For many years, I’ve put together a little pocket guide to the Seattle Symphony subscription season for my symphony friends to help them decide which ticket package they want. At some point, we may start subscribing again, but for now, we pick-and-choose individual concerts.
Here’s the at-a-glance season guide for the 2020/2021 season, still with no comments from me because it’s not worth trying to rate every piece to help my friends pick one concert. If you’re my friend and want recommendations, just call. Besides, you can probably preview nearly all of the pieces nowadays (minus the premieres) by searching on YouTube.
- Official brochure. It’s called the “2021 season” because it’s short for “2020/2021”, not because it covers only the year 2021.
- Press release
- Official video
- Season highlights
This is Thomas Dausgaard’s second season as the Seattle Symphony’s music director.
Week | Program | 22 | 13 | 7A 7B |
8C 8D |
7E 7F |
8G | 5A | SU | BW | |||
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09/24 2020 |
Reena Esmail: New Work¹ Mozart: Piano Concerto #24 Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique |
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10/08 2020 |
Charlotte Bray: At the Speed of Stillness Mozart: Violin Concerto #3 Dvořák: Symphony #6 |
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10/15 2020 |
Haydn: Symphony #104, “London” Shostakovich: Piano Concerto #1 Ravel: Mother Goose |
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10/25 2020 |
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (mandolin) Traditional Venetian Gondolier Songs |
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10/29 2020 |
Mendelssohn: The Hebrides (“Fingal’s Cave”) Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto Suk: Meditation on the old Czech Chorale “Saint Wenceslas” Miloslav Kabeláč: Symphony #4 “Camerata”² |
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11/05 2020 |
Debussy: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune Bartók: Violin Concerto #2 Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem Debussy: La mer |
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11/12 2020 |
Ligeti: San Francisco Polyphony Elgar: Cello Concerto Amy Beach: Symphony #2, “Gaelic” |
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11/19 | Beethoven: Missa solemnis | ||||||||||||
01/14 2021 |
Sarah Gibson: warp & weft Mozart: Piano Concerto #26 “Coronation” Schumann: Symphony #3 “Rhenish” |
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01/21 2021 |
Jörg Widmann: Con brio Mozart: Sinfonia concertante for Winds Tchaikovsky: Symphony #6, “Pathétique“ |
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01/29 2021 |
Handel: Concerto grosso, Op. 6, #5 Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in G minor, RV 416 Rameau: Selections from Les Boréades Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in A minor, RV 419 CPE Bach: Cello Concerto in A major Haydn: Symphony #13 |
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02/04 2021 |
Kodály: Dances of Galánta Brahms: Hungarian Dances #1, 3, 10 Brahms: Symphony #4 |
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02/11 2021 |
Nielsen: Symphony #6 “Sinfonia semplice“ Enrico Chapela: Violin Concerto² Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite |
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02/18 2021 |
Lutosławski: Symphonic Variations Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Tchaikovsky: Suite #3 |
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02/25 2021 |
Hannah Kendall: Kanashibari² Beethoven: Piano Concerto #4 R. Strauss: Le bourgeois gentilhomme Suite |
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03/18 2021 |
Christopher Rouse: Rapture Nico Muhly, Sven Helbig & Zhou Long: Three Continents Concerto² Wagner: Selections from The Ring |
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03/25 2021 |
John Adams: I Still Dance Prokofiev: Piano Concerto #2 Dvořák: Symphony #9, “From the New World” |
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04/08 2021 |
Mozart: Piano Concerto #20 Mahler: Symphony #5 |
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04/29 2021 |
Beethoven: Coriolan Overture Bartók: Piano Concerto #3 Erkki-Sven Tüür: Phantasma² Stravinsky: Pétrouchka |
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05/06 2021 |
Bach: Concerto for Two Violins Handel: Organ Concerto Op. 7, #1 Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Cellos Dvořák: Serenade for Strings |
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05/14 | Bach: Cantatas (selections) | ||||||||||||
05/20 2021 |
Haydn: Piano Concerto in F Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Mozart: Piano Concerto #9, “Jeunehomme“ |
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06/10 2021 |
Betsy Jolas: A Little Summer Suite Prokofiev: Violin Concerto #2 Franck: Symphony in D minor |
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06/17 2021 |
Hans Abrahamsen: Horn Concerto² Schumann: Konzertstück for Four Horns Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra |
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06/24 | Tan Dun: Buddha Passion | ||||||||||||
Week | Program | 22 | 13 | 7A 7B |
8C 8D |
7E 7F |
8G | 5A | SU | BW |
¹ World Premiere
² U.S. Premiere
Insider tip: Click a column header to focus on a specific series. (This feature has been around for several years, actually.)
Legend:
22 | Masterworks 22-concert series (Choice of Thursdays or Saturdays) |
13 | Masterworks 13-concert series (Choice of Thursdays or Saturdays) |
7A | Masterworks 7-concert series A (Thursdays) |
7B | Masterworks 7-concert series B (Saturdays) |
8C | Masterworks 8-concert series C (Thursdays) |
8D | Masterworks 8-concert series D (Saturdays) |
7E | Masterworks 7-concert series E (Thursdays) |
7F | Masterworks 7-concert series F (Saturdays) |
8G | Masterworks 8-concert series G (Sunday afternoons) |
5A | Masterworks 5-concert series A (Friday afternoons) |
SU | Untuxed (Fridays, reduced program) |
BW | Baroque and Wine (Choice of Fridays or Saturdays) |
For those not familiar with the Seattle Symphony ticket package line-ups: Most of the ticket packages are named Masterworks nX where n is the number of concerts in the package, and the letter indicates the variation. Ticket packages have been combined if they are identical save for the day of the week. For example, 8C and 8D are the same concerts; the only difference is that 8C is for Thursday nights, while 8D is for Saturday nights.
Notes and changes:
- The 7[AB], 8[CD], and 7[EF] concert series do not overlap, so you can create your own pseudo-series by taking any two of them, or recreate the 22-concert series by taking all three.
- The 13-concert series is the same as the 8[CD] and 7[EF] series combined, minus the November 19 and February 18 concerts.
- Conductor Emeritus Ludovic Morlot returns to the podium for the concerts on the weekend of June 10.
- Not included above are other regular series that do not overlap with the Masterworks series: Pops, Recitals, [untitled] (contemporary music), Chamber music, Family Concerts, and Tiny Tots.
- Last season, the Baroque and Wine series struck out on its own and had no overlap with the Masterworks series, but this season it connects back to the Masterworks series via the Four Seasons concert on October 25.
- The Seattle Symphony Family Connections program is still going. It provides free symphony tickets for up to two children with the purchase of an adult ticket.
- Khatia Buniatishvili is this year’s artist in residence, which I think will be very exciting. She performs on opening night and in recital.
- Violinist Ray Chen performs in recital. No relation.
- Once again, there is a June Beethoven Festival, commemorating the composer’s 250th birthday. It performs the complete symphonies alongside contemporary works. 1 and 3, 2 and 7, 6 and 8, 4 and 5, 9.
- There are always one-off concerts scattered through the year.
- Over the years, the format of the Seattle Symphony official brochure has gradually gotten closer and closer to the format of this pocket guide. This makes my job both easier and arguably superfluous.
Update: The entire 2020–2021 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Replacement concerts were held with no audience physically present, and the live stream was made available to all subscribers regardless of ticket package. Selections marked with a § symbol were from cancelled concerts in the original 2019–2020 or 2020–2021 schedule.
Week | Program |
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09/19 2020 |
Season Opening Reimagined Mozart: Overture to Don Giovanni Whitney Mongé: “Tomorrow”, “Crash”, “Day N Nite”, “Gracefully” Mary D. Watkins: Five Movements in Color: Soul of Remembrance Beethoven: Symphony #7 |
09/24 2020 |
Mozart: Piano Concerto #21 Beethoven: Symphony #5 |
10/02 2020 |
Essentials Series Whitney Mongé with the Seattle Symphony |
10/08 2020 |
Korngold: Dance in the Old Style Barber: Violin Concerto Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings |
10/15 2020 |
Carlos Simon: An Elegy: A Cry from the Grave § Shostakovich: Piano Concerto #1 § Haydn: Symphony #104, “London” |
10/22 | § Vivaldi: The Four Seasons |
10/29 2020 |
Jessie Montgomery: Starburst § Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto Mozart: Symphony #29 |
11/05 2020 |
Thomas Adès: Three Studies from Couperin Debussy: Danses sacrée et profane Martin: Ballade for Flute and Orchestra Honegger: Symphony # 2 |
11/12 2020 |
Caroline Shaw: Entr’acte Shostakovich: Cello Concerto #2 Beethoven: Symphony #8 |
11/19 2020 |
Brett Dean: Testament § Tyshawn Sorey: For Roscoe Mitchell for Cello & Orchestra¹ Beethoven: Symphony #4 |
12/04 2020 |
(cancelled) Essentials Series Ivan & Alyosha with the Seattle Symphony |
12/11 2020 |
(cancelled) Holiday Pops with the Seattle Symphony N’Kenge with the Seattle Symphony |
12/17 2020 |
(cancelled) Handel: Selections from Rodrigo Rameau: Selections from Hippolyte et Aicie W.F. Bach: Harpsichord Concerto, F. 41 Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #5 |
01/08 2021 |
(cancelled) Essential Series Grieves with the Seattle Symphony |
01/21 2021 |
Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Trumpets Bach: Oboe Concerto in F major Grieg: Holberg Suite |
01/28 2021 |
Haydn: Cello Concerto in C major Prokofiev: Symphony #1 |
02/04 2021 |
“Hope & Harmony” (program announced from the podium) Mendelssohn: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending Juan David Osorio López: El Paraíso según Maria Carlos Simon: Fate Now Conquers |
02/11 | (no replacement concert) |
02/18 2021 |
Chamber music series Juri Seo: Lost Songs Schumann: String Quartet #2 Mozart: Serenade #12 “Nachtmusik” |
02/25 2021 |
§ Hannah Kendall: Kanashibari² § Beethoven: Piano Concerto #4 § Ravel: Mother Goose Suite |
03/04 2021 |
Pops Series Sinatra and Beyond with the Tony DeSare Quartet |
03/18 2021 |
“Celebrate Asia” annual concert Takashi Yoshimatsu: Atom Hearts Club Suite #1 Dai Fujikura: Umi (“Sea”) for Orchestra² Akira Senju: A Ba La Ka Kya IV¹ Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme |
03/26 2021 |
Essentials Series Ivan & Alyosha with the Seattle Symphony |
04/02 2021 |
A Tribute to Louis Armstrong Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra |
04/08 2021 |
§ Mozart: Piano Concerto #20 Schubert: Symphony #8 “Unfinished” |
04/15 2021 |
Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony, Op. 110A Respighi: The Birds |
04/23 2021 |
§ Schumann: Konzertstück for Four Horns Elgar: Serenade for Strings Jessie Montgomery: Strum |
04/29 2021 |
Chamber Series Anthony Barfield: Gravity Allison Loggins-Hull: Hammers Takemitsu: Rain Tree Tan Dun: Elegy: Snow in June |
05/06 2021 |
Handel: Organ Concerto in F “The Cuckoo and the Nightingale” Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Cellos Dvořák: Serenade for Strings |
05/13 2021 |
Bach: Orchestral Suite #1 Schubert: Symphony #5 |
05/20 2021 |
Beethoven: Piano Concerto #2 § Mozart: Piano Concerto #9, “Jeunehomme“ |
05/27 2021 |
(Chamber works for brass and organ) Dukas: Fanfare to La Péri Pierre Dumage: Grand Jeu from Premier livre d’orgue Eugène Gigout (organ arr. Michel Rondeau): Grand chœur dialogué Marques Young: Synthetic Voices Anthony DiLorenzo: Tango #1 Emma Gregan: Popcorn Duruflé: Scherzo, Op. 2 Anthony Barfield: Invictus Wagner (organ arr. Jay Friedman): Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral from Lohengrin |
06/04 2021 |
Pops Series Wish Upon the Stars: Music from movies Mickey Mouse March Selections from The Jungle Book Ponchielli: Dance of the Hours (Fantasia) Selections from How to Train Your Dragon Hallelujah from Shrek Selections from Alice in Wonderland (1951) When You Wish Upon a Star from Pinocchio Rhapsody in Blue (arr. orch.) (Fantasia 2000) Selections from Beauty and the Beast |
06/10 2021 |
Augusta Read Thomas: Magic Box § Prokofiev: Violin Concerto #2 Haydn: Symphony #86 |
06/17 2021 |
Miguel De Águila: Malambo Beethoven: Symphony #6 “Pastoral” |
06/24 2021 |
Arild Plau: Tuba Concerto Beethoven: Symphony #3 “Eroica” |
Will we see the “completely arbitrary march madness bracket” return this year ?
Sorry, I can’t think of any new arbitrary criteria that are easily-researched in 1 day.
It could just be flattery, or perhaps that they’re seeing visitors coming from your posts and adjusting their brochure accordingly to improve their SEO?