Celebrating JoAnn Falletta’s 25th Anniversary Season!
We are overjoyed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of JoAnn Falletta as BPO Music Director in our 2023-24 concert season! Taking up the position in 1999, JoAnn Falletta became the first woman to lead a major American orchestra — a pivotal step forward in music history, and an undeniable point of pride for Buffalo and the nation.
This star-studded concert season commemorates JoAnn’s contributions to the BPO’s legacy, and to orchestral music in its entirety, with celebratory works like Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for its 200th anniversary, fan-favorite guest artists like Gil Shaham and Fabio Bidini, and special occasions marking Rachmaninoff’s sesquicentennial, the total solar eclipse next April (The Planets), and more.
Join the celebration! Grab your tickets to any number of JoAnn Falletta’s concerts below.
Boléro
Fri Oct 6, 10:30am
Sat Oct 7, 7:30pm
The intoxicating influences of Spain dominate both Ravel’s syncopated and sinuous Boléro and his humorous Alborada del gracioso. Continuing the travelogue is Debussy’s colorful Ibéria, and the talented Tianwa Yang tackles the exhilarating Violin Concerto composed for Jascha Heifetz by Miklós Rózsa.
Rachmaninoff Festival: Piano No. 3
Fri Nov 3, 10:30am
Sat Nov 4, 7:30pm
Our two-weekend festival recognizing the 150th anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s birth is anchored by the return of young phenom, Alexander Malofeev performing the stamina-challenging, imposing Third Piano Concerto in a program that includes the composer’s hypnotic Vocalise and the haunting tone poem, Isle of the Dead.
Rachmaninoff Festival: Piano No. 2
Sat Nov 11, 7:30pm
Sun Nov 12, 2:30pm
Our celebration of Rachmaninoff concludes when audience favorite Fabio Bidini undertakes the captivating Piano Concerto No. 2, which symbolized Rachmaninoff’s recovery from depression and his inability to compose. His poetic Second Symphony is a triumphant command of the form, lush and lyrical.
JoAnn’s Classical Christmas
Fri Dec 8, 10:30am
Sat Dec 9, 7:30pm
Vivaldi’s Piccolo Concerto highlights this season’s offering of timeless classics selected by JoAnn Falletta to celebrate the season.
Schumann’s Rhine Journey
Sat Jan 27, 7:30pm
Sun Jan 28, 2:30pm
Schumann’s Third Symphony is filled with his joyful appreciation of the Rhine River and the inspiring cathedral on its banks in Cologne, Germany. A Sphinx Virtuosi commission, Delights and Dances by Michael Abels is an infectious and witty blend of jazz and blues. The world premiere of a BPO-commissioned Oboe Concerto by Randall Svane rounds out the program.
Don Quixote
Fri Mar 1, 10:30am
Sat Mar 2, 7:30pm
A weekend of fanciful dreams and fantastical escapades awaits when the musical narration of Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote takes the stage with BPO principal Roman Mekinulov portraying the role of the knight errant. The intoxicating romance of Spain continues with Ravel’s lush Rapsodie espagnole.
Beyond The Planets
Fri Apr 5, 10:30am
Sat Apr 6, 7:30pm
The highly anticipated total solar eclipse on Buffalo’s horizon illuminates the program selection of two contemporary composers to complement Holst’s dazzling interpretation of the cosmos, The Planets. Nina Shekhar’s haunting Lumina explores the concept of lightness and dark, while The Universe in Ecstatic Motion by Christopher Theofanidis is a showcase for pre-eminent flutist, Marina Piccinini.
Chooi Brothers & Bach
Fri May 3, 10:30am
Sat May 4, 7:30pm
Bach’s Double Violin Concerto is a family affair featuring BPO concertmaster Nikki Chooi and his equally virtuosic brother, Timothy Chooi, in an energetic exchange of musical one-up-man-ship. Timothy solos on Prokofiev’s lyrical and romantic Violin Concerto No. 1, and the BPO performs Brahms’ beautifully melodic Serenade No. 2.
Beethoven’s Ninth
Sat May 11, 7:30pm
Sun May 12, 2:30pm
The BPO joins the international observance of the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s powerful masterwork that includes the “Ode to Joy.” Its message of unity and love continues to hearten millions around the world. Equally inspiring is the exhilarating performance of Nikki Chooi on Sibelius’ Violin Concerto.
Mahler’s Resurrection
Sat Jun 1, 7:30pm
Sun Jun 2, 2:30pm
The colossal season closer features Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 2, celebrating a fallen hero, his meandering retrospect on life, and his final judgement and redemption. While Mahler himself gave the symphony no name, it is known to many as “Resurrection.”
Past Events
Opening Night: Pictures at an Exhibition
Sat Sep 23, 7:00pm
Artist Gil Shaham “one of today’s pre-eminent violinists” will perform the technically dazzling Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in a program that also includes Mussorgsky’s beloved ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’.