Pasadena Symphony announces its 95th season with an exhilarating schedule of seven concerts, running October 22, 2022 through April 29, 2023. The 2022/23 season will be presented under the batons of seven guest conductors serving as Artistic Partners, each bringing a new and diverse voice to the podium while the orchestra embarks on a search for its new Music Director. Alongside a stellar season of celebrated works and world-renowned guest artists, the orchestra’s commitment to contemporary music remains a top priority with its third annual Composers Showcase, featuring works at each concert by both emerging and established composers who are shaping the future of classical music. Concerts take place at Pasadena’s Ambassador Auditorium with both matinee and evening performances at 2pm and 8pm. The season also includes the annually sold-out Holiday Candlelight Concert on Saturday, December 17, 2022 with 4pm and 7pm performances at All Saints Church.
"Everyone at the Pasadena Symphony is excited to embark on the journey of selecting a new Music Director. We have formed a team of musicians, board members and staff to work collaboratively in selecting a conductor with passionate musical ideas, who inspires the orchestra to perform at the highest technical and artistic level, and who will thrill and attract audiences of all ages,” says Lora Unger, CEO adding "we’re looking for our next Music Director to bring a set of skills and values that will shape how we communicate, invite and engage the diversity of our community to ensure access for all.”
Conductor Vinay Parameswaran opens the 2022/23 season on October 22 with Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 and the Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 with Grammy-nominated pianist Terrence Wilson; 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient Lina Gonzáles-Granados leads the orchestra on November 12 with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and the Sibelius Violin Concerto with award-winning violinist Alexandra Conunova; and back by popular demand, conductor Jenny Wong returns to ring in the holidays with the orchestra’s annual Holiday Candlelight Concert on December 17. Conductor Joseph Young greets the New Year on January 21 with Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 “Italian” and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 with Colburn young artist Vijay Venkatesh; François López-Ferrer conducts Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Elgar’s Cello Concerto with internationally renowned, Grammy Award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey on February 11; Rebecca Tong takes the podium on March 18 for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” with Russian prodigy Alexander Malofeev and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2; and the season closes April 29 with Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances led by Kensho Watanabe, with Avery Fisher Winner Tai Murray and the Barber Violin Concerto. This season’s Composer’s Showcase features Nokuthula Ngwenyama’s Primal Message (October 22), Valerie Coleman’s Seven O’Clock Shout (November 12), Anna Clyne’s Sound and Fury (January 21), Unsuk Chin’s Subito con forza (February 11), Huang Ruo’s Folk Songs for Orchestra (March 18) and Carlos Simon’s The Block (April 29).
The Pasadena Symphony provides a quintessential experience specially designed for the music lover, the social butterfly or a date night out, and the inner epicurean in us all. Audiences can enjoy a drink or a bite in the lively outdoor Symphony Lounge, yet another addition to the carefree and elegant concert experience the Pasadena Symphony offers. A posh setting at Ambassador Auditorium's beautiful outdoor plaza, the Lounge offers uniquely prepared menus for both lunch and dinner and a full service bar before the concert and during intermission.
All Symphony series concerts take place at Ambassador Auditorium, 131 S. St. John Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105, with performances at 2pm and 8pm. Subscription packages start at $99 with single tickets starting at $35. Both may be purchased online at pasadenasymphony-pops.org or by calling (626) 793-7172.
The Pasadena Symphony is committed to providing the safest possible setting for the community and requires all concertgoers to be fully vaccinated to attend concerts at Ambassador Auditorium. For the most up to date safety protocols, visit: pasadenasymphony-pops.org/symphony-covid-safety/
2022-23 Symphony Series Calendar
MOZART SYMPHONY NO. 39
October 22, 2022
Vinay Parameswarn, conductor
Terrence Wilson, piano
Nokuthula Ngwenyama Primal Message for String Orchestra, Harp, and Percussion
Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2
Rossini Overture to La Scala di Seta
Mozart Symphony No. 397
TCHAIKOVSKY & SIBELIUS
November 12, 2022
Lina Gonzáles-Granados, conductor
Alexandra Conunova, violin
Valerie Coleman Seven O’Clock Shout
Sibelius Violin Concerto
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5
HOLIDAY CANDLELIGHT
December 17, 2022
Jenny Wong, conductor
Soloist, tbd
MENDLESOHNN & MOZART
January 21, 2023
Joseph Young, conductor
Vijay Venkatesh, piano
Anna Clyne Sound and Fury
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4, "Italian"
SCHEHERAZADE
February 11, 2023
François López-Ferrer, conductor
Zuill Bailey, cello
Unsuk Chin Subito con forza
Elgar Cello Concerto
Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
BEETHOVEN & RACHMANINOFF
March 18, 2023
Rebecca Tong, conductor
Alexander Malofeev, piano
Huang Ruo Folk Songs for Orchestra: Flower Drum Song from Feng Yang, Love Song from Kang Ding
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2
Beethoven Symphony No.3
AMERICAN IN PARIS
April 29, 2023
Kensho Watanabe, conductor
Tai Murray, violin
Gershwin An American in Paris
Barber Violin Concerto
Carlos Simon The Block
Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances