The Portland Symphony Orchestra

Since her debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 11, Midori has captured audiences with her intensity and technical prowess. We're thrilled to welcome her for her first appearance next season, bringing her “simply magical” (Houston Chronicle) talent to Shostakovich’s herculean Violin Concerto No. 1, emotionally sweeping and symphonic in its scope and composition.

MIDORI PLAYS SHOSTAKOVICH
🗓️ Tuesday, November 10
📍 Merrill Auditorium, Portland, Maine
Tickets and more info: https://portsym.org/midori

The films of Studio Ghibli have captivated audiences with their breathtaking animation, deep emotional themes, and heartwarming spirit. As iconic as the films themselves is the unforgettable music, composed by Joe Hisaishi, bringing the heart and souls of the stories to life.

Guest conductor Morihiko Nakahara leads this symphonic celebration, paying tribute to the wonder, nostalgia, and adventurous spirit of the films that have captured our hearts and imaginations for over forty years.

THE MUSIC OF STUDIO GHIBLI
🗓️ Saturday, October 10 & Sunday, October 11
📍 Merrill Auditorium, Portland, Maine
Tickets and more info: https://portsym.org/ghibli

In the opening concert of our 102nd season, we're celebrating our home of Portland, Maine, and music that expresses our identity.

ChoralArt Masterworks will lend their powerful vocals to Travis Ramsey’s “FIRE!” a musical retelling of Portland's Great Fire of 1866, and Portland’s rise from the ashes. Telling the story of the immense fire and the aftermath of rebuilding, it captures the resiliency of the spirit of Portland—Resurgam (“I shall rise again.”).

Bringing the focus outward is Copland’s iconic work, Appalachian Spring, while the journey into our state’s past is rounded out by works from Maine composers John Knowles Paine, the first professor of music at Harvard University and student of Hermann Kotzschmar, and Supply Belcher, also known as “the Handel of Maine.”

RESURGAM: AMERICAN FOLKTALES & HYMNS
🗓️ Sunday, September 27 & Tuesday, September 29
📍 Merrill Auditorium, Portland, Maine
Tickets and more info: https://portsym.org/resurgam

🎶This Juneteenth: Tune in all day to hear selections by Black composers and Black artists, including by a few who are coming to Maine soon!🎶

During The Midday Mix on Friday, hear from cellist Seth Parker Woods, who will be performing at Hannaford Hall with Portland Ovations in February, pianist Michelle Cann, who will be soloing with the The Portland Symphony Orchestra in their upcoming season, and saxophonist Steven Banks, who will be a part of the Portland Chamber Music Festival later this summer.