Sensational American Violinist Hilary Hahn Performs One-Night-Only Special
TSO Celebrates the Region’s Rich Cultural Heritage with Concerts, Films:
First-ever Collaboration with Tucson Indie-Mambo Band Orkesta Mendoza;
Coco, Oscar-winning Animated Movie, In Concert with TSO Live to Film;
New works by Latino composers, Arturo Márquez, Juan Pablo Contreras, and Roberto Sierra
Classic Series Features Anne Akiko Meyers, Pacho Flores, the Return of TSO Chorus in Beethoven’s Ninth, Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony, and more!
Masterworks Series Spotlights Young Talent and TSO Principals;
Rising Star, Spanish Violinist Francisco Fullana, is 2022-2023 Artist in Residence
Spotlight on Women in Music
Pink Martini Headlines Return of SuperPops Series
New Ballet Tucson Collaboration Adds Holiday Magic to the Season
Tucson — Tucson Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is excited to announce its 2022–2023 season, featuring a return to a full season of Classics, Masterworks, SuperPops, Specials, and Chamber programming. Music Director José Luis Gomez has created a BOLD, VIBRANT, and COLORFUL season full of classic favorites and new treasures to discover. It pays tribute to the rich cultural heritage of our region, and also features new collaborations.
Hilary Hahn Performs One-Night-Only Special
Hilary Hahn, the three-time Grammy Award-Winning violinist, returns to the TSO stage March 23, 2023 for the first time since 2007 to perform Tchaikovsky’s dazzling Violin Concerto. Hahn, acknowledged as one of the greatest solo violinists of her generation, has delighted audiences around the world with her personal warmth, musicality and technical expertise. This not-to-miss concert also features the TSO performing Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Suite, conducted by music director, José Luis Gomez.
A Season Rooted in the Region’s Rich Cultural Heritage
The 2022-2023 season is firmly rooted in the region’s rich cultural heritage. Launching Hispanic Heritage Month, the TSO’s pre-season concert September 17, 2022 at Tucson Music Hall, Orkesta Mendoza and the Magic of Mexico, heralds the debut of Tucson favorites Orkesta Mendoza performing new arrangements of their music with the TSO and Maestro Gomez. The concert also features Nicholas Bardonnay’s stunning photography of Mexico set to music by composers from the region. The TSO last collaborated with Bardonnay in 2019 on the Grand Canyon National Park 100th anniversary.
NB: Single tickets for Orkesta Mendoza and the Magic of Mexico go on sale July 1, 2022.
September 23 & 25, 2022 internationally-acclaimed violinist Anne Akiko Meyers performs a new Violin Concerto, Fandango, written especially for her by leading Mexican composer, Arturo Márquez.
October 29 & 30, 2022 Families will love experiencing Coco in Concert together. Scheduled as part of this year’s Día de los Muertos celebration, the charming Disney/Pixar tale follows Miguel as he travels through the Land of the Dead to follow his dreams of becoming a musician. The TSO will perform the entire score live as the movie is projected.
November 11 & 13, 2022 A new work by rising Mexican and Latin GRAMMY®-nominated composer, Juan Pablo Contreras, combines Western classical and Mexican folk music in a single soundscape. His newest work MeChicano, to be conducted by José Luis Gomez, is co-commissioned by the TSO in conjunction with New Music USA Amplifying Voices program.
December 17 & 18, 2022 Happy Holidays/¡Feliz Navidad! celebrates the magic of a multi-cultural holiday season in Tucson. The Tucson Girls Chorus and the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus are among the invited guests for this new holiday tradition at Tucson Music Hall!
February 17 & 19, 2023 Venezuelan trumpeter Pacho Flores makes a welcome return to perform the US premiere of a new concerto, Salseando, composed especially for him by Puerto Rican Roberto Sierra.
Classic Series Shines with Favorites, New Music
September 23 & 25, 2022 The Classics Series, in Memory of Betty Jean Ojeda, opens with violinist Anne Akiko Meyers performing Arturo Márquez’s Violin Concerto, Fandango, which she premiered last year with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. Opening weekend also includes Tucsonan Robert Muczynski’s Charade and Tchaikovsky’s beloved Symphony No. 5.
The TSO brings back two beloved choral masterpieces programmed in the 2020–2021 season that were postponed because of the pandemic.
January 20 & 22, 2023 José Luis Gomez leads Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 ‘Choral’, with the TSO Chorus and soloists Corinne Winters (soprano), Kelley O’Conner (mezzo-soprano), Richard Trey Smagur (tenor), and Kelly Markgraf (baritone). These performances are in partnership with the Tucson Desert Song Festival.
March 31 & April 2, 2023 The season closes with Mahler’s Symphony No.2 “Resurrection,” a symphonic musical journey of death and rebirth. Joining Maestro Gomez and the TSO Chorus are Kelley Nassief (soprano) and Emily Marvosh (contralto).
February 17 & 19, 2023 Venezuelan compatriots, conductor Manuel Hernández-Silva and trumpeter Pacho Flores, bring a Latin-American flair to Tucson, including Flores’ own piece Morocata, and the US premiere of Puerto Rican Roberto Sierra’s trumpet concerto, Salseando. Hernández-Silva enters into the Valentine’s Day spirit leading the TSO in Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture.
The Classic series also explores music inspired by fairy tales (October 14 & 16, 2022) led by internationally-acclaimed conductor Shiyeon Sung making her TSO debut; a showcase concerto in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Natasha Paremski (November 11 & 13, 2022); and a program highlighting music inspired by America (December 2 & 4, 2022) with Ankush Kumar Bahl making his TSO guest conducting debut joined by the winner of the 2021 American Pianists Association Awards, Kenny Broberg, performing Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F. On March 17 & 19, 2023, Canadian violinist Kerson Leong makes his TSO debut performing the infamously challenging Violin Concerto No. 1 by Paganini.
Classic Series takes place at Tucson Music Hall, with a new adjacent parking garage for easy access!
Masterworks Series Spotlights Rising Young Talent and TSO Principals
The Masterworks Series spotlights young and rising artists and the TSO’s own principals.
October 8 & 9, 2022 Artist in Residence Francisco Fullana, violin, opens the season with Max Richter’s electrifying reinterpretation of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (which many will recognize from the Chef’s Table series). Fullana, who was awarded a 2018 Avery Fisher Career Award, will also curate one of the Up Close Chamber programs (details to be announced at a later date).
November 19 & 20, 2022 In a program celebrating Women in Music, TSO Principal Timpanist Alana Wiesing, one of the stars of the new generation of percussionists, will take the solo stage performing Werner Thärichen’s Timpani Concerto. She is joined by Holly Hyun Choe, making her US conducting debut, who introduces music by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, and young American composer Jessie Montgomery.
January 7 & 8, 2023 TSO wind players take center stage in Frank Martin’s Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments. José Luis Gomez continues his exploration of the Schubert’s symphonies and introduces the music of mid-20th Venezuelan composer Juan Bautista Plaza.
February 4 & 5, 2023 Michelle Cann, recent winner of the Andrew Wolf Chamber Award, makes her TSO debut with Schumann’s Piano Concerto. Guest conductor Perry So gives the program a taste of Italy with Dallapiccola’s Piccola Musica Notturna, and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 ‘Italian’.
March 11 & 12, 2023 The Masterworks season closes with the fantastical creation of Tucson composer and winner of the 2016 ASCAP Rudolf Nissim Prize, Vincent Calianno: The Facts and Dreams of the World According to Michael Jackson. Maestro José Luis Gomez completes the program with works by Ravel and Schubert.
Masterworks Series takes place at the Catalina Foothills High School, an intimate venue with superior acoustics.
Spotlight on Women in Music
As part of its vision to shine a light on historically underrepresented people in classical music, the TSO is featuring several women conductors, composers and artists of color.
October 14 & 16, 2022 Korean conductor Shiyeon Sung is the first of two conductors making their debuts with the TSO. Winner of the Solti International Conductors’ Competition and the Mahler Conductors’ Competition, she was shortly thereafter appointed assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony in 2007. She has since gone on to conduct internationally renowned orchestras worldwide.
November 19 & 20, 2022 Korean-American Holly Hyun Choe makes her US conducting debut with the TSO. She is currently assistant conductor to music director Paavo Järvi at Zürich’s Tonhalle Orchestra. Choe introduces music by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, and young African-American composer Jessie Montgomery. The soloist in this program is the only female African-American principal timpanist of a US orchestra, the TSO’s Alana Wiesing.
February 4 & 5, 2023 African-American pianist, Michelle Cann, the recent winner of the Andrew Wolf Chamber Award, makes her TSO debut with Schumann’s Piano Concerto.
SuperPops is Back!
The SuperPops Series returns after a two-year break because of the pandemic.
October 22 & 23, 2022 The season opens with Revolution: The Music of the Beatles featuring top vocalists and new orchestral arrangements of the Fab Four’s greatest hits. Rare and previously unseen photos from the official fan magazine, coupled with video and animation, provide an immersive multi-media experience. Former TSO music director, Bob Bernhardt, makes a welcome return as conductor.
January 14 & 15, 2023 The SuperPops series is headlined by the return of favorites Pink Martini whose internationally-inspired music has delighted audiences for over twenty years. Their boisterous performances by a fabulous roster of musicians and vocalist China Forbes regularly sell out.
February 25 & 26, 2023 Drawing on his Mexican-American heritage, Latin Fire is a brand-new show of Latin American light orchestral hits brought to life by conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez. He is joined by Costa Rican trumpeter José Sibaja, and Mexican vocalist Mónica Abrejo. You’ll love popular favorites such as “Tico-tico no Fubá” and “Júrame” as well the tangos of Piazzolla and a sultry suite from Bizet’s Carmen. This promises to be a high-energy evening that will have audiences dancing in their seats.
March 25 & 26, 2023 Maestro Gomez leads the TSO on a cinematic journey through John Williams’ iconic movie scores, including well-known themes from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Jaws, Catch Me If You Can and many more!
SuperPops takes place at Tucson Music Hall, with a new adjacent parking garage for easy access!
New Collaboration with Ballet Tucson’s The Nutcracker
December 22-24, 2022, Tucson Music Hall In a new partnership, the TSO will perform Tchaikovsky’s iconic score for Ballet Tucson’s production of The Nutcracker. For four performances, this collaboration brings together two of the region’s leading arts organizations for a new holiday tradition. Tickets to The Nutcracker will be available as an add-on for Symphony subscribers.
Other Programs
TSO Up Close will feature four chamber concerts performed by TSO musicians in the intimate setting of Tucson Symphony Center, 2175 N. Sixth Avenue. The November program will be joined by Francisco Fullana, TSO’s 2022–2023 Artist in Residence. Performance details and dates to be announced later.
Just For Kids The TSO’s signature program for families with young children presents free concerts on Saturday mornings September through April. These interactive ensemble concerts entertain, engage and education our youngest listeners. Performance details and dates to be announced later.
Ticketing Information
Season Subscriptions for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra are now on sale at Tucsonsymphony.org or 520.882.8585.
Single tickets for Orkesta Mendoza and the Magic of Mexico go on sale July 1, 2022. All other single tickets go on sale August 1, 2022.
About the Tucson Symphony Orchestra
The first professional symphony orchestra in the Southwest, the TSO is the longest continuously performing professional arts organization in Arizona, where it impacts more than 120,000 lives each year. The mission of the organization is to engage, educate and transform our community through live musical experiences of the highest quality. Under the baton of Music Director José Luis Gomez, the TSO engages with audiences of all ages through concerts, educational programming, and outreach.
For more information, visit Tucsonsymphony.org
Tucson Symphony Orchestra 2022–23 Season
Chronological List of Performances
The Classic Series is in memory of Betty Jean Ojeda
The Masterworks Series is in memory of Peter F. Salomon
Orkesta Mendoza & the Magic of Mexico (Special)
José Luis Gomez, conductor
Nicholas Bardonnay, photographer & multimedia artist
Orkesta Mendoza
Saturday, September 17, 2022 at 7:30 PM
Tucson Music Hall
Opening Night- Fandango Fabuloso (Classic)
José Luis Gomez, conductor
Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Muczynski: Charade
Arturo Márquez: Fandango
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
Friday, September 23, 2022, at 7:30 PM
Sunday, September 25, 2022, at 2:30 PM
Tucson Music Hall
Sponsored by the Coronet, Nightjar, and Meyer Avenue Café & Mercantile
The Four Seasons, Reimagined (Masterworks)
José Luis Gomez, conductor
Francisco Fullana, violin (Artist in Residence)
Muczynski: Serenade for Summer
Haydn: Symphony No. 64 “Tempora mutantur”
Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Saturday, October 8, 2022, at 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 9, 2022, at 2:00 PM
Catalina Foothills High School
Fairy Tales and Firebirds (Classic)
Shiyeon Sung, conductor
Weber: Oberon Overture
Ravel: Mother Goose
Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus: Concerto for Birds and Orchestra
Stravinsky: Firebird Suite (1919)
Friday, October 14, 2022 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 16, 2022 at 2:00 PM
Tucson Music Hall
In memory of Joan MacDonald
Revolution: The Music of The Beatles. A Symphonic Experience (SuperPops)
Bob Bernhardt, conductor
Saturday, October 22, 2022, at 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 23, 2022, at 2:00 PM
Tucson Music Hall
Sponsored by Fidelity Investments
Coco: In Concert Live to Film (Special)
Friday, October 29, 2022 at 6:30 PM
Saturday, October 30, 2022, at 2:00 PM
Tucson Music Hall
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 (Classic)
José Luis Gomez, conductor
Natasha Paremski, piano
Juan Pablo Contreras: MeChicano (TSO co-commission)
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
Nielsen: Symphony No. 4, “Inextinguishable”
Friday, November 11, 2022 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 13, 2022, at 2:00 PM
Tucson Music Hall
Celebrating Women in Music (Masterworks)
Holly Hyun Choe, conductor
Alana Wiesing, timpani
F. Mendelssohn Hensel: Overture in C
Thärichen: Timpani Concerto
Jessie Montgomery: Strum
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Saturday, November 19, 2022, at 7:30 PM
Sunday, November 20, 2022, at 2:00 PM
Catalina Foothills High School
Voices of America (Classic)
Ankush Kumar Bahl, conductor
Kenny Broberg, piano
Still: Serenade
Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”
Friday, December 2, 2022 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 4, 2022 at 2:30 PM
Tucson Music Hall
Handel’s Messiah & Other Holiday Favorites (Special)
José Luis Gomez, conductor
Lauren Roth, violin
Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus
Mozart: “Sleigh Ride” from German Dances
Vivaldi: “Winter” from The Four Seasons
Britten: Interlude from A Ceremony of Carols
Britten: Men of Goodwill: Variations on A Christmas Carol
Waldteufel: The Skaters Waltz
Strauss Jr.: Thunder and Lightning Polka
Handel: Selections from Messiah
Saturday, December 10, 2022, at 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 11, 2022, at 2:00 PM
Catalina Foothills High School
Happy Holidays, ¡Feliz Navidad! (Special)
José Luis Gomez, conductor
Tucson Girls Chorus
Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus
Saturday, December 17, 2022, at 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 18, 2022, at 2:00 PM
Tucson Music Hall
Underwritten by the James H. and Frances R. Allen Family Foundation in loving memory of Kimberlee Allen
Ballet Tucson’s The Nutcracker (Special)
with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra
Thursday, December 22, 2022 at 7:00PM
Friday, December 23, 2022 at 3:00PM and 7:00PM
Saturday, December 24, 2022 at 1:00PM
Tucson Music Hall
Underwritten by the James H. and Frances R. Allen Family Foundation in loving memory of Kimberlee Allen
Spotlighting TSO Principals (Masterworks)
José Luis Gomez, conductor
J.S Bach: Fugue à la gigue in G Major
Plaza: Fuga Criolla
Martin: Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments
Schubert: Symphony No. 5
Saturday, January 7, 2023 at 2:00 & 7:30 PM Sunday, January 8, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Catalina Foothills High School
Pink Martini (SuperPops)
Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, January 15, 2023, at 2:00 PM
Tucson Music Hall
Beethoven’s Ninth (Classic)
José Luis Gomez, conductor
Corinne Winters, soprano
Kelly O’Connor, mezzo-soprano
Richard Trey Smagur, tenor
Kelly Markgraf, baritone
Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus
Wagner: Prelude to The Mastersingers of Nuremberg
Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9, “Choral”
Friday, January 20, 2023, at 7:30 PM
Sunday, January 22, 2023, at 2:00 PM
Tucson Music Hall
Underwritten by Drs. John P. And Helen S. Schaefer
This concert is in partnership with the Tucson Desert Song Festival
Schumann & Mendelssohn (Masterworks)
Perry So, conductor
Michelle Cann, piano
Dallapiccola: Piccola Music Notturna
Schumann: Piano Concerto
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4, “Italian”
Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 2:00 and 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 5, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Catalina Foothills High School
A Venezuelan Valentine (Classic)
Manuel Hernández-Silva, conductor
Pacho Flores, trumpets
Moreno-Buendía: Boceto Sinfónico
Roberto Sierra: Salseando (US premiere)
Pacho Flores: Morocota
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture
Friday, February 17, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 19, 2023, at 2:00 PM
Tucson Music Hall
Latin Fire (SuperPops)
Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor
José Sibaja, trumpet
Mónica Abrego, vocals
Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, February 26, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Tucson Music Hall
Ravel and Schubert (Masterworks)
José Luis Gomez, conductor
Vincent Calianno: The Facts and Dreams of the World According to Michael Jackson
Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
Schubert: Symphony No. 6, “The Little C Major”
Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 2:00 and 7:30 PM
Sunday, March 12, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Catalina Foothills High School
Tantalizing Tricksters (Classics)
José Luis Gomez, conductor
Kerson Leong, violin
Mozart: Overture to Don Giovanni
Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1
Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
R. Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
Friday, March 17, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, March 19, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Tucson Music Hall
An Evening with Hillary Hahn (Special)
José Luis Gomez, conductor
Hilary Hahn, violin
Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Suite
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Tucson Music Hall
Underwritten by Connie Hillman Family Foundation
The Magic of John Williams (SuperPops)
José Luis Gomez, conductor
Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, March 26, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Tucson Music Hall
Mahler’s Resurrection (Classic)
José Luis Gomez, conductor
Kelly Nassief, soprano
Emily Marvosh, contralto
Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus
Mahler: Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection”
Friday, March 31, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Tucson Music Hall
