Journeys of Wonder and Beauty
Flights of Fantasy
Sunday, September 27
4:00 to 5:30 pm
Austin Public Library
Special Events Center
Dr. W.P. Sterneman III, Interim Director
Sara Hickman, Narrator
Ethyn Evans, Tuba
We open the season with Flights of Fantasy featuring Barber’s Night Flight, Toprak’s Captain Marvel, Zaimont’s Chroma: Northern Lights, and Adolphe’s Carnival of the Creatures narrated by Sara Hickman. The program concludes with Ethyn Evans performing Vaughan Williams’s Tuba Concerto — a vibrant afternoon of color, imagination, and orchestral storytelling.
Parts of the Whole
Saturday, October 17 at 7:30 – 9:00 pm
Abiding Love Lutheran Church
7210 Brush Country Rd, Austin
Dr. W.P. Sterneman III, Interim Director
Join us for the Austin Civic Orchestra’s annual Parts of the Whole chamber concert, an intimate evening featuring small ensembles made up of ACO musicians and friends. This program highlights the creativity and musicianship within the orchestra through works for both strings and winds.
Winter Tales:
From Fairyland to Enigma
Saturday, Dec. 19 from 7:30 – 9:00 pm
Bates Recital Hall
Dr. Bo Young Kang, Guest Conductor & Music Director Finalist
This program moves from the magical warmth of Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel Prelude to the playful sparkle of Bizet’s Jeux d’enfants, concluding with Elgar’s expressive and beloved Enigma Variations. This concert begins our journey with four exceptional finalists and celebrates musical imagination and the future of the Austin Civic Orchestra.
Wonder and Beauty in Motion
Sunday, Feb. 7, 2027 from 4:00 – 5:00 PM
Austin Baptist Church
McNeil and 2222
Dr. Jacob Harrison, Guest Conductor & Music Director Finalist
Daveda Karanas, Mezzo-soprano
The program begins with Gabriela Ortiz’s Kauyumari, inspired by the Blue Deer of Huichol tradition. Mezzo‑soprano Daveda Karanas then joins the orchestra for Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer, bringing depth and lyric beauty to this emotional journey. The concert concludes with Respighi’s Pines of Rome, a dazzling showpiece filled with cinematic energy and radiant sound. Together, these works create a powerful blend of contemporary brilliance, vocal drama, and symphonic spectacle. Also includes the annual Paint to Music art show.
Beyond the Familiar:
A Journey Through Imagination, Discovery, and Celebration
Saturday, Mar. 13, 2027 from 7:30 – 9:00 PM
Bates Recital Hall
Dr. Gabriela Mora-Fallas, Guest Conductor & Music Director Finalist
Austin Soundwaves Chamber Ensemble
A journey through imagination, discovery, and celebration, featuring Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Augusta Holmès’ La Nuit et l’Amour, Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, Fantastic Beasts by James Newton Howard, Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, and Gershwin’s Cuban Overture. Beyond the Familiar brings together composers from different backgrounds, generations, countries, genres, and musical traditions to challenge the way we experience the world around us. The Austin Soundwaves Chamber Ensemble will open the concert.
Celebration of John Williams
Friday & Sunday, June 11 & 12, 2027 from 8:00 – 10:00 PM
Zilker Park Hillside Theater
Dr. W.P. Sterneman III, Interim Music Director
Each year, the Austin Civic Orchestra hosts free pops concerts at the Zilker Hillside Theatre. Audience members are invited to bring a blanket or low chair, along with children, neighbors, and dogs, and relax on the hillside while enjoying a performance that celebrates the iconic film music of John Williams, who marks his 95th birthday in 2027 with familiar works creating an inviting, family‑friendly experience that resonates across generations.