Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra

Announces Its

Mainstage Season 2023-2024

Saint Joseph, Michigan – Tickets are now on sale for the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra’s 2023-2024 Mainstage Season. Whether you want to attend one performance or all to experience the rich tones of the Symphony, check your calendar and get your tickets now - they will sell fast!

Programmed by the SMSO’s Music Director Matthew Aubin, the Mainstage Series promises to excite and will showcase a variety of music and special guest artists sure to be of interest to everyone.

Beethoven’s Ninth
Sunday, October 22, 2023 at 4 p.m.
Free Pre-Concert Conversation at 3 p.m.
The Howard Performing Art Center
4160 E. Campus Circle, Berrien Springs

Experience two epic live performances in one night! Opening the concert is Coleman’s Seven O’Clock Shout, a tribute to the heartwarming ritual of evening serenades that brought people together amidst isolation to celebrate life during the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by Beethoven’s famous Ninth Symphony. The SMSO will perform these landmark works alongside the Southwest Michigan Symphony Chorus, and other special guests. This will truly be a musical journey for the heart and mind, a night you won’t want to miss!

Music for the Program
Seven O’Clock Shout                Valerie Coleman
Symphony No. 9, op.125, D Minor        Ludwig van Beethoven

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Merry & Bright
Saturday, December 9, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Lake Michigan College’s Mendel Center Mainstage
1100 Yore Ave., Benton Harbor

‘Tis the season to celebrate with the SMSO as we embrace the wonderful time of year through the music that moves us all. Join us for an evening of merry making, beloved traditions, and a taste of holiday music from around the world. A festive favorite, this annual concert is a treat for the whole family.

Music for the Program
Christmas Festival                Leroy Anderson
Christmas Eve: Polonaise            Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Hanukkah Festival Overture            Lucas Richman
Fantasia on “Greensleeves”            Ralph Vaughan Williams

Carol of the Bells                Mikola Leontovich

Navidad Latina!                Anthony DiLorenzo

Sleigh Ride                    Leroy Anderson

Nutcracker Suite (After Tchaikovsky)        Duke Ellington

The Night Before Christmas            Aaron Dai

Christmas Singalong                John Finnegan

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The Four Seasons
Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Free Pre-Concert Conversation at 6:30 p.m.
The Heritage Museum and Cultural Center
601 Main St., St. Joseph

Discover the beauty of classics reimagined for today’s modern ear. Presented at the Heritage Museum and Cultural Center, this intimately sized performance featuring SMSO’s Concertmaster Whun Kim (violin) and Associate Concertmaster Abigail Weener (violin) will carry listeners across seasons and time mixing newer contemporary arrangements alongside original compositions of Vivaldi’s best-known suite.

Music for the program

More Seasons                                    Michael Abels

Symphony No. 6, D major (Le matin: Morning)                Franz Joseph Haydn

INTERMISSION

The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires: Verano Porteño (Summer)         Astor Piazzola

World Premiere (Fall)                                Michael Boyman

The Four Seasons Recomposed (Winter)                    Max Richter

Le Quattro Stagioni, Op. 8, No.1-4 (Spring)                    Antonio Vivaldi

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Rhapsody in Blue

Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Free Pre-Concert Conversation at 6:30 p.m.

Lake Michigan College’s Mendel Center Mainstage

1100 Yore Ave., Benton Harbor

Meet some of music’s boundary pushers and barrier breakers with a featured side-by-side performance with the next generation of musicians, the Lake Michigan Youth Orchestra. Relish a gem from female composer Fernande Decruck. The sounds of gospel, blues and jazz meet the orchestral stage with Duke Ellington’s Black, Brown, and Beige, his musical illustration of African-American history. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue concludes the SMSO’s Mainstage season with the raucous and joyous energy of city life.

Music for the program

Suite Française                Fernande Decruck

L'Arlésienne: Suite No. 2            Georges Bizet, arr. Ernest Guiraud

INTERMISSION

Black, Brown and Beige: Suite        Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington

Rhapsody in Blue                George Gershwin, arr. Campbell Watson

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Subscription packages are available for a limited time:  $116/$70* for the Grand Series subscription pack (all four performances); or $99/$55* for a 3-Pack (choose 3 of the 4 performances). Subscriptions can be purchased by calling or visiting the SMSO Box Office.

Individual tickets to the concerts can be purchased online, or by visiting or calling the SMSO Box Office. Single tickets are $38/$23* for Adults, $6 for Youth ages 6-17. Pricing includes ticket processing fees. 

*Prices listed are for Zone A/Zone B Seating.

For more information, or to purchase tickets for the concerts, call the SMSO at 269-982-4030, visit the office at 513 Ship St., St. Joseph, or its website at www.smso.org.

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