Austin Civic Orchestra

An ACO Holiday Concert
2019-12-14 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Bates Recital Hall, 2406 Robert Dedman Drive, Austin, TX, 78712, United States
Get ready for the holidays with An ACO Holiday Concert featuring guest violinist Jessica Mathaes, who will perform Vivaldi’s “Winter” from The Four Seasons. Plus, enjoy holiday classics that include music from Handel’s Messiah and selected dances from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker ballet.
The program includes:

The Nutcracker Suite by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Selections from Messiah by George Frideric Handel
Winter from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi
Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson
Chanukah Festival Overture by Calvin Custer
A Christmas Festival by Leroy Anderson
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane
The Christmas Song by Mel Torme and Robert Wells
Oboe Concerto, Movement I by Ignaz Malzat/Joseph Haydn

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For parking information, click here.

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

New York, New York
2019-11-03 16:00 - 17:30 | Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Austin, TX, 78723, United States
Join the Austin Civic Orchestra for New York, New York featuring music written in homage to The Big Apple. Guest pianist and former Pearl Amster winner Ben Laude will perform Gershwin’s “Second Rhapsody.”
Guest composer and native New Yorker, Anthony Iannaccone, will discuss his work “Waiting for Sunrise on the (Long Island) Sound” during a pre-concert talk at 3 p.m. in the lobby of the AISD Performing Arts Center.
Remember, those ages 18 and younger get in free! Discounts also for seniors, military and teachers; ACO season tickets are available.
The program includes:

Waiting for Sunrise on the Sound by Anthony Iannaccone
West Side Story Overture by Leonard Bernstein
The Godfather Suite by Nino Rota
Second Rhapsody for Orchestra with Piano by George Gershwin
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue by Richard Rodgers and Robert Russell Bennett

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This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
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Film Score Favorites
2019-09-14 19:30 - 21:00 | Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Austin, TX, 78723, United States
Join the Austin Civic Orchestra for the opening of the 2019-20 season with Film Score Favorites, a concert that pays tribute to the science fiction and fantasy genres. The concert will feature beloved sections from films and series like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Back to the Future, Star Trek, and many others.
The program includes:

Superman March by John Williams
E.T. Flying Theme by John Williams
Lord of the Rings Symphonic Suite by Howard Shore
Themes from Back to the Future by Alan Silvestri
Harry Potter Symphonic Suite by John Williams
arr. Custer: Star Trek Through the Years
Imperial March and Battle in the Forest from Star Wars by John Williams

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This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

Cosmos
2019-06-07 20:00 | Sheffield Hillside Theatre at Zilker Park, 2206 William Barton Drive, Austin, TX, 78746, United States
Join the Austin Civic Orchestra for its annual free pops concerts at the Sheffield Hillside Theater in Zilker Park. Bring the whole family to Cosmos, a concert that pays tribute to the music in science fiction and fantasy.
The program includes:

Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss
On the Beautiful Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II
Star Wars Suite by John Williams
Star Trek Through the Years arranged by Calvin Custer
Back to the Future by Alan Silvestri
Superman Theme by John Williams
Jurassic Park Theme by John Williams
Lord of the Rings Medley by Howard Shore

For parking information, click here.

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

Pictures from Russia
2019-05-18 19:30 | Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Austin, TX, 78723, United States
This concert features Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition as well as art created by local students in reflection of this masterwork. The art show begins at 6:45 p.m. in the AISD Performing Arts Center lobby. The program includes music by Dmitri Shostakovich, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Reinhold Glière with ACO hornist Chris Simpson as a featured soloist.
Program:

Sleeping Beauty Waltz by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Horn Concerto, Mvts. II & III by Reinhold Glière
Festive Overture by Dmitri Shostakovich
Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky

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This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

Texas Rising Stars
2019-03-26 19:30 | Bates Recital Hall, 2406 Robert Dedman Drive, Austin, TX, 78712, United States
The Austin Civic Orchestra is partnering again with the University of Texas at Austin for the 7th annual Texas Rising Stars concert at Bates Recital Hall. The winners of the Butler School of Music’s String Concerto Competition perform concerti accompanied by the orchestra. Camille Saint-Saëns’s Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila, and the U.S. premiere of Roydon Tse’s Sinfonia Concertante are also on the program.
This collaborative concert between the Butler School of Music and Austin Civic Orchestra was conceived by UT Professor Brian Lewis and is funded in part by the David and Mary Winton Green Chair in String Performance and Pedagogy. All are welcome to donate to help support the cost of production.
Program:

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Mvt I by Aram Khachaturian — Corina Santos, Soloist
Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61, Mvt I by Camille Saint-Saëns — Sara Aldana, Soloist
Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila, Op. 47 by Camille Saint-Saëns
Sinfonia Concertante for Percussion and Orchestra by Roydon Tse

Before the concert and during intermission, the Amster Chamber Music Ensemble comprised of four talented high school students will perform.
For parking information, click here.

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

Meisters of Musik
2019-02-02 19:30 | Southwestern University’s Alma Thomas Theater, 1001 E University Ave, Georgetown, TX, 78626, United States
Every year the Austin Civic Orchestra travels north to Georgetown to perform at Southwestern University’s Alma Thomas Theater. This year’s concert, Meisters of Musik, features pieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Carl Maria von Weber, Richard Wagner, Felix Mendelssohn and Ludwig van Beethoven. Guest performers are soprano Lynn Eustis and ACO clarinetist Caleb Martin, who is also an alum of Southwestern University. Come early for a pre-concert talk led by Dr. Michael Cooper at 6:45 PM.
Program:

Don Giovanni Overture by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Clarinet Concerto No. 2, Mvt. II & III by Carl Maria von Weber
Flying Dutchman Overture by Richard Wagner
Recitative and Aria, “Infelice” by Felix Mendelssohn
Symphony No. 1 by Ludwig van Beethoven

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Southwestern University faculty, staff and students receive free admission by showing their university ID at the door.

Bohemian Rhapsodies
2018-12-02 17:00 | Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Austin, TX, 78723, United States
Experience Bohemian Rhapsodies at the Austin Civic Orchestra’s concert featuring Antonín Dvořák’s masterwork Symphony No. 8 as well as the music of Karel Husa, Carl Stamitz and Bedřich Smetana with violist Roger Myers as a guest soloist. Dr. W.P. Sterneman, assistant conductor for the ACO, will present a pre-concert lecture on the music’s history. The conversation begins at 4:15 p.m. in the AISD Performing Arts Center lobby.
Program:

Pastorale by Karel Husa
Viola Concerto in D Major Op. 1, Mvt. I by Carl Stamitz
The Moldau from “Ma Vlast” by Bedřich Smetana
Symphony No. 8 by Antonín Dvořák

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This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

Bella Italia!
2018-10-06 19:30 | Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Austin, TX, 78723, United States
The Austin Civic Orchestra opens its season, Destination: Europe, at the Austin Independent School District’s Performing Arts Center with Bella Italia! featuring the music of Giacomo Puccini, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, and Antonio Vivaldi alongside Ottorino Respighi’s masterwork Pines of Rome. Guest artists are trumpeters Bob Cannon and Kyle Koronka.
Program:

L’italiana in Algeri Overture by Gioachino Rossini
Preludio Sinfonico by Giacomo Puccini
String Symphony in E minor, Mvmt. 1 by Giuseppe Verdi
Musetta’s Waltz from “La Bohème” by Giacomo Puccini
Concerto for Two Trumpets by Antonio Vivaldi
Pines of Rome by Ottorino Respighi

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This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

American Salute
2018-06-09 20:00 - 21:30, 2018-06-08 20:00 - 21:30 | Sheffield Hillside Theatre at Zilker Park, 2206 William Barton Drive, Austin, TX, 78746, United States
Once again, the ACO presents its annual FREE Pops Concerts at the Sheffield Hillside Theater in Zilker Park. Join us as we honor our armed forces and veterans. Our annual raffle drawing will award the chance to conduct John Phillip Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever!
Program:

Star Spangled Banner by John Stafford Smith
America, the Beautiful by Samuel Ward
Armed Forces Salute arranged by Robert Lowden
American Salute by Morton Gould
Victory at Sea by Richard Rodgers
Hymn to the Fallen by John Williams
The March from “1941” by John Williams
God Bless America by Irving Berlin
Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa

For parking information, click here.

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

1712 Overture
2018-05-13 16:00 - 18:00 | Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Austin, TX, 78723, United States
Get ready for some fun during this concert at the AISD Performing Arts Center. In addition to performing P.D.Q. Bach’s hilarious 1712 Overture, the ACO welcomes guest bass trombonist Michael Johnson as well as two guest composers: Anthony Iannaccone and the 2016 winner of our biannual composition contest, Lee Actor. In addition, the audience will be invited to participate in John Cage’s (in)famous 4’ 33”.
In connection with the 1712 Overture performance, audience members can view a free art show featuring works that Austin-area students created while listening to the piece as part of the ACO’s Paint to Music contest. The art will be on view in the lobby and in a slide show in the auditorium before the concert.
Program:

Divertimento for Orchestra by Anthony Iannaccone
4’ 33” by John Cage
Dance Rhapsody by Lee Actor
Concerto for Bass Trombone by Thom Ritter George, featuring Michael Johnson on bass trombone
1712 Overture for rather large orchestra by P.D.Q. Bach and festively edited by Peter Schickele
Symphony No. 4 “Heroes” – V. Neuköln by Philip Glass

For parking information, click here.
Purchase Tickets

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

Texas Rising Stars
2018-03-25 19:30 - 21:30 | Bates Recital Hall, 2406 Robert Dedman Drive, Austin, TX, 78712, United States
The ACO returns to Bates Recital Hall at the University of Texas for the sixth annual “Texas Rising Stars” concert. Featured at this FREE event will be the winners from the Butler School of Music String Concerto Competition as well as Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral and the chamber version of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. Come experience the talent of these young artists alongside ACO members who have a lifelong dedication to music, in one of the premiere performance spaces in Austin.
This collaborative concert between the Butler School of Music and Austin Civic Orchestra was conceived by UT Professor Brian Lewis and is funded in part by the David and Mary Winton Green Chair in String Performance and Pedagogy. All are welcome to donate to help support the cost of production.
Attendees can get insight into the music at a pre-concert talk from 6:45-7:15 p.m. in room MRH 2.614, located in the same building as the recital hall.
Enjoy performances by the Amster Brass Quintet featuring four talented high school students before the concert and at intermission. Each member of the ensemble was nominated by their band director and private teacher, and selected through audition.
Program:

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, Allegro ma non troppo, by Ludwig van Beethoven, featuring Patrice Calixte on violin
Concierto del sur for Guitar and Orchestra, Allegro moderato, by Manuel Ponce, featuring Henry Johnston on guitar
Concerto No. 2 in D Major for cello and orchestra, Hob. VIIb/2, Op. 101, Allegro moderato, by Joseph Haydn, featuring Seulki Lee on cello
Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22, Allegro moderato, by Henryk Wieniawski, featuring Nicolás Medina Gutiérrez on violin
blue cathedral by Jennifer Higdon
Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland

For parking information, click here.
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Family-owned for over 54 years and across three generations, Strait Music is Austin’s only full-line music store — specializing in pianos, guitars, band and orchestra, drums and percussion, pro audio and recording, sheet music, service, rentals, new and pre-owned instruments. A big time store with a small town feel, Strait Music prides themselves as a place “where customers become friends.”

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

An American in Paris
2018-02-03 19:30 - 21:30 | Southwestern University’s Alma Thomas Theater, 1001 E University Ave, Georgetown, TX, 78626, United States
Every year the ACO travels north to Georgetown to perform in Southwestern University’s (SU) Alma Thomas Theater. This year’s concert features music by George Gershwin and Libby Larsen as well as the winner of the 2017 SU Concerto Contest, cellist Isabel Tweraser. Guest artist Toby Blumenthal will perform the haunting second movement from Samuel Barber’s piano concerto.
Get insight into the music at a pre-concert talk from 6:45-7:15 p.m. in the Instrumental Rehearsal Room on the 2nd floor of the theater.
Program:

Cuban Overture by George Gershwin
Deep Summer Music by Libby Larsen
Hungarian Rhapsody for Cello by David Popper, featuring Isabel Tweraser on cello
Piano Concerto, Canzone: Moderato by Samuel Barber, featuring Toby Blumenthal on piano
An American in Paris by George Gershwin

For parking information, click here.
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NOTE: Admission is free to SU students, faculty and staff. Show your ID to the usher.

Austin Homegrown
2017-12-10 16:00 - 18:00 | Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Austin, TX, 78723, United States
It’s always a great pleasure for us to feature local artists! On Sunday, Dec. 10, the ACO welcomes the choirs from St. Edward’s University and Austin Community College for a performance of Donald Grantham’s So Long As Days Shall Be at the AISD Performing Arts Center. Dan Welcher will conduct his own composition, Prairie Light, and the concert will also include works by Joan Tower and Leroy Anderson.
Program:

Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman #6 by Joan Tower
Jazz Legato by Leroy Anderson
The Phantom Regiment by Leroy Anderson
Prairie Light: Three Texas Watercolors of Georgia O’Keeffe by Dan Welcher
So Long As Days Shall Be by Donald Grantham, featuring the St. Edward’s University Choir and Austin Community College Choir
The Christmas Song by Mel Tormé, arranged by Robert Lowden
White Christmas by Irving Berlin, arranged by Robert Russell Bennett
Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson

For parking information, click here.
Purchase Tickets

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

America, the Beautiful
2017-11-05 16:00 - 18:00 | Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Austin, TX, 78723, United States
We will celebrate “America, the Beautiful” in all its diverse splendor on Sunday, Nov. 5, at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center. Guest soloist Jessica Mathaes will perform music by Samuel Barber on a concert that will also feature music from West Side Story, Porgy and Bess, and William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony.
Program:

Porgy and Bess, Selection for Orchestra by George Gershwin, arranged by Robert Russell Bennett
Variations on “America” by Charles Ives, arranged by William Schuman
Overture to “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Allegro moderato (Movement I) by Samuel Barber, featuring Jessica Mathaes on violin
Afro-American Symphony by William Grant Still

For parking information, click here.
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Web Sponsor
Locally-owned and operated since 1989, MusicMasters is Austin’s highest rated piano store, providing piano sales, rentals, lessons, tuning and service. MusicMasters is Central Texas’ exclusive source for Brodmann, Knabe, Hailun, and Hardman Acoustic Pianos as well as Dynatone and Samick Digital Pianos.

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

The Composer Is Dead!
2017-09-24 16:00 - 18:00 | Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd, Austin, TX, 78723, United States
The ACO opens its 2017-2018 season, Made in America, with the amusing “whodunit”, The Composer is Dead!, by Nathaniel Stookey with text by Lemony Snicket, featuring narrator W.P. Sterneman III. Also featured on this concert will be music by Leonard Bernstein, Duke Ellington, and Aaron Copland. This fun program along with a pre-concert instrument petting zoo, which begins at 3:15 p.m. in the lobby, is the perfect family outing for all ages.
To celebrate the start of its season, the Austin Civic Orchestra is not requiring a ticket for entry to this concert. Instead, we invite you to give whatever amount you deem appropriate for your classical music experience to help support our season! Cash, check and credit cards are accepted; feel free to donate in advance.
Program:

The Composer is Dead by Nathaniel Stookey with text by Lemony Snicket, narrated by W.P. Sterneman III
Outdoor Overture by Aaron Copland
Duke Ellington! arranged by Calvin Custer
Slava! by Leonard Bernstein

This concert is generously underwritten by Ms. Louise Morse.
For parking information, click here.
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This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
