Britten, Elgar, and Beethoven’s Fifth

Assistant Conductor, Yale Philharmonia

Britten’s haunting Four Sea Interludes and Elgar’s elegant Cello Concerto set the stage for Beethoven’s Fifth — a sweeping emotional journey that begins with four of the most iconic notes in classical music. Conducted by Peter Oundjian, principal conductor and featuring violist Wanxinyi Huang ’24MM ’25MMA.

Program
Britten: Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op. 33a
Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85, arr. for viola by Lionel Tertis
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67

Personnel
Peter Oundjian, conductor
Wanxinyi Huang,viola

Conductor - “Upward Mobility” by Ben Reike

Works by Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning composer Kevin Puts are paired with original pieces by first- and second-year composition students. The program features a mix of large ensembles and smaller chamber groups.

Siddhartha, She

Assistant Conductor, Yale Philharmonia

The Yale Philharmonia, YSM faculty artists, and Yale Choral Artists come together with singers from Yale Opera, the Yale Glee Club, and the Yale Voxtet for the East Coast premiere of Siddhartha, She, a major new work by “unusually skilled, communicative composer” (The Baltimore Sun) Christopher Theofanidis, with a libretto by Melissa Studdard.

Conducted by guest conductor Jeffrey Douma, this performance brings together performers across generations, disciplines, and ensembles — a collaboration that showcases the depth, range, and creative force of the Yale community on one stage.

Siddhartha, She is co-commissioned by the Aspen Music Festival and Yale Glee Club.

Personnel
Music by Christopher Theofanidis
Libretto by Melissa Studdard

Anne Patterson - Director and costume designer
Camilla Tassi and Adam Larsen - Projection designers

Cast
Siddhartha - Adriana Zabala
Kamala - Janna Baty
Gotama - Key'mon W. Murrah
Govinda - Julia Ernst
Abinaswar - Matthew Dexter
Dharuna - Rosario Armas
Aman - Scott La Marca
Shamana 1 - Jonathan Woody
Shamana 2 - Stephen Soph

Conductor - student compositions TBD

Spotlighting orchestral works by student composers, this beloved tradition brings large-scale ideas to life with the full force of the Yale Philharmonia.

Zhang Conducts Brahms and Tchaikovsky

Assistant Conductor, Yale Philharmonia

Noted for her “kinetic precision and clarity of vision” (The Seattle Times), Seattle Symphony Music Director Xian Zhang takes up the baton to lead Brahms’s Violin Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. Featuring violinist Laurel Gagnon ’25MMA.

Program
Nokuthula Ngwenyama: Primal Message (version for strings, harp, celesta, percussion)
Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36

Personnel
Xian Zhang, conductor
Laurel Gagnon, violin

Mozart & Dvořák: The Music of Prague

Ezra Calvino conducts the Yale Philharmonia

The Philharmonia takes you to Prague with Mozart’s Don Giovanni Overture — premiered there in 1787 — and Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8, which was inspired by the Bohemian countryside. Conducted by Ezra Calvino ’26MMA.

Program:
Mozart: Overture from Don Giovanni, K.527

Villa-Lobos: Guitar Concerto, W. 501 with soloist Hao Yang
Dvorak: Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88

Mahler’s Symphony No. 6

Assistant Conductor, Yale Philharmonia

Recognized for his “transcendent” and “impassioned” interpretations of Mahler (KDHX), Philharmonia principal conductor Peter Oundjian leads the composer’s towering Symphony No. 6.

Gershwin & Bernstein: A 250th American Celebration

Conductor, Yale Philharmonia

Ahead of the nation’s 250th, the Philharmonia finishes the season with a joyful, high-energy celebration of American music, featuring works by Gershwin, Bernstein, Barber and Valerie Coleman. Conducted by Peter Oundjian, principal conductor, and Ezra Calvino ’26MMA.

Program
Valerie Coleman: Seven O'Clock Shout
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Barber: Overture from The School for Scandal
Gershwin: An American in Paris

Personnel
Peter Oundjian, conductor
Ezra Calvino, conductor