of the First United Methodist Church in Akron.

Composer Moira Smiley is known worldwide for choral arrangements like Bring Me Little Water,  Silvy, and originals, Stand in That River and How Can I Cry. Moira is in demand as a commissioned composer and collaborator with artists in film, video game production, theater and dance, and her work can be heard on feature film soundtracks, BBC & PBS television programs, NPR, and on more than 70 commercial albums. Learn more at her website or follow her on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. 

In the second episode of our four-part series on the Akron Symphony Chorus, we sit down with Chorus Director Chris Albanese, Music Director Christopher Wilkins and special guest Betsy Burleigh to discuss Haydn’s towering masterpiece, The Creation.

The episode includes selections of The Creation by the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Symphony Chorus, featuring guest artists Joyce Guyer, soprano, Karl Dent, tenor, and Timothy Jones, bass-baritone from April 2008; along with the Akron Symphony Chorus’ recording from May 2021 in the parking lot of the First United Methodist Church in Akron.

Betsy Burleigh is the Thomas R. Kasdorf Professor of Choral Conducting and chair of the Choral Conducting Department at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She served as director of the Akron Symphony Chorus from 1997 to 2002. She has also served as music director of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, been a guest conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Akron Symphony, Canton Symphony, and Handel Society of Dartmouth College, was chorus master for Cleveland Opera, assistant director of choruses for The Cleveland Orchestra, and director of Boston’s Chorus pro Musica, the Providence Singers in Rhode Island, Canton Symphony Chorus, and the Mastersingers of Lexington, Mass.

(Photo by Roger Mastroianni)

The Akron Symphony continues its 71st season with Gustav Holst’s The Planets on October 19 at EJ Thomas Hall. The evening will also feature performances of Charles Ives’ The Unanswered Question, Franz Liszt’s Les Preludes, and Methuselah, a co-commissioned work by Gity Razaz. 

Gity is an Iranian-American composer whose music has been referred to as “ravishing and engulfing” by the New York Times, and, of an “uncompromising beauty” by BBC Music Magazine.

In this episode, we sit down with Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Gity to discuss Methuselah, along with more about this celestial-packed concert evening. 

The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Holst’s The Planets on October 19, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at akronsymphony.org. 

In the first episode of a four-part series on the Akron Symphony Chorus, we sit down with Chorus Director Chris Albanese and Steven Savanyu of Buford T. Hedgehog Productions to talk about a special recording project by the chorus in the parking lot of the First United Methodist Church in Akron.

Chris and Steve share stories about the recording project, how the chorus coped with a year of virtual recordings, and the music they performed for the project. The episode opens and closes with a short sampling of the Akron Symphony Chorus performing Haydn’s Awake the Harp.

In addition to leading the Akron Symphony Chorus, Chris Albanese is an assistant professor of choral conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he conducts the Grammy-nominated Singing Hoosiers and teaches courses in choral conducting. 

With more than 45 years of experience in the audio/video industry, Steve Savanyu brings a wealth of creative knowledge to the recording process. He produces corporate and industrial videos, multimedia programs, live streamed events, and interactive learning content. Learn more at his website. 

In the sixth episode of Deep River: The Legacy of the Spirituals, we speak with Jennifer Mekel Jones, who served for a decade as Choirmaster of the ASO’s Gospel Meets Symphony. She is a composer, singer, songwriter, recording artist, ordained minister, and a central figure in the musical life of the region. 

In this episode, Jennifer tells stories about her deeply musical family, beginning with the formative years learning from her mother, Esterline Jones, who played a pivotal role in the earliest years of Gospel Meets Symphony. She also gets us up to speed on the musical activities of her two children, Joshua and Jazmin, and on her professional life and ministry since she passed on the responsibilities of leading the GMS Choir to Jonathon Turner. 

Musical excerpts include a performance of In Bright Mansions Above from the Gospel Meets Symphony performance in 2018, Pass Me Not; an original song from Jennifer’s album, Destiny; and a surprise private solo track made while Jennifer was a student at Akron’s Buchtel High School, Nick Nack Paddy Wack.

In the fifth episode of Deep River: The Legacy of the Spirituals, we are joined by Dr. Raymond Wise for a discussion about the development of spirituals and their influence on his own creative career.

The episode, We’re Marching to Zion: A Visit with Dr. Raymond Wise, includes two performances from his acclaimed recording 21 Spirituals for the 21st Century featuring the Raise Chorale: We’re Marching to Zion and I’ll Stand.

Dr. Raymond Wise is the Professor of Practice of African American and African Diaspora Studies and Director of the African American Choral Ensemble at Indiana University. He has also served as the musical director for more than 30 choirs and has prepared choirs to perform for national recording artists such as Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Yolanda Adams, Tramaine Hawkins, Wintley Phipps, and others. He has been a guest soloist, conductor, and composer with the Nashville, Littleton, Ithaca College, and Czech National Symphonies, and has appeared twice as guest conductor with the Akron Symphony Orchestra and the Gospel Meets Symphony Choir.

In the fourth episode of Deep River: The Legacy of the Spirituals, Jonathon Turner, the ASO’s Gospel Meets Symphony Choirmaster, and Brenda Justice, Coordinator of Choral Programs, join co-hosts Christopher and Tom to discuss Nathaniel Dett, a composer, choir leader, pianist, teacher, poet, writer, and seminal figure in bringing spirituals to a classical setting.

The episode concludes with a performance of Dett’s The Chariot Jubilee by the Akron Symphony Orchestra, Akron Symphony Chorus and tenor Kennedy Jones from November 18, 2016.

(Photo by R. Nathaniel Dett Collection - Sibley Music Library - Eastman School of Music)

In the third episode of Deep River: The Legacy of the Spirituals, Jonathon Turner, the ASO’s Gospel Meets Symphony Choirmaster, and Brenda Justice, Coordinator of Choral Programs, join co-hosts Christopher and Tom for a listening session.

The episode includes the following recordings from the orchestra’s Classics series, Gospel Meets Symphony, and a world premiere from the ASO’s 2020–21 Interlude season:

Morton Gould Gospel Train; Old Time Religion
(November 18, 2016)

William Grant Still Jesus is a Rock; What a Morning 
(April, 2021)

William Dawson Soon Ah Will Be Done 
(February 8, 2020)

Margaret Bonds He’s Got the Whole World in His Hand 
(February 15, 2014)
Brenda Justice, Angeleina Valentine, sopranos

In the second episode of Deep River: The Legacy of the Spirituals, Jonathon Turner, the ASO’s Gospel Meets Symphony Choirmaster, and Brenda Justice, Coordinator of Choral Programs, join co-hosts Christopher and Tom to discuss influential performers of the spirituals as they were first becoming known to the general public. Especially noteworthy is Harry T. Burleigh’s influence on Dvořák, including his significant musical contribution to the New World Symphony.

The episode opens with an excerpt from Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel, arranged by Lawrence Brown, performed by Alvy Powell. At the conclusion, Roland Hayes is heard in a performance of Go Down, Moses from 1922, and Marian Anderson is heard in an excerpt from her historic performance at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday 1939. She performs Gospel Train, arranged by Harry T. Burleigh.

Deep River: The Legacy of the Spirituals—a multi-episode series—debuts on the Akron Symphony's Unorchestrated podcast with Crossing to Freedom: The Spirituals Emerge. 

Jonathon Turner, the ASO's Gospel Meets Symphony Choirmaster, and Brenda Justice, Coordinator of Choral Programs, join co-hosts Christopher and Tom to discuss the importance of the Negro Spiritual in American history, with a focus on the seminal contributions of the Fisk Jubilee Singers.

The episode opens with an excerpt from Elijah Rock, arranged by Moses Hogan, performed by the Gospel Meets Symphony Choir in 2019, and closes with a performance of Harry T. Burleigh’s iconic arrangement of Deep River, performed by Jonathon Turner. 

In Episode 14 of Unorchestrated, Christopher and Tom conclude their conversation with Rita Dove, discussing her research into the life of George Bridgetower and the poetry she wrote about him. As in every episode, Rita reads from her book, Sonata Mulattica. We also welcome special guest, violinist Dr. Nicole Cherry, to discuss her Forge with George project, a commissioning project bringing long-overdue attention to historically significant Black artists.

This is the final episode in our 14-part series, Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

The episode closes with Jubilee, composed in 1809 by George Bridgetower in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the reign of King George III, performed by six of the Akron Symphony’s principal musicians.

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner, former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet ever honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Nicole Cherry is 2nd violinist of the Marian Anderson String Quartet, and Assistant Professor of Violin at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Performance materials of Jubilee were made available through the kindness and generosity of Dr. Nicole Cherry. For information on her Forge with George project, dedicated to restoring the legacy of great artists of color like George Bridgetower who have been dismissed from our history books, please visit: https://nicolecherryviolin.com/.

George Bridgetower Photo © The British Museum

In Episode 13 of Unorchestrated, Christopher and Tom talk with poet Rita Dove about one of the most bizarre chapters in musical history, in an episode titled Haydn’s Skull, with readings from her book, Sonata Mulattica.

This is the 13th episode in our 14-part series, Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

The episode closes with “Chaos” from Haydn’s The Creation, performed by the Akron Symphony on April 19, 2008.

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner, former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet ever honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

In Episode 12 of Unorchestrated, Christopher and Tom speak with poet Rita Dove about the relationship between poetry and music in her work generally, and how Beethoven’s music shaped one particular poem in her book, Sonata Mulattica.

This is the 12th episode in our 14-part series, Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

The episode closes with a performance of the final two movements of the “Kreutzer” sonata by ASO Concertmaster Tallie Brunfelt and pianist Nathaniel LaNasa. 

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner, former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet ever honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

The Akron Symphony will open its new season with Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto on September 21 at EJ Thomas Hall. The evening will also feature a performance of George Chadwick’s Jubilee and Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3.

In this episode, we sit down with Music Director Christopher Wilkins and guest pianist Gabriela Martinez to discuss one of the most celebrated works in the piano repertoire. The concerto is renowned for its sweeping melodies, emotional depth, and technical demands, showcasing the pianist's virtuosity. This work not only solidified Rachmaninoff’s reputation as a composer but also redefined the Romantic concerto with its expressive power.

The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto, featuring Gabriella Martinez, on September 21 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at akronsymphony.org.

Musical excerpts are from a performance by Gabriela Martinez with the Simón Bolívar Orchestra  in 2023.

In Episode 11 of Unorchestrated, Christopher and Tom talk with poet Rita Dove about Billy Waters, a marginalized street musician of African descent who, despite all odds, rose to great prominence in 19th century London, with readings from her book, Sonata Mulattica.

This is the 11th episode in our 14-part series, Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

The episode closes with an excerpt from Clint Needham's Sounds of Akron, which incorporates sounds sent in by scores of Akron residents, and a performance of Amazing Grace by Celeste Hicks, a member of the Gospel Meets Symphony Choir. The Akron Symphony’s Sounds of Akron concert took place on April 16, 2016.

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner, former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

(Photo courtesy of W.W. Norton & Company)

In Episode 10 of Unorchestrated, Christopher and Tom talk with poet Rita Dove about the rapid dissolution of the friendship between George Bridgetower and Beethoven—and likely explanations for the unraveling—with readings from her book, Sonata Mulattica.

This is the 10th episode in our 14-part series, Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

The episode closes with the funeral march from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 “Eroica,” performed by the Akron Symphony in April of 2019.

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner, former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

In Episode 9 of Unorchestrated, Christopher and Tom talk with poet Rita Dove about her belief that the composition and premiere of the “Kreutzer” sonata were shaped by George Bridgetower’s unique performing style, with readings from her book, Sonata Mulattica. 

This is the ninth episode in our 14-part series, Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

The episode closes with a performance of the first movement of Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata by ASO Concertmaster Tallie Brunfelt and pianist Nathaniel LaNasa. 

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner, former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

(Photo courtesy of W.W. Norton & Company)

In Episode 8 of Unorchestrated, co-hosts Christopher and Tom talk with poet Rita Dove about string playing, ballroom dancing, and the process of writing - both music and poetry - with readings from her book, Sonata Mulattica. 

This is the eighth episode in our 14-part series, Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

The episode closes with a performance of the first movement of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto by the ASO and guest artist Feng Ning. 

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

(Photo of Rita Dove by Fred Viebahn)

In Episode 7 of Unorchestrated, co-hosts Christopher and Tom talk with poet Rita Dove about the diverse music scene in early 19th century London, with a reading of “Janissary Rap” from her book, Sonata Mulattica. 

This is the seventh episode in our 14-part series, Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

The episode closes with a performance of Mozart’s Turkish Rondo, transcribed for organ by ASO keyboardist Bob Mollard and arranger David Kempers.

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

(Photo of Rita Dove by Fred Viebahn)

In Episode 6 of Unorchestrated, co-hosts Christopher and Tom talk with poet Rita Dove about Joseph Haydn’s arrival in London, with readings from her book, Sonata Mulattica. 

This is the sixth episode in our 14-part series, Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

The episode closes with a performance of the finale from Haydn’s Symphony No. 95 in C minor by the Akron Symphony Orchestra.

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

In Episode 5 of Unorchestrated, co-hosts Christopher and Tom talk with poet Rita Dove about violinist George Bridgetower’s early life in London as a child prodigy, with readings from her book, Sonata Mulattica. 

This is the fifth episode in our 14-part series, Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

The episode closes with a brilliant performance of Paganini’s Duo for One Violin by ASO guest artist Feng Ning. 

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

(Photo of Rita Dove by Fred Viebahn)

In Episode 4 of Unorchestrated, co-hosts Christopher and Tom talk with poet Rita Dove about violinist George Bridgetower’s debut in Paris from her book of poems, Sonata Mulattica.

This is the fourth episode in our 14-part series, Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

The episode closes with a performance of Joseph Boulogne’s Sonata for Flute and Harp, performed by ASO principal players, Barbara O’Brien, flute, and Jody Guinn, harp.

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

(Photo of Rita Dove by Fred Viebahn)

In Episode 3 of Unorchestrated, co-hosts Christopher and Tom talk with poet Rita Dove about the prodigy years of violinist George Bridgetower from her book of poems, Sonata Mulattica.

This is the third episode in our 14-part series, Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

The episode closes with a performance of Haydn’s Duo for violin & viola in F major, performed by two members of the Akron Symphony, Pablo Sanchez-Pazos, violin, and Maia Hoffman, viola.

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

(Photo of Rita Dove by Fred Viebahn)

In Episode 2 of Unorchestrated, co-hosts Christopher and Tom talk with poet Rita Dove about the early life of violin virtuoso George Bridgetower from her book of poems, Sonata Mulattica.

This is the second episode in our 14-part series, Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

The episode closes with a performance by Akron Symphony Assistant Concertmaster Amy Cave of the Largo and Allegro assai movements from Bach’s Violin Sonata No. 3 in C major.

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

(Photo of Rita Dove by Fred Viebahn)

The Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Symphony Chorus will present Mozart’s Great Mass on May 11 at EJ Thomas Hall. The performance will include Lili Boulanger’s On a Spring Morning and Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin.

Mozart’s Great Mass stands as a monumental testament to his genius and devout faith. The work embodies the grandeur of sacred music with its intricate choral writing, lush orchestration, and profound emotional depth. From delicate soprano solos to thunderous orchestral passages, the Mass captivates with its sublime beauty and spiritual fervor. 

In this episode, Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Chorus Director Chris Albanese will discuss the upcoming performance, with musical excerpts from a 2006 performance of Mozart’s Great Mass by the orchestra and chorus.

The Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Symphony Chorus will present Mozart’s Great Mass on May 11, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at akronsymphony.org.

In the debut of Unorchestrated, co-hosts Christopher and Tom talk with poet Rita Dove about Sonata Mulattica, her book of poems detailing the relationship between the black violinist George Bridgetower and Beethoven.

This is the first episode in a 14-part series: Sonata Mulattica with Rita Dove.

Rita Dove is a Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. An Akron native, she is currently Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

The episode closes with a performance of Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, opus 47, performed by Akron Symphony Concertmaster Tallie Brunfelt and pianist Nathaniel LaNasa.

(Photo of Rita Dove by Fred Viebahn)

The Akron Symphony will present Tchaikovsky and Bowden with guest soloist Mary Elizabeth Bowden on April 6 at EJ Thomas Hall. The performance will include Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on “Greensleeves”, Jessie Montgomery’s Strum, Jennifer Higdon’s “Reel Time”, and Julia Perry’s Prelude for Strings.

The highlight of the evening will be the Ohio premiere of Bohemian Queen, a trumpet concerto composed by Clarice Assad and featuring classical trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden, who has been praised for her splendid, brilliant playing, and pure, refined, and warm tone.

In this episode, we are joined by Mary Elizabeth Bowden to discuss Bohemian Queen, which celebrates the surrealist painter Gertrude Abercrombie – “the queen of the bohemian artists” – whose life and art were entwined with such Chicago jazz scene legends as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Sarah Vaughan.

Classical trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden is a highly in-demand soloist, praised for her “splendid, brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine). A Gold Medal Global Music Award Winner, Opus Klassik Nominee, and Yamaha Performing Artist, Bowden works to establish a new repertoire for the trumpet through creative commissioning projects and award-winning albums. Learn more at maryelizabethbowden.com.

The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Tchaikovsky and Bowden on April 6, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at akronsymphony.org.

The Akron Symphony will present Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, nicknamed Romantic, on March 2 at EJ Thomas Hall.

Bruckner’s composition, his first to receive widespread acclaim, showcases the composer’s unique style and is filled with lyrical themes, expressive contrasts, splendid orchestration, glorious climaxes, and dramatic developments. 

In the second episode of this two-part series, Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Matthew Mauro, acting principal horn, take a deeper dive into Bruckner’s music. 

The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, along with Wagner’s Lohengrin Prelude, on March 2, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm.

Tickets are available at akronsymphony.org.

The Akron Symphony will present Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, nicknamed Romantic, on March 2 at EJ Thomas Hall. Bruckner’s composition, his first to receive widespread acclaim, showcases the composer’s unique style and is filled with lyrical themes, expressive contrasts, splendid orchestration, glorious climaxes, and dramatic developments. 

In the first episode of a two-part series, Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Matthew Mauro, acting principal horn, discuss Matt’s career, and Matt shares some of his experiences with the audition process for an orchestra.

The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, along with Wagner’s Lohengrin Prelude, on March 2, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at akronsymphony.org.