Flights of Fantasy

Austin Public Library, Special Events Center
710 W. Cesar Chavez St.

TICKETS

Youth are always free with discounts available for adults.

Please consider making a donation with your ticket purchase.
We keep costs low, so that more can enjoy the concert.

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Dr. W.P. Sterneman III, Interim Music Director
Sara Hickman, Narrator
Ethyn Evans, Tuba

Flights of Fantasy launches the Austin Civic Orchestra’s 2026–27 season – Journeys of Wonder and Beauty – with a vibrant mix of storytelling, color, and cinematic energy. The program features Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Concerto in F Minor for Bass Tuba, performed by ACO’s concerto competition winner Ethyn Evans, showcasing the tuba’s unexpected lyricism and power. Barber’s atmospheric Night Flight and Pinar Toprak’s bold, heroic Captain Marvel bring contrasting visions of motion and adventure, from nocturnal mystery to soaring superhero brilliance.

The concert culminates in Bruce Adolphe’s whimsical Carnival of the Creatures, narrated by beloved Austin artist Sara Hickman, inviting audiences into a playful musical world where imagination takes center stage.

Join us for an afternoon of fantasy, storytelling, and orchestral brilliance as we open the season with wonder.

Program

• Concerto in F Minor for Bass Tuba and Orchestra by Ralph Vaughan  Williams with Ethyn Evans, Tuba 🎶
• Night Flight by Samuel Barber 🎶
• Captain Marvel by Pinar Toprak 🎶
• Carnival of the Creatures by Bruce Adolphe with Sara Hickman, Narrator 🎶

Public Transportation

Many bus lines are within 3 blocks of the Austin Public Library.  Plan your trip.

Parking for the Austin Public Library

Parking

Thanks to the following business who supports the ACO and arts in Central Texas!

This project is supported in part by a grant from HEB, the Texas Commission on the Arts, an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment.