Pasadena Symphony & Pops

Beethoven “Pastoral” Symphony
2025-05-03 | Ambassador Auditorium, 131 S St. John Avenue, Pasadena, CA, 91105, United States
Ambassador Auditorium

May 3, 2025
2:00pm & 8:00pm Brett Mitchell, conductor
William Hagen, violin
Chadwick A Pastoral Prelude for Orchestra
Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1
Beethoven Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral” Buy Tickets
Mitchell wraps his inaugural season in a cloak of exquisite musical beauty, concluding with a sense of optimism and joy for Beethoven’s expansive “Pastoral” Symphony.

ArtistsBrett MitchellMusic Director William HagenViolin Video Sponsors
Insights Sponsor:

Symphonie Fantastique!
2025-11-08
Ambassador Auditorium

November 8, 2025
2:00pm & 8:00pm Brett Mitchell, conductor
Orion Weiss, piano
Jim Self Tour de Force
Ravel Piano Concerto in G Major
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique BUY TICKETS Mitchell kicks off the season in dramatic style with Ravel’s jazz-inspired Piano Concerto and Berlioz’s bold, hallucinatory masterpiece of passion, obsession and vivid orchestral storytelling. Plus Principal Tuba Jim Self’s celebratory Tour de Force opens his 50th season with the orchestra!
Join us one hour before the performance for Insights – a free pre-concert dialogue with KUSC Host Brian Lauritzen and Music Director Brett Mitchell. Learn about the works being performed and get a behind-the-scenes look at our guest artists and conductor. ArtistsBrett MitchellMusic Director Orion WeissPiano Jim SelfComposer Video Sponsors
Concert Underwriter:
Kimberly S. Winick

Insights Sponsor:
Alan Fisher, MD
& Hear MD

Mendelssohn & Meyer
2026-01-24
Ambassador Auditorium

January 24, 2026
2:00pm & 8:00pm Brett Mitchell, conductor
Tessa Lark, violin
Mendelssohn The Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave)
Edgar Meyer Violin Concerto
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 “Scottish” Buy Tickets Embark on a rich musical journey as Mendelssohn’s evocative “Scottish” Symphony captures the misty beauty of the Highlands, and violinist Tessa Lark brings you through fields of Southern bluegrass with fire and finesse for Edgar Meyer’s genre-blending concerto.
Join us one hour before the performance for Insights – a free pre-concert dialogue with KUSC Host Brian Lauritzen and Music Director Brett Mitchell. Learn about the works being performed and get a behind-the-scenes look at our guest artists and conductor. ArtistsTessa LarkViolin Edgar MeyerComposer Brett MitchellMusic Director Video Sponsors
Concert Underwriter:
Barbara Mann Steinwedell

Insights Sponsor:
Alan Fisher, MD
& Hear MD

Tchaikovsky Pathétique
2026-02-21
Ambassador Auditorium

February 21, 2026
2:00pm & 8:00pm Brett Mitchell, conductor
Michelle Cann, piano
Jeffrey Nytch Beacon
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique” Buy Tickets Delight in the elegance of Mozart’s 23rd Piano Concerto, shimmering with grace and lyrical beauty at the hands of the electrifying Michelle Cann. Then, plunge into the emotional depths of Tchaikovsky’s haunting “Pathétique” Symphony for a gripping journey exploring love, despair and fate.
Join us one hour before the performance for Insights – a free pre-concert dialogue with KUSC Host Brian Lauritzen and Music Director Brett Mitchell. Learn about the works being performed and get a behind-the-scenes look at our guest artists and conductor. ArtistsJeffrey NytchComposer Michelle CannPiano Brett MitchellMusic Director Video Sponsors
Concert Underwriter:
Marlene R. Konnar & John D. Baldeschwieler

Insights Sponsor:
Alan Fisher, MD
& Hear MD

Dvořák New World Symphony
2026-03-21
Ambassador Auditorium

March 21, 2026
2:00pm & 8:00pm Brett Mitchell, conductor
Juan Pablo Contreras, composer & special guest
Bernstein Three Dance Variations from Fancy Free
Juan Pablo Contreras Symphony No. 1
“MyGreat Dream” (co-commission)
Dvořák Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” Buy Tickets Be among the first to experience acclaimed composer Juan Pablo Conteras’ first symphony, capturing his journey to becoming a composer and a US citizen, and get lost in one of the most popular symphonies of all time – a tribute to the American spirit. ArtistsJuan Pablo ContrerasComposer & Special Guest Brett MitchellMusic Director Video Sponsors
Individual Concert Underwriter:
The Executive Committee of the
Pasadena Symphony Association Board of Directors

Insights Sponsor:
Alan Fisher, MD
& Hear MD

Beethoven Eroica
2026-04-25
Ambassador Auditorium

April 25, 2026
2:00pm & 8:00pm Brett Mitchell, conductor
Julian Schwarz, cello
Quinn Mason Heroic Overture (Overtura Eroica)
Jennifer Higdon Cello Concerto (West Coast Premiere)
Beethoven Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” Buy Tickets A grand display of musical innovation across centuries, with the west coast premiere of Grammy-winning composer Jennifer Higdon’s cello concerto, and the bold spirit of Beethoven’s ground-breaking Eroica Symphony—revolutionary, heroic and full of power.
Join us one hour before the performance for Insights – a free pre-concert dialogue with KUSC Host Brian Lauritzen and Music Director Brett Mitchell. Learn about the works being performed and get a behind-the-scenes look at our guest artists and conductor. ArtistsBrett MitchellMusic Director Julian SchwarzCello Quinn MasonComposer Jennifer HigdonComposer Video Sponsors
Concert Underwriter:
Linda & William Krantz

Insights Sponsor:
Alan Fisher, MD
& Hear MD

America @ 250
2026-05-30
Ambassador Auditorium

May 30, 2026
2:00pm & 8:00pm Brett Mitchell, conductor
Alec Baldwin, narrator
Terrence Wilson, piano
John Williams Liberty Fanfare
Gershwin Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra
Copland Appalachian Spring Suite
Copland Lincoln Portrait Buy Tickets
The season closes with a celebration of American orchestral music – John Williams, Gershwin and two seminal pieces by Copland. Terrence Wilson dazzles on Gershwin’s vibrant Concerto in F and acclaimed actor Alec Baldwin brings a distinctive voice to Copland’s ode to Lincoln. It’s a season finale you won’t want to miss!
Join us one hour before the performance for Insights – a free pre-concert dialogue with KUSC Host Brian Lauritzen and Music Director Brett Mitchell. Learn about the works being performed and get a behind-the-scenes look at our guest artists and conductor. ArtistsBrett MitchellMusic Director Terrence WilsonPiano Alec BaldwinNarrator Video Sponsors
Individual Concert Underwriter:
Georgianna Bray Erskine
In memory of her mother, Evelyn Bray, and in honor of
the Women’s Committee of the Pasadena Symphony Association

Insights Sponsor:
Alan Fisher, MD
& Hear MD
