Notes on the Seattle Symphony’s expanded concert schedule for 2021–2022 season

In June, the Seattle Symphony announced that it was expanding its 2021–2022 season to include a full slate of concerts. The original March announcement had a reduced schedule due to uncertainty over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. I have retroactively updated my Seattle Symphony 2021–2022 season rundown to incorporate the new information.

The pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the normal 2020–2021 season. Instead, the Symphony held replacement concerts with no audience in the hall and programs compatible with physically-distance performers. These replacement concerts were streamed live to all subscribers regardless of ticket package, as well as to all members at the Friends level or higher.

Building upon the experience of producing live-streamed concerts, the Seattle Symphony is continuing the live streaming option for the 2021–2022 season with a new series called Watch and Listen. This includes 13 regular-season Masterworks concerts, plus seven additional concerts from other series or special events.¹ The Watch and Listen series is complimentary for members at the Friends level or higher. Technically, you can buy the series without a membership, but it costs the same as a membership, so you may as well get the membership.²

The Watch and Listen series overlaps with the Baroque & Wine series and the Pops series, so those two get added to the table.

A new series Octave 9 explores the fusion of music and technology in the new Raisbeck Music Center. This series was originally scheduled to premiere in the now-cancelled 2020–2021 season.

Khatia Buniatishvili was the scheduled artist in residence for the cancelled 2020–2021 season, so we never got to see her. This year, Yuja Wang performs in recital. (Still waiting for Alice Sara Ott.)

¹ If they continue the policy from the 2020–2021 season, the live-streamed concerts will be available for on-demand viewing for one week following the concert.

² You might want to buy it à la carte if you want to see only a few of the concerts. In that case, you can get a monthly pass for the month you care about, rather than an annual pass for the entire season. But really, just support your local artistic organizations if you can afford it.