The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera announces the programming for its 2020/21 season. The upcoming events will feature a diverse group of contemporary composers and guest artists, beloved classical works and symphonic performances of some of pop culture’s most iconic music. The season will also include the organization’s bi-annual return to opera with La Traviata in March 2021.
“The 2020/21 season is full of your favorite classical masterworks and inspiring contemporary works,” says Kayoko Dan, CSO music director.
“2020 marks the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, and we will be featuring some of his most beloved works including Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor” and Symphony No. 3. We will also introduce you to some of the most exciting artists of our generation, including Elena Urioste and Rubén Rengel, as well as two pianists from Lee University, Jonathan Jung and Cho Eun Lee, and CSO Principal Timpani Alex Wadner. We are proudly highlighting a number of female composers once again in both the Masterworks and Chamber Series, including Julia Perry, Jennifer Higdon, Anne Guzzo, Gabriela Lena Frank and Joan Tower.”
The Barnett & Company Masterworks Series will continue its year-long celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday by opening the season with Beethoven’s Emperor on Sept. 24 and Beethoven’s Eroica on Oct. 22. The CSO will mark the 20th anniversary of CSO Chorus Director Darrin Hassevoort’s tenure during French Connection and highlight the talents of CSO Principal Timpani Alex Wadner with William Kraft’s Concerto for Timpani No. 1. Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra will feature Lee University pianists Jonathan Jung and Cho Eun Lee. The season will close with Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Barber’s Violin Concerto, featuring violinists Elena Urioste and Rubén Rengel. Both Urioste and Rengel’s performances are in partnership with the Sphinx Soloist program, a Detroit-based initiative that aims to highlight African American and Latinx string performers.
The First Horizon Foundation Pops Series will open with Revolution: The Music of The Beatles, a symphonic tribute to one of the world’s most popular rock n’ roll bands. The season will also include Broadway Tonight!, featuring Broadway vocalists performing showstoppers from modern hits such as Wicked and Hamilton, as well as Mariachi Cobre, a celebration of Mexican folk music featuring the world-renowned house mariachi band for Disney’s EPCOT Center. The CSO’s beloved holiday concert, Home for the Holidays, will also return, along with the annual Valentine’s weekend swing concert, Big Band Fever.
The Chamber Series will also pay homage to Beethoven with its season opener, Beethoven & More, featuring his Prometheus Overture, Elegischer Gesang, and Symphony No. 1. The season will also include Rodrigo’s Adagio from Concierto Aranjuez with guest guitarist Michael McCallie and Mozart’s Oboe Concerto C major with CSO Principal Oboe Jessica Smithorn.
La Traviata, Verdi’s renowned Italian opera, comes to the Tivoli Theatre stage March 18 and March 20. The tale of an ill-fated romance between fiercely independent Parisian courtesan Violetta Valéry and the naive, bourgeois Alfredo Germont has enamored audiences since 1853. Nashville Opera CEO & Artistic Director John Hoomes returns to the CSO to direct, while CSO Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt will serve as music director.
Subscriptions start at $90 and are currently available at
www.chattanoogasymphony.org or by calling 423-267-8583. Subscribers have pre-sale access to purchase tickets to La Traviata before the general public. Public sales for La Traviata and all other individual concerts will begin on Aug. 3.
Special Event:
Tivoli Theatre • Thursday & Saturday • 7:30 p.m., March 18, 2021 and March 20, 2021 – La Traviata
Barnett & Company Masterworks Series:
Tivoli Theatre • Thursdays • 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 24 – Beethoven’s Emperor (Opening Night)
Oct. 22 – Beethoven’s Eroica
Nov. 19 – French Connections
Jan. 14, 2021 – Brahms Symphony No. 2
Feb. 25, 2021 – Dvorák’s New World Symphony
March 25, 2021 – Tchaikovsky and Sibelius
April 22, 2021 – Shostakovich and Barber
Pops Series:
Tivoli Theatre • Saturdays • 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 10 – Revolution: The Music of The Beatles – A Symphonic Experience
Dec. 19 (7:30 p.m.) and Dec. 20 (3 p.m.) – Home for the Holidays
Feb. 12 and 13, 2021 – Big Band Fever
April 10, 2021 – Broadway Tonight!
May 1, 2021 – Mariachi Cobre
Chamber Series:
Chattanooga State Community College Humanities Theatre • Sundays • 3 p.m.
Oct. 4 – Beethoven & More
Nov. 15 – Quartets and Quintets
Jan. 24, 2021 – Poulenc & Rodrigo
March 7, 2021 – Appalachian Spring
For Masterworks only: children 17 and under can attend for free with a paid adult. For all series, discounts are available for students and music educators. Call the CSO Box Office at 423-267-8583 for more information.
Elena Urioste