Memphis Symphony Orchestra Announces 2023-2024 Season Led by Music Director Robert Moody
New Season Brings Beloved Music from around the World to 10+ Mid-South Venues
Memphis, Tenn. – The Memphis Symphony Orchestra (MSO) announces its 72nd concert season of beloved classics and uplifting new voices. The 2023-2024 season, from favorite classics and new compositions to uplifting underrepresented voices, every MSO concert aims to bring people together through music.
Beginning in September 2023, the concert season is framed by two towering new concertos. The opening concerts will feature the world premiere of Chris Brubeck’s Double Guitar Concerto, featuring classical guitar and blues guitar soloists. This work was commissioned by the MSO, Dr. Candace Steele Flippin, and the Briggs Foundation. The season will close with Pulitzer-Prize-winning Wynton Marsalis’s Violin Concerto, played by Kelly Hall-Tompkins. Both works highlight the interconnected musical worlds of classical, blues, and jazz. In addition to these two concertos, nearly half of the MSO’s upcoming season will feature incredible music by living American composers.
To close a magnificent season, MSO will take fans on a journey to a galaxy far, far away with MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU - THE MUSIC OF STAR WARS. Grab your helmets, blasters, and lightsabers, and don’t miss these performances on May 4, 2024.
Classic Masterpieces
The opening concertos are paired with some of the most well-known and beloved works, including:
MUSSORGSKY/RAVEL Pictures at an Exhibition
ORFF Carmina Burana
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5
DVOŘÁK New World Symphony
GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue (100th anniversary)
HOLST The Planets
HAYDN Creation
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
Holiday Traditions
The beloved holiday classic, MAGIC OF MEMPHIS, will be back at the Cannon Center at the beginning of December 2023 with caroling audience sing-alongs, trumpeting horse whinnies, and Dancing Santas. We will also continue the tradition of HANDEL’S Messiah at different Memphis-area churches.
MSO Commitment to Equity and Inclusion
MSO continues to uplift underrepresented voices in classical music by featuring an African American or Latinx composer or soloist in every concert. This season will include the third work in three years from young composer Quinn Mason and works by Jessie Montgomery and Kathryn Bostic. In addition to violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins, the MSO soloists will include pianist Terrence Wilson and guitarists Thomas Flippin and Vasti Jackson. Forty percent of the works are by living American composers.
As the community’s orchestra, the MSO takes pride in playing for all Mid-Southerners. The 2023-2024 season includes performances at over 10 venues, from downtown Memphis to Germantown, Dyersburg, Oxford, MS, and more. The Saturday evening concert series continues downtown at the beautiful Cannon Center for the Performing Arts. The MSO’s Sunday matinee concert series will move to its new home at the brand-new, state-of-the-art Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, centrally located on the University of Memphis campus.
“I’m honored to lead this magnificent orchestra and work alongside incredible musicians who make this work meaningful,” said Music Director Robert Moody. “We’re grateful to our supporters and patrons for their long-standing support, and I can assure everyone that this upcoming season will be unforgettable. Over the last year, we have been very intentional about listening to our fans, and this season reflects what they want to see. From playing in more venues to broadening our programming, this season is for Memphis and all of the Mid-South.”
Subscriptions and Ticket Packages are on Sale Now
Season ticket packages are currently on sale. Memberships offer many benefits, including 20% off single ticket sales, reserved seats, and first notice on new offerings. In addition, we offer six different ticket packages to fit everyone’s needs, and the Young Symphony Patrons membership is exclusive for supporters under the age of 35. For more information, visit MemphisSymphony.org or call 901-537-2500.