2021-2022 Concert Schedule
SATURDAY CLASSICS
The Saturday Classics concert series welcome newcomers and established symphony enthusiasts alike. Before the concerts, families can enjoy a Children’s Program Notes presentation by music educator Lynn Roginske beginning at 1:45 p.m. Then at 2 p.m., concertgoers will be inspired by the masterpieces of renowned composers presented by the professional musicians of FCS.
Held at the relaxed yet elegant Bradley Symphony Center at 212 W. Wisconsin Ave in Milwaukee, the Saturday Classics concerts make classical music accessible to every definition of family and any music lover in grade 2 and above.
Passion, Faith, and Fate
Saturday, October 23, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.
Bradley Symphony Center
For its inaugural Saturday Classics concert at the Bradley Symphony Center, FCS will perform a program of magnificent works by master composers.
- Antonin Dvořák – Carnival Overture, op. 92
- Georges Bizet – Orchestral Suite no. 1 from “Carmen”
- P.I. Tchaikovsky – Symphony no. 4, op. 36 in F minor
Mendelssohn and Mozart
Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 2:00 p.m.
Bradley Symphony Center
FCS Principal Flute Emma Koi will perform Mozart’s timeless First Flute Concerto. The concert will also feature Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Five Variants of “Dives and Lazarus” for strings and harp, as well as Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony which FCS Music Director Carter Simmons calls “perhaps the most beautiful of Felix Mendelssohn’s symphonies.”
- Ralph Vaughan Williams – Five Variants of “Dives and Lazarus”
- W. A. Mozart – Flute Concerto no. 1 in G, K. 313
- Emma Koi, FCS Principal Flute
- Felix Mendelssohn – Symphony no. 3 in A minor, “Scottish”
From Many, One
Saturday, March 5, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.
Bradley Symphony Center
FCS features the music of great American composers. The performance will begin with George W. Chadwick’s festive Symphonic Sketches, I. Jubilee, followed by Symphony no. 4 (Autochthonous) written by William Grant Still, who is regarded as the Dean of African American composers. According to Simmons, “William Grant Still wrote his Fourth Symphony to evoke the sense of nobility present in all Americans, and to celebrate the best in our country’s people.” The concert will conclude with Aaron Copland’s Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo, which Simmons called “a reflection of America’s can-do spirit.”
- George W. Chadwick – Symphonic Sketches, I. Jubilee
- William Grant Still – Symphony no. 4 (Autochthonous)
- Aaron Copland – Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes
Season Finale
Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.
Bradley Symphony Center
FCS concludes its season with Franz Schubert’s Overture to Rosamunde, D. 644, followed by Edward Elgar’s masterpiece, Enigma Variations, op. 36, including the majestic “Nimrod” variation. The showcase event of the afternoon will be Antonin Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, op. 104 in B minor performed by FCS Principal Cello, Stefan Kartman.
- Franz Schubert – Overture to Rosamunde, D. 644
- Edward Elgar – Enigma Variations, op. 36
- Antonin Dvořák – Cello Concerto, op. 104 in B minor
- Stefan Kartman, FCS Principal Cello
PAJAMA JAMBOREES
This series of FREE, one-hour pops concerts held in the Bradley Pavilion of the Marcus Performing Arts Center, 929 N. Water St., is geared to children and their families. Each concert has narration and music selections that are lively, tell a story, and/or demonstrate the colors of the orchestra. Dress is casual. Pajamas, teddy bears, and blankets are welcome! The programs are frequently collaborative efforts with guest artists like local dancers, costumed actors, and children’s performing groups. Sometimes audience members even get to conduct!
Why We Love the Orchestra
Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Marcus Performing Arts Center
Music Director Carter Simmons will host as the orchestra performs lively music perfect for young and not-so-young concert-goers alike.
Winter Pajama Jamboree
Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Marcus Performing Arts Center
Enjoy traditional holiday favorites concluding with Leroy Anderson’s beloved A Christmas Festival. FCS encourages attendees to bring a nonperishable food donation for Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force.
Spring Pajama Jamboree
Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
Marcus Performing Arts Center
The program will include patriotic tunes and lively melodies to welcome spring. As always, FCS will close its season with the orchestral finale The Stars and Stripes Forever.
Contact us if you have questions about the concert schedule or need help ordering tickets for the Saturday Classics.