Dear Friends:

I have always looked to music as an outlet for joy, fear, and aspiration—a celebration of all that life has to offer, especially during times of challenge. And as we welcome the 85th anniversary season of the Portland Symphony Orchestra, there are plenty of reasons to connect with the music and each other.

It’s a season of heroes, featuring Beethoven’s “Eroica” and the courageous journeys of Ellis Island’s American dreamers. It’s a season of homage to the past and hope for the future, from the intricate textures of Bach to a bold new commission by Joseph Schwantner. It’s a season of romance, with Rachmaninoff’s rhapsodic Piano Concerto No. 2 played by the astounding Yuja Wang, and a tribute to Broadway’s best love songs. It’s a season of fun, with Mendelssohn’s playful “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the dazzling feats of Cirque de la Symphony, and a new mandolin concerto by bluegrass dynamo Chris Thile. Finally, it’s a season of transformation. You will hear this in the eloquent Requiem of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Mahler’s magnificent Second Symphony, but also in every note we play.

Over the past several decades, the artistic quality of the PSO has grown
exponentially, transforming the orchestra into an integral part of the
Portland community. The PSO has become your symphony, your outlet for celebration.

Come be a part of this incredible season, 85 years in the making.

Sincerely yours,

Robert Moody
Music Director