On Feb. 24 at Chamber Music Pittsburgh, Grammy-nominated vocalist Nicholas Phan and early music ensemble Les Délices weave together Baroque masterpieces with the world premiere of a new work by Vietnamese-American composer Viet Cuong. The program also includes works by Michel Pignolet de Montéclair, Marin Marais, and François Couperin. https://www.chambermusicpittsburgh.org/lesdelices-nicholasphan/
Thomas Adès will conduct Kirill Gerstein and the Toronto Symphony in the Canadian premiere of his Piano Concerto on Feb. 26-March 1. The program opens with “Paradiso” from Adès’ Dante and closes with Holst’s The Planets. https://www.tso.ca/concerts-and-events/events/holsts-the-planets/
Every work on Third Coast Percussion’s Feb. 27 Carnegie Hall program will be a New York City premiere. These include pieces by Tigran Hamasyan, Jessie Montgomery, and Zakir Hussain; a master on Indian tablas, Hussain will be on hand to solo in his composition. https://www.carnegiehall.org/calendar/2025/02/27/third-coast-percussion-0730pm
In its third installment of the Sonic Spectrum series this season, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will present the world premiere of a new work for flute, piano, and percussion by Philadelphia-based composer Elise Arancio. Other composers on the Feb. 27 bill are Liza Lim, Tonia Ko, Elaine Lillios, and more. https://www.chambermusicsociety.org/our-concerts/at-lincoln-center/events/24-25/sonic-spectrum-iii-2425/
Na’Zir McFadden conducts the world premiere of a new work by (and featuring) DSO trumpeter Kris Johnson. The Feb. 28-March 1 program, called Classical Roots, also features two pieces by Jessie Montgomery: Snapshots and Rounds, the latter featuring pianist Awadagin Pratt. https://www.dso.org/events-and-tickets/events/24-25-winter/classical-roots
In a March 1 Carnegie Hall program called Noche de Fantasías, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra will give the New York premiere of a new work by Jorge Amado. The Orpheus will also play pieces by Gabriela Ortiz and M. Ponce, and guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas will solo in Rodrigo’s Fantasia para un gentilhombre. https://www.carnegiehall.org/calendar/2025/03/01/orpheus-chamber-orchestra---pablo-sainz-villegas-0700pm
The New England Philharmonic plays two Boston premieres to celebrate composer Yehudi Wyner’s 95th birthday on March 2: Chaya Czernowin’s Once I Blinked Nothing Was the Same and Bobby Ge’s Remember to Have Fun. Wyner’s own Prologue and Narrative is also on the program, along with works by Keeril Makan and Marti Epstein. https://nephilharmonic.org/concerts/new-music-new-england-2025
For its spring Carnegie Hall appearance on March 6, the American Composers Orchestra will perform four world premieres under the baton of Tito Muñoz. Clarice Assad will sing and play electronics in her Evolution of AI. As part of the EarShot CoLABoratory initiative, Edmar Castañeda will solo as harpist in his new work. Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda’s Going […]
Nico Muhly’s new work for violin and orchestra will receive its world premiere on March 6-8 by the New York Philharmonic under Marin Alsop. Renaud Capuçon is the soloist. This inventive concert is bookended by Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3 and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, with Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn included as well. https://www.nyphil.org/concerts-tickets/2425/alsop-muhly/
On March 6-9, the Dallas Symphony will give the world premiere of a new work by Sophia Jani as well as the U.S. premiere of Arlene Sierra’s Kiskadee. Nelson Goerner plays Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto, and the program ends with Strauss’ Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks. Fabio Luisi conducts. https://www.dallassymphony.org/productions/rachmaninoffs-piano-concerto-no-3/
San Francisco’s Opera Parallèle will present the world premiere of The Pigeon Keeper by David Hanlon and Stephanie Fleischmann. This magical-realism story revolves around a young woman named Orsia, who endeavors to find a new home for a refugee boy. (March 7-9) https://operaparallele.org/24-25/
The Oregon Symphony will present a new bass concerto by artist-in-residence Xavier Foley on March 8-10, with the composer soloing and Hannu Lintu on the podium. The program also includes Copland’s Suite from Appalachian Spring and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5. https://www.orsymphony.org/concerts-tickets/2425/copland-sibelius-sounds-of-spring/?performanceId=5896
Lūcija Garūta’s Piano Concerto in F-Sharp Minor with be given its U.S. premiere by Élisabeth Pion and the Toledo Symphony under Alain Trudel, who will also be the piano soloist. This March 8 program includes Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2. https://www.artstoledo.com/masterworks-24-25
Stéphane Denève will lead the New World Symphony in the world premiere performance of a new orchestrated version of Davóne Tines’ Recital No. 1 MASS. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 and Michael Abels’ Delights and Dances complete the March 8-9 program. https://www.nws.edu/events-tickets/concerts/2024-2025/deneve-davone-tines-mass/
On March 11 the 92nd St. Y plays host to a Met Opera production, the New York premiere of Karen Slack’s African Queen. This multimedia work features new art songs exploring the legacy of seven powerful African queens through history who were revered as rulers but under-celebrated in the western world. Participating composers include Damien […]
Pairing The Four Season with other arias and instrumental movements by Vivaldi, a new opera called The Seasons will receive its world premiere at Boston Lyric Opera on March 12-16. The work, co-conceived by librettist Sarah Ruhl and famed countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, will be directed by Zack Winokur. https://blo.org/theseasons/
On March 13-15, the Philadelphia Orchestra will play the world premiere of Gabriela Lena Frank’s Picaflor, inspired by a Peruvian myth about a hummingbird. Marin Alsop will also conduct Randall Goosby in the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, and the program ends with Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Haydn. https://www.philorch.org/performances/our-season/events-and-tickets/2024-2025-season/verizon-hall/marin-alsop-leads-brahms-mendelssohn-and-frank/
Two works for double bass and orchestra by Xavier Foley—including a world premiere—will be presented by the New Jersey Symphony on March 13-16, with the composer as soloist. Xian Zhang conducts the program, which opens with Debussy’s Clair de lune and closes with Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2. https://www.njsymphony.org/events/detail/rachmaninoff-symphony-no-2
Lawrence Power will be on hand to solo in the U.S. premiere of Magnus Lindberg’s Viola Concerto with the St. Louis Symphony on March 14. Kaija Saariaho’s atmospheric Ciel d'hiver opens the program, which culminates in Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 in C major. Hannu Lintu conducts. https://shop.slso.org/8098
Inspired by the fantastical inventions of a 12th-century Islamic polymath, K. Al-Zand’s Al-Jazari’s Ingenious Clocks will receive its world premiere by the Houston Symphony on March 14-16. Simone Lamsma will be on hand to play Korngold’s Violin Concerto, and the program concludes with Prokofiev’s Cinderella Suite, with Juraj Valčuha on the podium. https://houstonsymphony.org/tickets/concerts/korngolds-violin-concerto-cinderella/
The Vancouver Symphony, conducted by music director Otto Tausk, will play the world premiere of Marcus Goddard’s Mountain Visions, described as “a celebration of our natural world.” The March 21-23 program also features Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9. https://www.vancouversymphony.ca/event/dvoraks-new-world-symphony/
On March 21-23, Manfred Honeck will conduct the world premiere of his new arrangement of Strauss’ Suite from Arabella with the Pittsburgh Symphony. Also on the program are Nine Shekhar’s Lumina, Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto (featuring Sheku Kanneh-Mason), and Strauss’ Don Juan. https://www.pittsburghsymphony.org/production/92959/sheku-kanneh-mason-performs-shostakovich
On March 21-23, Los Angeles-based music collective Wild Up presents the New York premiere of their acclaimed Darkness Sounding festival. The festival of concerts, conversations, and workshops convening around themes of mindfulness and nature explores how sound and music shape our understanding of the world. Christopher Rountree, artistic director. https://www.92ny.org/event/wild-up-1
On March 22 the Tulsa Symphony presents the world premiere of Arsentiy Kharitanov’s Violin Concerto, Miroirs, with concertmaster Rossitza Goza as soloist. Guest conductor Daniel Hege leads the orchestra in the Prelude to Wagner’s Die Meistersinger, Barber’s Essay No. 1, Op. 12, and Elgar’s Enigma Variations. https://www.tulsasymphony.org/calendar/v-elgars-enigma-variations
The world premiere of new works from the Illinois Philharmonic’s two emerging-composer initiatives will open the March 22 program, under the baton of Stilian Kirov. Principat clarinet Trevor O’Riordan will solo in Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, and the evening culminates in Schubert’s Symphony No. 5. https://ipomusic.org/2024-25-season/
Nikolaj SzepsZnaider conducts the world premiere of a new work for cello by Thomas Larcher on April 3-5, with Alisa Weilerstein as soloist. The program also includes Mendelssohn’s incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Schumann’s Symphony No. 2. https://www.nyphil.org/concerts-tickets/2425/weilerstein-larcher/
The world premere of a work by Roydon Tse, a commission through the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music, will have its world premiere with members of the Annapolis Symphony April 4-5. The chamber-music program also includes Sonia Morales-Matos’ Fiesta No. 2 and Suites 1 and 2 from Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé. https://annapolissymphony.org/events/fiesta/
The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra has commissioned a new work for chorus and orchestra by Reinaldo Moya. Home, Run Away From Me will receive its world premiere April 5 with the ICO. Matthew Kraemer, marking his 10th year as music director, will also conduct Haydn’s Mass in the Time of War, plus works by Martinů and Ukrainian […]
The world premiere of Reinaldo Moya’s Home, Run Away from Me, commissioned by Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and inspired by Greek poetry and the plight of refugees, will be performed by ICO on April 5, conducted by Matthew Kraemer. Then audiences will land in sunny California with Martinu’s Sinfonietta La Jolla. The program concludes with Haydn’s Mass […]
Matthias Pintscher will lead the Kansas City Symphony in the world premiere of a new work by Catalan composer Jan Magrané Figuera. This April 5-6 program also features Jean-Yves Thibaudet playing Saint-Saëns’ Fifth Piano Concerto plus Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, Pathétique. https://tickets.kcsymphony.org/22172/22214
