Vancouver Symphony USA to Open 2026/27 Season with Beethoven's PASTORAL
Music Director Salvador Brotons will conduct his own work, Virtus, alongside Grieg and Beethoven at Skyview Concert Hall.
Following three triumphant performances at the Vancouver USA Arts & Music Festival, Opening Night of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA 2026/27 concert season promises a captivating journey of character and contrast.
VSO Music Director and Conductor Salvador Brotons returns to the podium for his 36th season leading the orchestra in a performance of his own Virtus, Op.53. The work opens with an enigmatic flute solo before unfolding into a contemporary, virtuosic dialogue between flute and piano.
The first half of the program also features the sweeping romantic drama of Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor, brought vividly to life by award-winning pianist Yulianna Avdeeva. Grieg's only completed concerto bursts with lyrical intensity, vigorous rhythms, and unmistakable Norwegian folk color. The performance culminates in Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 'Pastoral,' a symphonic celebration of nature. Together these works invite audiences to experience a richly emotional arc through music that is vivid, expressive, and deeply evocative.
Opening Night performances will take place on September 26 at 7 pm and September 27 at 3 pm at Skyview Concert Hall. Both performances will be available as a simultaneous live stream at vancouversymphony.org.
Virtual-only tickets are also available at vancouversymphony.org or by calling (360)735-7278. All in-person ticket holders will have the option of viewing virtually.
The Saturday performance at Skyview Concert Hall will begin at 7:00 pm. The celebrated VSO pre-concert show, hosted by Maestro Salvador Brotons, will be available for concertgoers to attend before the performance from 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm. The virtual live stream programming begins at 6:30 pm on Saturday to air a pre-recorded educational discussion of the composers and pieces being performed. Additionally, live stream viewers will enjoy a pre-recorded interview with guest artist Yulianna Avdeeva that will be aired during intermission. The Sunday performance will begin at 3:00 pm, with the pre-concert show available to attend in-person from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm. The virtual live stream programming begins at 2:30 pm on Sunday.
All ticket holders will receive a secure email link to access the live stream performances.
The VSO-USA tech support team will be on standby to assist you if you have any issues logging in during the performances.
ABOUT YULIANNA AVDEEVA
A pianist of fiery temperament and virtuosity, Yulianna Avdeeva is the First Prize winner of the 2010 International Chopin Piano Competition, which launched her to international fame for 'consistently [leading] the field, in terms of sheer passion and musicianship, not to mention technical security,' in performances that were 'full of depth and colour' (The Telegraph). In 2022 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised Avdeeva a 'one-woman powerhouse of epic stature.'
After her sold-out recital debut at Carnegie Hall in early 2023, Avdeeva returns to Carnegie in October 2024 with a program of Chopin and Liszt, including the latter's famous Piano Sonata in B Minor. She will also play that program on stages in Spain, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, and Seattle. In Boston she will perform Liszt and Beethoven's Hammerklavier sonata; at Festival Lanaudiere she will perform Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87, and, at the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Shostakovich and Chopin.
In spring 2025, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Dmitri Shostakovich, Avdeeva performs the composer's 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87, at Gewandhaus, in Leipzig, part of a Shostakovich festival with The Gewandhaus Orchestra in partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She will also play the cycle at Pierre Boulez Hall in Berlin, Palau de la Música in Barcelona and Madrid, in Ostrava, Czech Republic; and in Seon, Switzerland.
ABOUT SALVADOR BROTONS
Maestro Salvador Brotons returns for his 36th season as Music Director and Conductor of the VSO. In addition to the VSO, he has been the Music Director and Conductor of the Orquestra Simfònica de les Illes Balears 'Ciutat de Palma' (1997-2001, 2009-2013) and the Orquestra Sinfónica del Vallés (1997-2002). He is presently the Conductor of the Barcelona Symphonic Band. In 2005, he received the Arts Council award from Clark County and the City of Vancouver as well as the Kiwanis Rose Award. He has guest conducted orchestras in countries such as the U.S., Israel, France, Germany, China, Poland, South Korea, Mexico, Uruguay, and Colombia.
ABOUT THE VSO
The VSO, now in its 48th season, enriches lives in the Pacific Northwest and beyond through world-class symphonic concerts, other musical performances, and engaging educational programming. For more information, please visit vancouversymphony.org.
ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
The VSO is generously supported by individual donors, The M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Realvest Foundation, Oliva Family Fund, Oregon Public Broadcasting, The AC Hotel Marriott, United Grain Corporation, Columbia Credit Union, All Classical Radio, Dick Hannah Dealerships, The Columbian, ArtsFund, Michelle's Piano Co., Pacific Office Automation, Steinway & Sons Portland, The VIC, Kiggins Theatre, Opsahl Dawson, and Willful Wine Company.
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