Friends

Sun, Oct 4, 2026 at 3pm

Fashion Industries

• Barbara Yahr, conductor
• Jennifer Frautschi, violin
• Edward Arron, cello

Pärt Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten
Brahms Double Concerto for Violin & Cello
Elgar Enigma Variations

The GVO’s 40th season opens with Friends, a program suffused with musical and human connection. The program begins with Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, marking the 50th anniversary of Britten’s death with a reverent lament in Pärt’s signature tintinnabuli style, and continues with Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin and Cello. Featured are two returning soloists and long-time friends of GVO: violinist Jennifer Frautschi — a two-time GRAMMY nominee, Avery Fisher career grant recipient, and internationally renowned soloist — and cellist Edward Arron — a highly sought-after soloist and member of the Ehnes Quartet. Friendship is the heart of Elgar’s Enigma Variations, a beloved collection of musical character studies of the composer’s “friends pictured within”.

Legends

Sun, Nov 15, 2026 at 3pm

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• Barbara Yahr, conductor
• Masumi Rostad, viola

Walton Viola Concerto
Ravel Ma mère l’Oye Suite
Stravinsky The Firebird Suite

Our season continues with Legends, a program of early 20th century virtuosity and storytelling. Acclaimed violist Masumi Rostad joins the orchestra for William Walton’s Viola Concerto. Rostad, a GRAMMY-winning artist at home on the world’s major stages as both soloist and chamber musician, lends his “burnished sound” (The New York Times) and keen musical insight to this soulful work. In the program’s second half, two balletic fantasies offer a study in contrast. Assistant Conductor Christian Olson leads Ravel’s Ma mère l’Oye Suite — tender miniatures depicting classic children’s Mother Goose tales — before Yahr propels the concert to a scintillating conclusion with Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.

Together in Music Family Concert

Sun, Dec 6, 2026 at 3pm

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Join us for our Annual Family Concert, a Together in Music project! This interactive concert is an accessible and engaging experience for kids of all ages. This is the perfect way to introduce classical music and the orchestra to little ones, while enjoying a fun and educational afternoon for the whole family. After the concert, stick around for an instrument “petting zoo”!

Admission FREE for the whole family! This concert is offered free of charge to all patrons thanks to generous support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Showcase

Sun, Feb 7, 2027 at 3pm

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• Barbara Yahr, conductor
• Luna Seongeun Park, soprano

Tchaikovsky Polonaise from Eugene Onegin
Strauss “Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren” from Der Rosenkavalier
Puccini “Quando me’n vo’” from La Bohème
Offenbach “Les oiseaux dans la charmille” from Les contes d’Hoffman
Bartók Concerto for Orchestra

The GVO’s spring cycle opens with Showcase, a dazzling display of vocal and orchestral virtuosity. Operatic elan pervades the first half of the program: Tchaikovsky’s “Polonaise” from Eugene Onegin sets the stage for international prizewinning soprano Luna Seongeun Park, who thrills in highlights of the repertoire by Richard Strauss, Puccini and Offenbach. Known for championing emerging artists at pivotal moments in their development, the GVO provides a rare opportunity to hear this rising star at an early stage in her career. The spotlight turns to the orchestra for Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, a behemoth symphonic showcase that anchors the program in spirited instrumental virtuosity.

Joy

Sun, Mar 21, 2027 at 7pm

St. Bartholomew’s Church

• Barbara Yahr, conductor

Beethoven Symphony No. 9
with St. George’s Choral Society (Matthew Lewis, director)

In celebration of the orchestra’s 40th anniversary, GVO and St. George’s Choral Society present Joy, a gala performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. “The GVO exists thanks to the collective joy in music making felt by our members,” says maestro Barbara Yahr. “I can think of no better way to honor 40 years of community through music than by sharing a performance of this great work with our audience.”

Soloists will be announced in Fall 2026.

Brilliance

Sun, May 2, 2027 at 3pm

Location TBA

• Barbara Yahr, conductor
• Alice Burla, piano

Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

Closing the season, Brilliance transforms the concert hall into a space of musical wit and wisdom brought to life by pianistic and orchestral prowess. The program opens with Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1, an irreverent tour de force. Pianist Alice Burla, a 2025 Cliburn Competition prizewinner described by The New York Times as an “extraordinary talent”, lends her exceptional skill and artistry to this sparkling work. The season concludes with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, a poignant yet triumphant meditation on fate and transformation.