Masterworks

Experience the tradition, the stories and the emotional power of classical music as it was meant to be heard. We invite you to join us for Masterworks. Nine concerts of breathtaking selections from the world’s most inspired composers. Performed with a passion that will stir your soul and bring joy to your heart.

Want to learn about the show you’re about to see? Join us for a 30-minute pre-concert talk, offered for all Masterworks performances.

2018-2019 single tickets are on sale now. 2019-2020 renewal packages will go out in March. New subscriptions will be available in June. Single tickets to the 2019-2020 season will go on sale in August. 

Upcoming Events:

Vaughan Williams & Mendelssohn

Friday, April 12, 2019 - Sunday, April 14, 2019

Heavenly voices will fill Belding Theater in April! Vaughan Williams’ blissful Fantasia on “Greensleeves” was originally used in his opera, Sir John with Love, inspired by Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. His haunting Dona nobis pacem is a plea for peace in the years leading up to WWII. Mendelssohn’s... Event Details

Beethoven's 5th

Friday, May 3, 2019 - Sunday, May 5, 2019

Beginning with those unforgettable four notes, Beethoven’s blazing Symphony No. 5 “emanates directly and solely from the genius of Beethoven,” said Hector Berlioz. The HSO welcomes the groundbreaking, category-shattering trio Time for Three for Higdon’s Concerto 4-3, a work that blends bluegrass with traditional classical. And Britten’s haunting “Four Sea... Event Details

Mahler 5

Friday, May 31, 2019 - Sunday, June 2, 2019

We conclude our 75th season with Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 5! This pivotal work moves from tragedy to celebration, and its fourth movement, a declaration of love for his wife Alma, is his most renowned composition. Beethoven’s rich “Triple Concerto” features a dynamic interplay between soloists and orchestra, and showcases... Event Details

Rhapsody in Blue- Season Opener!

Friday, October 11, 2019 - Sunday, October 13, 2019

Part of the 2019-2020 Masterworks Series! Bernstein’s Candide Overture is a rollicking introduction to the comic operetta that was inspired by Voltaire’s novella by the same name.  Gershwin mixes a cocktail of jazz, ragtime, and classical for his timeless Rhapsody in Blue, and he was inspired to pen his witty... Event Details

Brahms and Haydn

Friday, November 15, 2019 - Sunday, November 17, 2019

Part of the 2019-2020 Masterworks Series! It is surprising to note that Brahms’ masterful Variations on a Theme of Haydn is not inspired by a Haydn composition at all; rather, the theme – “St. Anthony’s Chorale” – is thought to have been written by Haydn’s student, and misattributed. Haydn’s grand... Event Details

Chopin and Franck

Friday, December 6, 2019 - Sunday, December 8, 2019

Part of the 2019-2020 Masterworks Series! Made most famous by an ambitious mouse, Dukas’ dazzling The Sorcerer’s Apprentice became one of the most popular orchestral works in history when it appeared in the 1940 Disney film, Fantasia. Chopin’s virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 2 was written when the composer was young... Event Details

The Four Seasons

Friday, January 17, 2020 - Sunday, January 19, 2020

Part of the 2019-2020 Masterworks Series! We ring in the new year – and the new decade! – with Vivaldi’s evocative The Four Seasons. This beloved piece, which will feature dynamic young violinist Randall Goosby, brings to life babbling brooks, summer storms, hunting parties, and cozy winter fires. Brazilian-American composer... Event Details

Romeo and Juliet

Friday, February 14, 2020 - Sunday, February 16, 2020

Part of the 2019-2020 Masterworks Series! The HSO brings to life one of the greatest love stories of all time! Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has inspired works of art in all mediums, and the music from Prokofiev’s ballet captures all of the bliss, humor, drama, and tragedy of the play. ... Event Details

Dvorák’s Eighth

Friday, March 13, 2020 - Sunday, March 15, 2020

Part of the 2019-2020 Masterworks Series! Composed at his summer retreat in 1889, Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8 takes inspiration from Czech folk music, and has a cheer and optimism that was unusual for the composer and the time period. Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole, which was written for violinist Pablo de Sarasate,... Event Details

Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky

Friday, April 17, 2020 - Sunday, April 19, 2020

Part of the 2019-2020 Masterworks Series! Tchaikovsky was obsessed with the concept of Fate, and his exhilarating and contrasting Symphony No. 5 explores the idea of “complete resignation before Fate.” His joyful Fifth Symphony is one of the composer’s most adored, despite him initially calling it “repulsive”! Rachmaninoff’s electrifying Piano... Event Details

Enigma Variations

Friday, May 8, 2020 - Sunday, May 10, 2020

Part of the 2019-2020 Masterworks Series! Elgar’s charming Enigma Variations presents a couple of mysteries – first, a guessing game as to who the 14 musical personality sketches he composed represent (most certainly his wife and friends). Plus, the question of what the “unheard” theme of the piece is –... Event Details

Beethoven's Ninth

Friday, June 5, 2020 - Sunday, June 7, 2020

Part of the 2019-2020 Masterworks Series! We conclude the 2019-2020 season with a true “Ode to Joy” – Beethoven’s towering, magnificent Symphony No. 9. The completion of his final and greatest symphony coincided with his total hearing loss, so that by the premiere, a concert soloist had to turn him... Event Details