Glacier Symphony Nears Start of 43rd Season

The Glacier Symphony will begin its 43^rd performance season later this month, marking the start of a series of concerts and events that will offer audiences a chance to experience the work of both classical and contemporary composers, and a lineup of guest performers.

The symphony has announced 10 different events and more than a dozen performances taking place through the end of May as part of the new season, which is called Illuminating The Beyond.

The season opens on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Flathead Valley Community College’s Wachholz College Center with the first of two performances called “Emperor and Titan,” which is the part of a trio of planned shows in the coming months highlighting the work of the 19th century Austrian Romantic composer Gustav Mahler.

“Emperor and Titan” will showcase the work of not just Mahler, but Beethoven as well, in what the symphony is billing as a grand concert exploring the repertoire of two composers whose new musical aesthetics acted as a bridge between stylistic periods. The concert will feature Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5 in Eb Major” and Mahler’s “Symphony No. 1 in D Major,” as well as a performance of Grammy Award-winning composer Jessie Montgomery’s 2021 piece “Hymn for Everyone.” The concert will also include visiting piano soloist Alon Goldstein.

“Emperor and Titan” will be performed a second time the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 19.

The season continues on Nov. 8 with the Glacier Chorale’s “The Poetry of Meaning” concert, which seeks to explore the question of whether or not music can truly convey meaning.

On Nov. 15, the symphony will be joined by guest piano soloist Anna Shelest, for a concert dubbed “Romantic Cathedral,” which will explore the works of composers Clara Schumann and Cecile Chaminade, before closing with Brahms “Symphony No. 3 in F Major.”

In December, the symphony orchestra and chorale will continue their annual Christmas season tradition with two performances of Handel’s “Messiah” on Saturday, Dec. 6 and Sunday, Dec. 7.

The Christmas theme will continue on Dec. 13 and 14 , with a combined three performances of “The Nutcracker” alongside the San Diego Ballet Company.

The symphony will kick off 2026 by collaborating with the Alpine Theatre Project for two performances of the classic musical “West Side Story” on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18.

February will see the symphony return to its ongoing exploration of Mahler with “What Love Tells Me,” a concert focused on Mahler’s Third Symphony. The Feb. 14 and Feb.15 performances will explore a composition the symphony has described as “the ultimate attempt by a composer to attempt to express, in personal musical terms, the entire scope of human life and the natural world.”

Movie lovers and music lovers may find a shared interest in the symphony’s March 14 concert “Galaxies Beyond! Space Music of John Williams.” The Saturday evening performance will include works from the movie music composer’s catalogue that have been featured in films including “Star Wars,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “E.T. the Extra Terrestrial,” and more. Guest composer Gala Flagello will also join the symphony for performances of her orchestral pieces “Bravado” and “Vitality.”

The symphony’s spring slate will continue with the April 18 concert “Ravel’s Bolero! And Piano Concertos.” The evening show will focus on the popular works of Ravel, and will include the guest pianist Sheng Cai, as well as a performance of the contemporary composer Polina Nazaykinskaya’s orchestral piece “Fenix (2019).”

The music of Mahler will return to center stage May 30 and May 31 for “Grand Finale: ‘Resurrection’ Symphony.” The symphony’s online description of the concert characterizes Mahler’s “Resurrection” symphony as “one of the most thrilling final movements in the entire repertoire” which “stands as a unique musical statement regarding humankind’s quest for spiritual aspirations and fulfillment.”

For more information go to glaciersymphony.com.  

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