2015-16 Repertoire and Conductors Announced!

Whew, it's been quite a January. After briefly catching our breath, we'll be launching forthwith into preparations for Carmen and a romantic Broadway revue. In the meantime, the much-anticipated 2015-16 season has been announced, with an eclectic array of Music Director candidates. The “middle six” of the eight Masterworks concerts shall combine dynamic repertoire with diverse podium presences for a season that promises something for everyone, every time. All of the candidates will be conducting Masterworks concerts, as opposed to the previous (2003-2004 season) search, when two candidates led Masterworks and two led Chamber Classics shows. This avoids the resulting “apples to oranges” situation, wherein some players (and audience members) were not involved with the smaller chamber productions.

Especially in times of Music Director searches, we players become more in touch with a term called “guest conductor repertoire.” This is basically familiar, exciting works that a guest conductor can lead without having to completely redesign the orchestra's playing- repertoire that “plays itself.” Perfect examples of this are the Beethoven 7^th Symphony and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. I guess it could even be said that Strauss' Don Juan and Holst's Planets have crept into that category, as well.

Anyway, we LOVE doing this stuff. Beyond that, there will be world-class soloists providing us with a chance to encounter the conducting candidates' accompanying skills. Here is where a leader needs to know how to follow. The concerto repertoire for the season is not by any means far-flung, but each of the works has its own specific ensemble protocol. This alone should be a draw for the season, with solo repertoire such as violin concerti by Bruch and Barber, and piano concerti by Tchaikovsky and Mozart.

So log on to the KSO website, hover on “Tickets & Calendar,” and under “Categories,” a link to ALL of next seasons offerings will appear. Or just click here if you are already on the KSO website and want to see JUST the music director candidates' programs.