September 17th and 18th

Conrad Tao is known for his virtuoso piano playing, but he's beginning to make his name as a composer, and we're privileged to perform the world premiere of his newest violin concerto. American violinist Stefan Jackiw, whose playing is hailed as "striking for its intelligence and sensitivity" (Boston Globe), takes center stage for the concerto.

The concert also contains some of our favorite works conducted by one of our favorite maestros: Music Director Laureate Robert Spano conducts Alvin Singleton's Different River. Debuted by the ASO in 2012, it's a single-movement work that follows the ebbs and flows encountered on the journey of life. Spano bookends the concert with two rollicking tone poems by Strauss, one features the infamous German prankster Till Eulenspiegel, the other profiles the legendary womanizer Don Juan, which features two harps.