Spokane Symphony announces 81st season
As the Spokane Symphony concludes their celebratory 80th season, music director James Lowe is already looking toward another season of musical displays, community building and family opportunities.
Over the course of the season, the symphony showcased many of their musicians through pieces that feature solos – often fairly challenging ones requiring intense technical skill. Lowe believes they highlight symphony members at their best and looks to continue showing them off with early solos from principal horn and Juilliard graduate Clinton Webb as well as principal percussionist and Harvard/New England Conservatory joint program graduate Leigh Wilson.
“I really want people in Spokane to know what incredible talent we have here,” Lowe said. “It’s just such a nice thing to be able to showcase our colleagues and to work with them up front.”
Looking to expand upon their belief that classical music is “for everybody,” including the younger generations, the symphony will debut a new $25 K-12 youth ticket for their Pops series and special performances that don’t fit the normal bill. Lowe hopes this new ticket will not only draw families to the Fox Theater, but further invest new generations in their local symphony.
“It’s about, as well, cultivating the audiences of the future,” Lowe said. “We want people to love the symphony as much as we do.”
In continuing to keep families in mind, the symphony will also be expanding their Family Concert Series. Next season, the series will feature three concerts: “Peter and the Wolf,” “Fairy Tales and Fables” and “Wands, Wizards and Dragons.” Each performance will feature an array of songs fitting the theme, from fairy tale classics to Disney tunes and other easily recognizable movie motifs. Lobby activities, instrument petting zoos and dance collaborations will also be part of the festivities.
“It’s put together in a really fun way for the youngest members of our audience,” Lowe said. “They reflect the range that the symphony orchestra has.”
Lowe wants to give a greater sense of flexibility to concertgoers through a simplified “Curated by You” season package. Instead of having to commit to the entire season, this subscription option lets the concertgoer pick and choose any three or more performances that better fit their schedule and budget.
“This idea of having a kind of ‘choose your own adventure’ gives you the flexibility to kind of pick and choose a little bit more freely instead rather than having to commit to one whole package,” Lowe said.
The Spokane Symphony will continue their movie series, in which the orchestra will perform the score to iconic films in real time while they play on the Fox Theater big screen. Next season, they will be bringing the music of “The Goonies,” “Elf” and “The Princess Bride” to life for an expansion of the cinematic experience.
“Hearing a live orchestra play the score to a movie is such a visceral experience, I mean you really feel it,” Lowe said. “So often in these movies, you are concentrating on what the actors are doing, you’re concentrating on the dialogue. When the music is front and center, I think it really heightens the impact of the movies you’re watching.”
Lowe said that the symphony heavily focuses on community building and concert availability because the Spokane Symphony is nothing without Spokane and the people that call the Inland Northwest home. He hopes the new season will broaden local reach of classical music while strengthening the orchestra’s bond with concertgoers and the area as a whole.
“We exist for the community, and we are supported by them in our work, so it’s a symbiotic relationship,” Lowe said. “We love our people and we love our city … my dream is always that anybody will open our brochure and say, ‘Oh that’s really something for me, I can’t miss that.’”
Season subscriptions are now available. Subscribers have until June 5 to renew seats for next season.
Here is the full schedule for the Spokane Symphony’s 81st season:
Masterworks
Masterworks 1: Romeo & Juliet: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19; 3 p.m. Sept. 20. Conducted by James Lowe and featuring pianist Mackenzie Melemed. Songs include Dmitri Kabalevsky’s “Colas Breugnon Overture, Op. 24”; Amy Beach’s Piano Concerto in C-sharp minor, Op. 45; and Sergei Prokofiev’s “Selections from Romeo and Juliet.”
Masterworks 2: Americana: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3; 3 p.m. Oct. 4. Conducted by James Lowe and featuring Grammy Award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey. Songs include Aaron Copland’s “Variations on a Shaker Melody,” a co-commissioned piece dubbed “Visions of Humanity,” Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme (Op. 33),” William Grant Still’s “Mother and Child” and Aaron Copland’s “Suite from Billy the Kid.”
Masterworks 3: The Pastoral: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7; 3 p.m. Nov. 8. Conducted by Sameer Patel and featuring violinist Yvette Kraft. Songs include Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47; and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major “Pastoral,” Op. 68.
Masterworks 4: Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 16; 3 p.m. Jan. 17. Conducted by James Lowe and featuring pianist Philip Edward Fisher. Songs include Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23, and Edward Elgar’s Symphony No. 1 in A-flat major, Op. 55.
Masterworks 5: The Sea: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6; 3 p.m. Feb. 7. Conducted by James Lowe and featuring percussionist Leigh Wilson. Songs include Li Huanzhi’s “Spring Festival Overture,” Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto, Arnold Bax’s “Tintagel,” Sam Wu’s “Hydrosphere” and Claude Debussy’s “La Mer.”
Masterworks 6: Celebrating Sibelius: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27; 3 p.m. Feb. 28. Conducted by James Lowe and featuring horn player Clinton Webb. Songs include Robert Kajanus’s Finnish Rhapsody No. 1 in D minor, Op. 5; Richard Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major; and three pieces by Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105; “Lemminkäinen’s Return (Op. 22)”; and “Finlandia (Op. 26).”
Masterworks 7: Mateusz Plays Shostakovich: 7:30 p.m. March 20; 3 p.m. March 21. Conducted by Morihiko Nakahara and featuring concertmaster Mateusz Wolski. Songs include Andy Akiho’s “Translucent,” Dmitri Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77, and Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 5 in F major, Op. 76.
Masterworks 8: Operatic Passions: 7:30 p.m. April 24; 3 p.m. April 25. Conducted by James Lowe alongside the Spokane Symphony Chorale, led by chorale director Dr. Meg Stohlmann. Features include Madison Leonard, soprano, and Alex Richardson, tenor. Songs are Richard Wagner’s “Three Excerpts from Act III” of “Die Meistersinger”; Giuseppe Verdi’s “Coro di zingari” (Anvil Chorus) from “Il trovatore”; Charles Gounod’s “Ah! Je veux vivre” from “Roméo et Juliette” Giacomo Puccini’s “Che gelida manina” from “La bohème,” Johann Strauss II’s “Overture to Die Fledermaus” and many more from Verdi, Wagner and Puccini.
Masterworks 9: Mahler’s Fifth (Season Finale): 7:30 p.m. May 8; 3 p.m. May 9. Conducted by James Lowe. The symphony will perform Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor.
Masterworks & Mimosas: 10 a.m.-noon Sept. 19 for “Romeo & Juliet,” Feb. 27 for “Celebrating Sibelius” and May 8 for “Mahler’s Fifth.” Doors open at 9 for attendees.
Lowedown at the MAC: Noon-1 p.m. Thursday at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture ahead of select Masterworks weekends. Free.
Pops
Pops 1: Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10. George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” conducted by James Lowe.
Pops 2: Clouds in My Coffee: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14. Music of Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Carly Simon conducted by Ted Sperling.
Pops 3: Holiday Pops’ Jazzy Winter Wonderland: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12; 3 p.m. Dec. 13. Conducted by Morihiko Nakahara and featuring vocalist Sarah Jones and the Spokane Symphony Chorale. Santa Claus will be on site.
Pops 4: Star Wars vs. Star Trek: 7:30 p.m. March 13. Legendary music of space series and films conducted by Morihiko Nakahara. No film screening included.
Pops 5: Cirque de la Symphonie: 7:30 p.m. April 10. Spokane Symphony conducted by Morihiko Nakahara joins forces with aerial flyers, contortionists, jugglers and strongmen.
Special events
Movie series: All conducted by Morihiko Nakahara. “The Goonies” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30. “Elf” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19 and 3 p.m. Dec. 20. “The Princess Bride” at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13.
Spokane Symphony Arbor Crest Winery: 7:30 p.m. June 17. Honoring the bold creations of inventor Royal Riblet through music.
Labor Day weekend concerts with the Spokane Symphony: 6 p.m. Sept. 5 at Lud Kramer Memorial Concert at Liberty Lake Pavilion Park and 6 p.m. Sept. 7 at Comstock Park. Free.
Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24. Conducted by Morihiko Nakahara and featuring Parton on screen. Multimedia experience featuring Parton on screen backed by full orchestra with hit songs like “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You.”
Handel’s Messiah: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 and Nov. 20; 3 p.m. Nov. 21. Conducted by James Lowe with the Spokane Symphony Chorale led by Meg Stohlmann, chorale director. At St. John’s Cathedral.
The Nutcracker Ballet: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3, Dec. 4 and Dec. 5; 3 p.m. Dec 5 and 6. Conducted by James Lowe with State Street Ballet. Sensory-friendly version at 6 p.m. Dec. 2.
New Year’s Eve: Beethoven’s Ninth: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 31. Conducted by James Lowe with the Spokane Symphony Chorale led by Meg Stohlmann, chorale director. Featuring the popular “Ode to Joy” chorus.
The Music of Led Zeppelin: 7:30 p.m. March 6. Conducted by Brent Havens. Featuring Windborne’s “The Music of Led Zeppelin.”
Cody Fry with the Spokane Symphony: 7:30 p.m. April 30. Conducted by Morihiko Nakahara with the Spokane Symphony Chorale led by Meg Stohlmann. Songs include new arrangements and storytelling by Fry.
Chamber Soirées: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 and 22, Feb. 10 and 11, and April 14 and 15. At the Historical Davenport Hotel.
Family concert series
A high‑energy introduction to orchestras embracing children’s natural energy – no shushing required. Arrive early for fun lobby activities, including crafts, games and an instrument petting zoo.
Peter & The Wolf: 2 p.m. Oct. 11
Fairy Tales & Fables: 2 p.m. Jan. 24
Wands, Wizards & Dragons: 2 p.m. April 4