Vibrant performances in the intimate setting.
Music Director & Conductor George Hanson says that Catalina Foothills High School concert hall has the best acoustics in the state of Arizona. We think you’ll agree! Choose to attend all five, or choose the Winter package. Plenty of free parking and conveniently located on East Sunrise just west of Swan.
Parents: we encourage you to bring children, as you deem appropriate. Child subscriptions are 50% off the full price. Call the box office at 882-8585 to order.
Download the MasterWorks Seating Chart.
A Classic Conversation - MasterWorks 1
Elena Urioste
Saturday, October 19, 2013 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, October 20, 2013 at 2:00 PM
George Hanson, conductor
Elena Urioste, violin
Winger: Conversations with Nijinsky TSO PREMIERE
Barber: Violin Concerto
Haydn: Symphony No. 104 “London”
Recipient of the inaugural Sphinx Medal of Excellence, Elena Urioste has been on the cover of Symphony Magazine and her performances with the Chicago Symphony have been acclaimed for their “hypnotic delicacy,” “expressive poise,” and “lyrical sensitivity.” Her performance of the haunting Violin Concerto by Samuel Barber will pull the listener into its enchanted world immediately. Haydn’s great London Symphony, written at a time of immense accomplishment in his life, reflects his own joy. The program opens with the contemporary work, Conversations with Nijinsky, a ballet suite by dancer-turned-rock star and composer, Kip Winger.
Legends and Dances - MasterWorks 2
Jay Friedman
Saturday, November 9, 2013 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, November 10, 2013 at 2:00 PM
Jay Friedman, guest conductor
Dvořák: Slavonic Dances
Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite TSO PREMIERE
Strauss: Traumerei am Kamin from Intermezzo TSO PREMIERE
Sibelius’s symphonic poems, the Lemminkäinen Suite, shimmer with the musical glow only he could create. Traumerei am Kamin (Reverie by the Fireside), a brief romantic piece by Strauss, has rich tones of dreamy contemplation. The Slavonic Dances, based on Hungarian rhythms with his own original melodies, made Dvořák famous internationally and have remained some of his most popular works.
Schubert “The Great!” - MasterWorks 3
George Hanson
Saturday, January 11, 2014 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, January 12, 2014 at 2:00 PM
George Hanson, conductor
Corigliano: Voyage TSO PREMIERE
Schumann: Konzertstück for 4 Horns & Orchestra
Schubert: Symphony No. 9 “The Great “
Franz Schubert himself considered it the finest and most beautifully orchestrated work of all of his compositions and music lovers agree! Schubert’s 9th, “The Great,” has stood shoulder to shoulder with Beethoven’s finest compositions for over 170 years. Opening with Corigliano’s musical homage to Baudelaire’s provocative poem about a poet’s life, Voyage is a sensual journey of lush instrumentation. The Konzertstück was written in one of Schumann’s most prolific periods and features intricacies for the horns with bright, witty accompaniment by the orchestra.
Berlioz & Ravel: Poetry in Music - MasterWorks 4
Jennifer Johnson Cano
Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, February 9, 2014 at 2:00 PM
George Hanson, conductor
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Berlioz: Queen Mab Scherzo from Roméo et Juliette TSO PREMIERE
Berlioz: Les nuits d'été TSO PREMIERE
Ravel Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé
Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
The program is one of fantasy and dreams, some frothy with exuberance and others dark and mysterious offering reflection. It opens with the Scherzo from Roméo et Juliette, a sprightly interlude, playfully dancing from horns to piccolos to orchestra and back again. Summer Nights is a musical nod by Berlioz to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A tour-de-force for the soprano, Ravel’s three poems create shadowy, burnished, yearning beauty. Closing the program is Le Tombeau de Couperin, a composition rich with hope.
In partnership with the Tucson Desert Song Festival.
Beethoven’s Fourth - MasterWorks 5
James Feddeck
Saturday, March 8, 2014 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 9, 2014 at 2:00 PM
James Feddeck, guest conductor
Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture
Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4
The program opens with the Hebrides Overture, a work conceived by Mendelssohn’s Scottish trip and his visit to Fingal’s Cave, which inspired his musical representation of the eerie sounds produced by the echoes of waves. The suite from Stravinsky’s ballet based on the Commedia dell’arte character is the musical story of a suitor in his farcical attempts to woo a young lady. One of Beethoven’s most complex works, the Fourth Symphony is rich in beauty, fiery in tempo and exuberant in spirit. An exciting finish to the evening!
