NEWS
Brett Mitchell to Debut with Virginia Symphony Orchestra in October 2026
In unveiling their 2026-27 season, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra has announced that Brett Mitchell will make his debut in October 2026, leading the orchestra and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus in the music of Mozart to accompany a screening of the eight-time Oscar-winning classic Amadeus.
This performance will be presented on Saturday, October 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk, VA.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please click here.
Brett Mitchell to Debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago in January 2027
CHICAGO — In unveiling their 2026-27 season, Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced that Brett Mitchell will make his debut with the company in January 2027, leading the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus in the music of Mozart to accompany two screenings of the eight-time Oscar-winning classic Amadeus.
Mr. Mitchell and the musicians will present two performances of the project, both at the Lyric Opera House in downtown Chicago:
Friday, January 15 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, January 16 at 2 p.m.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please click here.
And click here to read a preview of the Lyric’s 2026-27 season from CBS Chicago.
Brett Mitchell Returns to the San Francisco Symphony in May 2027
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Symphony has announced that their 2026-27 season will feature the return of guest conductor Brett Mitchell to the podium.
On Friday, May 21, 2027, Mitchell will lead the orchestra in a performance of Michael Giacchino’s Oscar-winning score for Disney and Pixar’s Up while the film is screened above the Davies Symphony Hall stage.
Mitchell first led the San Francisco Symphony in July 2019 in a program of Berlioz and Mendelssohn.
Brett Mitchell to Lead Five Performances with the Houston Symphony in January 2027
HOUSTON — The Houston Symphony has announced that Brett Mitchell will return in January 2027 to lead the orchestra in five performances with Cirque de la Symphonie at Jones Hall.
Mr. Mitchell and the orchestra will present three pops performances with the troupe:
Friday, January 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, January 31 at 2 p.m.
They will also present two family concerts:
Saturday, January 30 at 10 a.m.
Saturday, January 30 at 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Mitchell has been leading the Houston Symphony for almost 20 years since joining the orchestra as Assistant Conductor in the 2007-08 season. Since then, he has led more than 150 concerts with the ensemble, including upcoming performances of Nicholas Hooper’s score for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in June 2026.
Brett Mitchell Returns to the 2026 Blossom Music Festival with The Cleveland Orchestra
Brett Mitchell will lead The Cleveland Orchestra at the 2026 Blossom Music Festival. (Photograph by Roger Mastroianni)
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Orchestra has announced that, for the third consecutive summer, Brett Mitchell will lead the orchestra in a weekend of performances at the 2026 Blossom Music Festival.
Mr. Mitchell and the orchestra will present John Williams’s Grammy-nominated score for the second film in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, while the original film plays live on the big screen twice at Blossom Music Center:
Saturday, July 11 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, July 12 at 7 p.m.
For tickets and more information, please click here. To read a preview of the entire 2026 Blossom Music Festival, please click here.
Mr. Mitchell has been leading The Cleveland Orchestra for a dozen years since joining the orchestra as Assistant Conductor in the 2013-14 season. Since then, he has led more than 150 performances with the ensemble, including John Williams’s Oscar-nominated score for the first film in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, at Blossom in July 2025.
Brett Mitchell Returns to the Houston Symphony in June 2026
Brett Mitchell will return to the Houston Symphony in June 2026. (Photograph by Roger Mastroianni)
HOUSTON — The Houston Symphony has announced that Brett Mitchell will return to lead the orchestra in Nicholas Hooper’s score for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth film in the Harry Potter franchise.
Mr. Mitchell and the orchestra will present the film with live orchestral accompaniment twice at Jones Hall:
Friday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 27 at 2 p.m.
For more information, please click here.
Mr. Mitchell has been leading the Houston Symphony for almost 20 years since joining the orchestra as Assistant Conductor in the 2007-08 season. Since then, he has led more than 150 performances with the ensemble, including John Williams’s Oscar-nominated score Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in July 2023 and Patrick Doyle’s score for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in June 2025.
Sunriver Music Festival announces 2026 season, Brett Mitchell’s fifth as Artistic Director & Conductor
SUNRIVER, Ore. — The Sunriver Music Festival has announced details of its 2026 summer season, Brett Mitchell’s fifth as Artistic Director & Conductor:
As America celebrates 250 years in 2026, we honor one of its greatest gifts to the world: music. The 49th season programming, curated by Artistic Director & Conductor Brett Mitchell, will feature world-class orchestra musicians and acclaimed soloists performing eclectic works by American composers — Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, William Grant Still, Joan Tower, Kevin Puts, Edgar Meyer and John Williams — alongside favorites by Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Schumann, and Mendelssohn and more.
The Summer Festival opens August 10 at Sunriver Resort’s historic Great Hall and closes August 20 at the iconic Tower Theatre in downtown Bend. Four classical concerts, a pops concert and a family concert will be presented. Featured artists include pianist Michelle Cann, violinists William Hagen and Tessa Lark, bass-baritone Timothy Jones, and the Central Oregon Mastersingers.
The classical season will consist of the following four programs:
Wed, Aug 12 | Sunriver Resort Great Hall - Sunriver, OR
AMERICA MEETS SCOTLAND
STILL - Darker America
BARBER - Violin Concerto
William Hagen, violin
MENDELSSOHN - Symphony No. 3, ‘Scottish’
Mon, Aug 10 | Sunriver Resort Great Hall - Sunriver, OR
BEETHOVEN, HAYDN, AND MADE IN AMERICA
JOAN TOWER - Made in America
BEETHOVEN - Piano Concerto No. 4
Michelle Cann, piano
HAYDN - Symphony No. 101, ‘Clock’
Thu, Aug 20 | Tower Theatre - Bend, OR
APPALACHIA AND SPRING
COPLAND - Suite from Appalachian Spring
EDGAR MEYER - Violin Concerto
Tessa Lark, violin
R. SCHUMANN - Symphony No. 1, ‘Spring’
Tue, Aug 18 | Tower Theatre - Bend, OR
THE GENIUS OF MUSIC
KEVIN PUTS - Einstein on Mercer Street
Timothy Jones, bass-baritone
J.S. BACH - Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
MOZART - Symphony No. 39
See our Upcoming Events page for complete repertoire, and visit sunrivermusic.org to learn more. Click here to read a preview in The Source.
Artistic Director & Conductor Brett Mitchell will welcome pianist Michelle Cann, violinists William Hagen and Tessa Lark, bass-baritone Timothy Jones, and the Central Oregon Mastersingers as featured artists during the 2026 Sunriver Music Festival.
Brett Mitchell Named a Steinway Artist
Brett Mitchell sits at one of The Cleveland Orchestra’s Steinway & Sons’ Model D concert grand pianos. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
NEW YORK — Brett Mitchell has been named the newest Steinway Artist by Steinway & Sons.
In recognition of your distinguished career in music and outstanding commitment and loyalty to the Steinway piano, Steinway & Sons is pleased to welcome you, Brett Mitchell.
The high standard that you have set with your artistic and professional achievements makes it most appropriate that you are now formally included on the Steinway Artist roster, a list of the most accomplished and discriminating artists in the world.
Steinway & Sons congratulates you on receiving this distinction.
Please click here to visit Mr. Mitchell’s artist profile on the Steinway & Sons website.
Brett Mitchell to Debut with Memphis Symphony Orchestra in October
MEMPHIS — The Memphis Symphony Orchestra has announced that Brett Mitchell will make his subscription debut with the ensemble this fall, leading the following program:
MASON BATES - Philharmonia fantastique
BERLIOZ - Symphonie fantastique
The program will be presented on Saturday, October 25 at 7:30 PM at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts and on Sunday, October 26 at 2:30 PM at the Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center.
For more information, please click here.
Brett Mitchell Returns to The Cleveland Orchestra in February 2026
Brett Mitchell will lead two performances of Michael Giacchino’s Oscar-winning score for Up with The Cleveland Orchestra in February 2026.
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Orchestra has announced that Brett Mitchell will return to Severance Music Center in February 2026 to lead two performances of Michael Giacchino’s Oscar-winning score for Up.
Two performances will be presented:
Friday, February 13 at 7:30 PM
Sunday. February 15 at 3:00 PM
For tickets and more information, please click here.
Brett Mitchell returns to Tulsa Symphony Orchestra’s 2025-26 classical season
Brett Mitchell will lead a program of Brahms and Kodály with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra in January 2026.
TULSA — The Tulsa Symphony Orchestra has announced that Brett Mitchell will return to lead the third classical subscription concert of their 2025-26 season, leading the following program at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center on Saturday, January 10, 2026:
BRAHMS - Variations on a Theme by Haydn
KODÁLY - Dances of Galánta
BRAHMS - Symphony No. 2
Mr. Mitchell first led the orchestra in March 2023 in a program of Bach, Vaughan Williams, Mahler, and Prokofiev, and returned in October 2024 with a program of Brahms, Ravel, and Bartók. This performance marks his third engagement with the orchestra.
For more information, please click here.
BREAKING: Brett Mitchell Steps In at the New York Philharmonic
NEW YORK — Stepping in for an indisposed Juanjo Mena, Brett Mitchell will make his subscription debut with the New York Philharmonic this weekend, the orchestra has announced.
On the first half of the program is Kevin Puts’s The Brightness of Light, featuring soprano Renée Fleming and baritone Rod Gilfry. Mr. Mitchell was a co-commissioner of this work during his tenure as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony.
On the second half, Mr. Mitchell and the orchestra will be joined by the New York Philharmonic Chorus for a performance of the complete score of Maurice Ravel’s ballet Daphnis et Chloé.
Three performances will be presented in the Philharmonic’s home of the Wu Tsai Theater at David Geffen Hall:
Friday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m
Saturday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 18 at 2 p.m.
For information, please click here.
Composer Kevin Puts, soprano Renée Fleming, conductor Brett Mitchell, and baritone Rod Gilfry after performing ‘The Brightness of Light’with the Colorado Symphony in November 2019
Brett Mitchell Returns to the Houston Symphony in June 2025
HOUSTON — The Houston Symphony has announced that Brett Mitchell will return to lead the orchestra in Patrick Doyle’s score for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth film in the Harry Potter franchise.
Mr. Mitchell and the orchestra will present the film with live orchestral accompaniment three times at Jones Hall:
Friday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 28 at 2 p.m.
Sunday, June 29 at 2 p.m.
For more information, please click here.
Mr. Mitchell has been leading the Houston Symphony for almost 20 years since joining the orchestra as Assistant Conductor in the 2007-08 season. Since then, he has led more than 150 performances with the ensemble, including John Williams’s Oscar-nominated score for the first film in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, in July 2023.
Pasadena Symphony Unveils Its 2025-26 Season: Bold Classics and New Voices
Brett Mitchell will lead his second season as Music Director of the Pasadena Symphony at the Ambassador Auditorium from November 2025 through May 2026. (Photo by Tim Sullens)
PASADENA — The Pasadena Symphony has announced its 2025-26 season, Brett Mitchell’s second as Music Director. Pasadena Now has published an extensive article about this announcement:
* * * * *
PASADENA SYMPHONY UNVEILS ITS 2025-26 SEASON: BOLD CLASSICS AND NEW VOICES
Brett Mitchell's sophomore season as Music Director promises a delicate balance of orchestral staples and contemporary voices
In Southern California’s classical music scene, the Pasadena Symphony has long occupied a position of understated elegance—neither flashy nor provincial, but rather a thoughtful custodian of orchestral tradition. Now, with Brett Mitchell entering his second season as Music Director, the orchestra appears poised for a subtle yet significant transformation. The recently announced 2025-26 season suggests a conductor and ensemble seeking to establish a dialogue between the canonical and the contemporary, between European tradition and American innovation.
The season opens on November 8th with the appropriately titled “Symphonie Fantastique!” program, featuring Berlioz’s hallucinatory masterpiece alongside Ravel’s effervescent Piano Concerto in G Major, performed by Orion Weiss, a pianist whose interpretive choices often bring fresh perspective to familiar works.
The inclusion of Jim Self’s “Tour de Force” signals Mitchell’s interest in expanding the orchestral repertoire beyond the expected, though one wonders if this particular piece will offer substantive musical rewards or merely serve as an obligatory nod to living composers.
The January program pairs Mendelssohn’s evocative “Scottish” Symphony and “Hebrides Overture” with Edgar Meyer’s Violin Concerto, to be performed by Tessa Lark. Meyer, whose compositional voice bridges classical formalism with American vernacular traditions, represents a shrewd programming choice—familiar enough to avoid alienating subscription-base conservatives while still offering something beyond the standard repertoire.
February 21st brings a program featuring Tchaikovsky’s profound “Pathétique” Symphony, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 performed by Michelle Cann, and Jeffrey Nytch’s “Beacon”—another example of Mitchell’s commitment to showcasing contemporary voices alongside canonical masterworks.
Perhaps most intriguing is the March 21st concert featuring Juan Pablo Contreras as both composer and special guest for his Symphony No. 1, a co-commission by the orchestra.
Contreras, whose work often explores his Mexican heritage through classical forms, will share the program with Bernstein’s “Three Variations from Fancy Free” and Dvořák’s perennial “New World” Symphony—a pairing that seems designed to invite reflection on musical representations of American identity across different eras and cultural perspectives.
April 25th presents Beethoven’s revolutionary “Eroica” Symphony alongside Quinn Mason’s thematically related “Heroic Overture (Overtura Eroica)” and Jennifer Higdon’s Cello Concerto, performed by Julian Schwarz in its West Coast première—further evidence of Mitchell’s interest in creating meaningful dialogues between established masterpieces and contemporary compositions.
The season concludes with “America @ 250” on May 30th, a program that reads initially like a Fourth of July concert displaced to Memorial Day weekend. Yet the inclusion of Jonathan Leshnoff’s “Rhapsody on ‘America'” (receiving its West Coast première and co-commissioned by the orchestra) alongside selections from John Williams’ “American Journey,” Copland’s “Appalachian Spring Suite” and “Lincoln Portrait” suggests a more thoughtful engagement with national musical identity than mere patriotic spectacle. Pianist Joyce Yang joins the orchestra for this exploration of American musical vernacular.
Throughout the season, Mitchell has assembled an impressive roster of soloists and programming that consistently pairs orchestral warhorses with works by living composers.
What emerges is a portrait of an orchestra and conductor navigating the perennial challenge facing American symphonic institutions: how to honor the European classical tradition while establishing a distinct and contemporary American orchestral identity. Mitchell’s approach appears to be one of gentle evolution rather than radical reinvention—introducing new works alongside familiar masterpieces, inviting audiences to discover connections between centuries and continents.
Whether Mitchell’s vision will ultimately lead to a distinctive institutional identity remains to be seen, but his sophomore season suggests a promising direction: neither hidebound by tradition nor recklessly innovative, but attentive to both the past and future of orchestral music in America.
Music Director Brett Mitchell onstage at the Pasadena Symphony’s home of the Ambassador Auditorium, the “Carnegie Hall of the West.” (Photo by Tim Sullens)
Brett Mitchell to debut with Nashville Symphony on 2025-26 classical series
NASHVILLE — The Nashville Symphony has announced that Brett Mitchell will make his debut on their 2025-26 classical subscription series, leading the following program at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on May 15 and 16, 2026:
BARBER - Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance
EDGAR MEYER - Bass Concerto No. 2 (for Double Bass and Percussion)
Edgar Meyer, double bass | Sam Bacco, percussion
BEETHOVEN - Symphony No. 3, ‘Eroica’
To learn more, please click here.
Brett Mitchell to lead opening weekend of The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2025 Blossom Music Festival
Brett Mitchell will lead The Cleveland Orchestra’s opening weekend of the 2025 Blossom Music Festival. (Photograph by Roger Mastroianni)
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Orchestra has announced that, for the third time in the past five seasons, Brett Mitchell will lead the opening weekend of performances at the 2025 Blossom Music Festival.
On Saturday, July 5 and Sunday, July 6, Mr. Mitchell will lead John Williams’s Oscar- and Grammy-nominated score for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone while the original film plays live on the big screen.
For tickets and more information, please click here.
Brett Mitchell to lead Houston Symphony’s 2025 holiday festival
Brett Mitchell will lead half a dozen public performances as part of the Houston Symphony’s 2025 holiday festival. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
HOUSTON — The Houston Symphony has announced that Brett Mitchell will lead its holiday festival during the 2025-26 concert season.
Mr. Mitchell will conduct four performances of Very Merry POPS from Thursday, December 11 through Sunday, December 14, featuring vocalist Ali Stroker and the Houston Symphony Chorus.
He will also lead two performances of Oh, What Fun! A Holiday Concert for Kids on Saturday, December 13.
Mr. Mitchell will also lead several private performances with the orchestra during the holiday season.
For complete details, please visit the orchestra’s 2025-26 season announcement.
Sunriver Music Festival announces 2025 season, Brett Mitchell’s fourth as Artistic Director & Conductor
SUNRIVER, Ore. — The Sunriver Music Festival has announced details of its 2025 summer season, Brett Mitchell’s fourth as Artistic Director & Conductor and the organization’s 48th:
The Summer Festival opens August 2 at the iconic Tower Theatre in downtown Bend and closes August 13 at Sunriver Resort’s historic Great Hall. Four classical concerts, one pops concert, a brilliant solo piano recital and a Family Concert will be presented. Featured artists include pianist Stewart Goodyear, cellist Mark Kosower, and Festival concertmaster Yi Zhao.
The classical season will consist of the following four programs:
THE CLASSICAL TRADITION
WILLIAM BOLCOM - Commedia for (Almost) 18th-Century Orchestra
TCHAIKOVSKY - Variations on a Rococo Theme
Mark Kosower, cello
MOZART - Overture to The Marriage of Figaro
STRAVINSKY - Danses Concertantes
A FRENCH SOIRÉE
DUKAS - Fanfare from La Péri
RAVEL - Piano Concerto in G Major
Stewart Goodyear, piano
FAURÉ - Suite from Pelléas et Mélisande
BIZET - Selections from Carmen
VIENNA WAITS FOR YOU
HAYDN - Symphony No. 96, ‘Miracle’
MOZART - Piano Concerto TBD
2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition medalist
BEETHOVEN - Symphony No. 5
THE LEIPZIG CONNECTION
SCHUMANN - Manfred Overture
MENDELSSOHN - Violin Concerto
Yi Zhao, violin
BACH (arr. Styles) - Toccata and Fugue in D minor
BACH - Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major
For complete repertoire, see our Upcoming Events page, and visit sunrivermusic.org to learn more.
Brett Mitchell extends contract as Artistic Director & Conductor of Sunriver Music Festival through 2028
SUNRIVER, Ore. — The Sunriver Music Festival has announced that Brett Mitchell has extended his contract as Artistic Director & Conductor through the 2028 summer season.
From the official press release:
The Sunriver Music Festival Board of Trustees has announced that Artistic Director & Conductor Brett Mitchell’s contract has been extended four years to 2028. The maestro's four-year extension will encompass the Festival's monumental 50th season. In March 2024, Mitchell was named Music Director of the Pasadena Symphony, beginning an initial five-year term with the 2024-25 season. He will work concurrently with the Pasadena Symphony and the Sunriver Music Festival, along with his many prestigious guest conducting roles.
“Maestro Mitchell is an esteemed conductor with a dedication to artistic excellence, creative concert curation, and inspired community engagement, and we are thrilled that his role with the Festival will continue,” said Festival Board President Dr. Ronald Carver.
For more information, please click here.
Pasadena Symphony announces 2024-25 season, Brett Mitchell’s first as Music Director
PASADENA — The Pasadena Symphony has announced its 2024-25 season, Brett Mitchell’s first as Music Director.
From the official press release:
Pasadena Symphony launches a bold new era with the announcement of its 2024-25 season, the first to be programmed and led by recently appointed Music Director Brett Mitchell, who is only the sixth conductor to helm the orchestra since it was founded in 1928. It features six distinctive programs selected by Mitchell to spotlight the critically acclaimed orchestra’s virtuosic artistry, deep community roots, and unwavering commitment to championing emerging and established composers. The programming also reflects the considerable impact many of the orchestra’s gifted musicians have had on the film industry and incorporates some of the musical influences on Mitchell’s own career. Mitchell will conduct all six of the programs during his debut season with the orchestra, which marks Pasadena Symphony’s 97th season.
“I’m particularly pleased during my first season with Pasadena Symphony to explore a wide variety of repertoire that will showcase the breadth and scope of my brilliant colleagues’ musicianship while also featuring an inclusive roster of soloists and composers,” says Mitchell. “My intention is to showcase great music performed by great musicians.”
“I will strive to cover as many bases as I possibly can with each season’s programs. That means we’ll present works from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th Century, and contemporary eras as well as a broad range of styles within each of those periods. Some works will be familiar while others lesser known.”
Download the 2024-25 Season Flyer
Pasadena Symphony President & CEO Andrew Brown states, “This is a tremendously exciting time for the Pasadena Symphony as we embark on our next chapter under Brett Mitchell’s artistic leadership. He has crafted a season of incredible music that touches, enthralls, inspires, challenges and intrigues. We can’t wait for audiences to experience all that he brings to the concert hall.”
During Mitchell’s inaugural season, he conducts from the canon of landmark orchestral works Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan,” a staggering work of tremendous emotional depth for massive forces; Mozart’s masterly final symphony, Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter,” completed just three years before the composer’s death; Prokofiev’s impeccably crafted Classical Symphony; and Beethoven’s cheerful Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral,” expressing the joy of nature.
Mitchell and the orchestra welcome six distinguished guest artists performing a range of seminal concertos, three of them violinists. Akiko Suwanai, who in 1990, at age 18, became the youngest winner of the violin portion of the prestigious International Tchaikovsky Competition, plays Korngold’s Violin Concerto, also known as a “Hollywood Concerto” for integrating themes from films the composer scored during the Golden Age of cinema. It offers a subtle nod to the numerous Pasadena Symphony artists past and present whose work in the film recording industry spans the decades. Stefan Jackiw, a violinist with “talent that’s off the scale” (The Washington Post), performs the sublime Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, “Turkish,” composed by Mozart when he was still a teenager. Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, a lush tour-de-force, features William Hagen, a violinist praised for his “glowing tone (and) virtuosic pyrotechnics” (Chicago Classical Review).
Two leading pianists also join Pasadena Symphony: Inon Barnatan, “one of the most admired pianists of his generation” (The New York Times), presenting Florence Price’s Concerto for Piano in One Movement, and Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear, interpreting Gershwin’s iconic jazz-infused Rhapsody in Blue as part of the work’s 2024 global centenary celebration. Additionally, Mark Kosower, the eminent Principal Cello of the Cleveland Orchestra, takes the stage for a performance of Dvořák’s beloved Cello Concerto.
Providing further musical texture, Mitchell introduces audiences to a selection of works by composers he calls “near and dear to my heart.” They include former Pasadena Symphony Composer in Residence, prolific film score orchestrator and GRAMMY-nominated Altadena resident Peter Boyer’s dazzling fanfare New Beginnings, which launches the orchestra’s 2024-25 season and aptly signals Mitchell’s first podium appearance as Music Director. Mitchell illuminates Mason Bates’ Sea-Blue Circuitry, mimicking a computer motherboard; and Samuel Jones’ Hymn to the Earth, a suite derived from his larger symphonic work entitled “Roundings: Musings and Meditations on Texas New Deal Murals,” which contemplates Earth’s enduring power; Adolphus Hailstork’s Baroque Suite, filtering his unique compositional voice through a historical musical lens; and 2024 GRAMMY-winning composer Jessie Montgomery’s vivid Starburst.
Mitchell states, “These contemporary works are all part of the great continuum of classical music. The ‘conversations’ that take place between these newer works and the great masterworks of the past—how one work causes us to hear the next work differently—are part of the great joy of being in the concert hall.”
Themes of nature also punctuate the programming this season with Mitchell and the orchestra exploring the classical elements: earth, water, air, and fire.
Mitchell explains, “One of the things I’ve always loved about California is the diversity of its nature. There are countless examples of composers writing works inspired by nature, and I’ve selected a handful of favorites to share.” In addition to Beethoven’s sunny “Pastoral” Symphony celebrating the bucolic countryside, and Jones’ homage to our planet, he leads Wagner’s thrilling “Magic Fire Music” from Die Walküre, considered the composer’s magnum opus; Debussy’s shimmering La Mer (“The Sea”); and Ravel’s descriptive Une barque sur l’océan (“A boat on the ocean”).
In December, the Pasadena Symphony continues its tradition of presenting its annually sold-out Holiday Candlelight Concert at All Saints Church, with Mitchell conducting timeless seasonal favorites with special guests, including the LA Bronze Handbell Ensemble, Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, the Donald Brinegar Singers and JPL Chorus.
Additional Coverage
Colorado Boulevard (5/21): New Music Director Brett Mitchell Is Launching a New Era for Pasadena Symphony
OperaWire (5/22): Pasadena Symphony Unveils 2024-25 Season
Broadway World (5/22): Pasadena Symphony Reveals 2024-25 Season
Los Angeles Times (5/25): Essential Arts
Musical America (5/28): Pasadena Symphony Announces 2024-25 Season, Launching a New Era for the Esteemed Orchestra
Patch (5/28): Pasadena Symphony Announces 2024-25 Season, Launching a New Era for the Esteemed Orchestra
San Francisco Classical Voice (6/1): A New Era at Pasadena Symphony